On a pitch tailor made for their quartet of spin bowlers, Tamil Union look set to spring a surprise in the first semi final of the Premier Limited Overs tournament at Premadasa International Stadium tonight. They have bowled out the tournament favorites, Colts Cricket Club, for a meager 174 in 48.4 overs.Tamil Union have one of the strongest spin attacks in the land. Led by the irrepressible Mutiah Muralitharan, who picked up five wickets for 15 runs in 9.4 overs, the spin bowlers took nine of the wickets to fall. The Colts batsmen struggled to play them on a slow paced pitch that spun extravagantly.Colts CC had won the toss and begun confidently, despite the loss of Romesh Kaluwitharan for just six runs in the sixth over of the innings. Chaminda Mendis and Kulatunga compiled 67 runs for the second wicket and Colts CC looked set for another impressive total.However, Upul Chandana turned to Mutiah Muralitharan in the 16th over of the innings and in partnership with left arm spinner, Niroshan Bandaratilake, he turned the course the course of the match. Colts CC lost four wickets for just six runs and slumped to 92 for five.Kulatunga had played some sparkling shots including a brace of boundaries in Ranga Dias’s first and last over. However, he was less assured against the spinners, and started the slide when he charged down the wicket to Muralitharan and was caught at cover. He had scored 35 from 52 deliveries.Sajith Fernando walked to the crease in confident fashion but was caught in the very next over as he top edged a sweep. Then, Chaminda Mendis, who had scored a solid 35 from 69 balls, was clean bowled by Muralitharan four balls later. In the same over Sujith Janaka looked unlucky to have been adjudged caught behind.Were it not for Chaminda Vaas (18) and Eric Upashantha (34), who added 45 runs for the seventh wicket, Colts would not have even surpassed 150. The pair batted patiently and sensibly. Aware of the responsibility that now lay on their shoulders, they eschewed risks and concentrated on picking up singles.Just when they looked like they were on the verge of grasping the initiative back, Chaminda Vaas tried to pull sweep Upul Chandana and was brilliantly caught by a tumbling Brijesh Jeganathanan on the mid wicket boundary.The skipper wasted no time in recalling his premier bowler and Muralitharan just proved too good for the Colts lower order. They lunged and prodded as best they could but were eventually bowled out for a total that looks too small.

Yorkshire Phoenix maintained their challenge for the National League Division One title with a comfortable six-wicket victory over Northamptonshire Steelbacks at Wantage Road.Paceman Matthew Hoggard (5-30) and Darren Gough (3-19) both celebrated their selection in England’s Test squad for the winter with outstanding bowling stints as the home side, who opted to bat first, were skittled for just 109.And Yorkshire survived the early loss of Victor Craven and Michael Vaughan to reach their target, and record their eighth win of the campaign, with 14.3 overs to spare.Northants were unable to recover after Hoggard and Gough removed key batsmen Mal Loye, Matthew Hayden and David Sales in successive overs with the new ball.They slumped further to 22-5 before Graeme Swann (25) offered some token resistance, and some measure of respectability was achieved thanks to Kevin Innes (27 not out) and Darren Cousins (18) who posted 40 in 15 overs for the ninth wicket.But it was another stunning effort from Yorkshire’s bowlers who had dismissed Lancashire Lightning for 68 and Leicestershire Foxes for 53 in their two previous National League outings.Needing early wickets to stay in the game, Northants saw their hopes rise briefly as Craven drove Tony Penberthy to mid-off and Darren Cousins knocked off Michael Vaughan’s off stump.But Yorkshire nerves were steadied by acting-skipper Darren Lehmann (37) and Anthony McGrath (36 not out) as Hayden’s men suffered their first defeat in eight matches in all competitions.

Scorecard
Ranil Dhammika, the left-arm spinner, claimed career-best figures of 6 for 39 as Lankan Cricket Club beat Burgher Recreation Club by 113 runs to clinch the Tier B section of the Premier Limited Over Tournament, Sri Lanka’s main domestic List A tournament.Chasing 276 to win, Burgher were off to a solid start with Dilan Sandagirigoda being involved in a 60-run opening stand with Chamil Perera (28). But Burgher went downhill once an opening was found by Dammika, who caught Perera off his own bowling.Dhammika then wreaked havoc with the middle order, dismissing three more batsmen, including Sandagirigoda for 44. Wicketkeeper Mudhita Fernando made 15 before he was run out while Janaka Kumarage, the No 3 batsman, was trapped by Raju Gayashan as the pressure got to Burgher. When Sathira Fernando was dismissed by captain Suranjit Silva, Burgher had slumped to a precarious 116 for 7, having lost their first seven wickets for the addition of only 56 runs.The late-order delayed the inevitable, with Marlan Madusanka taking 31 balls for his unbeaten 11, before Dhammika returned to apply the finishing touches, trapping both Romesh Eranga (19) and Roshan Fernando as Burgher were bowled out for 162.Earlier, Lankan, who were put in by Burgher, were led by a run-a-ball 79 from Nuwan Shiroman on their way to 275. Shiroman, who struck seven fours and two sixes in his innings, was involved in 59-run stands with Chanaka Withanage (18) and Dammika Gunawardene (35) for the first and second wicket respectively.Gunawardene was dismissed by offspinner Thamara Abeyratne, but Shiroman and Rasika Priyadarshana (22) kept the runs coming. The duo, though, were dismissed within the space of three balls – Priyadarshana caught by Madusanka off Abeyratne, while Shiroman was run out.But wicketkeeper Upul Fernando, who smashed two sixes during his aggressive 40 and Dhammika, who made a boundary-less 26, made sure that Lankan set up an imposing target.

Kumar Sangakkara has said being relieved of the gloves in Tests was the “best thing” that happened to his career.”I didn’t like it when they stopped me keeping,” Sangakkara said. “But the selection committee spoke to me and said: ‘What we’re trying to do is improve your batting and to get you scoring more runs for the team. We are asking you to do this. It will be better for the team and better for you.’ At the time, I thought: ‘That’s not true. I can do both.’ But when I look back on it now, that was the best thing to happen to me. It’s great that they took that decision for me, without letting me take it. That has hugely influenced the runs that I scored, and the centuries I made.”Sangakkara had begun his Test career behind the stumps, as Romesh Kaluwitharana’s replacement. Even though he had some success with the bat in the early years, averaging 46.90 in mid-2006, the Ashantha de Mel-led selection committee believed he would be more valuable to the side as a specialist batsman. Sangakkara had by then become Sri Lanka’s regular No. 3 batsman, raising concerns that he would be too fatigued to excel at both roles.A nine-year boom in his batting output has followed the decision to play him as a batsman only. In 84 Tests as a specialist batsman, Sangakkara has hit 9188 runs at an average of 68.05. That average is only second to Don Bradman’s for non-wicketkeepers who have scored more than 1000 Test runs.Sangakkara admitted he regrets not having won a World Cup after playing in two finals, but took particular pleasure from Sri Lanka’s performances in major tournaments. Sri Lanka’s inability to win Tests in Australia and India had also grated, but the team has generally fared better in England. They drew 1-1 in 2006, then defeated England 1-0 last year.”I remember going to England with the team last year, and beating England 1-0 in that series was the best overseas tour I have been on,” he said. “In that 2006 series when we drew, we also won the one-dayers 5-0.”All the wins we have had, especially away from home, have been special. Beating Australia for the first time in a one-day series in 2010, the World T20 which we won it – all of these have been really standout moments for me. But also, once Sanath Jayasuriya, Marvan Atapattu, Chaminda Vaas, Aravinda de Silva all of these guys left, I’m happy to have been part of a set-up that produced cricketers like Angelo Mathews, Lasith Malinga, Upul Tharanga – and the one guy who has been outstanding and who is never spoken about – Rangana Herath.”Though his batting is often called attractive, Sangakkara said he does not consider himself a stylist. “I used to have these arguments with Thilan Samaraweera in the dressing room about who had had the best looking forward defensive shot in the Sri Lankan side. He always told me that I had the ugliest forward defensive shot he had ever seen in his life and Mahela Jayawardene and Marvan Attapattu had the nicest,” Sangakkara said.”They always say the left-handers were extremely graceful. I watched Brian Lara, then Upul Tharanga and Lahiru Thirmanne from the younger lot, and feel they are much more pleasant to look at. Whenever I play the cover drive, with the back knee bent and head back, I just say to myself: ‘How can that be stylish?’ But I’m glad with the amount if runs I’ve scored and how effective I’ve been.”

ScorecardJames Vince helped Hampshire rattle of the required runs for victory (file photo)•Getty Images

Hampshire climbed off the foot of the Division One table and now face a crucial match at Taunton starting on Wednesday. A seven-wicket win against Durham at Chester-le-Street left them only five points behind Somerset in the battle to avoid the second relegation spot.Captain James Vince knuckled down to survive a testing start and waited for the right ball to put away in guiding Hampshire to their target of 163 with an unbeaten 76. He was helped by Liam Dawson, who contributed 34 to the unbroken stand of 82 as the last 64 runs came off 6.3 overs.Hampshire might have to seek their third successive win without Fidel Edwards, however, after he retired with a hamstring injury after taking 4 for 43.Rain prevented play before lunch and Durham didn’t hang around when they resumed their second innings on 126 for 6, 88 ahead, adding 74 in 15.3 overs before they were all out for 200.Gareth Berg took two wickets in two balls in the fourth over, having Ryan Pringle caught behind for 13 and John Hastings lbw. Umpire Jeremy Lloyds took several seconds to give the second decision.Left-hander James Weighell hit two fours off Ryan McLaren in reaching 20 before Edwards came on and yorked him with his first ball. The West Indian retired after bowling eight balls, although his exit did allow Ryan Stevenson to claim his maiden first-class wicket. He had Graham Onions caught at point by Jimmy Adams, ending a last-wicket stand of 36 in 28 balls.Chris Rushworth made an unbeaten 33 off 34 balls, hooking and driving Berg for two sixes prior to trying to add to his 85 first-class wickets this season.He had to wait until the 12th over, when Michael Carberry was on 21 and there had been 11 extras, before Adams shouldered arms and was bowled for 3.Rushworth also troubled Vince but the total advanced to 75 before Carberry fell for 39 when he skied a pull off Onions and Michael Richardson ran 25 yards to hold a tumbling catch at square leg. The wicketkeeper then held a regulation catch off Onions to send back Will Smith for 1, but the new-ball pair had bowled 11 overs each by that stage.Onions kept going for two more overs but was clearly flagging in his 13th, and the double change took the pressure off. After conceding only one run in his first two overs, Hastings’ next two cost 19. Weighell opened up with a maiden and was hit for three fours in his second over, one off a thick edge, as Vince passed 50 off 54 balls with 11 boundaries.Weighell wasn’t helped by four overthrows in his next over, which cost nine, and when Rushworth returned Dawson pulled him for six as Durham slumped meekly to their fourth successive home defeat.

The New South Wales coroner will hold an inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a delivery during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG last November.The has reported that the New South Wales Crown Solicitor’s Office has started subpoenaing documents relating to the death of Hughes. A date for the inquest has not yet been set.Cricket Australia had already commissioned a review into the events that occurred on November 25 last year, when Hughes was struck by the bouncer and taken to St Vincent’s Hospital, where he died two days later.”We have had open dialogue with the NSW Crown Solicitor and have indicated that we will be as co-operative as possible with any coronial inquest,” a Cricket Australia spokesman told the .”We remain absolutely determined to see if anything could be done to prevent a similar accident happening again. Never again do we want to see a tragedy of that nature happen on a cricket field.”

Haryana

Haryana will hope their new captain will lift their spirits and results•Associated Press

Where they finished last season
Second from bottom in Group BBig picture
Last season, only two Haryana batsmen averaged 30 or over in the Ranji Trophy. But six of their bowlers sent down 50 overs or more and averaged under 25. Such numbers come with the territory – in this case their home ground, the Bansi Lal Stadium in Lahli, which hosts the most seam-friendly pitches in India. The five matches Haryana played in Lahli last season produced three 200-plus totals in 17 innings.Results, as they tend to be on pitches of that nature, were a lottery, with Haryana winning two of their home games and losing one. There were two draws, but only because of poor weather that ruled out a fourth day against both Vidarbha and Delhi.Performances away from home, perhaps, were a better gauge of Haryana’s quality: they lost all three of their matches on the road, to Punjab, Gujarat, and bottom-placed Saurashtra.Given that Haryana begin their 2015-16 season with three away games, against three formidable opponents – Maharashtra (semi-finalists and finalists in the last two seasons), Delhi (who topped their group last season) and Karnataka (gunning for a hat-trick of titles) – they will have to find some way to compete in unfamiliar territory.Their task is made harder by the absence of Amit Mishra, Mohit Sharma – both part of India’s limited-overs squads for their series against South Africa – and Joginder Sharma. This will leave a bulk of the bowling burden to be borne by Harshal Patel and the spinners Jayant Yadav and Yuzvendra Chahal.Batting is usually the bigger worry for Haryana, and the acquisition of Virender Sehwag – he will also captain them – will be accompanied by both excitement and anxiety. Over the last couple of years, there has been a perceptible dimming of his powers, but are they still at a level that can cause fear among domestic attacks? Almost 37, and with no realistic prospect of an international comeback, how much enthusiasm can he sustain over a domestic season with barely any breathing room?Surendra Bhave, their coach, isn’t too worried. “I don’t have to say what sort of impact [Sehwag] would have on any cricket team,” he says. “He has been wonderful so far. Every player he has spoken to personally. He’s a very good mentor also. He’s doing an excellent job. Coming from him, it makes a lot of difference, coming from a great achiever.”Players to watch
Yuzvendra Chahal recently earned a call-up to the India A T20 side against the South Africans thanks to his performances in the shortest format, particularly the IPL. But in a career that began in 2009, Chahal has only played 17 first-class matches (32 wickets at 40.06). If he gets an extended run in the Haryana side in the absence of Amit Mishra, can Chahal show that his legbreaks belong in the longest format as well?Himanshu Rana will only turn 17 on the day the Ranji season begins, but has already shown glimpses of what could be a special talent. His coach Surendra Bhave calls him a “cracking player”. On his debut last season, Rana made 80 against Delhi, and followed it up with a 149 that set up an innings win over Rajasthan. He topped Haryana’s batting averages last season, and his side will hope he can shore up their often brittle top order again.Preparation
Apart from a pre-season camp and practice matches in Lahli, Haryana also geared up for the season by playing the KSCA tournament (four-day matches) in Karnataka and the Buchi Babu tournament (two-day matches) in Chennai.Squad
Virender Sehwag (capt), Chaitanya Bishnoi, Sanjay Budhwar, Yuzvendra Chahal, Rahul Dagar, Rahul Dalal, Rahul Dewan, Ashish Hooda, Sanjay Pahal, Harshal Patel, Himanshu Rana, Sachin Rana, Nitin Saini (wk), Guntashveer Singh, Priyank Tehlan, Jayant Yadav.In their own words
“The data shows that teams which play well at home usually do very well in domestic cricket. But we would like to look at it in a thorough manner and start winning outside also, which is very crucial for us.”

Bangladesh fast bowler Taskin Ahmed has said that he is fit for the ODI and T20 series against Zimbabwe next month. He bowled in the Bangladesh nets at full pelt, leaving him quietly confident of returning to the senior side for the first time since June 21. Taskin is one of the 18 players in the preliminary squad for the Zimbabwe series starting on November 7.Eleven of the players turned up for training on Thursday since six will travel back to the country from South Africa on Friday as part of the A side and Shakib Al Hasan is expected to arrive from the USA on Saturday evening.Taskin suffered a tear on his left side during Bangladesh’s second ODI against India in June. He recovered and was sent to India with the Bangladesh A squad but after five overs in the first game on September 16, suffered the same injury and returned home from Bangalore the next day.”There aren’t any problems now,” Taskin said. “I bowled with full effort on Wednesday and today so I am hoping there won’t be any problems ahead too. I could bowl with my usual pace. I didn’t complain to the physio. I will be more confident if I can bowl like this in the next couple of days.”I am confident that since I am free of injury and I don’t feel pain while bowling, I will do well if I get an opportunity to play.”He may, however, be chosen for only one of the formats against Zimbabwe, so as to not put pressure on his body, which has been susceptible to major injuries in the past.Taskin felt he had hurried his return from the side injury in June, which caused a relapse in India.”I didn’t recover fully and had put myself under pressure. But now I have worked hard on my rehabilitation in the past five weeks. I have found rhythm in my bowling too.”

An unflinching, unbeaten century from England Test discard Mark Ramprakashhas guided Middlesex to a score of 227 all out on the first day of itsCounty Championship clash with Sussex at Southgate.Come rain, thunder and shine all in the one day, Ramprakash was not to bemoved from the crease in an innings that showcased all of his trademarkdetermination. His smooth-stroking 110 was certainly the best possibleriposte in the wake of his omission from the team to play West Indies atOld Trafford next week.Aside from the diminutive right hander’s play, though, this was anothertough day for the Division Two cellar dwellers. In overcast conditions,there was little resolve about their batting. Medium pacers James Kirtley(5/50) and Robin Martin-Jenkins (3/55) revelled in the early going,reducing the locals to 26/2 inside the first hour. The former was evenmore impressive later in the day, coming back in a second spell to inspirethe quick destruction of the home team’s middle order in a collapse thatsaw six wickets lost for the addition of a meagre 95 runs.Middlesex made two strikes of their own – including one in the shadows ofstumps – to have Sussex at 84/2 in reply by the close, but there remains noimmediate indication that its bowlers will be able to summon adequatereward for the considerable skill of their number four batsman.

Surrey, the defending title-holders, crushed Leicestershire by an innings and178 runs in their championship match at Oakham School and moved to the head of Division One.Off-spinner Saqlain Mustaq completed the rout with 5-35 in 15 overs. The lastthree wickets fell in 11 deliveries as Surrey applied the coup de grace just before the skies opened. Leicestershire began the morning at 134-9 and added only 9 more runs before they were following on 362 runs behind. The home county’s hopes until the weather intervened were frustrated as they lost four batsmen for 42 by lunch.Darren Maddy, caught at the wicket to the first ball, started the trend which Vince Wells, Iain Sutcliffe and Aftab Habib followed. Although Alex Tudor could not bowl because of a side strain, Surrey did not require his services. There still seemed to be runs in the pitch, but Leicestershire batted like a side fore-doomed to failure. Darren Stevens (68) with 11 fours in 80 balls was the one exception.Chris Lewis seemed to help him extend his former county – then after putting on62 runs for the sixth-wicket he, too, was caught at the wicket by Batty.Saqlain spun out the lower-order without much further ado.