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Two members of the Indian cricket team landed in Auckland today, and were $200 lighter in the pocket before they boarded a plane for their first base in Christchurch.Harbhajan Singh, the highly-talented off-spinner, and Virender Sehwag, the dashing opening batsman, were both fined $200 by customs officials because they had dirty cricket boots in their luggage.However, the Indian team management were not visibly upset by the fines. Mr N R Chaudhury, the Indian manager, said he understood the reasons for the fines – “these things happen.”

Lance Klusener’s poor form with the bat may have continued, but the all-rounder starred with the ball to ensure that South Africa A completed a convincing 65-run victory against the touring Sri Lankans at Potchestroom on Saturday.Klusener, retained in South Africa’s one-day squad for the first two games of a five-match series starting Wednesday at Wanderers, lasted just four balls in the morning before dragging a ball on to his stumps, but then redeemed himself by grabbing three middle-order wickets.The all-rounder completed a fightback started by left-arm spinner Robin Peterson, who made a 69-ball 61 that helped South Africa A recover from a parlous position in the morning when they had crashed to 124 for eight.Peterson added 57 with Charl Langeveldt (33*) and then 40 with last man Monde Zondeki (23), guiding South A to a respectable 221.Darryl Cullinan missed his opportunity to persuade the selectors that he is ready for an international recall when he swung wildly at Pulasthi Gunaratne’s second ball of the day and was caught at mid-on.Earlier, Sri Lanka had been boosted by the news that Sanath Jayasuriya hadrecovered from the ankle injury that had forced him out of the second Test atCenturion.In the event the left-hander failed with the bat as he was trapped lbw by Steve Elworthy, who went on to claim the wickets of Jehan Mubarak (17) and Kumar Sangakkara (21), finishing with three for 34 from seven overs.Sri Lanka’s middle order failed too, including veteran Aravinda de Silva wholingered 44 minutes at the crease for just seven runs in his first outing sincearriving in South Africa on Monday.Cape Province pace bowler Zondeki celebrated his surprise call-up into SouthAfrica’s 14-man squad for the first two one-day internationals with a fieryseven-over burst in which he claimed the crucial wicket of Mahela Jayawardene and conceded just eight runs.The visitors were eventually restricted to 111 for eight after 32 overs inan innings twice interrupted by rain.

Seven days ago Sri Lanka were preparing for the opening Test in highspirits: the batsman had the luxury of having spent time in the middleduring the two warm-up games and fast bowlers were looking forward to plyingtheir trade on the more responsive pitches typical in South Africa.But a week is a long time in international cricket and after a crushinginnings and 64 run defeat at Wanderers, they have now lost their services oftheir leader, Sanath Jayasuriya, during the second Test at Centurion thatstarts Friday for the first time in a Test match since 1999.Jayasuriya damaged ligaments in his right ankle whilst warming up for netpractice playing football on Tuesday and is also in doubt for at least thefirst part of the one-day series that follows soon after this game.Muttiah Muralitharan, their premier bowler, is also struggling with ahernia, but, fortunately for Sri Lanka, he is currently pain free anddespite a swollen lower abdomen is expected to play a full part in the Testbefore undertaking surgery.Jayasuriya’s injury means that left-hander Jehan Mubarak, the only otherspecialist batsman available in a 17-man squad laden with fast bowlers, willplay his second Test match and open the innings with stand-in captain MarvanAtapattu.Russel Arnold, who bagged a pair at Wanderers as opener, edging into theslip cordon in both innings, will drop down into the middle order.Sri Lanka are also considering a change to their bowling attack. Left-armerRuchira Perera was banned from bowling in the first innings at Wanderersafter persistently running onto the danger area and the management arereluctant to risk a repeat performance at Centurion.One option is to pick wicket-keeper Prassana Jayawardene to take the loadoff Kumar Sangakkara at number three and go into the match with only fourfrontline fast bowlers. That would add depth to a frail looking lower orderbut the management have all but discounted such a move, preferring insteadthe option of four seamers and one spinner.Thus Chamila Lakshitha Gamage, a right-arm fast bowler who claimed a wicketwith his first ball in Test cricket when he made his debut againstBangladesh in July, is set to play his second Test.Sri Lanka will, at least, be pleased to see that the groundsman at Centurionhas ignored the South Africa’s preference for a well-grassed, quick surface.The mowers were pressed into action on Wednesday afternoon and the result isa brown, flat looking pitch that promises a fair contest between bat andball.However, no matter how the pitch behaves, acting captain Atapattu, takingcharge for the first time in a Test, is looking for his team to learn fromthe mistakes made at Wanderers.”We did so many things wrong in the first Test and we are trying to put themright,” said Atapattu. “We have discussed where we went wrong and we willtry out utmost to correct that in the next match.”As a batsman, once you get a start you have to go on, especially inconditions like these which we are not very used to – hopefully we will putit right this time.”He doesn’t expect it to be easy, however: “We know what we are up againstand the task that we face. Whatever the pitch we have to do the basicsright.”And he doesn’t want the players dwell over the loss of Jayasuriya: “It is agreat loss but we have to understand that these things are going to happenfrom time to time. We have got to keep our heads high and perform.”A frontrunner for the captaincy should Jayasuriya decide to handover thereins after the World Cup, he is looking forward to the challenge of leadingthe side: “It is a great privilege to captain your country and I enjoy it.It is a bit different for me half way through the tour but hopefully I willhandle it well.”Likely Eleven:Marvan Atapattu (Capt), Jehan Mubarak, Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jaywardene,Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillakaratne, Hasantha Fernando, Chaminda Vaas,Dilhara Fernando, Chamila Gamage Lakshitha, Muttiah Muralitharan.

Long-time advocate of greater use of technology in umpiring decisions, New Zealand Cricket’s umpiring manager Brian Aldridge was delighted with the success of experimentation at the ICC Champions Trophy tournament.Aldridge said the experiment in Colombo had been on a largely “suck it and see” basis but it had proven worthwhile, and the concern that too much time would be consumed in referring to the third umpire had been groundless as no decision took more than a minute.”The two facets of the leg before wicket assistance, based on where the ball pitched, and what it hit, were great, but it was obvious the technology is not good enough yet for some caught behinds or doubtful catches,” he said.Apart from showing how much more refinement is needed in capturing those aspects on video, it also proved just how hard it had been for umpires to make decisions in the past.”It is great to have it. I do hope the International Cricket Council keep experimenting,” he said.Aldridge said the experimentation in Colombo had arisen from technology companies getting interested in what were technical aspects of the game, and he hoped more interest might stir the same, or other, companies to look at less clear areas of filming.He said there was still a concern about whether players still wanted to have the traditions of the game maintained.If that was the case then there would have to be a greater acceptance from players and portions of the media that umpires were capable of making mistakes.But at the same time if the players opted for decisions as correct as possible through use of technology then there was the prospect that even elite panels would still ask for confirmation in decision-making.

Somerset go into their penultimate championship match against Leicestershire at Grace Road on Thursday knowing that nothing less than a victory will save them from relegation to the second division.The Cidermen are currently in eighth position in the top flight in the four day game whilst their opponents are sixth , just above the danger zone, with four wins to their credit.In addition to victory at Grace Road, Somerset also have to achieve a result from their final match against Lancashire at Taunton next Wednesday, a tall order for a side who have only achieved one victory from their previous fourteen championship matches.When the sides met earlier this season Somerset were in a strong position, and will feel that they missed out on a victory when rain deprived them of the last day’s play.Over the years Leicester has not been a particularly happy hunting ground for Somerset. Last season the match was drawn and in 2000 it was the hosts who recorded a victory.Despite the daunting prospect ahead of them there was an air of confidence about the Somerset team before they left the County Ground early on Wednesday morning ahead of their NUL day/night game.Coach Kevin Shine was in no doubt about the importance of the championship match and told me: "This is a must win game for us, nothing else will do for us if we are to stay up."The coach has named the following squad for the championship game: Jamie Cox, Peter Bowler, Matt Wood, Mike Burns, Piran Holloway, Keith Parsons, Pete Trego, Rob Turner, Keith Dutch, Richard Johnson, Matt Bulbeck and Simon Francis.Meanwhile the Somerset coach has confirmed that paceman Steffan Jones who has been carrying an injury for much of the season is to undergo an operation on his foot in the next few days which will rule him out for the rest of the season.

Victoria pace bowler Scott Boland has been handed a surprise debut in the Boxing Day Test against England with Australia taking a cautious approach over a minor leg injury to Jhye Richardson.Boland, 32, becomes the fourth Indigenous Test cricketer after Faith Thomas, Jason Gillespie and Ashleigh Gardner. He is one of two changes with Pat Cummins returning in place of Michael Neser.”It’s huge,” Cummins said. “Australia, we have a rich history and it’s great that it’s starting to be reflected.”Boland, who previously played 14 ODIs and three T20Is in 2016, has been selected as something of a home-ground specialist having taken 96 wickets at 25.56 in 27 first-class games at the MCG. This season in the Sheffield Shield he has taken 15 wickets at 10.80 which propelled him into the Australia A squad ahead of the Ashes, before he was hastily flown into Adelaide last week after Cummins’ Covid close contact drama.Related

• Ashes bolter: Scott Boland strengthens his case for Australia call-up

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“The first thing you’ve got to wrap your head around playing at the MCG is you’ll have to bowl a lot of overs more often than not and he does that really well,” Cummins said. “The Shield game they won against New South Wales, think he bowled 50 overs.”His pace stays up, he’s always at you, bowls really well to left handers. Asks a lot of questions around that fourth stump, knee roll, a bit of nibble each way. He’s just really well suited here.””We earmarked him as a chance for SCG and here, we feel he’s really well suited. His record speaks for itself here in domestic cricket.”He gets his chance after Richardson pulled up sore after his efforts in Adelaide, where he took a maiden five-wicket haul in the second innings, with Cummins saying there was “small” leg injury which they did not want to risk.”He’s pretty sore,” Cummins said. “We thought seven days off, give him enough rest…so rather than risking him give him a week off.”Boland’s debut is a further sign of the depth of Australia’s fast-bowling stocks and means that six will now have been used across the first three Ashes Tests. Last summer Cummins, Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc played unchanged against India while in the previous season the now-retired James Pattinson came in for two Tests.”The biggest factor has been the fitness of the bowlers,” Cummins said. “The fact that Joshy, Starcy and I haven’t missed many games in the last few years has probably been the biggest factor in us not rotating through quick bowlers. Inevitable in a five-Test series that things were going to pop up. It’s probably been a few years in the making where we have six or seven and need to use them.”Scott Boland will be the latest quick used by Australia•Getty Images

Reflecting on his own absence from the second Test after being deemed a close contact for having dined in an Adelaide restaurant next to a positive case, Cummins admitted his frustration at the situation but added that watching from afar gave him a difference perspective.”I said to JL [Justin Langer], I’m really angry but don’t know who at. There was no one to blame. When I left the restaurant I thought, that’s fine, I didn’t get near him and I’ll test negative. Then it became the state rules and you’ve got to follow them.”When I knew I wasn’t playing I thought this would be a good chance to sit back and enjoy it as a fan then after about an hour I was quite angry, wishing I was back out there. It was interesting to listen to some of the commentary, see what the rest of Australia is seeing outside of our little bubble.”

Rohit Sharma has been ruled out of the Test leg of India’s tour of South Africa with an injury to his left hamstring. The Gujarat opener Priyank Panchal has been drafted into the squad as his replacement.ESPNcricinfo has learned that Rohit suffered the injury during a net session before the India squad entered quarantine in Mumbai, from where they are scheduled to travel to South Africa this week.For Rohit, this is the second major tour affected by injury in the last 12 months. He only featured in the third and fourth Tests of India’s 2020-21 tour of Australia, missing the first two Tests due to a hamstring injury picked up during IPL 2020.Related

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Rohit’s absence will be a blow to India’s preparations given he has been their highest Test run-getter in 2021, and one of only two batters – Rishabh Pant being the other – with a 40-plus average from 10 or more innings. Since moving to the top of the order during the home series against South Africa in 2019, Rohit has scored 1462 runs in 16 Tests at an average of 58.48, with five centuries including, most recently, a Player-of-the-Match-winning 127 in India’s win at The Oval in September.KL Rahul and Mayank Agarwal are the other openers in India’s Test squad apart from the uncapped Panchal.Rohit had also been named vice-captain of the Test squad, apart from taking over as full-time captain in the white-ball formats.It remains to be seen if India will hand the vice-captaincy back to the out-of-form Ajinkya Rahane, or name a new deputy to Virat Kohli. It is learned that the selectors are deliberating over Rohit’s availability for the three ODIs that follow the Test series. A decision is likely to be taken this week.Priyank Panchal captained India A in two of their three recent four-day games in South Africa•Cricket South Africa

This isn’t Panchal’s maiden call-up to the Test squad. Earlier this year he was part of an extended India squad that took on England in four Tests at home. Panchal, who is 31 and leads Gujarat in domestic cricket, was among the reserve openers for that series alongside Abhimanyu Easwaran.While Panchal is a relative unknown to the wider public, he has been one of the regulars for India A over the last few years. A veteran of 100 first-class matches, Panchal was most-recently part of India A’s shadow tour of South Africa, where he captained the team in two of the three four-day games in Bloemfontein. He made scores of 96, 24 and 0 in his three innings on tour.Panchal’s stocks rose significantly since his breakout Ranji Trophy season in 2016-17, where he topped the run charts with 1310 runs in 17 innings at an average of 87.33. His first-class highest, an unbeaten 314, came against Punjab that season. Those runs were part of a historic run for Gujarat, who clinched their maiden Ranji Trophy title. Following Parthiv Patel’s retirement last year, Panchal took over the Gujarat captaincy.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSarah Taylor helped England nudge ahead early in their chase•Getty Images

England progressed to their fifth World Cup final but not before South Africa gave them a mighty scare in Bristol. England nearly paid the price for switching off. A cruise when Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight were at the crease turned into a full-blown collapse when they lost three wickets – one of those to a brilliant run-out and another to a rank full toss – in the space of eleven deliveries. At 149 for 5, chasing 219, it was game on.But England dug deep to find a way out. Fran Wilson and Jenny Gunn exhibited England’s batting depth to take them within six runs of victory. Wilson showed tremendous guts – none more than her scoop to a full ball over short third man off Shabnim Ismail with England needing 40 off 38 – to make 30, before falling in the 48th over.It should have been easily from there on, but pressure can do strange things. South Africa were taking every step to make Nelson Mandela Day a memorable one. The game hinged on a knife’s edge as it went into the final over, off which England needed three. Ismail, entrusted with the responsibility of trying to polish off the last three wickets, put down a sharp chance off the first ball to reprieve Gunn. Nerves were jangling. Then with two needed off four, she foxed Laura Marsh with a slower ball. The England players were on tenterhooks now.South Africa needed two wickets. Anya Shrubsole, hardly needed to bat in the tournament, was on strike. She saw width and flayed it through point to bring up the winning runs, runs that were like a dagger through South Africa’s hearts as another World Cup dream crashing down to leave them heart-broken even as a jubilant England side extended an arm of support to the wounded soldiers.If South Africa were to reflect on the heart-wrenching loss, as they would in all likelihood, they’d perhaps rue letting England drift away when Taylor whipped, scooped and flicked her way to a half-century. Up until then, they had managed to pull things back courtesy Ayabongo Khaka’s 10-over spell which yielded two wickets, including that of Tammy Beaumont, the highest run-getter in the tournament.But Taylor’s 78-run stand with Knight had a deflating effect. They also didn’t help matters early in the chase by being a little off-colour on the field. Trisha Chetty, the record-holder for most dismissals in women’s ODIs, had a particularly bad day, fluffing two opportunities along with a number of fumbles to leak runs.All of this meant South Africa had no control over proceedings until Dane van Niekerk brought them back with an inspirational effort – a one-handed pick up at cover to run Taylor out with a direct hit at the striker’s end in the 33rd over. They weren’t the same side from there on. Laura Wolvaardt’s acrobatic effort at square leg off a full toss sent Knight back. When Natalie Sciver was bowled around her legs by Sune Luus, South Africa’s hopes brightened.The tournament’s best batting line-up was seriously being challenged by a gun attack. But England had a Gunn in their ranks too, and she biffed two boundaries off the 47th over to bring the equation to under a run-a-ball, shortly after Mosaline Daniels removed Katherine Brunt. But at the end, South Africa were left to rue a lower-order collapse of their own, which left them at least 30 short of what they should’ve got.Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez struck half-centuries, and together they put on 77 for the third wicket, to set South Africa for a tilt at 250, but they never gained momentum. Once Wolvaardt fell, England simply didn’t let the middle and lower order get away on a slow surface where manufacturing shots wasn’t easy.Yet, Wolvaardt’s control of her batting stood out when runs were hard to come by. She batted with the maturity of a veteran, who knew how to make up for the slow start. At the other end, du Preez improvised, often manufacturing strokes by walking across or using the depth of the crease to either flick or cut and pull.But the first sign of growing comfort resulted in Knight introducing spin. It was a sign that they’d done their homework. Laura Marsh and Alex Hartley tied the runs down in the middle overs, before Knight reaped the reward in her first over when Wolvaardt was out bowled trying to cut a skiddy delivery. Three balls later, a mix-up led to Marizanne Kapp’s run out.South Africa’s last roll of the dice at 250 were Van Niekerk and Chloe Tryon, who replaced Masabata Klaas, only because they needed the middle-order muscle. When she chipped a simple return catch off her third delivery, South Africa’s innings had quickly descended into free fall. It needed a pugnacious unbeaten 76 from du Preez to give them a fighting chance, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Match facts

Delhi Daredevils v Rising Pune Supergiant
New Delhi, May 12, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:41

Hogg: Zampa can match Tahir on economy, not wickets

Head to head

Rising Pune Supergiant lead 2-1, with both their wins coming last season. In their first exchange this season, Delhi Daredevils were powered by a maiden T20 hundred from Sanju Samson and a blistering unbeaten 38, off just nine balls, from Chris Morris that helped them win by 97 runs after scoring 205.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils (sixth): beat Gujarat Lions by two wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 146 runs, beat Gujarat Lions by seven wickets
Rising Pune Supergiant (third): beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets, beat Gujarat Lions by five wickets

In the news

Pune will be without Imran Tahir and Faf du Plessis. The pair left for a preparatory camp in South Africa ahead of a limited-overs series in England before the Champions Trophy. Adam Zampa, the Australia legspinner, is likely to slot in for Tahir.Daredevils have a quick turnaround of little under 48 hours since their game against Gujarat Lions. Already without Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Angelo Mathews, who have left for national duty, they are unlikely to tweak their XI barring injuries.

Qualification scenario

Pune are on 16 points, but aren’t entirely safe because of an inferior net run rate. They need to win at least one of their two remaining games to guarantee qualification to the playoffs. Should they lose both, and Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers win their remaining matches, Pune will be knocked out. Unless Kolkata Knight Riders lose their final game, Pune will need to win both their remaining games to finish in a coveted top-two spot.

The likely XIs

Delhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Karun Nair, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Zaheer Khan (capt)Rising Pune Supergiant: 1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam Zampa

Strategy punt

Zampa has dismissed Samson twice in the two games he has played against Daredevils. Considering Samson’s strike rate drops to the 130s against spin as compared to 150 against pace, there’s perhaps a case of Pune opening with Zampa or even Washington Sundar, the offspinner.

Stats that matter

• Rahul Tripathi is the second-highest scorer in the Powerplays this season, just 12 runs behind David Warner’s tally of 264 runs. Tripathi has been striking at 170.27 in the first six overs.
• Among the 26 seamers who have bowled 20 or more overs this season, only two – Andrew Tye and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – have better economy rates than Christian’s 7.25.
• Prior to the ongoing season, Amit Mishra has an economy of 7.23. This season he has conceded 8.57 runs an over, his second-worst since 2014 when he went at 8.92.
• Daredevils are among three teams who have taken 66 wickets, the fewest this season. Their economy of 8.77 is the second-worst among all teams in IPL 2017.
• Tahir is he second-highest wicket-taker this season with 18 wickets at 20.50. He has bowled 47 overs in 12 games. Only Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have bowled more overs. Zampa, who could replace Tahir, has played just two games this season.

Tickets for the Perth Ashes Test will not go on sale at the same time as those for all other venues as uncertainty continues to swirl around the status of the city’s new all-purpose stadium.A decision on whether the stadium will be able to host the third Test between Australia and England in December is expected to be announced in mid-May, after tickets begin to go on sale on May 1 for Australian Cricket Family members, before the general public sale on May 8.While announcing the Ashes fixture last year, Cricket Australia had announced Perth would host the third Test between December 14 and 18 but did not specify a venue.The 60,000-seater Perth Stadium in Burswood is a multi-purpose venue with drop-in pitches used for cricket. Plans to build the new stadium were announced in 2011 with its scheduled completion in early 2018.In September 2015, the Western Australia Cricket Association had announced that international fixtures against England, South Africa and India from the 2018-19 season would be played at the new Perth Stadium, with the WACA Ground being adapted into a boutique venue for hosting smaller countries. Sheffield Shield cricket and domestic limited-overs games would also continue to be played at the WACA Ground, while the Big Bash League games would be played at the new facility.The prospects of the Perth Stadium hosting an Ashes Test will also be affected by the delay in a public transport infrastructure project: a footbridge for use of spectators at the venue will reportedly only be completed later this year, many months behind schedule.Last week WACA announced that the stadium’s drop-in pitches had been successfully moved from their preparation grounds at Gloucester Park to the site where they will be tended to outside the new venue. However, the WACA chief executive Christina Matthews did not indicate whether the stadium was on course for an Ashes Test.”This is an exciting milestone and I congratulate all involved in reaching this stage, in particular our Turf Team, led by Head Curator Matthew Page,” she said. “The achievements to-date on the production of the wickets have been significant and the next phase will be even more so.”I have absolute faith that we have the best people possible involved in this project and we continue to expect that we will be able to produce a wicket that provides WA cricket and the wider community with as entertaining a game as possible.”Two former officials of Cricket Australia, Mike McKenna and Chris Loftus-Hills, are overseeing the development of cricket facilities at the new stadium. McKenna, CA’s former operations chief, accepted the role of chief executive of the Burswood stadium in September last year. Two months later, Loftus-Hill joined the team, having worked in collaboration with the Western Australia government and builders to prepare cricket facilities, including drop-in pitches, at the venue.