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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Lendl Simmons’ 75 kept West Indies alive, and a heist followed•WICB

After 97 overs of play, Pakistan were clearly the better side on the day, and by some distance. Needing 39 off the last three then, with only two wickets in hand, West Indies managed to induce an almighty panic in the Pakistan ranks, which included the first boundary hit off Saeed Ajmal – three came in one cluster now; a fielder failing to pick the ball in the deep, costing them three runs; poor field settings in the last over with 15 to defend against the last pair of Jason Holder and Kemar Roach; and then an easy run-out fluffed off the last ball to allow West Indies a tie. West Indies celebrated as if they had won, and Pakistan were crestfallen, which was about right.Pakistan will think of the erroneous call of a short run that went against them when Umar Akmal and Wahab Riaz were taking 52 off the last 4.2 overs. The two same men would now commit the final fatal mistakes. Before that, though, it was Sunil Narine who turned the momentum. Ajmal had been all over West Indies with the wickets of Lendl Simmons, who scored 75, and Dwayne Bravo in his ninth over to turn 62 off 42 with six wickets in hand into 39 off 18 with just two wickets standing.With nothing left to lose, Narine swung and he swung clean. The first ball went flat over long-off, inside-out no less. Ajmal fired the next ball in, and Narine drilled it to long-on, but Riaz there moved to his left as opposed to right where the ball was. The angry Ajmal slowed the next ball down, and drew a dot, but Narine came down the wicket to send him to the left of long-off. Ajmal came back with a quick offbreak to peg Narine’s off stump back, and it was down to 24 off 12 for Holder and Roach.Despite a flicked four past midwicket, Junaid did his job, giving away just nine in the 49th. The difference between Junaid and Riaz was the angle. Riaz bowled over the stumps but with the same field of mid-off up and long-on back. He began with two singles first up, but that mid-off remained a risky placement. As it turned out, Holder threaded – an incredible shot for a No. 11 – the third between mid-off and cover for four. More incredible acts were to follow.Riaz changed his length, and drew a dot with a short ball to make it nine required off the last two, but bowled length on the penultimate ball. Holder smoked it clean over extra cover. Dwayne Bravo would have been proud of that shot. Now they were panicking big time. A big conference resulted, but the field didn’t change. Riaz bowled short, which more or less took the field down the ground out of the equation. Holder swung, got a thick edge, which flew to third man who was aptly stationed fine. Junaid fielded well and sent in a decent throw on a decent bounce but just to the right of the keeper.Holder was gone by yards had Akmal, a part-time wicketkeeper lest it be forgotten, collected it cleanly. He didn’t. Holder made it. He over-ran so far West Indies couldn’t even try a possible overthrow. The ball, though, had gone straight to straight midwicket.West Indies might have come out of this level in the series, but their approach of backing themselves to keeping pace with astronomical asking rates in the final few overs against an attack that has no obvious weak link is ill-advised. Chasing 230 on a good batting track, West Indies lost early wickets – as has become their wont – and consolidated so slowly that the asking rate crossed six in the 26th over. After the early blows, Pakistan had enough overs of Ajmal towards to all but ensure the victory.Pakistan followed the same pattern when they were asked to bat first. Ahmed Shehzad and Nasir Jamshed didn’t do much better than Johnson Charles and Chris Gayle, the last of whom now has the worst average among all openers who have played at least 10 innings in the last 12 months. It was followed by slow rebuilding with Misbah-ul-Haq, like Simmons, scoring 75.At that time, the big difference seemed to be the West Indies part-timers at the death. Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard on paper should have been no match for Ajmal and Junaid and Riaz. It seemed to be going down that route until pressure burnt off that paper, and a side that used to be the most feared in tight situations now added one more panic attack to their recent history.

ScorecardGraeme Swann was struck a painful blow on his right forearm by Tymal Mills•Getty Images

It says much for England’s lacklustre performance in their Ashes warm-up match against Essex that it has, at times, been hard to distinguish which was the Test team tipped to win the Ashes and which the mid-table Division Two team.While England’s top-order struggled for runs and their bowlers struggled for potency, Essex have had the fastest bowler of the match, a legspinner with a five-wicket haul and the only man in the top seven of either side to register a half-century. England also spurned three distinctly catchable chances. Few will recall performances in this match if England go on to retain the Ashes but, on the evidence of this game, they are some way short of their best heading into the series.There are some mitigating factors. England are lacking their two first choice seam bowlers – Stuart Broad and James Anderson – from this game and came into it having played several weeks of white-ball cricket. Much the same could be said for Essex, too.Perhaps more pertinently, England were without Graeme Swann throughout Essex’s first innings on the second day after he sustained a blow to his right forearm while batting. Swann was struck by a delivery from Tymal Mills, by some distance the quickest bowler on either side, and while he batted for another nine overs in recording his highest first-class* score since he made 97 here six years ago, he was then taken to hospital for an X-ray. That showed no fracture, however, and while Swann will continue to receive treatment for bruising, he is expected to play a role with the ball later in the game.That will be a huge relief for England. While James Tredwell, probably the second choice spinner bearing in mind Australia’s preponderance of left-handers, fared pretty well in the Champions Trophy, he has yet to take a first-class wicket this season while Monty Panesar was recently dropped by Sussex and has taken only 16 wickets in eight first-class games at an average of 43.37. Swann may have missed Champions Trophy games due to back and calf injuries, but he remains very much the first-choice option for Tests.Swann was not the only England batsman to sustain a nasty blow from Mills. Tim Bresnan was struck in the same over, failing to duck out of the way of a bouncer and taking the ball on the grill of his helmet, but shrugged off the blow to reach the fourth first-class century of his career and his first since 2007.It was a timely contribution. Not only did his stand of 187 for England’s eighth-wicket with Swann rebuild the innings from a precarious position, but it provided a reminder of his all-round qualities. With a decision yet to be made over who will fill the third seamer’s spot, Bresnan’s lower-order runs might yet prove crucial. He batted very well, too. He brought up his chanceless and increasingly dominant century with a pull for six and England declared immediately.Still, this was an impressive performance from Mills. England requested that both he and Reece Topley play in this match in order to gain practice against left-arm bowling but, with Topley rested after several tough weeks of cricket, it was left to Mills to fill the role.He only took up cricket in his mid-teens and currently cannot generate the in-swing that he will require to sustain a career at this level but, blessed with raw pace and a wonderfully uncomplicated attitude, he could develop into a significant player. He has a reputation, probably a fair reputation, for over-doing the short ball but on this evidence that is not such a fault. Few batsmen could enjoy facing him.”It was the time to let them have a few,” Mills said afterwards. “The bowlers union went out of the window for a while there; you have to do what you have to do to get some wickets. It was a good opportunity for me to impress people at Essex and England. Hopefully this game will have earned me a chance to get back into the Essex side.”Tom Craddock also impressed. The legspinner, who had not claimed a first-class wicket this season before this game, completed the second five-wicket haul of his career in the morning session as Swann, caught at mid-on as he tried to clear the infield, fell six runs short of what would have be his first first-class century since 2002 and Steven Finn missed the next delivery, a standard legbreak. Craddock does not currently have a huge amount of variation but maintained a consistent line and length and, albeit on a helpful surface, turned his legbreak appreciably.In Swann’s absence, Kevin Pietersen and Joe Root were both called upon to bowl offspin. Pietersen was tidy initially but was then hit for three successive boundaries by the impressive Jaik Mickleburgh, while Root claimed career-best figures to underline his improvement as a bowler.Root claimed only one first-class wicket in the 2012 season but here demonstrated his growing control and just enough spin to encourage the occasional mistake. He remains very much a support bowler and would be the first to admit he was somewhat flattered by his figures that included a slogged catch from Saj Mahmood and a cut shot that hit the back of Owais Shah’s bat and looped to the keeper.England’s seamers, in effect competing for one place, enjoyed less happy days. Graham Onions, the pick of them, saw two chances go down off his bowling; one to Pietersen at mid-on offered by Hamish Rutherford on 10 and another when Matt Prior put down an outside edge when Ravi Bopara had 7. Later Pietersen put down another relatively simple chance at gully off the bowling of Finn to reprieve David Masters on 12.Mickleburgh has a career average of just 25.99 and, before this game, had managed only 217 runs in 11 first-class innings this season but looked compact and patient in registering his highest score of the season. He may well have been unlucky with the umpire’s decision that denied him the fifth first-class century of his career.Mickleburgh rated Onions the toughest of the bowlers to face. “He showed great skill levels,” he said. “He was getting the ball to reverse and made me play 95% of the deliveries I faced from him. Finn ran in hard and bowled some good balls in decent areas.”The pitch, slowing all the time, offered little to England’s seamers but Onions and Finn were probably the more impressive of the trio. Bresnan’s only wicket came when Rutherford drove to mid-off, while Finn had Bopara caught behind by a beauty that demanded a stroke and then left the batsman; Tom Westley feeling for one outside off; and Masters, who will not bowl again the game after suffering what may turn out to be an Achilles strain, leg before playing across one.Onions, meanwhile, bowled Mark Pettini with one that reverse swung through the gate leading Bresnan to admit that, while the runs could do his chances no harm, it is bowling form that will define selection.”Lower-order runs could play a big part in winning Test matches so it’s nice to get some time in the middle,” Bresnan said. “But the bowlers will be picked on form. If I’m not bowling well enough, it doesn’t matter how many runs I’ve scored, the batting comes as a bonus. If it’s a straight shoot out it may help may cause but if I’m not bowling well enough it won’t matter at all. We’re backing the batters to get the runs.”*This match had first-class status removed on the third day

Northamptonshire 219 for 6 (Crook 61*, Ali 3-40) beat Worcestershire 177 (Samaraweera 78, Willey 3-28, Spriegel 3-29) by 42 runs
ScorecardA rapid half-century by Steven Crook gave Northamptonshire the platform to open their Yorkshire Bank 40 account for the season with a 42-run win against Worcestershire at New Road.The home side only had themselves to blame as they spilled four chances – including one from Crook when he had made 10 – and the allrounder made them pay by charging to an unbeaten 61 from 42 balls.Crook’s blitz, bringing seven fours and two sixes over the longest boundary at midwicket, helped the Steelbacks to a match-winning total of 219 for 6 after adding 61 from the last five overs. This gave Worcestershire too much to do on a tricky pitch and they were dismissed in the 38th over for 177 despite Thilan Samaraweera’s masterclass in one-day batting.Samaraweera caressed the ball around the field, hitting nine fours in making 78 from 81 balls, but the chase was over when he became the first of two lbw dismissals in successive deliveries from Andrew Hall. Northamptonshire’s fielding was top notch throughout and they delivered the most decisive spells with the ball.David Willey broke through at the top order and Matthew Spriegel took wickets in successive overs before finishing with 3 for 29. Samaraweera gave his side hope in stands of 53 with Daryl Mitchell (29) and 58 with Gareth Andrew (21), but it was never easy to get the ball away on a sluggish surface.Andrew was the big threat to Northamptonshire at that stage but, after driving one six off Crook, the left hander was well caught by Kyle Coetzer as he speared a shot from Trent Copeland low to point.In difficult conditions for the big hitters, Crook was the exception in having the power to hit through the line in making his second List A fifty for the county.Earlier, the Northamptonshire openers kept things ticking over in a partnership of 62 before Brett D’Oliveira had a hand in their dismissals, taking a simple catch from David Sales at mid-on and bowling Rob Newton as the batsman attempted to cut.Alex Wakely played well for 35 before falling to Jack Shantry, and offspinner Moeen Ali produced the ball of the day, turning and clipping the top of Spriegel’s off stump. However, Moeen’s last over, costing 18 runs, was crucial for Northamptonshire as it brought sixes for Willey and Crook.

ScorecardDawid Malan fell one run short of a century but his innings was the mainstay of Middlesex’s chase•Getty Images

James Hildreth’s unbeaten century was ultimately in vain for Somerset as Middlesex snatched a four-wicket win in the last over at Lord’s. Dawid Malan fell a run short of a century in reply but, with a nerveless unbeaten 39 from 38 balls, Neil Dexter got the hosts got home under the lights at HQ.Bu they were made to sweat after Hildreth took 26 from the final over, bowled by James Harris, to reach 102 not out and set a defendable score of 247 for 7.Middlesex looked to be cruising at 159 for 1in the 24th over, after Malan had figured in stands of 71 and 88 with Paul Stirling and Joe Denly respectively, but a cool captain’s innings by Dexter was then required after the loss of four wickets for 26 runs in eight overs.Victory eventually arrived with five balls to spare as Dexter, Gareth Berg and Ollie Rayner, who ended a good match for him by pulling the winning boundary, dealt impressively with the pressure of having to score 55 from the last eight overs.Stirling had fallen for 27 when he speared his 24th ball straight to mid-off, but Denly included a six over long-on against Arul Suppiah in his 31 before he went for a rash big hit against Max Waller’s leg-spin and skied a catch to wicketkeeper Alex Barrow.Suddenly panic set in and Middlesex also lost Chris Rogers for 1, superbly caught low down by Marcus Trescothick diving to his right at first slip off Jamie Overton, who then trapped Adam Rossington leg before for 6 with a stunning yorker. When Malan drove wildly at Craig Meschede’s medium pace, and Barrow flung himself to his left to cling on to the edge, Somerset were right back in the game at 185 for 5 in the 31st over.But Dexter added 44 in combative fashion with Berg, until the latter skied a leading edge to long off to depart for 17, and Rayner also played well to finish on 12 not out. The win puts Middlesex into third place in Group C.Hildreth had earlier completed his hundred in spectacular style, hitting Harris for three successive sixes and two fours in the 40th over of the Somerset innings to boost the total.Before the explosive end to Hildreth’s superbly-paced 94-ball innings, which contained seven fours as well as those three sixes from the first three balls of the final over, it seemed that off-spinner Rayner’s fine eight-over spell of 3 for 31 had put Middlesex well on top.Somerset, who beat Middlesex by six wickets at Taunton a fortnight ago, were given a rollicking start by Trescothick and Peter Trego, who put on 73 before Rayner struck his first blow in the ninth over of their innings.Trescothick, having clubbed two sixes and four fours in 41 from 33 balls, was bowled middle stump as he propped forward defensively to one that straightened in Rayner’s opening over. Trego was well held for a 28-ball 35 by keeper Rossington, standing up to Harris’s fast-medium on a docile surface, and Rayner then had the out-of-form England Test batsman Nick Compton brilliantly held one-handed for six by a leaping Dexter at short midwicket.Dexter claimed a more straightforward catch when South Africa allrounder Dean Elgar chipped to short extra cover on 15, and only Hildreth stood firm as the Somerset slide continued as Barrow gave Stirling a simple return catch and Suppiah hit Tim Murtagh to extra cover.But from 187 for 6, Hildreth was joined by Meschede, who drove Toby Roland-Jones into the pavilion for six, in a resourceful stand of 32 before Hildreth’s own magnificent late assault on Harris.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
David Miller smashed a 38-ball 101 to pull off a heist for Kings XI Punjab•BCCI

David Miller became the fourth centurion of this edition of the IPL, as he single-handedly kept Kings XI Punjab in contention for a place in the play-offs. Miller’s 38-ball century resurrected Kings XI from 64 for 4 and was chiefly responsible for the 99-run blaze off the last five overs of the chase. It ensured his side pulled off a grand coup against a team studded with superstars.Royal Challengers Bangalore would not have expected this Kings XI, especially after posting the tournament’s fifth-highest score. The Royal Challengers innings was built on the shoulders of Chris Gayle – who went past the fifty mark for the first time since his whirlwind 175 against Pune Warriors and reclaimed the orange cap – and the fit-again Cheteshwar Pujara, and was given legs by AB de Villiers’ cameo at the end.Kings XI responded with only a spine in Miller. He proved it remains the most important component of the human body and can be totally self-sustaining if needs be. Miller’s father would have been a proud man, if he was watching in Durban. He gave his son an important piece of advice when he was growing up and tonight he followed it to the letter.”If it’s in the V, it’s in the tree and if it’s in the arc, it’s out of the park,” Miller senior said.Against an attack that continued to offer him length, Miller had both those options and took full advantage. His innings was a masterclass in hitting straight, although not all his shots found the boundary. He top-edged one attempt when he was on 42. Virat Kohli spilled the skier which proved match-changing. The next over confirmed it, as Miller took 26 off RP Singh to begin the assault. He started by dispatching a half-volley over long-off and ending with a cut over point to display his ability in hitting to other areas of the ground as well.Miller went on to pick the slower ball with ease and targeted wicket area as well, bringing up the 100 partnership with Rajagopal Sathish with a six off a short-ball. Sathish had only scored 11 at that point and was happy to play a bit-part role until the end.Sathish managed 14 runs off Gayle’s over and then dutifully gave Miller the strike to end the match. With three runs to get – it was only the 18th over – and Miller on 95, he needed a big hit to reach a century and he duly sent a length ball over the sightscreen to bring up his milestone in characteristic fashion.Fittingly, it came off Gayle who had himself showed intent in the other half of the match but had to be a spectator this time. Gayle started well, despite being peppered with short balls from the Kings XI attack. Praveen Kumar and Parvinder Awana did not have the pace to test Gayle on the back foot and he had Pujara as an ideal foil. When Gayle was bowled, Pujara went on to record his first half-century in the format in typically classy fashion. His only ungainly shot came when he charged Manpreet Gony and played on.Kings XI clawed back but ran into de Villiers at the end of the innings. His cheeky defiance began with a flyswat through midwicket and he innovated with the sweep shot and square cut to take Royal Challengers to a total they would have been satisfied with.Having reduced Kings XI to 64 for 4 at the halfway stage, with David Hussey among those dismissed, Royal Challengers would have been confident of victory. But the other David was still at the crease and it is his name Royal Challengers will remember after tonight.

Monty Panesar is committed to a full programme of championship cricket in an attempt to bowl himself into form ahead of a two-Test series against New Zealand ijn May, which starts England’s international summer.Panesar’s spin partnership with Graeme Swann was a prime reason for England’s mastery over India on their home soil in the Test series before Christmas.But he has found rewards harder to find in New Zealand and, with Swann recuperating from an elbow operation and uncertain whether he will be fit to face New Zealand, Panesar’s well-being at the start of a packed England schedule is even more important than usual.Panesar has persuaded England’s management that, despite a heavy touring schedule, he has no need for the prolonged rest which has been drawn up for most other England players. He will be pitched straight into Sussex’s championship season, against Yorkshire at Headingley on April 10.Warwickshire, the defending county champions, will have to wait for the involvement of their England batsmen, Ian Bell and Jonathan Trott, until May under the player availability schedule drawn up by the England management.Bell and Trott will be available two Warwickshire championship matches – against Sussex and Middlesex – ahead of England’s three-Test series against New Zealand, which begins at Lord’s on May 16.Under a scrupulously balanced decision process, most England players are guaranteed to play two championship games ahead of the first Investec Test.Durham will benefit from Graham Onions’ inactive winter. Onions’ 64 wickets at 14.98 were instrumental in securing Durham’s Division One status, eventually achieved with ease under the inspirational captaincy of Paul Collingwood, and he will be running in again for the opening championship match of the season against Yorkshire in Chester-le-Street on April 10.Somerset are another winner with Nick Compton’s appetite for match practice meaning that he is scheduled to return against Surrey at The Oval on April 17.England player availability: James Anderson (Lancashire): Available for LV= County Championship games against Kent (24-27 April) and Glamorgan (1-4 May). Unavailable for Yorkshire Bank 40 game against Durham (6 May) and Derbyshire (12 May). Schedule to be reviewed after 4 May ahead of first Investec Test.Jonny Bairstow (Yorkshire): Available for all cricket from the start of season.Ian Bell (Warwickshire): Available for championship games against Sussex (1-4 May) and Middlesex (8-11 May). Available for YB40 game against Kent (6 May). Unavailable for YB40 game against Sussex (12 May).Ravi Bopara (Essex): Available for all cricket.Tim Bresnan (Yorkshire): Availability to be determined following recovery from an elbow operation.Stuart Broad (Nottinghamshire): Available for championship games against Derbyshire (24-27 April) and Durham (29-2 May). Schedule to be reviewed after 2 May ahead of first Test.Jos Buttler (Somerset): Available for all cricket.Alastair Cook (Essex): Available for championship games against Hampshire (29 April -2 May) and Lancashire (7-10 May). Unavailable for YB40 fixtures against Hampshire (3 May), Durham (5 May) and Scotland (12 May).Nick Compton (Somerset): Available for championship games against Surrey (17-20 April), Warwickshire (25-28 April) and Yorkshire (7-10 May). Available for YB40 fixture against Unicorns (5 May). Unavailable for YB40 fixture against Yorkshire (11 May).Jade Dernbach (Surrey): Available for all cricket.Steven Finn (Middlesex): Available for championship games against Derbyshire (17-20 April) and Surrey (2-5 May). Unavailable for game against Cambridge MCCU (24-26 April). Schedule to be reviewed after 5 May ahead of first Test.Eoin Morgan (Middlesex): Participating in the IPL. Available for all cricket on return.Graham Onions (Durham): Available for championship games against Somerset (10-13 April), Warwickshire (17-20 April), Yorkshire (24-27 April) and Nottinghamshire (29 April -2 May). Schedule to be reviewed after 2 May, ahead of first Test.Monty Panesar (Sussex): Available for all cricket from 10 April.Samit Patel (Nottinghamshire): Available for all cricket.Kevin Pietersen (Surrey): Availability to be determined following recovery from knee injury.Matt Prior (Sussex): Available for championship games against Surrey (24-27 April) and Warwickshire (1-4 May). Available for YB40 fixture against Worcestershire (5 May) and Northamptonshire (10 May). Unavailable for YB40 fixture against Warwickshire (12 May).Joe Root (Yorkshire): Available for game against Lancashire (16-18 April) and championship games against Durham (24-27 April), Derbyshire (29 April-2 May) and Somerset (7-10 May). Available for YB40 games against Glamorgan (5 May) and Somerset (11 May).Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire): Availability subject to recovery from elbow operation.James Tredwell (Kent): Available for all cricket.Chris Tremlett (Surrey): Available from start of season.Jonathan Trott (Warwickshire): Available for championship games against Sussex (1-4 May) and Middlesex (8-11 May). Available for YB40 game against Kent (6 May). Unavailable for YB40 game against Sussex (12 May).Chris Woakes (Warwickshire): Available for championship games against Derbyshire (10-13 April), Durham (17-20 April) and Sussex (1-4 May). Schedule to be reviewed after 4 May ahead of first Test.

Leicestershire have signed Australia batsman Joe Burns as an overseas player for part of the 2013 county season. Burns will stand in for Ramnaresh Sarwan once the latter leaves for international duty with West Indies.Burns, 23, scored 145 runs, including a century, for Australia A against the touring England Lions in February. He was voted the Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year by his fellow Australian players for his achievements in the 2012-13 season. All cricketers who have won the award since its inception in 2000 have gone on to represent Australia in at least one format. While Burns has yet to play international cricket, he can gain a work permit through a UK passport. He appeared briefly for Sussex second XI in 2010.Sarwan is expected to play the first five and last four Championship games of the season, leaving Burns to cover the middle of the campaign and the FLt20 competition. He will arrive on May 15 and leave on August 30 and his spell will comprise seven county championship games, the whole of the FLt20 competition and 11 CB40 matches.”I’ve heard great things about the club’s set-up and players and I am very motivatedwith the ambition of promotion in the county championship,” Burns said. “I’m looking forward to joining up with the team in May and contributing to a successful and enjoyableseason.””We are delighted to have signed the up-and-coming batsman Joe Burns,” Leicestershire’s chief executive, Mike Siddall, said: “We are hoping he will have a similar impact at Grace Road as previous Australian overseas players, Brad Hodge and Michael Bevan. Joe is on the fringes of the Australian team and will be keen to impress during an Ashes year in England.”Leicestershire are expected to add another overseas player for the FLt20, with Bangladesh allrounder Shakib Al Hasan believed to be a frontrunner for the role.

The National cricket selectors have shown their faith in the team that did duty at the Wanderers by retaining all the same eleven in a squad named for the second Castle Lager/MTN Test against Sri Lanka starting in Centurion on Friday 15th November.Martin van Jaarsveld has been kept in the squad in the event of Herschelle Gibbs failing a late fitness test. It is expected that Gibbs, who injured his back practising before the first Test at the Wanderers on Friday, will pass the fitness test at Supersport Park on Wednesday afternoon.Mornantau Hayward, who did not play in the first Test having been given permission to return to Port Elizabeth for the Eastern Province against Boland Standard Bank clash, has not been included in the squad.The full squad is:Shaun Pollock Captain,
Mark Boucher Vice-captain,
Steve Elworthy,
Herschelle Gibbs,
Andrew Hall,
Claude Henderson,
Jacques Kallis,
Gary Kirsten,
Neil McKenzie,
Makhaya Ntini,
Ashwell Prince,
Graeme Smith,
Martin van Jaarsveld,
Coach: Eric Simons
Assistant Coach: Corrie van Zyl
Physiotherapist: Shane Jabaar
Fitness Trainer: Andrew Gray
Manager: Goolam Rajah
Selection convener Omar Henry also announced that a provisional squad of 30 players for the ICC World Cup would be announced later this month. The ICC deadline for the provision of squads for all participating nations is the 30th of November. The deadline for the final squad of 15 is the 31st December.

Angelo Mathews will take over as Test and ODI captain from Mahela Jayawardene for the home Test series against Bangladesh. Dinesh Chandimal will be Mathews’ deputy but will lead the national side in the Twenty20 format. Lasith Malinga has been named Sri Lanka’s T20 vice-captain. The appointments are for a period of 11 months.Jayawardene was expected to step down from captaincy after the tour of Australia, and Mathews was tipped to take over. Chandimal assumes a senior role in the team, having played five Tests and 50 ODIs.The 20-man squad for the two-Test series starting on March 8 has several fresh faces and some notable absentees from the tour of Australia. Thilan Samaraweera has been dropped, together with opener Tharanga Paranavitana and wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene. Ajantha Mendis returns to the Test squad, having last played a Test in May 2011 against England.Samaraweera has signed up with Worcestershire for the 2013 county season, but had an inconsistent 2012, a year in which he averaged 32.50. He had a poor tour of Australia, where he failed to score a half-century in six innings. Paranavitana was part of the squad on that tour but didn’t play a Test, with Dimuth Karunaratne being preferred over him. Prasanna Jayawardene’s Australian tour was cut short by a thumb injury, but he hasn’t been picked for the Tests against Bangladesh following his recovery. Chandimal will keep wicket.The squad features four uncapped players, and six in all who are yet to play a Test: Batsmen Ashen Silva and Kithuruwan Vithanage, seamer Dushmantha Chameera, and offspinner Tharindu Kaushal are those yet to play international cricket. Wicketkeeper-batsman Kushal Janith Perera and legspinning allrounder Jeevan Mendis have played ODI cricket for Sri Lanka but not a Test.Kumar Sangakkara’s participation in the Test series is subject to his recovery from a fractured hand, an injury he suffered on the tour of Australia. Bangladesh play one warm-up game, two Tests, three ODIs and one Twenty20 international on their almost month-long tour of Sri Lanka.Test squad: Angelo Mathews (capt), Dinesh Chandimal (vice-capt), Tillakaratne Dilshan, Dimuth Karunaratne, Ashen Silva, Kumar Sangakkara, Lahiru Thirimanne, Mahela Jayawardene, Kushal Janith Perera, Jeevan Mendis, Kithuruwan Vithanage, Ajantha Mendis, Suraj Randiv, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga, Chanaka Welegedera, Nuwan Pradeep, Dushmantha Chameera, Rangana Herath, Tharindu Kaushal.

ScorecardJohn Rogers scored his maiden first-class half-century•Getty Images

John Rogers and the Western Australia lower order put the Warriors in a strong position to push for victory against Queensland at the Gabba, where the Bulls finished day three needing another 352 runs with eight wickets in hand. Set 440 for victory, Queensland were 2 for 88 at the close of play, with Greg Moller on 48 and Peter Forrest on 11.Already they had lost Luke Pomersbach to Nathan Coulter-Nile for 6 and Joe Burns, the newly-named Bradman Young Cricketer of the Year, caught off the bowling of spinner Ashton Agar for 22. The breakthroughs left the Bulls at 2 for 66 and it was hardly the start they needed after they let Western Australia’s last four partnerships add 256 runs in the second innings.Rogers, a journeyman whose career has taken him from Canberra to Hobart to Perth, scored 89 in his third first-class match and missed the chance for a century when he was caught behind off the bowling of Matthew Gale, who took 4 for 109. Rogers had put on 123 for the seventh wicket with the wicketkeeper Sam Whiteman, who made 51.But the problems for Queensland continued as Coulter-Nile chipped in with 32 and then the final-wicket pair, Agar and Michael Hogan built a 94-run partnership. Agar, who will head to India with Australia’s Test squad to gain experience, scored his maiden first-class fifty and was the last man out for 53, while Hogan made a career-best 43 not out.