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Mike Hussey conjured up what could prove a match-winning knock as Northamptonshire recovered from a bad attack of the jitters against Lancashire at Wantage Road.The Australian left-hander passed the half-century mark for the fourth time in succession in Championship cricket at Northampton, and went on to make 82 in four hours with 11 fours.His patient innings rescued Northants from trouble at 79-4 just after lunch to 194 all out, despite the best efforts of Glen Chapple whose 5-60 haul gave him 22 wickets for the season to date.Needing 302 for victory, Lancashire lost Ryan Driver in deteriorating light and closed on 18-1 with first-innings centurion Mark Chilton and John Crawley set to resume on the final morning.Peter Martin did his best to drag Lancashire back into the match with a fine all-round performance. He smashed 38 of the visitors’ last 40 runs, boosting them to 291 all out after Chilton had gone for 104, adding only two more runs to his overnight total.Then Martin roared in with the new ball to remove Mal Loye and Jeff Cook with successive deliveries, and with Russell Warren and Alec Swann also departing cheaply Northants were just 186 ahead with four top-order men out.But Hussey and Tony Penberthy (24) added 66 in a crucial fifth-wicket stand, and although Chapple blew away the tail with ease Lancashire were left facing a difficult target on a pitch unlikely to get any easier to bat on.

Bangladesh may have lost by an innings for the second time in a fortnight,but they left Sri Lanka on a high after a scintillating hundred from ateenage prodigy, who booked himself a place in the record books as theyoungest ever player to score a Test century.The tourists had started the day on 100 for four, still 365 runs in arrearsafter the mauling they had received on the first two days. Everyone expecteda quick death this morning, but the newest Test nation launched a bravefight-back, before they were eventually bowled out for 328.Sri Lanka had won by an innings and 137 runs within three days, theirhighest ever victory in their 112-Test career, and booked themselves a placein the Asian Test Championship final in February 2002.The day, however, will not be remembered for a predictable win in aone-sided contest, but Mohammad Ashraful’s 114 off 212 balls.The teenager, just 17 years and 63 days old (though he claims his passport gives his date of birth as 9th September – making him just 16), became the youngest ever player toscore a Test century on debut, beating a 30-year-old record, which had been setby Pakistan batsmen Mushtaq Mohammad (17 years 81 days) against India atDelhi in 1960/61.The diminutive right-hander was also making his debut, so he smashed therecord for being youngest player to score a century on debut set by Zimbabwe’s Hamilton Masakadza (17 years 354 days) in the second Test against theWest Indies at Harare just two months ago.He came to the wicket late last night and at the close he had scored justfour. He admitted afterwards to having had strange dreams throughout thenight: “I had difficulty sleeping last night as I dreamt about Lara’s 375and me scoring a century. I told my captain this morning and he told me Icould do it, so I just decided to play positively.”He did just that during a 126-run stand for the fifth wicket with theexperienced Aminul Islam, who had scored 145 in Bangladeshi’s inaugural Testmatch against India last November.Ashraful maintains that he did not feel under any pressure out in the middleand looked completely at ease at the crease. He had a couple of streakymoments along the way, when he sliced between the slips and should have beenrun out when he had made just 14, but he also played some brilliant strokes.He played the faster bowlers well, pulling Chaminda Vaas for two fours inhis second spell of the morning, but played the slower bowlers best, dancingdown the track and impudently lofting them straight down the ground. EvenMuralitharan wasn’t spared, as he pull-swept high over mid-wicket and latecut the ball delicately.Aminul was bowled on the stroke of lunch for 56, as he tried to sweep theleft-arm spin of Sanath Jayasuriya, to leave Bangladesh on 207 for five andAshraful on 68. He carried on in the same entertaining vein afterwards,however, and added 96 further runs with captain Naimur Rahman.With the Sri Lankan fielders showing increasing signs of frustration SanathJayasuriya took the second new ball after 83 overs. Ashraful reached hiscentury in the following over off 167 balls as he edged between third slipand gully for his 14th boundary.The harder ball eventually did the trick for Sri Lanka, though, as RuchiraPerera picked up three quick wickets and Bangladesh lost their last fivewickets for 25. Ashraful was eventually caught and bowled by Perera.Fittingly, it was Muralitharan who sealed the match with a return catch offMohammad Sharif to give him ten wickets in a game for the seventh time in hiscareer. Only Richard Hadlee has done so on more occasions (nine).More importantly, it meant that Muralitharan, who was playing his 66th Test,reached the 350 mark quicker than any other bowler in the history of Testcricket, beating the previous record of 69 matches set by Richard Hadlee.Muralitharan will travel back to England for one more county game withLancashire, whilst his team-mates take a welcome break after two tough monthsof cricket, their next assignment being a tri-nation series in Sharjah.

Goa 239 (Misal 106, Jadeja 3-41) and 299 for 7 dec. (Asnodkar 104, Kauthankar 58, Makvana 3-85) drew with Saurashtra 258 (Barot 56, Rituraj 5-70) and 223 for 5 (Barot 93, Jackson 55, Yadav 3-52)
ScorecardAvi Barot struck fifties in both innings but it was insufficient to take Saurashtra to their fifth successive win•BCCI

Late wickets halted Saurashtra’s quest to secure their fifth successive win, as they eventually settled for a draw against Goa in Rajkot. Saurashtra, who were set a target of 281, were placed at 223 for 5 when both captains decided no result would be possible.But the scenario was drastically different in the afternoon as Avi Barot (93) and Sheldon Jackson (55) built on the good work done by Sagar Jogiyani (44) as Saurashtra’s brisk scoring rate ensured they were primed for six points. But the wickets of Barot and Jackson brought about a breakdown in momentum, with the lower-middle order unable to get the ball off the square against the turning ball. Amit Yadav, the offspinner, had the best figures for Goa (3 for 52).The day began with Goa on the attack, trying to build their lead towards 300 before forcing an end to the innings. They began well courtesy Dheeraj Jadhav (50*) and Snehal Kauthankar (58), but a slew of late wickets resulted in a declaration just before lunch. But all that, in the end, amounted to a solitary point that left Goa scrapping for a mid-table position.
ScorecardMore than half the day was lost due to bad light as the match ended in a stalemate, with both sides having to settle for one point each in Dharamsala. Services, who resumed on 344 for 3 in response to Himachal’s 531, lost overnight centurions Rajat Paliwal (107) and Yashpal Singh (115) early as Himachal entertained hopes of taking a lead. But they were denied, first by Vikas Hathwala (38) and Khalid Ahmed (35*), and then by bad light as Services were on 448 for 8 when the light that forced players off the field failed to improve before the cut-off time.The match will be remembered for Paras Dogra’s 227 that allowed him to equal Ajay Sharma’s record for most double centuries (7) in Ranji history.
ScorecardSandeep Warrier, the pacer, took six wickets as Kerala nipped out a 110-run lead over Tripura in Mallapuram, before Rohan Prem drove the game forward with an aggressive unbeaten 72 to set up a declaration on 117 for 4. Needing 228 to win in little over a session, Tripura were on 52 for no loss when bad light ended play early as the hosts walked away with three points.During the course of his unbeaten 72, Prem, the captain, also overtook Shreyas Iyer to become the leading run-getter this season after six rounds.
ScorecardIan Dev Singh’s 126 was the lone bright spark for Jammu & Kashmir after they were made to follow-on by Jharkhand in Jamshedpur. The visitors, who were bowled out for 309 in response to Jharkhand’s 551 for 8, achieved largely on the back of centuries from Ishan Kishan and Anand Singh, were 265 for 4 when the captains shook hands.Ian Dev’s efforts were complemented first by opener Shubham Khajuria (77), and then later by Mithun Mahnas, who made 50 to go with his 98 in the first innings. J&K are languishing at the sixth spot, while Jharkhand are only a shade better at No. 5.

Mark Wood looks certain to return to the England side for the fourth Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, but England are hoping that the use of an oxygen tank can help James Anderson recover for the final Test at the Kia Oval.Alastair Cook, the England captain, has confirmed that Wood is in “pole position” to replace Anderson in Nottingham and suggested he had come through all the necessary fitness tests with “flying colours.””He has looked fit and ready,” Cook said. “We will have a last check in the morning, but it looks really good for Woody.”Cook also revealed that Anderson had started using “an oxygen tank” in a bid to regain fitness ahead of the final Test, which starts on August 20.”He’s been working with the physios, going in oxygen tanks and all that kind of stuff,” Cook said. “He’s doing everything he can. He is a big miss for us as he gives us attacking options and control.”Anderson sustained a side strain during the third Test at Edgbaston and will be wearing an oxygen mask for around 80 minutes a day for the next week or so.An ECB spokesman explained that there is anecdotal evidence that a boost in oxygen “speeds up recovery in muscle injuries” and that England were “exploring every avenue to get him fit for The Oval.”Chris Woakes, who might have returned to this squad had he not ruled himself out of contention after experiencing some pain in the knee on which he underwent surgery in April, also returned to action. Woakes had some fluid drained from the knee last week and declared himself fit for Warwickshire’s Royal London match against Hampshire at Edgbaston.

ScorecardSaeed Ajmal’s five first innings wickets forced Hampshire to follow on at New Road•PA Photos

Saeed Ajmal’s rehabilitation took a giant step forward when his first five-wicket haul since August 2014 gave Worcestershire scent of a victory which would ease their relegation worries but cut off Hampshire at the foot of Division One in the LV= County Championship.He may not be the magician who claimed 63 wickets in nine games in last summer’s promotion charge, but for the first time since he was forced to re-structure his action, he has hinted that he could become a match-winner again.A combination of Ajmal’s craft and Joe Leach’s stout-hearted medium-fast bowling routed Hampshire for 183 and, having been hurried into following on 295 behind, there was nothing to suggest an imminent escape from their current crisis of confidence.The last five completed innings have failed to produce even one total of 300 and a sixth is highly likely after closing at 164 for 6, still 131 short of making Worcestershire bat again.It was something for Hampshire, but by no means enough, that James Vince and Will Smith made half-centuries in the first innings. Vince’s 56 was his second highest score of the season but the downside was two dismissals without playing a shot, the second time for a duck as Ajmal took the first of three wickets to fall in consecutive overs.In all, they lost 13 on the day and as much as Worcestershire bowled with honesty and intensity – and a lot of guile in the case of Ajmal’s five for 28 from 17 overs – this was too many on a dry but not impossible batting surface.On resuming at 86 for 3, Hampshire almost got through the first hour unscathed but when Vince misjudged the first ball of a new spell by Leach, the slide was under way. While Ajmal took wickets in successive overs, Adam Wheater giving a return chance and Joe Gatting sweeping to deep square leg, the impressive Leach bowled Gareth Berg first ball.Smith made the most of some lower-order support but was left stranded on 51 from 113 balls after scoring all of the 31 added with last man Jackson Bird. Ajmal accounted for Danny Briggs and Brad Wheal, the latter caught and bowled at the second attempt, and Bird was finally trapped in front by Leach.It was a clever strategy by Worcestershire to keep Jack Shantry back for the second innings and sure enough he was at forefront of the push for victory, although there was a frustrating gap after the leg-before dismissal of Jimmy Adams for his 50th first-class wicket of the season.Hampshire spirits were beginning to rise until Shantry ended a partnership of 65, a bat-pad catch to the wicketkeeper accounting for Sean Terry (37) before Michael Carberry (32) chopped on. Vince then became Ajmal’s sixth victim of the match and Hampshire were back on the ropes with half the side gone for 97 when Wheather was caught behind off Charlie Morris.Smith, for the second time, held up Worcestershire, digging in for 29 in 105 minutes until giving Brett D’Oliveira a return catch, and Gatting was equally stubborn with 28 not out in 27 overs.

Wriddhiman Saha, the India wicketkeeper, is confident of regaining fitness ahead of the four-match Test series against South Africa due to begin in November. He had suffered a hamstring injury while on tour in Sri Lanka and is currently in Kolkata working on his rehabilitation.”South Africa Tests are still two months away. I am confident that I will get fit much before that. Hopefully, I will be playing Ranji Trophy for Bengal next month to get match fit,” he told India had called up Naman Ojha as a replacement for the final Test in Colombo, who in turn had looked composed in the face of a Test debut and against a probing Sri Lankan attack. But he could not convert his starts into substantial scores.Saha, meanwhile, had struck a couple of fifties before being sidelined and is rated as the best gloveman in India. His captain Virat Kohli had gone on record saying Saha should be India’s wicketkeeper in Tests for the next five years.The pressure Saha faces, though, is from a perception that he might not score quick runs, which is often the mandate of a batsman coming in at Nos. 6 and 7, and which a player like Ojha is been known for.”I don’t play cricket thinking about others’ performance,” Saha said. “I got injured and Naman was assigned a duty. He did his job to the best of his abilities and India have won the match. Now who will play is up to the selectors. My job is to keep improving and I will strive in doing that.”He does not need to look far for support. Saha recalled how his team-mates had helped him after a couple of failures in the practice match ahead of the Sri Lanka Tests. “When I had low scores (3 and 1) in the warm-up game, Ajinkya [Rahane] came up and told me, ‘Don’t worry. You will score in Tests where it matters’. That’s what has been the hallmark. Everyone is enjoying each other’s success.”Saha had some of his own – scoring his maiden Test half-century in difficult conditions in Galle, which he rated as a better knock than the next fifty he hit, batting through injury and helping set up India’s declaration at the P Sara Oval.”I would rate the Galle innings higher as there was both turn and bounce on that track. Also I had not got a fifty in Tests till then. It was a challenge that I enjoyed. Also I batted with the tail (in both Tests), which demands taking greater responsibility. (Dhammika) Prasad and (Rangana) Herath are class bowlers and doing well against them increases self-belief.”Obviously, the twin half-centuries acted as confidence boosters. I am happy that I have played my little part in the team’s 2-1 series victory. For me, more than the volume of runs, it is important that in what situation I have scored those runs. When I look back, I feel a bit of satisfaction that I could deliver what Virat (Kohli) wanted from me.”

Former Nottinghamshire fast bowler Andy Pick has been appointed Afghanistan’s bowling consultant for a fortnight’s stint at a pre World Cup camp. He will join the team later this week in the UAE, where they are scheduled to play matches against Scotland and Ireland, with the possibility of continuing the links with the team leading into the World Cup.Afghanistan Cricket Board chairman Nasimullah Danish said Pick’s experience with other teams made him the right man for the job. “We hope to see his skills [being replicated by] our national team players. We have observed Andy’s career graph as a successful coach and then we came up with this decision collectively. The board is very thankful and fortunate to have him.”Pick, 51, had played 195 first-class matches, taking 495 wickets at 33.24, before taking to coaching. Apart from helping nurture Alastair Cook in school cricket, he had worked with the England Under-19s and the Canada national team and had a short stint working on cricket in the USA – he quit his post as high performance manager with the USA Cricket Association after two months, citing incidents which were not in line with how a professional organisation should operate. Later, he was appointed bowling coach with Nottinghamshire.

ScorecardKyle Coetzer’s 96 set up Scotland’s chase but went in vain•Getty Images

Scotland nearly upset West Indies in their chase of 314 in the warm-up match at the SCG, and fell short by three runs despite needing 14 runs from the last two overs with four wickets in hand. Opener Kyle Coetzer led Scotland’s chase with 96 runs, followed by Richie Berrington’s 44-ball 66. Once Berrington was run out in the 49th over, Scotland lost two more wickets in the next six balls, as Kemar Roach defended 12 runs off the last over.Scotland carried their form after thrashing Ireland by 179 runs in their first warm-up and West Indies were coming after a nine-wicket loss to England three days ago.Scotland were given a strong opening stand of 75 in 14.4 overs by Coetzer and Callum MacLeod before Sulieman Benn’s double-strike put them on a shaky 124 for 3 in the 26th over. Freddie Coleman then combined with Coetzer with a reviving fourth-wicket stand of 60 runs in under nine overs. However, Coetzer fell for 96 off 104, which featured 14 fours, when he was caught off the other left-arm spinner, Nikita Miller.Coming at No. 6, Berrington’s quickfire fifty made sure Scotland were back on top. Berrington and wicketkeeper Matthew Cross powered the innings with 86 runs in only 8.5 overs, bringing the equation down to 14 runs from 12 balls. The momentum then shifted back in West Indies’ favour when Berrington was run out on the third ball of the penultimate over by Andre Russell, who also had Rob Taylor caught three balls later, conceding only two from the over. Roach’s work was made easier for the last over and even though he leaked eight runs, it wasn’t enough for Scotland.Earlier, West Indies opted to bat and started with a stutter when Chris Gayle and Marlon Samuels were dismissed for 1 and 0 respectively. Dwayne Smith and Darren Bravo chipped in with forties, Smith’s being the quicker one. The innings got a real push when Denesh Ramdin and Lendl Simmons stitched a partnership of 117 runs for the fifth wicket at nearly eight-an-over, charging them to 251 in the 45th over, when Simmons and Ramdin fell within three deliveries to Alasdair Evans. Simmons’ 47-ball 55 included five fours and two sixes while Ramdin muscled six fours and a six in his 88 off 86.The innings got another surge with late strikes from Russell and Darren Sammy, who clobbered 53 runs together in 26 balls to take the score past 300. Sammy was more punishing out of the two with his 17-ball 36, hitting five boundaries as the team ended on 313 for 9 after two run outs.

Former South Africa captain Kepler Wessels is to be Northamptonshire’s first-team manager for the next two seasons. Wessels, 45, will start in March after the 2003 World Cup in his home country.”It is both an honour and a privilege to accept the position as first-teammanager,” he said. “I am well aware of the club’s goals, aspirations and objectives, and will do everything in my power to help them succeed.”It is always a challenge to work with an emerging team, and I am lookingforward to a productive association with the players, club officials, membersand supporters.”Wessels played first-class cricket with Sussex between 1976 and 1980. After joining Kerry Packer’s World Series Cricket, he settled in Australia where he played for Queensland.After qualifying through residence, he played for Australia in 16 Tests, touring England in 1985. He returned home in 1986 and was the first captain of South Africa when they were readmitted to international cricket in 1992.

SYDNEY, Oct 30 AAP – Life after international cricket for Mark Waugh is set to follow a well-worn path into Channel Nine’s cricket commentary team.Nine director of Sport Gary Burns said discussions with Waugh’s management begin tomorrow about him joining old team-mates Mark Taylor and Ian Healy behind the microphone.”But I’m not sure he’s a certainty this summer for the CCP (Central Commentary Position),” Burns said today.”He’s going to play first-class cricket for New South Wales this season and that goes on at the same time as the international season.”He commentated in the mid-winter season here – the one dayers against Pakistan – and went pretty well I thought.”But Burns baulked at the idea Nine was keen to secure Waugh.”Not that keen, we are full – fuller than a fat lady’s sock really,” Burns said.”Nobody’s going to join the commentary team while they are still playing, so he’s going to have at least another season.”But we’re hoping we can work out a way we can see him guest commentating on appropriate matches.”And don’t forget the World Cup (in South Africa next year) for instance, we will have a major hosting and down stream operation back here in Sydney while that’s all going on and I hope to see him involved in that.”