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For three consecutive innings, Kumar Sangakkara was dismissed by good, wicket-taking deliveries. Unlike some of his team-mates or even his opposition, Sangakkara did not spend enough time at the crease to play a poor shot. And it looked like he would not get that chance today either.Another superb delivery, a tempting one outside the off stump, induced a poke and Sangakkara should have been out for three. Instead he went on to make 108, stamp his authority on the situation, the match and one of three countries in which he had not recorded a century until today. It was only a matter of time, really, given Sangakkara’s status as a class act, on the field, off the field and around the world.”If the luck works for you on a particular day, you have to try and capitalise,” said Sangakkara. “You can’t go into a negative frame of mind at any time, especially against good attacks. I am watching the ball a lot better than I was in the first few innings. Once I got to the 60s and the 70s, it was a case of waiting for the bad balls.”Hittable deliveries came often, especially after lunch, when South Africa dished up short ball after short ball, which went from threatening to tame fairly rapidly. Their game plan was indecipherable as they failed to find a balance between drying up runs and taking wickets, which allowed Sri Lanka to cash in on an indecisive opposition. “Once you get to a certain total in front of the opposition, they have to go into a defensive mode,” Sangakkara said, admitting it freed him up to score runs.Besides his individual effort, Sangakkara shared two key partnerships, first withThilan Samaraweera, with whom he put on 94, and then Dinesh Chandimal, in a stand of 104. He credited with both with being essential to Sri Lanka’s new found sense of self-belief.”Thilan was out of the side and had come back in for a very tough tour. To do what he did in that first innings for us was incredible. It was a make or break series for the guy,” he said. “Chandimal has shown that he is strong, both physically and mentally. He showed he was not overawed by the situation or the South African attack.”Now that Sri Lanka have overcome the mental barrier of the situation and the team they are playing against, they have a loftier target in mind. “We’d like to get into a dominant position and dictate terms,” said Sangakkara. “Our target is to get as many as we can and make the South Africa work really hard to save the game.”Even though South Africa will have to achieve a world-record chase to win the match, Sangakkara said “nothing is beyond the realms of possibility” and the team is gearing up for a tough fight. On a pitch which still has “a bit of inconsistent bounce” Sri Lanka’s bowling attack will have to make good use of the conditions and work well with their resources.Sangakkara expects Rangana Herath to be a key factor in the search for a first Test victory in South Africa. “He is going to be very important for us. If he can get some turn and bowl with the same control, he will be a handful to play on this track,” said Sangakkara. “Our pace attack has got to do a lot to take early wickets and get us breakthroughs with the new ball.”Before Sri Lanka arrived on this tour, they were labelled no-hopers especially in terms of their bowling. Kepler Wessels said even South Africa A would be able to beat them. It is a comment that stung and that, Sangakkara said, also spurred them on. “Comments can inspire sides; pressure situations make sides rise to the occasion. We proved that we have the ability to counter-attack,” he said.Now they want to prove that to South Africa too. “The best way we can make it count is to get them out,” he said. “We have to control the aggression, have positive mindsets and at no point lose control of our emotions.”

Jamaica opened their account in the Caribbean T20 with a tight win over Combined Campuses and Colleges in Antigua. CCC, after choosing to bat, managed a competitive 131 for 9, thanks to two individual contributions amid what would have otherwise qualified as a batting failure. Opener Chadwick Walton guided the innings with 66 off 59 balls, including four fours and five sixes. He was supported in a 92-run third-wicket stand by Kyle Hope. However, when Hope fell, CCC collapsed, losing seven wickets in quick time but managed 34 runs in 25 balls in that period. For Jamaica, Krishmar Santokie picked up four wickets and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller chipped in with three.In the chase, it was Marlon Samuels who took centrestage as the batting around him struggled. Wickets fell at a steady pace but Samuels held firm, unbeaten on 66 in 52 balls and leading his side to victory in the final over with three balls to spare. A collective bowling effort from CCC had reduced Jamaica to 106 for 8 at one stage in 18.1 overs, but Samuels, in the company of Miller, who at No.8, faced just 2 balls, saw his team through. The next 27 runs came off just eight balls, and Samuels finished with five sixes.Sussex thrashed Netherlands in Antigua by 34 runs to begin their Caribbean T20 campaign on a high. A five-wicket haul from Timm van der Gugten was in vain as the score Sussex managed after being asked to bat proved more than adequate. Wicketkeeper Ben Brown top-scored with 42 and Chris Nash, Joe Gatting and Naved Arif chipped in with small, but important, contributions to take their team to 125 for 9, continuing the trend of low scores in this tournament so far.But it proved too much for Netherlands. There was no significant resistance from their batsmen barring captain Peter Borren, who made a quick 45; only one other batsman reached double-figures as the innings folded for 91. Arif picked up three wickets, and Chris Liddle and Michael Yardy earned two each. Each of the six bowlers employed by Sussex picked up at least a wicket each.

.The ACSU does not have the powers to conduct its own sting operations, Haroon Lorgat has said•AFP

Haroon Lorgat, the ICC CEO, has said the 10 Full Members were unwilling to go through a qualification system for the 50-over World Cup, blocking plans for a 10-team event in 2015. “The main objection was that a 10-team event required Full Members to qualify,” Lorgat told ESPNcricinfo.He said Australia, New Zealand and England had initially supported a 10-team event with qualification but, following strong protests from the Associates, it was decided unanimously to do away with the idea for the next edition.The ICC, before its annual conference in Hong Kong in June, had agreed at a meeting in April, to stick to just 10 teams in the 2015 World Cup but at Hong Kong, the ICC and its board members agreed to a 14-team tournament, preceded by a qualifying league for the Associate teams.”Their belief was that there was a long-standing expectation that Full Members automatically play in the World Cup and therefore needed sufficient notice before we can change this practice. This is why the 10-team World Cup will start from 2019,” Lorgat said.However, Lorgat insisted a 10-team World Cup was the way forward. “I still believe that a 10-team World Cup on a qualification basis for all members would be a better event. This was part of the proposals to strategically restructure international cricket and was designed to protect and promote all three formats.”During his tenure as the CEO of the ICC, Lorgat faced many challenges. Among them was convincing the members of the ICC to institute the World Test Championship. Lorgat, who said earlier this month that the Test Championship will not be held before 2017, had strongly supported the idea of having a three-year qualification process during which all ten teams played each other, before the top four participated in a play-off. The Test Championship was meant to replace the Champions Trophy, the ICC’s other 50-over event. However, monetary concerns expressed by ICC’s broadcasting partner ESPN STAR Sports*, who have an agreement with the governing body until 2015, presented an obstacle. It did not help that the ten Full Members, once again, did not come out in support.”A balanced mindset would have been a lot better,” Lorgat said when asked if the members could have looked beyond short-term monetary gains. “Money is clearly an important factor but it should not be the only factor. We looked at different models of evaluating the revenue implications but the fact of the matter is that the value of an inaugural Test Championship comprising four teams and fewer matches is not viewed commercially the same as the Champions Trophy comprising eight teams.”Lorgat said the ICC had thought about renegotiating the broadcasting deal wherein they would pay ESPN STAR Sports the money it owed for the Champions Trophy as a measure to go all-out in staging the Test Championships, but found no support from the ICC board. “This was considered but not supported by the ICC Board and the Chief Executives Committee.”Evidently the ICC executive, of which Lorgat was the head, had limited powers and could not quell the might of the board members. “It is not ideal when you are not sufficiently empowered to undertake or implement what you know is correct and must be done. But I understood that when I entered the ICC and it is why the ICC Board rather than the executive would be held accountable for the future of the game.”The spot-fixing scandal during the Lord’s Test between England and Pakistan in 2010 was another major challenge. An ICC tribunal found Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammad Amir guilty of spot fixing and banned them for various durations before they were sentenced to imprisonment after a separate trial at the Southwark Crown Court. The scandal raised questions about the ability of the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit to fight corruption and prompted calls for the ICC to invest in sting operations to tackle fixing.Lorgat, however, said the ACSU’s jurisdiction did not allow it to conduct sting operations. “We cannot carry out sting operations or arrest people or seize property. That is not within our remit or powers. This was made clear by the Members when the ACSU was established.”Corruption is a serious challenge and we must not be complacent but remain vigilant to combat this menace.”*ESPN STAR Sports is a 50:50 joint venture between Walt Disney (ESPN, Inc.), the parent company of ESPNcricinfo, and News Corporation Limited (STAR)

Aakash Chopra, the former India opener, has called for changes to the domestic game, including a remodelling of the Ranji Trophy points system and a more reasonable and thought-through calendar for first-class cricket. Chopra was releasing his second book on Indian first-class cricket in New Delhi and his statements on the game – he also said the Duleep Trophy had made itself redundant by turning into a knock-out format – came in the presence of BCCI official and IPL chairman Rajeev Shukla.Chopra, who made his first class debut in 1997-98 and currently plays for Rajasthan after a decade with Delhi, was speaking at the release of . The event was attended by a large number of first-class cricketers from four teams – Rajasthan, Delhi, Tamil Nadu and Railways – all gathered in Delhi two days before the start of the third round of Ranji Trophy matches.In a discussion with Amrit Mathur, CEO of the Delhi Daredevils franchise, Chopra talked about the crowded domestic calendar that left teams to deal with preparing for a four-day event through the staging of a Twenty20 tournament. “All first-class players would be happy to play eight months a year but it needs to be more sensibly organised. You have two four-day events, two T20 events and two one-day tournaments. This year we played the Syed Mushtaq Ali tournament before the Ranji Trophy kicked in. We prepared for the four-day game by playing with the white ball.”The Duleep Trophy’s knock-out format, he said, had robbed the tournament of its stature. “I used to love the Duleep Trophy, performing in it meant performing against the best in the country. But with a knock-out format it is meaningless because your chance has gone if your team loses.” The logic behind using the Kookaburra ball in the Duleep Trophy, he said, was also undermined by the format. “If you play just one match with the Kookaburra, you don’t get enough muscle memory on how to play with it. Once a year with the Kookaburra is not enough.”The Ranji Trophy points format awarding three points for a first innings lead and five for an outright win served no purpose, as the difference between a victory and a draw was a mere two points. “We need to reward and encourage teams to win matches, bigger incentives say 10 points for winning a game, and bowling and batting points so that the losing team goes away with something. We need to find a better solution.”The IPL, Chopra felt, was a proven platform for many youngsters but it was unreasonable to expect success in the T20 format to be a launch pad for an India place – and the exceptions who had made the breakthrough had influenced the ambitions of their peers. “There are many players, like Deepak Chahar and Ashok Menaria, who have the ambition for not just the Duleep Trophy but a chance in the India team… The fire is still there for them, but not for everyone. Some players are short-sighted and think that you can can actually bypass the rigours of first class cricket, through the IPL become the next Rahul Sharma… Even if a player makes a name for himself in the IPL, catches the eye, I would still advise him to get a season of first-class cricket under his belt.”Chopra is one of the most prolific contemporary chroniclers of the first-class game, writing columns in newspapers, speaking on television and, with , producing his second book on the Ranji Trophy. His first, , was about Delhi’s victory in the 2007-08 Ranji Trophy season.At Tuesday’s book launch event, Rajasthan’s players were welcomed into the hall and seated at the front, where they watched a short video produced by Rajasthan’s data analyst Manish Goyal with footage from their Ranji-winning season, set to Right Said Fred’s “Stand Up (For the Champions)”. For everyone involved in it, the story of Rajasthan’s achievement will always remain, on film and on paper, recorded by one of their own. Not even Mumbai’s 39-time Ranji winners have that.

Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited‘s bowlers backed up the good work done by their batting colleagues to leave Multan in desperate trouble at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Resuming at 372 for 2, the overnight centurions Ali Waqas and Umar Akmal were unable to drive the advantage further. But the lower order, led by the free-flowing Mohammad Awais lifted them to 510 for 8, at which point they decided to declare. Mudassar Ali and Ali Ahmed shared the spoils with four wickets apiece. Multan’s reply ran into trouble steadily as SNGPL made frequent strikes. Asad Ali made the first incision, after which Bilawal Bhatti and Azhar Shafiq struck twice apiece to leave Multan fumbling at 114 for 5.Quetta were in desperate trouble against Karachi Whites after capsizing for 93 at the National Bank of Pakistan Sports Complex, conceding a 253-run first-innings lead. Only four batsmen got into double-figures, with captain Taimur Ali top-scoring with 21, as Tabish Khan and Mansur Ahmed ran through the Quetta line-up. They lasted less than 41 overs, as Tabish and Mansur helped themselves to seven of the 10 wickets. Their second innings didn’t start very differently, as Bismillah Khan succumbed to Adeel Malik before stumps. Earlier, half-centuries from Akbar-ur-Rehman and Abdul Jabbar were backed by a resilient lower order as Karachi Whites finished with 346.Usman Salahuddin’s resolute 88 wasn’t enough to give Lahore Ravi the first-innings lead against Peshawar in what was turning into a low-scoring scrap at the Arbab Niaz Stadium in Peshawar. Resuming at 113 for 5, Salahuddin was the only batsman to stand up for Lahore Ravi, as Noor-ul-Ahmed (5 for 50) and Waqar Ahmed (4 for 63) scythed through the lower order. Peshawar lost Haroon Ahmed early in their second innings, but Mohammad Fayyaz and Naved Khan steadied the innings. Neither batsman could cash in on the start though, as Peshawar went to stumps at 149 for 4.A strong batting performance on the second day gave Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) firm control of their match against Lahore Shalimar at the Gaddafi Stadium. KRL had begun the day on 140 for 1, already leading by 56 in the first innings after routing Lahore for 84. Bazid Khan went on to score a century (103) and Ali Naqvi made 59. KRL eventually declared on 357 for 6, with a lead of 273. Lahore were 13 for 0 at stumps as they battled to avoid an innings defeat.United Bank Limited’s (UBL) lower order contributed significantly to ensure their team achieved a string first-innings total against Hyderabad at the Niaz Stadium. UBL had ended day one on 288 for 6 with Imtad-ul-Haq not out on 27. He went on to remain unbeaten on 102 and Misbah Khan, batting at No. 10, scored 50 off 70 balls as UBL piled up 460 for 8 before declaring. Hyderabad made a steady start, reaching 89 for no loss, before they lost three wickets for 11 runs and were 109 for 3 at stumps.