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Krunal Pandya’s all-round performance – a three-for coupled with a half-century – set up an emphatic seven-wicket victory for Baroda against Karnataka in the first quarter-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla.Chasing 234, Pandya struck a 79-ball 70 after Baroda’s Kedar Devdhar and Aditya Waghmode replicated Karnataka’s opening stand of 64 runs. Waghmode’s dismissal in the 15th over preceded a solid 92-run partnership between Devdhar and Pandya for the second wicket, that took their side to 156 within 33 overs. While Devdhar struck six fours and two sixes in his 98-ball 78, Pandya’s knock – studded with five fours and a six – guided Baroda past 200 and took him among the top five run-scorers in the tournament, with 336 runs from seven matches. Pandya had put on 47 for the third wicket with Deepak Hooda, who made a brisk 34* to overhaul the target, alongside Yusuf Pathan (10*) – with 25 balls to spare.Earlier, Baroda’s decision to field was vindicated by Pandya’s returns of 3 for 32, as his left-arm orthodox undid Ravikumar Samarth (44), before accounting for J Suchith and Aniruddha Joshi, who fell for 18 each. Despite four of their top five batsmen – including Robin Uthappa (24) and Mayank Agarwal (40) – scoring over 20, Karnataka only managed 233 in 48.5 overs, as three run-outs and a middle-overs stutter were followed by them losing their last four wickets for 18 runs. Pavan Deshpande top-scored with 54, but his run-out in the 35th over meant the remaining six partnerships could only add another 63 runs before they were bowled out.A combined bowling effort and a score of 85 from opener GS Raju steered Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals with a five-wicket win over Gujarat in Delhi. Once Gujarat were bowled out for 211, TN reached their target with 46 balls to spare.Gujarat could not capitalise on their decision to bat as left-arm spinner Rahil Shah removed two of the top three batsmen even though Samit Gohel fought with a patient 39 till the 21st over. Two quick wickets from Vijay Shankar, trapping Het Patel and Chirag Gandhi lbw, meant Gujarat slipped to 110 for 5 with over 20 overs left. No. 4 Rujul Bhatt, however, resisted with a brisk half-century and chaperoned the tail to ensure Gujarat batted till the last over. His unbeaten 83 off 98 balls, with five fours and two sixes, survived spells from RS Kishore (2 for 35) and Shah (2 for 34) as Shankar ended with 3 for 48 from his 10 overs, his best List A figures.TN’s chase was led by Raju who stitched partnerships of 62, 63 and 42 for the top three stands with Kaushik Gandhi (18), B Aparajith (34) and Dinesh Karthik (21). Once Raju fell for a 95-ball 85 in the 32nd over, TN were only 45 away and sealed the win in the 43rd over, although after losing two more wickets.

ScorecardFile photo – Ed Cowan finished unbeaten on 51 as no play was possible on day four•Getty Images

Rain washed out the final day of the Sheffield Shield match in Wollongong, where New South Wales and Tasmania had to settle for a draw. The final day was to have started with the Blues on 1 for 141, trailing by 96 runs, but not a ball was bowled due to the wet weather.

Bangladesh spinner Arafat Sunny is in police custody after a complaint was filed against him under the country’s Information and Communication Technology (ICT) Act at Mohammadpur Police Station on January 5.”He [Sunny] is in custody and the police are supposed to take him to court today,” BCB’s media committee chairman Jalal Yunus told ESPNcricinfo on Sunday, January 22.According to , the deputy commissioner of Dhaka Metropolitan Police (Tejgaon Division) Biplob Kumar Sarker said a request would be made in court to hold Sunny for five days.Sunny has played 16 ODIs and 10 T20Is for Bangladesh since his debut in 2014; his last appearance was in the World T20 in India in March 2016. Sunny was reported for a suspect action in that tournament, which was later found to be illegal. He was cleared to resume bowling in September 2016, but was once again reported during the BPL in November that year.

Faf du Plessis, South Africa’s stand-in captain, could be suspended for a Test match after being charged by the ICC over an alleged ball-tampering offence.Du Plessis has pleaded not guilty and is seeking legal advice to further contest the charge. A hearing before match referee Andy Pycroft will be held, but a date for the hearing has not yet been set by the ICC.The ICC confirmed in a statement on Friday that du Plessis had been charged for breaching Article 2.2.9 of the ICC Code of Conduct, which relates to “changing the condition of the ball”.The ICC statement said: “The alleged incident happened on Tuesday morning when TV footage appeared to show du Plessis applying saliva and residue from a mint or sweet, an artificial substance, to the ball in an attempt to change its condition.”Level 2 breaches of the Code of Conduct carry a penalty of a fine of 50-100% of the match fee and/or up to two suspension points, and three or four demerit points. Two suspension points equates to one Test match.The charge has been laid by ICC chief executive David Richardson. Cricket Australia did not make a complaint about the incident.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:22

Ganguly: Kohli relishes pressure and responsibility

It was a day of firsts at the Dr. Y.S. Rajasekhara Reddy ACA-VDCA Cricket Stadium in Visakhapatnam. The first day of the first Test at what is now the 111th such venue in world cricket, and quite possibly the first occasion on which a pitch invasion by a stray dog has brought about an early tea interval.But, notwithstanding a trio of breakthroughs for England’s returning attack leader, James Anderson, who was playing in his first competitive fixture since August, it was also a day dominated by numbers three and four – specifically Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli, who compiled a masterful pair of hundreds in a 226-run stand for India’s third wicket that has, for the first time in this series, given their side unequivocal control of the contest.England, emulating their wholehearted efforts in the drawn first match at Rajkot, started the day with a flourish and finished it with a grind, digging deep on all fronts – with seam and spin, new ball and old – to demand that India had to work hard for their runs. But by the close, with Kohli still in situ on 151 not out, his 14th century in his 50th Test appearance, the task awaiting them was already looking formidable.India’s overnight scoreline of 317 for 4 was everything that Kohli could have wished for after winning a vital toss. First-innings runs, on a wicket that neither captain expects to last five days, will be a critical aspect of this contest, and Alastair Cook had cut an almost condemned figure after missing out on the chance to have first use. “Now we’ve got nothing to lose,” he admitted after calling incorrectly. He might wish to revise that assessment now.Ominously for England, there had been glimmers of the assistance that the pitch is likely to offer at every juncture of India’s day, including signs of turn and uneven bounce for the spinners and indications of reverse swing in the evening session. Anderson, in particular, tried desperately to exploit that aspect in a wholehearted five-over spell that yielded the vital scalp of Pujara for 119. And then, with two overs of the day remaining, he struck with his third delivery with the second new ball to unseat a tentative Ajinkya Rahane for 23.But up until those late intercessions, such was the quality of India’s third-wicket stand that England had little option but to cling onto the batsmen’s coat-tails and seek to manage the speed of their progress, rather than the inevitability.England certainly started their day’s work with a flourish. Stuart Broad struck with his fifth ball of the match as KL Rahul, Gautam Gambhir’s replacement at the top of the order, fenced outside off to poke a sharp catch to third slip, before Anderson, fit again after three months out with a fractured shoulder blade, suckered Murali Vijay with a bouncer to leave India perilously placed on 22 for 2 after five overs.But Pujara, fresh from his first-innings century at Rajkot, and Kohli, whose masterful 49 not out had averted calamity on the final afternoon of that match, were precisely the right pair to set aside the scoreline and play the conditions as placidly as they were – at this stage – proving to be.Virat Kohli raises his bat to the crowd after raising his century•Associated Press

Chances to unsettle their progress were few and far between, as is often the way in the subcontinent, and England were left ruing two fleeting moments in particular: first, a crazy over from Adil Rashid midway through the morning session, when Pujara might have run himself out twice in three deliveries – his belated response to Kohli’s clip to midwicket was especially close to curtains.And then, in a moribund passage of play in the first hour after lunch, Kohli was dropped on the hook by Rashid at fine leg when he had 56. Ben Stokes by this stage had settled into an aggressive back-of-a-length line in a bid to slow India’s progress to a crawl and Kohli, who had survived a similar miscue for his second boundary of the day off Anderson, took the bait but Rashid’s fingers couldn’t spring the trap.It would prove to be a costly miss, but it was Pujara who responded most immediately to that sense that England had lost control of the contest. He signalled India’s charge in the final half-an-hour of the afternoon session by lambasting Zafar Ansari for six and four in consecutive deliveries, before making a mockery of Broad’s 8-1 off-side field by picking the solitary gap at backward point for his 11th four of the innings.As Cook fumbled for his options, Moeen Ali, England’s senior spinner, was curiously overlooked until the 40th over of the innings – an inexplicable delay, notwithstanding the early control that Rashid in particular had been able to exert. Instead, armed with a flat ball, he encountered Kohli in full exhibition mode and his seventh over was banished for three fours through cover, third man and mid-on respectively.It was the left-arm spin of Ansari to whom Cook first turned, in the 11th over of the innings, but despite his tendency in his first two Tests to create chances, today his 12 overs were milked for 45 runs. Both Pujara and Kohli had surged into the nineties when the afternoon session was brought to a close four balls early, when a local mutt chose to lead the groundstaff on such a merry dance that the umpires pointed the players to the pavilion.The distraction might well have played into England’s hands – not even the most assured of cricketers like to dwell over their landmarks. But Pujara in particular was not standing on ceremony. A yawning six off Rashid, high over the midwicket boundary, brought up his tenth Test century from 184 deliveries, and his third in succession, following on from his whitewashing-sealing effort against New Zealand at Indore last month.Kohli followed suit three overs later, with a punch through the covers to welcome Anderson back for his third spell, and before the close he had marched past 150 for the fourth time in Tests, with scarcely a shot out of place. He had one last moment of good fortune on the stroke of 80 overs, when he missed a reverse-sweep against Moeen that was shown, on review, to have been clipping leg. England took the second opinion in the knowledge that they would be getting their top-ups one delivery later. It was a shot to nothing, and nothing was the upshot.By the close, England’s worries weren’t limited to the scoreline, or the state of the wicket, which was already showing significant rough in the bowlers’ footmarks. The fitness of Broad was also a significant concern. His morning spell had been prematurely – and inconveniently – halted after three overs when he reopened a cut on his right wrist while diving in the outfield, and though he did front up to bowl a solitary new-ball over before the close, he appeared to be hobbling badly and had already left the field for a change of boots.England will need a change of something if they are to haul their way back to parity in this contest, but not for the first time, it was their application, not their attitude, that had been found wanting. Anderson, armed with the new ball and a good night’s sleep, might be their best hope. But Kohli already has 151 reasons to be supremely satisfied with India’s position.

ScorecardBrian Vitori’s performance was one of the positives for Zimbabwe A•AFP

Shadab Khan followed up his maiden first-class century with a five-wicket haul as Pakistan A knocked off a 37-run target with eight wickets to spare in Bulawayo on Wednesday, thereby taking the series 1-0.Shadab, batting at No. 10, made 132 in Pakistan A’s 512 after Zimbabwe, driven by centuries from Brian Chari and Sean Williams, posted 346. Their 199-run third-wicket stand helped the hosts recover from Ghulam Mudassar’s early twin strikes. Zimbabwe A lost their last five wickets for 48 runs, with Shadab taking 4 for 84 in 24 overs.Pakistan A’s first-innings total was set up by Zain Abbas (78), but a mini-collapse resulted in them slipping to 289 for 6. That they managed a 167-run lead was largely due to the seventh-wicket stand of 130 between Saad Ali (97) and Shadab. The hosts let it slip away further by allowing the last three wickets to add 93 runs.Zimbabwe’s hopes of emulating their first-innings batting performance received a fillip courtesy Tarisai Musakanda (87) and Williams (42). But left-arm spinner Mohammad Asghar dismissed Williams to trigger a collapse in which Zimbabwe A tumbled from 113 for 2 to 202 all out. Shadab’s maiden five-for meant he finished with a match haul of 9 for 166.Pakistan A’s openers took the side to within three runs of a modest target before Brian Vitori dismissed Abbas and Umar Amin. Saad knocked off the winning runs off the first ball he faced, with Pakistan A completing the formalities in seven overs.

Afghanistan Cricket Board CEO Shafiq Stanikzai has presented an argument in favor of the proposal for two-tier Test cricket, saying the side deserves the opportunity to play Tests through their solid performances in the ICC’s Intercontinental Cup first-class multi-day competition for Associates.”We think that we are ready to play Test cricket and we have proven that,” Stanikzai told ESPNcricinfo in a recent interview. “Since we entered into the Intercontinental Cup arena, we were beaten only once. That was in the [2013] Intercontinental Cup final where we got beaten by Ireland but that’s the only loss we have in a four-day game or multi-day game.”Afghanistan are currently in second place behind Ireland on the 2015-17 Intercontinental Cup table after four rounds, with three wins and a rain-marred draw against Scotland. Afghanistan’s overall record in the first-class competition is outstanding with 14 wins, one loss and four draws. Right from their debut in the competition – a high-scoring draw in which they claimed first-innings points against a Zimbabwe XI in 2009 – they have made an effort to demonstrate their versatility rather than be pigeonholed as a limited-overs specialist outfit.Nowhere was that more evident than in their victory against a then elite Canada outfit in 2010, who at the time were preparing to play their third successive ICC World Cup. Set a target of 494 to win in the fourth innings, Afghanistan recorded the ninth-best successful chase in first-class cricket history spearheaded by Mohammad Shahzad’s unbeaten 214. That win propelled them to a maiden Intercontinental Cup title later that year with a win over Scotland in the final. That victory also broke Ireland’s streak of three successive titles.Overall, Afghanistan have scored 400 or more in an innings six times and batted for more than 100 overs in an innings on 11 occasions in the Intercontinental Cup, showing their versatility. They have also shown adaptability to foreign conditions, notching victories in Scotland, Kenya, Canada, Namibia and twice in the Netherlands.Three of Afghanistan’s last six Intercontinental Cup wins have come by an innings margin, while the other three were by margins of ten wickets, eight wickets and 201 runs. Stanikzai says there is not much more for them to prove against Associate-level competition in multi-day cricket and they are eager for a chance to show their skills in a Test scenario.”We have a real good package for every single format of the game,” he said. “If you have a look at the Afghanistan cricket team, we have almost a different squad for every single format. We have T20 specialists, we have ODI specialists, we have multi-day players, specialists not just in batting but in bowling as well. So we are carrying a different bunch of players in every single format we are playing.”Stanikzai’s point is backed up by the fact that core players from their limited-overs squad – bowlers Hamid Hassan, Shapoor Zadran and Rashid Khan, and batsmen Noor Ali Zadran, Javed Ahmadi, Najibullah Zadran and Gulbadin Naib – were all absent from Afghanistan’s starting XI in their most recent Intercontinental Cup win over Netherlands. Afghanistan also has a domestic four-day competition since 2014, which features teams from five regions, although this has not yet been assigned first-class status.”It means the talent is huge in Afghanistan and things have shaped up quite nicely and we have improved quite rapidly in the cricketing world,” Stanikzai said. “Afghanistan is a team that is ready to play Test cricket. We are just looking forward for this [two-tier] proposal to get passed by the ICC board. My stance and Afghanistan Cricket Board’s stance is quite clear that we need more opportunities.”

Keaton Jennings has signed a new four-year deal to remain at Durham. Jennings, who had been out of contract at the end of the season, had emerged as a target of several rival clubs with Warwickshire having held talks with him in recent days and seeing him as a potential leader of their side.But, despite their well-documented financial pressures, Durham have been able to hang on to Jennings and have now secured him on a long-term deal. He has stood-in as captain in recent days and looks a potential club captain of the near future.Despite being born in Johannesburg, Jennings emerged through the Durham academy and made his first team debut for the club in 2012. A solid, patient, top-order batsman, he is currently the top run-scorer in the top division of the County Championship and has emerged as a valuable medium-pace bowler in limited-overs cricket. Aged just 24, he has the bulk of his career ahead of him.”Durham has afforded me the opportunity over the past few years to learn the trade and start to build a career and I am grateful for their support,” Jennings said. “As a team, we have an exciting future ahead in search of the same success that we experienced in 2013 and 2014. It’s a privilege to be part of this environment and I’m looking forward to adding value where possible.”The singing will come as a considerable relief to Durham. Already resigned to losing Mark Stoneman to Surrey, there have been fears that the club could lose several other top players to rival clubs as money troubles inhibit their ability to pay comparable wages. But news of Jenning’s new contract will boost hopes they can also retain the services of Scott Borthwick and Mark Wood.The news will be a setback to Warwickshire, though. Having lost the service of Varun Chopra, who has announced he is returning to Essex at the end of the season, the club were hoping to sign a replacement top-order batsman with many years in front of him. Jennings fitted the bill perfectly.

Justice Mukul Mudgal, appointed by the Delhi High Court to oversee conduct of matches in New Delhi during the World T20 and IPL this year, has suggested that the BCCI should appoint an ad-hoc committee and appoint a full-time officer to run the controversy-ridden Delhi & District Cricket Association (DDCA).”It is advisable the DDCA has a full-time CEO who independently looks after the administration and financial aspect of the association to ensure continuity and smooth functioning,” Mudgal noted in a 27-page report – which was viewed by ESPNcricinfo – to the court, which records his findings, observations and recommendations. “The current state of affairs in DDCA requires the scrutiny of BCCI.”It is for BCCI to decide whether to constitute a specialised ad-hoc body or a committee to take over and manage the affairs of DDCA to improve the situation in DDCA in the interest of cricket so that Feroz Shah Kotla again becomes a venue which has international standards to upkeep.”

DDCA netted 7 crore profit during WT20

The Mudgal report has revealed that the DDCA earned approximately INR 7 crore (as per provisional Income and Expenditure of accounts) from the World T20 matches played at Feroz Shah Kotla. The report also stated that that figure was likely to increase once the BCCI would reimburse DDCA expenses against hosting ICC guests.
The report asked the Delhi High Court to make sure this “large profit” is not “frittered away” and utilised properly.
“It is advisable that the said amount is utilised for improving the stadium facilities and cricket facilities under the supervision of an independent financial expert of credible reputation with the assistance of a specilaised team of dedicated DDCA official constituted by BCCI.”

This is the second time this year Mudgal has exposed DDCA’s shortcomings. In January, Mudgal had prepared a damning report pointing towards “numerous deficiencies” based on his work as a court-appointed observer for the fourth Test of the India-South Africa series in December 2015.Just as he had done during that assignment, Mudgal, who was assisted by IP Singh, former deputy Comptroller & Auditor General of India, carried out a diligent analysis of every committee and every activity conducted by the DDCA listing out the minutiae.”The recommendations made in the present report and all my earlier reports are not exhaustive for improving the state of affairs at DDCA,” he observed. “Several complaints were received regarding the selection process of players during my tenure at DDCA, which requires a thorough investigation by an independent person or body. The proxy system is the bane of Delhi Cricket and subject to other legal requirements deserves to be jettisoned.”Some of the office bearers and the executive committee Member of DDCA only act for their own personal gains and for maintaining their relationship at the expense of DDCA. It is a pity that the coaches, players, vendors and employees of DDCA are not paid on time. The office bearers, executive committee member and the sports working committee members of DDCA should be concerned for improving the cricket facilities in the city of Delhi.”According to Mudgal, the BCCI, as a “parent body” must ensure that DDCA “is transparent in its functioning as it is a public body responsible for promoting cricket in the city of Delhi”. The report categorically listed the various grey areas related to tendering, accounts and finance, administration, player selections and ticketing and accreditation.Mudgal said he was also surprised at the association’s dependency on last-minute permissions and preparations to host matches despite receiving BCCI affiliation in 1928. He also pointed out that the association could function smoothly, like his team had shown during their recent assignments, if the right processes were applied.The report specified that the World T20 matches were played with “proper certification” from various civic and government bodies for the first time in contrast to the desperate dash to seek provisional certificates which had become a norm over the last few years.Mudgal pointed out that the most “controversial aspect” of his tenure as a DDCA observer was ticketing and accreditation. “It was noticed that several unwanted and unnecessary accreditation cards were being issued to various person at the behest of the office bearers of DDCA.”Mudgal also said it was “extremely disheartening” to note that the DDCA’s administration department had not updated records of all players representing the state at various tournaments. “The lists of women players were made for the first time in the history of DDCA during World T20 matches.”Among other areas, Mudgal said the association blatantly abused rights to issue parking passes during matches by citing a personal example. “When IPL-9 started neither I nor any of my associates was given the Parking ticket,” he stated. “On being asked why the parking ticket was not sent to me, Mr Subhash Sharma, member of the Security Committee, said that all the passes have been consumed by the Executive Committee Members and hence no pass was left for the person who was appointed as an observer by this Hon’ble Court.”

ScorecardRoss Taylor has made a big impact at Sussex [file picture]•Getty Images

New Zealand Test batsman Ross Taylor proved an immovable rock at the Nevill Ground hitting an unbeaten 142 as Sussex were dismissed for 333 on a day of cut and thrust under the sun.Kent will go into the final day of this Specsavers County Championship clash holding a 242-run lead and with the option to enforce the follow-on and push for their third win of the Division Two campaign.But it was the former Blackcaps Test skipper, Taylor, who batted a shade under six hours on the hottest day of the year, who made Kent work hardest. In praise of his team-mate’s work ethic, Sussex opener Chris Nash, said: “Ross has been brilliant for us in all formats. He’s won three T20s for us off his own back and in four-day cricket he’s shown tremendous application.”He leaves us at the end of the week to go off for a Test series with South Africa and it’s perfect timing for him that he goes with a 140 under his belt. We’re chuffed to bits for him and we all hope he’ll come back to Sussex at some time soon.”As for his early morning battle with Kent’s South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada, who looks set to extend his battle with Taylor in the Test arena later in the month, Nash added: “He tested us all with the new ball, hit good areas and extracted everything he could out of the new ball and a pretty dead pitch.”When he’s been on he’s been very threatening. He was fast with the new ball and then, when he came back with the older ball, he got that reversing. It was really good fun to try and get through it. It really gets your beans going, because you realise you are facing one of the top young bowlers in the world. On a quick wicket he’d be really hard work.”Rabada, who bagged three for 81 on the fairly lifeless Nevill pitch, said: “A lot of the guys are exhausted, that was a hot day wherever you might be in the world. We fought very hard and tomorrow we’ll be looking to finish these guys off. There’s a bit of turn for the spinners, and some footmarks, so hopefully they can create problems.”This has been a magnificent effort by the team and everyone bowled well today and played their part. We’re giving it our best shot and even though some complained about the heat, it was all in good spirits, it was all banter. When we have to do the business and execute our skills we will and hopefully we can come out tomorrow fully rested and blow them away.”Taylor teamed up with England T20 star Luke Wright to add 114 in 34 overs either side of lunch before Rabada broke the stand with the second new ball. Swishing outside off stump and on the back-foot, Wright edged to Kent’s stand-in keeper Callum Jackson to make it 219 for four.Ben Brown sidled out but, with his score on five, proffered no shot to a Rabada length-ball to go leg before and give the 21-year-old his third wicket.Just before a delayed tea, Chris Jordan (7) lent back aiming to force one from Darren Stevens through the covers only to edge to James Tredwell at second slip.Six wickets down at tea, Sussex did their utmost to bat out the session, losing their last man in the final over of the day. Will Beer was run out by a direct hit by Stevens from mid-off and, after taking a fearful blow on the helmet from a Rabada bouncer, Danny Briggs was caught behind off James Tredwell who, together with Imran Qayyum, polished off the innings with lbw decisions.Having resumed on their overnight total of 69 for one – a first innings deficit of 506 – Sussex suffered their first casualty of the day after half-an-hour when Nash fell for 55.Moments after posting a 128-ball 50 with nine fours, the veteran right-hander was pinned on the back foot by a Rabada off-cutter that appeared to keep low. Indian umpire Virendra Sharma, officiating in the game as part of an ECB exchange scheme, duly raised his finger for the first time in the match.Rabada was rested after a morning stint of 5-3-7-1 and replaced at The Pavilion End at The Nevill Ground by Mitch Claydon. He struck in the 51st over to remove Luke Wells for 22. Looking to square drive, the youngster found a thick inside edge to drag the ball onto his own leg stump.