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Queensland 0 for 8 trail South Australia 237 (Cleary 57, R Harris 55*) by 229 runs
Scorecard

South Australia relied on reviving half-centuries from the lower-order pair of Mark Cleary and Ryan Harris to take them to 237 against Queensland. The Bulls, who were 0 for 8, are trying to lift from the foot of the table and Ashley Noffke and Scott Brant gave them a chance with three wickets each.Until Cleary’s 57 and Harris’ 55 not out, the home team seemed destined to be dismissed for less than 200, but the tail-enders pushed them forward after another disappointing performance from the specialist batsmen. Graham Manou won the toss and batted and three of his batsmen went by lunch, with another four following in the second session as they limped to 7 for 100.A 76-run partnership between Cleary and Harris added some respect and Harris continued to build the total until Dan Cullen, the No. 11, went for 27. It was a strong fightback, but Queensland’s bowlers should have been happy, with Noffke taking 3 for 43 and Brant 3 for 53. Jason Gillespie, who announced his retirement during the lunch break, was one of Brant’s victims when caught by Martin Love for 1.

“What you are saying about pressure, I am hearing this for the first time.”Mehedi Hasan, the Bangladesh Under-19 captain, had a straight face while saying this, but quickly broke into a giggle. Either he hid the sarcasm of the comment well or cloistered himself from social and mainstream media over the last few weeks.The moment, though, captured the unusual pressure and expectations on Bangladesh for an age-level tournament. Bangladesh may be buoyed by home advantage, but the fans expect the team to go past the quarter-finals at least.Bangladesh’s training session on the eve of their opening match against South Africa bubbled with energy and excitement. In between the serious stints of batting and bowling, they played around with attempts to take boundary-line catches. They even involved their team consultant Stuart Law in their horseplay. The players were admonished by their head coach Mizanur Rahman a couple of times, but it was all in good fun.The Under-19 World Cup is essentially a springboard for players to make it to the biggest level. While Bangladesh are keen to express themselves through their well-trained skills, they also face the challenge of dealing with heightened expectations.Mehedi has expressed happiness at people considering Bangladesh as contenders and hoped to “fulfil the expectations.””I like the fact that everyone thinks we can reach a good position,” Mehedi said. “Everyone is expecting that we will be on top, and beat the big nations. We know our standard, so we will try to fulfil the expectations. We just have to play our normal game. The team is very excited because we have prepared for this tournament. The real test starts tomorrow. If we can do well tomorrow, our hard work will be rewarded.”Mizanur, though, played down the pressure and expectations, and reckoned that Bangladesh’s record against South Africa held them in good stead for the tournament opener. Bangladesh had defeated South Africa 11 times out of 14 attempts in Youth ODIs in 2015.”There is no pressure around us,” Mizanur said. “We have been working towards this tournament for the last 18 months. We just don’t want the players to lose focus now.”We know everything about them. Our bowlers will know where to bowl to their batsmen. We hardly knew anything about England apart from the general information. So playing against South Africa will be easier. We beat them 5-2 in their conditions and 6-1 at home. We will be ahead in terms of mentality and preparations.”South Africa captain Tony de Zorzi, meanwhile, has said that his team is in a “good space.” The defending champions have also roped in former India batsman Sridharan Sriram as a batting consultant to counter spin. Sriram, who had served as a coaching consultant with the Australia A team, will work with the senior team in the upcoming World T20 in India.”We are very comfortable,” Zorzi said. “We are in a good space as a team and quite confident. They [Bangladesh] are a very talented side, as are we. They have to play well to beat us and I think they know that.”We have played couple of warm-up games and we have [former India batsman] Sriram helping us as batting consultant against spin. Lot of the guys have adapted to the conditions having played here before. There’s no fear of playing spin.”Five members of the Bangladesh team, including Mehedi, had played in the 2014 World Cup in the UAE, but this is set to be a different challenge and experience.

Ian Harvey (73*) and Brad Hodge (63*) have led an excellent fightback to rescue Victoria late on day three of the Pura Cup match against Queensland at the Allan Border Field in Brisbane. The pair’s unbroken stand of 133 for the fifth wicket has carried the visitors to a second innings score of 4/216 by stumps, a tally which affords them an overall lead of 118 runs.The memory of Victoria’s disastrous late collapse in its first innings, though, will continue to fire the Bulls’ prospects of claiming outright points at some time tomorrow. Queensland captain Stuart Law admitted as much after play when he indicated that his team unarguably still holds the whip hand in the contest.”They’ve got their backs to the wall and it’s up to them now if they want to salvage something,” he said. “I’m confident of winning.”Before Harvey and Hodge had come together, Queensland’s charge toward outright victory had been ignited by rugged paceman Joe Dawes (4/64). Dawes snared all four of Victoria’s second innings wickets when he spectacularly removed Jason Arnberger (20), Shawn Craig (35), Matthew Mott (19) and Michael Klinger (2) in quick succession in mid-afternoon. Showing all the hunger and passion that might be expected from a player who has been twelfth man for his state almost as many times as he has played, he claimed 4/38 in the space of ten overs at one stage, and also had Craig dropped by Law at second slip.Earlier in the day, Queensland’s first innings had ended at a total of 347. Around a fine spell from Michael Lewis (4/74), the Bulls owed their progression to their ninety-eight run lead largely to the efforts of Wade Seccombe (35), Adam Dale (25) and Andy Bichel (21). Colin Miller (1/93) also bowled well, albeit without producing particularly flattering figures, as he continued to press his claims for Test selection later this month.

Kapil Dev, the head of the Indian Cricket League, has told the BBC that he would like to incorporate a UK-based team into his event.”I would love to have a London team playing in the ICL or Birmingham or another city team,” he said. “If I get a chance, if I have the money, I will definitely make one team from London or Birmingham. Give me the money and sponsor and I will do it.”I would also love to see a team from South Africa, West Indies and Australia.”Dev also made clear that the ICCL was not looking to interfere with England’s domestic programme. “We always say anybody picked for ICL must first represent their country and come to play for us when they are free. We don’t want to spoil any country’s cricket.”The aim of ICL is to give exposure to the young boys and people who have played enough cricket. If they share their time with the young upcoming guys, they can teach these young cricketers. That’s what our aim is and if we give the spectators thrilling cricket, everyone benefits from that.”Asked about the ECB’s decision to look to ban any players who signed with the ICL, a policy which is now in tatters, Dev said: “I just want to ask the ECB one simple thing. Am I doing something wrong by trying to promote cricket around the world? The ECB should send us a letter saying thank you. Let’s not be hypocritical.”

More than a few English county professionals have struggled to adapt to the harsh glare of Sydney Grade cricket over the years, but nobody can accuse Nick Browne of being among their number. He has become the new star in town. Browne has become the first cricketer from the UK to hit a double century in Sydney Grade, advancing his reputation and sparing the blushes of a few English professionals in the process.Browne, one of the few bright spots in Essex’s 2015 season, struck 206 at the weekend for Mosman against Sydney University at the Allan Border Oval, following up a century in his first match in even more spectacular style.He beat the previous best score by an English batsman – 194 by Mike Gatting in 1979. Gatting had already won England recognition by then – making his ODI debut in 1977 and playing his first Test a year later – and went on to captain England and win 79 Test caps.Many in Essex believe that Browne should have received some sort of England development squad recognition this winter – but although he was overlooked it has driven him to a continuation of the form he showed in the county season.Browne was one of the few successes in 2015 in an Essex season that ultimately led to the removal of Paul Grayson as coach. He made six first-class centuries as he added his name to the long list of contenders urged by the England coach, Trevor Bayliss, to make an unanswerable claim to an England place in county cricket.He finished the season on a high – a career-best 151 not out against Leicestershire (albeit Division Two’s bottom club). His 1157 first-class runs represented the first time an Essex batsman had passed 1000 in the Championship since Ravi Bopara in 2008.This is the second year Browne has travelled to Sydney to play for Mosman during the English winter. His 206 was only four runs short of Mosman’s highest club score, so sparing one of Australia’s most famous clubs more emotional trauma than it could take. His opening partnership of 252 with David Lowery in a score of 406 for 3 was the second highest in the club’s history.

ScorecardFile photo: Aamir Kaleem’s counterattacking 42 not out lifted Oman•ICC/Donald MacLeod

Fast bowler Bilal Khan and left-arm spinner Zeeshan Maqsood picked up seven wickets between them, leading Oman to a four-run win against Hong Kong in Abu Dhabi. Victory also meant that Oman took an unassailable 2-0 lead in the series.Defending just 131, Bilal (4 for 20) and Maqsood (3 for 22) thwarted Hong Kong’s chase by striking at regular intervals. With Hong Kong floundering at 89 for 6, it appeared Oman had the upper hand, but a handy 26-ball 29 from Nizakat Khan kept the score ticking. By running singles and striking the occasional four, Hong Kong brought the equation down to six needed off the final over with two wickets in hand, but with Nizakat stuck at the non-striker’s end. Haseeb Amjad converted the first ball, bowled by Bilal, for a single, but Nizakat failed to make most of the strike, as Bilal yorked him second delivery. Bilal then bowled two successive dot balls, before wrapping up the game by once again bowling out Nadeem Ahmed, the No.11 batsman.Earlier, Oman, after being sent in, began poorly, losing their top three inside nine overs. However, Hong Kong were unable to completely firm up their advantage, as Aamir Kaleem counterattacked with a 31-ball 42, helping his team to 131 for 6. Fast bowler Aizaz Khan was the pick of the Hong Kong bowlers, collecting 3 for 22.

ScorecardEleven days before the first Test against England, New Zealand’s middle-order struggled against Essex on the third day at Chelmsford, though an unbeaten 53 from Kyle Mills lifted the tourists’ to 195 to set the home side a challenging 293 with a day to spare.New Zealand lost their first four wickets before lunch, and it was only Mills’ intervention at No. 9 – together with a seventh-wicket stand of 58 with Aaron Redmond – that has given their bowlers somewhat of a cushion. Jamie How and James Marshall, elevated to No. 2 following Redmond’s hand injury yesterday, both fell within half-an-hour to Tony Palladino and Alex Tudor respectively, and all eyes were then on Brendon McCullum. He didn’t disappoint, smashing 35 from 29 balls with seven muscular fours, but fell to Ravi Bopara’s outswingers to put Essex well on top at 63 for 4.Redmond should have opened the batting but injured his hand during warm-ups yesterday, so out he strode at the fall of McCullum’s wicket. However, the umpires sent him back as not enough time had elapsed since the injury, prompting Jacob Oram into a desperate scramble to find some pads. After an excellent spell with the new ball Palladino pulled off a fine catch at mid-on to dismiss Oram, diving to his right off Bopara.New Zealand were slipping fast at 92 for 6, but Redmond and Mills finally showed some application in a solid stand. Redmond spent 106 balls for his 30, and Mills – who cracked five fours and two sixes – was left not-out on 53, also from 106 balls. Maurice Chambers was again impressive, returning 3 for 37 from 12.4 overs.Set 293 to win, Essex’s openers, Alastair Cook and Jason Gallian, set off at a canter and cracked 39 from nine overs, though Cook should have been held by Ross Taylor at slip when on nought. Shortly before the close Iain O’Brien made up for the clattering he received earlier to remove Gallian, but an intriguing final day is in prospect with Essex requiring a further 248.

Mickey Arthur, the South Africa coach, has said that it is important to be No. 1 in the one-day rankings after blanking Bangladesh but added that what his team really wants is to beat India in the three-Test series starting in Chennai on March 26.”We have achieved one of the goals we had set out for the team. And being No. 1 is absolutely great. But it will be better still if we are No. 1 next year too because that would mean we would have beaten Australia in two series,” Arthur told Cricinfo.”We will go all out to win the series in India,” Arthur said. “The Bangladesh win has set us up nicely for the India series. Frankly, we always saw this (Bangladesh) tour as pre-India tour preparation where we got our game and gameplans right for the big one. It’s going to be a fantastic Test series simply because India is a huge team to beat in their own country, and we are not prepared to be just another ordinary rival.”Arthur also spoke of setting high standards for the team, which he admitted will be tested in India. “Not many teams go to India and win, so that’s one of our main goals for the year.”Arthur also said that he has appealed to fast bowler Andre Nel, who was replaced for the India tour by Charl Langeveldt under Cricket South Africa’s transformation policy, to play on for the country. “We have spent a lot of time with him because we believe strongly that he is a vital cog as we go forward, especially against England and Australia who are on our calendar this year. So I hope he decides to stay on with South Africa. But ultimately, it’s his decision because only he knows what’s best for himself.”Nel is believed to be in talks with the unofficial Indian Cricket League (ICL) after being dropped in tune with a CSA selection policy that mandates at least six players of colour in a 14-man squad.South Africa swept the two-Test series against Bangladesh and wrapped up the one-day series 3-0 with a seven-wicket win in Mirpur on Friday. The team will leave Bangladesh on Saturday and is scheduled to fly out from Johannesburg for Chennai on March 21.

In a mix-up over the interpretation of the eligibility rules, Kevin Stoute, the Barbados opener, has been withdrawn from the squad for all the remaining matches of the Stanford 20/20 in Antigua. He has been replaced by Rashidi Boucher, the 17-year-old Barbados youth team opener.Stoute was not in the 16-member squad originally submitted by the Barbados Cricket Association (BCA) to the board of directors of the tournament. This was pointed out to the BCA by Stanford officials, who made it clear that players away on West Indies duties at the senior or junior level are eligible to be included in the squad and the selection of other players will have to be approved by the tournament directors first.Last week, Stoute and Patrick Browne, the wicketkeeper, had replaced Ahmed Proverbs and Carlo Morris in Barbados’ 13-member squad for Friday’s quarter-final match against Grenada. Browne was away playing for the West Indies’ senior team on the tour of South Africa, which meant he was eligible for selection.A section of the tournament guidelines stated: “Should a country want to include a player not originally selected in its squad of 16, it shall be required to submit a written request to the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors for its consideration. The decision of the Stanford 20/20 Board of Directors will be final and binding.”You will also at that time submit a new 16-member squad, indicating the players who will be replaced. Please be guided that this 16 will be your 16 for the tournament and those omitted will no longer be eligible for selection unless there is injury and an application sent to the committeealong with a doctor’s certificate.”Rollins Howard, the BCA’s operations manager, expressed regret over the mix-up.”It was a misinterpretation of the word “new” as it related to changes in the squad,” Howard was quoted in a report in the BCA’s website.In the same report, Roddy Estwick, Barbados’ chairman of selectors, said, “It was a very, very unfortunate misunderstanding pertaining to the ruling of the Stanford policy.”The information given to the selectors was that we were to pick a new 16-man squad so we selected Kevin Stoute, who was in our initial squad of 20, only to be told by the Stanford committee that he wasn’t eligible for selection based on the fact that he was not in the original 16. I will be apologising to Kevin personally and on behalf of the selectorsand all of the relevant parties.”Stoute said he had put the unfortunate events behind him and was now looking ahead to the remaining matches of the Carib Beer Cup.”With every disappointment, you can take some positives from it and something like this can only make you stronger,” Stoute told the . “There are three more Carib Beer games left, so right now I am focusing on them. If selected, I would be looking to give 100% for Barbados.”Revised squad – Dwayne Smith (capt), Sulieman Benn, Tino Best, Derick Bishop, Rashidi Boucher, Patrick Browne (wk), Jonathan Carter, Ryan Hinds, Alcindo Holder, Ryan Nurse, Dale Richards, Khalid Springer, Kenroy Williams

Vernon Philander has been ruled out of the Test series against England due to the ankle injury he sustained in India while Dale Steyn is only rated 50-50 for the third Test in Johannesburg but Kyle Abbott has recovered from his hamstring strain.Steyn suffered a shoulder injury in Durban which ruled him out of the New Year Test at Newlands and will now see another specialist for a second opinion ahead of a fitness test when the squad meets up again in Johannesburg on Monday.On Tuesday, Steyn was in good spirits over his fitness when he tweeted: “Start bowling again today. #lekker.” However, it would be no surprise if South Africa took a cautious approach after his recent injury history.Steyn has been injured nine times in the last two-and-a-half years, has sat out four of their last six Tests, and his problems seem to stem from each other. He missed three of the four matches in India after suffering a groin strain in the first Test which ultimately resulted in seven weeks on the sidelines.That lengthy period of time off the field contributed to the shoulder problem, caused from heavy bowling loads in the Durban Test after a period of rest.”Vernon Philander is a no-go for the Test series. He is still very much in his rehab phase,” Mohammad Moosajee, the South Africa team manager, said. “Kyle Abbott has made a full recovery from his hamstring strain and he will be ready for the Johannesburg Test.”Dale Steyn is pretty much 50-50. He has got another appointment with a shoulder specialist in Cape Town tomorrow for another opinion and will be reassessed when we regroup in Johannesburg on Monday.”The full squad for the final two Tests will be named on Friday with the main debate surrounding a potential replacement opener for Stiaan van Zyl. Stephen Cook would be the favourite if a player from outside the current squad was called in.South Africa’s performance at Newlands, where they made England nervous on the final day, has eased some of their other form concerns around the top order. Hashim Amla, who has stepped down as captain, made 201 while Faf du Plessis made a battling 86. Most significantly, though, was the century for Temba Bavuma which has secured his long-term spot in the middle order.