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* CAB to appoint outstation coach for Ranji teamThe Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) has decided to obtain theservices of an outstation coach for its senior team for theforthcoming domestic season. The decision, taken by the workingcommittee, is aimed at bringing more accountability andprofessionalism into the approach of Bengal cricketers who havestruggled to make a mark at the national level for the past few years.Though no names have been finalised yet, former Indian all roundersKarsan Ghavri, Madan Lal and Roger Binny were shortlisted for thepost, according to CAB sources.The working committee has decided to retain MP Parmar as the CAB’sdirector of coaching. Vece Paes has been appointed physical trainer tolook after the physical conditioning of the senior side. The CAB hasdecided to shortlist 25 players for the conditioning camp to beginearly next month.* Cuttack venue for East Zone Ranji Trophy one day gamesThe East Zone Ranji Trophy one day matches will be held at Cuttack.This was decided at a meeting of the East Zone fixtures committeerecently.The following is Bengal’s Ranji Trophy schedule for the 2001-02season: Bengal vs Assam (Nov 30 to Dec 3 at Assam). Bengal vs Tripura(Dec 21 to 24 at Tripura), Bengal vs Bihar (Dec 29 to Jan 1 at Bihar),Bengal vs Orissa (Jan 5 to 8 at Kolkata).* TNCA plans to set up academy in ChennaiThe Tamil Nadu Cricket Association has plans to establish a cricketacademy at Chennai on the lines of the national and regionalacademies, according to Ashok Kumbat, secretary of the TNCA. Theproposal would crystalise before the end of this year or early nextyear, he added.Speaking to PTI in Tiruchirappalli on Tuesday, Kumbhat said the TNCAwas very keen to promote the sport by imparting right training tobudding cricketers, adding the proposed academy would be a permanentcoaching centre.On the funding for the project, he expressed the hope that the TNCAwould be able to generate the necessary amount and ruled outsponsorships.* Bal Mahaddalkar passes awayMumbai Cricket Association’s long serving and tireless administratorBal Mahaddalkar passed away in Mumbai on Tuesday following a cardiacarrest. He was 62.Mahaddalkar was associated with Mumbai cricket for nearly threedecades and has served as its joint secretary for two terms (eightyears) and vice president (from 1998 to 2000). He was the firstcricket administrator to be awarded the Maharashtra State’sChatrapathi Shivaji Award in 1993-94. He also served on variouscommittees of the Board of Control for Cricket in India and was onceappointed observer for a home series.

Youth will mingle with experience as Test hopefuls Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns and Usman Khawaja join Adam Voges and Peter Siddle in a strong Prime Minister’s XI to face the New Zealanders in Canberra on Friday.Bancroft, Burns and Khawaja are all in strong contention to be chosen for the Gabba Test, while Voges will be looking for a score to shore up his place in the selectors’ plans after an underwhelming Matador Cup campaign in which he has made just 50 runs in five innings for Western Australia. Voges had been named Steven Smith’s vice-captain for the postponed Bangladesh series.Other players of promise to be included in the squad are Ashton Agar, Jason Behrendorff and Ryan Carters, while David Hussey will join his brother Michael, already named as captain of the team. While the selectors were effectively cornered into choosing Siddle due to his lack of cricket, they will be eager to get further sights of the batsmen vying to join Smith and David Warner in the top six for Brisbane.”This is one of the strongest Prime Minister’s XI sides we have selected in recent years,” the selection chairman Rod Marsh said. “The Prime Minister’s XI match is a very important occasion on the Australian cricket calendar and this year it takes on added significance as it marks the very start of our international summer.”Unfortunately due to the postponed Bangladesh tour, players such as Joe Burns, Cameron Bancroft, and Usman Khawaja all missed opportunities to perform on the international stage. This match is a great opportunity to build on their Matador Cup performances and the strong form they displayed on the recent Australia A tour of India. We’re keeping a close eye on these players ahead as we prepare to select the Test squad.”Given we are only a few weeks away from the first Test at the Gabba, it is an ideal opportunity for us to watch a group of highly-rated players and see how they perform against a quality New Zealand side. We know New Zealand will be looking for immediate success in their first match on Australian soil since the ICC Cricket World Cup final.”We have chosen a very strong line-up which will benefit from the experience of players such as the Hussey brothers, Adam Voges and Peter Siddle. It’s pleasing too that three players that were products of ACT Cricket feature in the side, allowing them to showcase their talents in front of a home crowd. Jason Behrendorff, Ryan Carters and Ben Taylor all deserve this opportunity and we’re delighted for them.”The match will be played under lights using the experimental pink ball to be tried in the inaugural day-night Test match in Adelaide next month, and will be followed by a two-day tour match between Brendon McCullum’s side and a Cricket Australia invitational team.Prime Minister’s XI squad: Michael Hussey (capt), Cameron Bancroft, Joe Burns, Usman Khawaja, Adam Voges, David Hussey, Ryan Carters (wk), Ashton Agar, Peter Siddle, Jason Behrendorff, Mark Steketee, Ben Taylor (12th man)

Fifteen wickets fell on the third day of the North Zone Ranji Trophyclash between Jammu & Kashmir and Himachal Pradesh at the Maulana AzadStadium in Jammu, with the visitors emerging with the better of theexchanges. Resuming their first innings at 289/8, Himachal declarednine overs into the day at 316/9. J&K were then shot out for 176,marginally avoiding the follow-on by just ten runs. But they struckback swiftly, knocking over four Himachal wickets for 55 before thedraw of stumps.After Himachal skipper Rajiv Nayyar’s declaration, J&K never reallygot going, losing their first five wickets for 69. Needing 167 tostave off the follow-on, the lower order manfully attempted to redressthe balance and succeeded to the extent of lifting the score to 176 in58.4 overs. Vijay Sharma topscored with 33 while for Himachal,Rajinder Thakur snapped up 3/65.In the 86 minutes batting available, Himachal limped to 55/4. Firstinnings centurion Nischal Gaur was removed by Qayoom for a tenth ballduck. Rahul Panta followed up his 46 not out in the first essay withanother unbeaten effort of 31 as the visitors closed the day 195 runsin front with six wickets in hand.

The chief executive of the England and Wales Cricket Board (ECB), TimLamb, will meet the Indian Cricket Board (BCCI) officials in Mumbai onFriday to explore the possibility of making couple of changes in thevenues for England’s winter tour of India.The ECB officials are not happy with two main venues – Kanpur andMohali in Chandigarh – as they claim that there are no direct flightsto Kanpur. Chandigarh also does not have a five-star hotel.However, the BCCI officials insist that Mohali has a fantastic groundwith very good dressing rooms for the teams. The hotels in Chandigarhoffer good facilities and moreover it is left to the host nation tochoose the venues, the sources added.

Potchefstroom – They are known as the North West Dragons, and for most of the season their fire has spluttered rather than roared in defiance. On Thursday night they trailed a smoke haze across their new stadium when it was officially opened and cracked the 200 mark for the second time this season before losing by 41 runs against an England XI.While the tourists used the outing to utilise their options for their opening match of the triangular series in Bloemfontein on Sunday, and put a solid, if unconvincing 264 for nine on the board, North West did what they could to give the local public a little to remember scoring 223 for eight.A pity the chaotic melee provided by an unruly crowd at the end let down their side who did what they could, having previously failed three times this season to reach 100.Yet it was not a batting performance to remember: there were odd patches as well as a first wicket partnership of 71 between Gary Outram and Hendrick de Vos. After that the locals were not going to be in the hunt – there was solid batting down the order with 30s littering the scorecard rather than an impressive half-century.If England had been hoping for a big response from Hick and Adams after Nasser Hussain had won the toss, the partnership of 102 against average bowling did notquite fill the expectations.As it is there were rumblings over allegations of a row between Alec Stewart and the skipper over Stewart’s so-called “sacking” by being sent home early. Although David Clark, the England Cricket Board media liaison officer on tour for the slogs, said the team refuted the claims, it is known Hussain and Duncan Fletcher were “quietly livid at such false claims” on the eve of the triangular series. Plans for Stewart to go back to England had been approved some time ago when the Test tour and limited-overs squads were announced.Instead of Chris Read keeping wicket here though we had the specialist utility all-rounder Mark Alleyne, the Gloucestershire captain who kept wicket for England A on their more recent tour of Bangladesh and New Zealand.The rumpus, which blew up yesterday may have deflected Hussain’s thoughts from his own game plan with an edge into the stumps curtailing his performance while Nick Knight was less impressive.Yet it was the windmill style action of exhibitionist David Pryke, who collected five wickets in the innings, which undid Chris Adams. The Sussex captain has battled this tour to make an impression and yesterday found the unusual style of Pryke a problem.Pryke also gives the impression he delivers from almost 18 metres instead of the regulation 20.12 metres and Adams found the foot shuffle, more accentuated than that of Mike Procter, was unable to get his own footwork going. His best is four for 38, but as this is a friendly the five for 32 does not really count: four of the five in his last four over spell.If anything the partnership showed that in normal circumstances Hick and Adams could be a dangerous pair. Hick’s own batting carried all the hallmarks of his flat-track bully mood: tough, hard and aggressive. The bowler knows he has been up against it when facing Hick in this mood.There was some swashbuckling slog from Vikram Solanki as well during the partnership with Craig White as they rattled along a 50 partnership off 33 balls. Not bad at all for a first game in the South African veld.

ScorecardJack Taylor was Man of the Match after scoring 35 of 26 balls and taking three wickets•Getty Images

Gloucestershire claimed their first limited-overs trophy in more than a decade after tightening like a vice during the last third of Surrey’s innings to suffocate the run chase and triumph in a thrilling finish. After losing their talisman, captain Michael Klinger, to the third ball of the match and then being cleaned up for 220 by Jade Dernbach’s hat-trick, this was a remarkable triumph from a Gloucestershire side who refused to give in against seemingly mighty opposition.When Kumar Sangakkara and Rory Burns were compiling a century stand for the third wicket, there was little to trouble Surrey, but spinners Jack Taylor and Tom Smith sparked a dramatic comeback as the shadows lengthened at Lord’s. Only Sam Curran, the youngest player on the pitch in only his seventh List A innings, seemed to possess the required nerve but his poise cruelly deserted him at the end.It came down to seven runs being required off the final over with two wickets standing, after James Burke was run out from the final ball of the penultimate over as Curran tried to steal a single to mid-on. But Curran fell to the next delivery, attempting to hit David Payne over long-on and picking out the fielder.Dernbach, whose 6 for 35 were the third-best figures in a Lord’s final, could only watch from the other end as Gareth Batty then pulled the ball to deep square leg without adding to the total to confirm Gloucestershire’s victory with three deliveries remaining.Fittingly it was Taylor who took the catch. The offspinner, who finished with 3 for 43, also struck a vital 35 from 26 balls in Gloucestershire’s innings to be named Man of the Match.At 143 for 2, Surrey looked as if they would ease to victory, only for Taylor and Smith to turn the screw. The asking rate hovered around a run a ball throughout the last ten overs but wickets fell regularly: Gary Wilson caught at midwicket, Azhar Mahmood stumped, Tom Curran lbw attempting a reverse-sweep – to a ball that may well have missed leg stump.Gloucestershire, playing their first Lord’s final in over a decade, came into the match as underdogs and many feared what would become of them if Klinger failed. Those fears were sharpened when Klinger was dismissed for a duck in Dernbach’s opening over and Gloucestershire required a dogged fifty from another veteran in Geraint Jones, playing in his final match before retirement, to drag them towards respectability.It was hardly an imposing total against a Surrey batting order that has been rampant in this competition, their top three of Jason Roy, Steven Davies and Sangakkara behind only Klinger in the run-scoring list. James Fuller’s hugely impressive opening spell accounted for Roy and Davies but Sangakkara did not offer a chance until mis-hitting a Taylor full toss to mid-on with 78 still needed.On a slow pitch and with what seemed like a majority of the crowd urging them on, Gloucestershire kept themselves in the contest by strangling the scoring. The required rate rose from less than five at the start of the 35th over, before Sangakkara’s dismissal, to more than six as Taylor and Smith wheeled away.It should have been a day to savour for Dernbach – recently described by his captain as “the most complete seamer in England in one-day cricket” – as he became the third man to a hat-trick in a Lord’s final, emulating James Averis and Ken Higgs. After the darkness of 2012, when the death of Tom Maynard had a devastating effect on Dernbach and several of his team-mates, this would have been a cathartic victory.Dernbach’s final wicket came courtesy of an extremely poor umpiring decision but the yorker to clean up Jones after he had reached a 64-ball fifty was a brutally effective piece of death bowling. Craig Miles then inside-edged a drive through to Wilson before umpire Rob Bailey gave last man Payne out lbw after he was hit on the body ducking into a full toss – though replays suggested the ball was missing leg stump by some distance.The 40-year-old Mahmood, only in the side as a seasoned replacement for the injured Zafar Ansari and playing his first List A game in over a year, returned immaculate figures of 2 for 28 from ten overs as Surrey took charge. Gloucestershire only managed one fifty partnership and might have struggled to get past 200 but for the efforts of No. 9 Taylor, which included consecutive leg-side sixes off Tom Curran in the 45th over.Surrey had batted first in every one of their previous Royal London Cup matches this season, winning eight out of nine but this time Batty decided to chase. Maybe it was a psychological ploy: get Klinger in and have a go at him early. The sun was shining and the skies were clear in north London, which is not often the case this late in the season, but still Batty chose to insert on winning the toss. Klinger, the leading run-scorer in the competition and the man many felt was Gloucestershire’s best – even – chance of winning, was offered centre stage.A Lord’s final was once a prime opportunity to persuade the England selectors of a player’s case. Klinger, into his 36th year, still hopes to catch Australia’s attention but this was not to be his moment: attempting to impose himself against Dernbach, he was caught behind forcing a cut. The time it took for Nick Cook’s finger to go up was enough for Gloucestershire hearts to sink into their boots.Surrey had carried out their hit while barely getting their hands dirty; Gloucestershire sensed the wall at their backs already. It seemed like a mortal blow.Victory would be all the sweeter for the manner in which it came but the recovery was slow. Gareth Roderick and Chris Dent put on 40 for the second wicket, the latter dropped when Sam Curran grassed a catch off his own bowling.Dent was on 13 at the time but looked in good touch, only to drill Dernbach straight to mid-off for 22 off 20. Hamish Marshall, one of only two Gloucestershire players with international experience, was next to fall, stumped off a leg-side wide from Batty. His first ball had disappeared down to fine leg for five wides but, an over later, Marshall walked past a similarly errant delivery, beaten by some turn, and Wilson completed a smart bit of work.Mahmood then reeled off ten overs of wicket-to-wicket thriftiness, only slightly blemished when Jones clouted a slower ball beyond the ropes. Benny Howell was bowled through the gate and Roderick played on but Tom Smith combined with Jones to add 52 for the sixth wicket. Taylor then added further impetus but, with 250 still a possibility, he carved a Dernbach full toss to backward point.Gloucestershire needed early wickets and Fuller, bowling in the high 80s mph and making use of a short leg, provided hope by removing both openers inside 12 overs. Roy toe-ended an aggressive swipe to cover while Davies seemed beaten for pace by one that reared back into him and could only play on. Gloucestershire believed but it was much, later until everyone else did.

Allrounder Mitchell Santner has been ruled out of New Zealand’s tour of Zimbabwe and South Africa after fracturing his thumb at training. Santner will be replaced by the uncapped Central Districts allrounder George Worker, who topped the run tally in the Ford Trophy last summer with 538 runs at 48.90, including a remarkable 194 in a win over Cantebury in January.Santner was preparing for the tour at New Zealand Cricket’s High Performance Centre in Christchurch when he was struck on the thumb fielding a ball off his own bowling on Monday. Coach Mike Hesson said it was unfortunate timing for Santner, who had impressed during his first tour with the national side to England this year.”We feel for Mitch because he was really excited about this tour and we were looking forward to seeing him continue his development in international cricket,” Hesson said. “It is unfortunate but at the same time it presents George with his first opportunity in the Black Caps environment and we are confident that he’ll fit in well.”Worker, 25, offers similar skills to Santner, as a left-hand top-order batsman and left-arm orthodox spinner. He was the second-leading run scorer in the Georgie Pie Super Smash in 2014-15, with 318 runs at 45.42, and in addition to his outstanding run tally in the shorter formats he also collected nine Ford Trophy wickets at 20.11.Anton Devcich was unavailable for consideration as he continues to recover from a shoulder operation. New Zealand will be led on the tour by Kane Williamson, who will captain the side with Brendon McCullum being rested. The tour includes three ODIs and one T20 against Zimbabwe in Harare, followed by two T20s and three ODIs in South Africa.

ScorecardFile photo: Malcolm Waller hit 10 fours and three sixes during his 118•Associated Press

Regis Chakabva and Malcolm Waller both scored hundreds and shared a 199-run partnership, as Zimbabwe A built a huge lead going into the final day against Ireland at the Harare Sports Club.Ireland, who began the day at 292 for 6, could add only 61 runs to that score. John Mooney, the No.8 batsman, chipped in with a valuable 30, but received little by way of support from the other tailenders, as Ireland fell 40 runs short of taking the lead. Fast bowler Trevor Garwe was the pick of Zimbabwe A’s bowlers, collecting 4 for 61.Zimbabwe A’s openers Hamilton Masakadza and Peter Moor began the second innings brightly, adding 40 inside seven overs, but a mini-collpase led to the hosts losing three wickets for just 34 runs. Chakabva and Waller, however, led a counterattack, batting together for 45 overs, and guided Zimbabwe A towards the 300-run mark. Chakabva hit eight fours and six for his 101, while Waller’s 118 featured 10 fours and three sixes. Both batsmen fell towards the end of the day, but Zimbabwe A still ended strongly at 320 for 6, with a lead of 359 runs.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

David Warner had passed hundred in the 25th over. He breezed past 150 in the 30th. It appeared like he was on cruise control. He might have looked his usual belligerent self when compared to Steven Smith’s 98-ball 95, but looked downright tame when Glenn Maxwell came out with reverse sweeps, scoops, flicks blazing.Afghanistan were left to run down the highest total in World Cup history – 417 for 6. They were bowled out 142 and lost by 275 runs – the largest margin of defeat in World Cups. Mitchell Johnson’s bouncers were unfriendly reminders to the batsmen that they were playing on one of the fastest pitches in the world. And it was Afghanistan’s first time at the WACA. Mitchell Starc hooped inswinging yorkers onto the base of the stumps and simply grinned. He knew better batsmen than Najibullah Zadran and Dawlat Zadran would have succumbed to that.If facing up to fast bowlers that topple Full Members was hard enough, the Australian fielding outfit put a big, bright spotlight on the gulf between the two teams. Afghanistan were slow to react to the ball, cut angles better to stop singles, or throw the stumps down direct when a run-out opportunity presented itself; the expected kind of indiscipline from an inexperienced team. But they would rue not utilising the new ball well and a batting line-up that extended to No. 10 made them pay.The foundation is what captains and coaches talk about most and Warner built Australia one that was immensely sturdy. It might well have been the higher priority when his team was put in, but Afghanistan strayed with the new ball, bowling short and slipping either side of the wicket. Cashing in on their mistakes was the most sensible thing Warner could do.The innings began sedately enough – 19 off 27 in the seventh over – but as the day wore and the bowlers tired from the Perth heat, Warner’s star shone brighter and brighter. Frequent and appetising short balls allowed him to wear a strike rate more suited to his reputation. Five of his first seven fours came off pulls and none of them lacked for authority. The 10th over from Hamid Hassan brought him three boundaries – one over square leg, one through mid-off and one back over the bowler’s head – and Warner was away.His 178 off 133 balls is an Australian record in World Cups, his 260-run partnership with Smith is the highest for his country for any wicket.Afghanistan resorted to spin in the 11th over in the hopes of tripping Australia up, but Smith and Warner would not be lulled by their own momentum. Singles were sought after, especially down the ground and a brief spell of calm – there were only 43 runs between the 13th and 22nd overs – was established. The problem though was Smith was able to work himself into stability and Warner decided he had spent enough time in the middle to start taking liberties. The 10 overs between the 20th and 30th leaked 82 runs capped off by a 23-run over from Dawlat. The next set of 10 cost 96 and the final set bled 118.Cashing in was also what Maxwell did, although his methods were far flashier. Yet, you’re allowed to play outrageous shots behind the wicket off genuine fast bowlers when you walk in at 274 for 2 in the 38th over.A wide and low full toss from Shapoor Zadran was reverse flicked to the third man boundary and left his captain Michael Clarke open-mouthed in the dressing room. An almost-yorker was whipped over square leg and the lack of footwork actually helped the shot. If those lengths were dispatched with such disdain, imagine what he would have done to the spinners who bowled in the slot? Afghanistan captain Mohammad Nabi was clattered for a couple of sixes in the third over Maxwell faced and suffered the same fate in the 46th over as well. In spite of such breathtaking strokes, Maxwell still couldn’t break his century duck and was out for 88 off 39 balls.It is refreshing, though, that whenever Afghanistan sensed trouble the yorker wasn’t too far away. At least the attempt for one. These bowlers haven’t played enough cricket to worry about slower balls of various lengths and varieties. They do have pace and the WACA enables that form of attack as Shapoor, Hamid and Dawlat occasionally discovered. However, Warner, Smith and Maxwel walloping them when they missed their lengths was far more frequent than ball beating bat.With batsmen looking for a six before a single, Afghanistan eventually worked out the virtues of change of pace. Warner’s innings ended on 178 off a mistimed swipe at a cross-seamed delivery that arrived slower than he expected, Smith went for a club a tad too early as well and holed out at mid-off, and even Maxwell’s histrionics could not best the ball off the back of the hand. The trouble though, as is the case when an inexperienced team faces up to an ODI giant, was that the consistency was lacking.It was the kind of day that could have brought Shane Watson back in form. But averaging 30.83 with the bat and nine wickets with ball in the last two years contributed to his being dropped from an Australian side for the first time since Mohali 2013. And in came a rejuvenated James Faulkner. The top-order could not have set up the innings any better for him, but he arrived at the crease at a point where Afghanistan were masking the pace of their deliveries well and were sticking to a middle and off stump line with better discipline. They were also desperate to bowl to any other batsman except Maxwell and Faulkner was bowled off a beautiful, inswinging yorker from Hamid for 7.They kept trying for that length almost all day, but their early indiscipline against a relentless batting line-up was a mistake that could not be put right.