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Delhi 196 for 4 (Chopra 85*, Bhatia 81*) trail Uttar Pradesh 342 (Shukla 96, Sangwan 4-80, Narwal 4-81) by 146 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
A triple-strike from Praveen Kumar took Uttar Pradesh to the brink of controlling this game before Delhi rallied through an unbroken 160-run partnership between Aakash Chopra and Rajat Bhatia to reduce the deficit to 146 runs, with six wickets intact, at stumps on a rollercoaster second day at the Wankhede Stadium. The game is still in the balance; an early wicket on Friday will allow UP to get stuck in to the out-of-form lower order while Delhi will back their chances if this pair can stay at the crease for a couple more hours.Kumar swung out the three in-form top-order batsmen, including Gautam Gambhir for a duck, to reduce Delhi to 21 for 3 after UP were dismissed for 342 in the first session. But Chopra and Bhatia stood firm to prevent UP from running away with the game. After toughing out through the rough phase – he took 19 balls to score his first run – when Kumar was causing havoc, Chopra took charge in the post-lunch session with a fluent innings. He showed impeccable judgement outside the off stump and hit several delightful drives through the off side. There was a caressed square drive off Sudeep Tyagi and a couple of inside-out drives off Piyush Chawla that caught the eye. In the last session, he drove the seamers repeatedly through the off-side cordon as Delhi muscled their way back into the game.Mohammad Kaif had set his field carefully for Chopra. There was a short square leg and a slightly deep short leg for Tyagi, who got the ball to cut in from a length. Chopra played with soft hands, making sure nothing reached the waiting palms. Kaif, then, placed a leg gully but again Chopra kept his tucks and glances to the ground.Giving him able support was the feisty Bhatia. Though not as assured as Chopra early in his knock, he saw off the seamers before unleashing his strokes against Chawla. A six over long-on and a swung boundary saw him gain in confidence and he even hit Kumar for a couple of boundaries. He pulled Chawla and Praveen Gupta for two more sixes and drove the seamers with authority but the highlight of the knock was an attractive pull off Bhubaneshwar Kumar.Kaif’s field settings were creative – there were two short covers at times, a leg slip and a man breathing down on the batsman close on the off side on another occasion – but failed to get the breakthrough. He then asked Kumar to bowl a series of bouncers in the last session but Chopra swayed away from a majority, kept the ones aimed at the body down in front to leave the bowler muttering under his breath about the futility of bouncers as a strategy.Kumar must have wondered where the magic had gone; he had just ripped apart the Delhi top order with his ability to swing the cherry. With a packed slip cordon, he kept it full and moved the ball both ways to trouble the batsmen. He started the collapse with his third delivery, which was full and swinging outside off. With just one fielder in the covers, Gambhir took the bait but ended up edging an expansive drive to third slip. Shikhar Dhawan, who started off with a fierce cut and a cover drive, was set up nicely. Kumar bowled a couple of deliveries away before swinging one back in to take the fatal inside edge. Mithun Manhas was done in by a ball that curved in to trap him in front.Chopra played only nine balls from Kumar in the first spell before lunch and was reduced to being a witness to the damage. However, in the second half of the day, he took control with an assured knock and kept Delhi in the hunt.

Ian Billcliff, Canada’s captain, has said that John Davison’s absence would be felt during their ICC Intercontinental Cup semi-final against UAE at Sharjah, but that it would give others a chance to display their skills. He believed that the team’s sense of self was a strength, and though they had not played UAE much, they would reply on getting their basics right in order to win."John is obviously a very important player for us and has been our most successful performer in the qualifying matches so it goes without saying that he will be missed," said Billcliff. "But his absence gives some of the others a chance to shine. We’ve got some good players and I’m still confident we can do well."Billcliff said that the experience his team got in the tournament would be vital, and that facing different countries and conditions hurried their learning. "Any opportunity we have to play cricket against quality opposition is a great experience for us. Playing in different countries against varied opposition is a very steep learning curve, and what we have experienced so far is that the team that comes to terms with the conditions the quickest and executes their plans efficiently comes out on top."It [playing the three-day game] definitely has been helpful to learn to be able to build an innings and to be patient with the ball and build pressure. The experience will definitely benefit the team’s growth and I think that we have grown closer as a unit over the series of three-day games. The wearing pitch is the biggest factor. To be able to adapt one’s game as the match progresses is the key."We have had limited experience playing these teams so there will have to be a lot of input from various members of the team. There will be a fair bit of thinking on our feet but in the end it is a fairly simple game, and the team that executes the basics the best will win the tournament.

Jacob Oram was delighted with his first major contribution with the bat inTest cricket on the third day of the second Test in Kandy.Oram scored a career best 74, sharing crucial partnerships with MarkRichardson and Robbie Hart, as New Zealand scored a respectable 305."It is nice to get a first milestone although I would have liked to got ahundred," he said afterwards. "It was tough against world-class bowlers indifferent conditions but I really enjoyed it."At 75 for 4 we were in a bit of trouble and it was a matter of getting apartnership going, so I was more than happy to just bide my time."Normally renowned for playing big shots, Oram believes he needed "to put hisend in the bin and put the shots away" to survive."I like to hit the ball hard and see the boundaries but you can’t do thatevery innings. I have been more consistent back home in first-class cricketbeing a bit more circumspect."Oram, 24, enjoyed the challenge of facing the world’s leading spinner,Muttiah Muralitharan, who claimed 3 for 90 in 34 overs."I did not want to die in the hole to Murali, which can happen if you justsit and wait, because sooner or later he is going to bowl you an unplayabledelivery – I therefore used the sweep as an option."Oram said New Zealand were still hopeful of forcing a win: "It is a matterof us getting early wickets tomorrow and then trying to progress as much aswe can with the bat before a final day declaration."

The Cidermen travel to Cardiff later today to take on Glamorgan in search of their first win in the Twenty20 Cup.Having lost their opening match in the new competition Somerset will be keen to get a favourable result tonight, and nobody more so than Steffan Jones who played at Sofia Gardens for Wales in their One Day International against England last weekend.The Welshman from Llanelli told me: "Every game my bowling is getting better, and at last it’s going right for me this season. Just when everybody else is going down with injury I’m starting to get going."He continued: "It will be a bit strange for me going back to play against the team who I played for last weekend and I expect that I’ll get a few jibes but I’m looking forward to the match this evening."Somerset coach Kevin Shine told me: "This is a competition that we think that we should do well in, and in our first game we played ourselves into a good position and then let it slip away.If we can get a grip of these situations then we can win this one tonight.With Aaron Laraman suffering from a side strain, all rounder Gareth Andrew comes into an otherwise unchanged team from the one that played on Friday evening.The full Somerset team will be – Jamie Cox, Mike Burns, Carl Gazzard, Ian Blackwell, Keith Parsons, Wes Durston, Keith Dutch, Simon Francis, Gareth Andrew, Rob Turner and Steffan Jones.

The XXXX Queensland Bulls will field a near full-strength ING Cup team against the Southern Redbacks on Wednesday at the Gabba.Australia `A’ players Martin Love and Wade Seccombe will play in the day/nighter and travel to Hobart on Thursday morning to prepare for the three-day tour match against India starting on Friday.Redbacks pace duo Shaun Tait and Paul Rofe will do likewise, enabling both teams to field their first choice line-ups.Bulls captain Jimmy Maher, Australian One Day star Andrew Symonds and pace spearhead Michael Kasprowicz will play their first domestic one-day games this season for Queensland.Former Queensland allrounder Mick Miller will play his first match for his adopted State this season, joining a powerful line-up that includes former Test batsmen Greg Blewett and Zimbabwean Andy Flower.Wednesday’s game starts at 2.30pm with gates opening at 1.30pm. Tickets are available at the gate.Both teams will also meet in the Pura Cup match at the Gabba starting on Friday. Queensland will name its Pura Cup team on Wednesday.XXXX Queensland Bulls: Jimmy Maher (c), Stuart Law, Martin Love, Andrew Symonds, Clinton Perren, Lee Carseldine, Wade Seccombe, James Hopes, Nathan Hauritz, Ashley Noffke, Michael Kasprowicz, Damien MacKenzieSouthern Redbacks: Greg Blewett (captain), Mark Cleary, Mark Cosgrove, John Davison, Shane Deitz, Andy Flower, Mark Higgs, Ben Johnson, Graham Manou, Mick Miller, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait

The 15-man side for Sri Lanka’s President’s XI, which will take on the South Africans in a three-day game, has been announced. Six players with international playing experience have been named in the team to give it a more competetive appearance; Thilan Samaraweera, who captains the side, Michael Vandort, Russel Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana, Rangana Herath and Dilhara Fernando.The match, to be played at the CCC grounds from July 30-August 1, will kick of the five-week long tour, which includes two Tests and five one-dayers.Sri Lanka President’s XI Thilan Samaraweera (capt), Michael Vandort, Tharanga Paranavithana, Russel Arnold, Romesh Kaluwitharana (wk), Chamara Silva, Chanaka Wijesinghe, Rangana Herath, Umesh Wijesiriwardene, Dilhara Fernando, Tharanga Lakshitha, Reserves: Chanaka Welagedera, Gihan de Silva, Dinuk Hettiarachchi, Hasantha Fernando.

A one-day tournament so soon after the ICC Champions Trophy probably won’t excite many, but all three teams will have a point to prove when the Paktel Cup starts in Multan tomorrow, when Pakistan take on Zimbabwe. The peculiar tournament schedule means that the third team in the fray, Sri Lanka, don’t play a game until next Wednesday (October 6), but then will probably end up playing five matches in a row over 11 days.Going into the competition, Pakistan are probably the favourites. Since Bob Woolmer took over, there has been a noticeable change in attitude, and it has shown in the results as well – they reached the finals of the tri-nation tournament in Holland, eventually losing narrowly to Australia, and then beat India in the Champions Trophy. They’re still a work-in-progress side – the spineless collapse against West Indies in the Champions Trophy semi-final was a throwback to their old, erratic ways – but there have been enough positives of late to suggest that this might be a side which could realise its potential.There’s much at stake for Pakistan here. As the home team, there will be immense pressure on Inzamam-ul-Haq and the rest of the team, and any result other than a win in the final will be taken as a failure. Especially after the fiasco at the toss at the Rose Bowl against West Indies, a decision which still hasn’t been explained satisfactorily by the captain or the coach.Pakistan’s only realistic threat in the tournament comes from Sri Lanka, who have won 16 of their last 18 one-day internationals. That is a slightly misleading stat, though – five of those wins came against a second-string Zimbabwe – but their annihilation of South Africa in the five-match series was impressive, all the more so because Muttiah Muralitharan didn’t figure in any of those games.Murali will no doubt be missed – by both the Sri Lankan team and the spectators – but if the series against South Africa was anything to go by, the team is gradually learning to win without him. This series should be a good opportunity to give an extended run to Dilhara Fernando, who has finally regained full fitness after a string of back injuries. And in conditions that should be excellent for batting, expect the likes of Jayasuriya, Atapattu, Sangakkara and Jayawardene to come into their own.What of the Zimbabweans? No-one expects them to pull off a win, or even come close. Tatenda Taibu and his band have been game tryers, but it’s hard to see them being anything other than target practice for the big boys. Zimbabwe do get four games, though, in which to show the world that they can compete at the highest level. The tournament hasn’t yet begun, but come October 16 it’s easy to imagine Inzamam and Atapattu walking out for the toss in the final. Anything else will require a major miracle … or two.Squads
PakistanYasir Hameed, Salman Butt, Shoaib Malik, Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), Yousuf Youhana, Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Bazid Khan, Abdul Razzaq, Moin Khan (wk), Shahid Afridi, Naved-ul-Hasan, Shoaib Akhtar, Mohammad Sami, Iftikhar Anjum.Sri Lanka Marvan Atapattu (capt), Sanath Jayasuriya, Kumar Sangakkara (wk), Mahela Jayawardene, Tillakaratne Dilshan, Saman Jayantha, Avishka Gunawardene, Farveez Maharoof, Chaminda Vaas, Upul Chandana, Nuwan Zoysa, Dilhara Fernando, Thilina Kandamby, Rangana Herath, Kaushal Lokuarachchi.Zimbabwe Brendan Taylor, Vusi Sibanda, Stuart Matsikenyeri, Mark Vermeulen, Dion Ebrahim, Tatenda Taibu (capt & wk), Elton Chigumbura, Douglas Hondo, Alester Maregwede, Tawanda Mupariwa, Mluleki Nkala, Tinashe Panyangara, Edward Rainsford, Prosper Utseya, Graeme Cremer.

Contrary to popular belief, the daily grind of an intrepid Roving Reporter isn’t all beer and skittles. We get to the ground early and leave late. We work hard, slaving over a hot laptop. And yes, we pose the questions the others are too afraid to ask. While many are content to sit in the comfort of the press box, ruminating over statistics and contentious lbw decisions, we rovers are out and about, pen and paper in hand, attempting to infiltrate cricket’s dark places.Needless to say, when the suggestion of spending a day in the Trini Posse Stand arose, this particular rover accepted the challenge. It was a tough job, but someone had to do it.For those not familiar with Queen’s Park Oval’s Trini Posse, here’s the lowdown. The stand is situated at square leg, and seats around 500 cricket fans. For the price of the US$30 ticket, punters receive a free T-shirt, a barrage of music, and all the food and alcohol they can consume. On designated match days, there are also local beer-sponsored dancing girls, who strut their semi-naked stuff between overs. Purists be warned. This is no place for the faint-hearted. The Trini Posse is brash, unadulterated gimmickry. But then again, that’s the plan.”Everyone has a wonderful time here,” said Nigel Comacho, a local dentist who, along with eight colleagues, thought up the idea in 1991. “Numbers for Test cricket were falling, so we thought we’d add some spice. We put in a sound system, employed a DJ, introduced the dancing girls and received sponsorship. It’s been building in popularity ever since.”If you’re thinking this is an unusual enterprise for a dentist, you’d be right. Nigel, however, is far from the average tooth-filler. Wearing only a pair of board shorts and a lorry load of gold jewellery, he’s acknowledged by all present as the Posse Stand’s “main man”. Even the locals appreciate his entrepreneurial spirit.”We’ve been coming to the Posse for ten years,” said Elone from St Vincent. “It gets a bit loud and out of control by the end of the day, but it’s all in good fun. Nigel has done a great thing for Trinidad.” Her friend Laverne agreed: “Today there are so many Australians, but even though we feel a bit outnumbered, we’re having a wonderful time.”And outnumbered they were. The Aussies were there in force, and by 11am the excesses of the night before were wearing off. By midday, the majority were imbibing as if a hangover was an alien concept. “Does life get any better than this?” asked Kip from Newcastle (NSW), as he jiggled along with the day’s 50th rendition of Rally Round The West Indies.Not to be outdone by the ear-piercing bursts emanating from the speakers, Edward from Sydney had brought his own music. “You could never bring this into a cricket ground at home,” he said, brandishing his trombone with pride. As Edward provided an almost recognisable version of the theme from F-Troop, the chants began. Cries of “Gilly”, “Stevie” and “Magilla” rang out around the stand, much to the amusement of the locals.”Australians can be strange,” said Sam, who’d come dressed as Trinidad’s answer to Rudolph Valentino. Swathed from head to foot in flags and scarves, he told all who would listen that counteracting heat-exhaustion was simple. “Go commando. Leave the underwear at home,” he yelled over the day’s 60th rendition Rally Round The West Indies.By 3pm, the chants no longer made sense. For those present, however, sense had long since ceased to be relevant. As DJ Chris pumped up the musical volume and pace, and the Aussies waved plastic chairs in the air and sang every Cold Chisel song in existence, the police moved in.”They’re here to watch for trouble,” said Port-of-Spaniard Peter Matthews, who’d successfully made wearing a blue-and-purple Dr Seuss hat a fashion statement as well as a sun-protection device. “Anyone who interrupts the flow of the game or stops enjoyment will be thrown out,” he added, keeping an eye on the lads in the front row who, bored with throwing ice, were attempting to scale the fence. After a few quiet words from the boys in blue, all was forgiven. Peter smiled. “When everyone behaves themselves we all go home happy.”Everyone did go home happy. By stumps, the Trini Posse Stand may have resembled a pop festival, complete with upended chairs and semi-conscious revellers, but thanks to the good humour of participants, there hadn’t been any need for the police to resort to strong-arm stuff. By 6pm, this intrepid reporter was back in the safety of the press box, slaving over a hot laptop and humming the day’s 70th rendition of .

Ajay Jadeja’s plea seeking permission to play international cricket was dismissed by the Delhi High Court on Tuesday after no one appeared on his behalf when the petition was taken up for hearing. According to Press Trust of India, a bench consisting of Justice Vijendra Jain and Justice Anil Kumar dismissed the appeal that Jadeja had filed to challenge another High Court ruling that didn’t allow him to play any competitive cricket.However, a Division Bench subsequently permitted him to play domestic cricket. Jadeja still nurses ambitions of representing India, though the Board of Control for Cricket in India appears loathe to even consider him.

The shortlists for the ICC Awards has been narrowed down, with the top Indian players falling out of the race. Rahul Dravid, who won the inaugural award for Test Player and Player of the Year last season, fell out of the reckoning.Also slipping out of the running are Dravid’s team-mates Virender Sehwag, Anil Kumble and Harbhajan Singh who were all nominated in the Test Player of the Year category. Dinesh Karthik remained the lone Indian hope in the Emerging Player of Year section after the ICC pruned the list of nominations.”Of course I am disappointed. But then we have not had many matches this season, obviously performance matters,” Kumble told a media conference to announce the shortlist. “Personally I can do only what I can do, selection is not in my control.”Andrew Flintoff remains in contention for the ODI Player of the Year award, which he won last year, while also being nominated for the Player of the Year award. Adam Gilchrist still features in three categories while Shane Warne, Test cricket’s leading wicket-taker, remains in the running for Test Player award.Besides the players’ awards, there would also be team awards for Test and ODI teams of the year and Spirit of Cricket Award. The ICC Awards will be announced in Sydney on October 11 in between the Super Series ODIs and Test match.Kumble denied the upcoming Super Series would have lost a bit of sheen following Australia’s defeat in the Ashes series. “I don’t think so. Playing Australia in Australia is a tough proposition, they are still a good side. All the matches in Ashes were close, they will come back stronger.”Kumble said matches involving multi-national teams had their value. “It is an occasion to celebrate cricket itself. A player won’t get another opportunity to play in a World XI. You are playing the very best and it is an opportunity to showcase your talent. It is also a totally different feeling to have those you have played against in the same dressing room.”The shortlist of nominations for ICC AwardsPlayer of the Year Andrew Flintoff, Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Inzamam-ul Haq and Jacques KallisTest Player Adam Gilchrist, Glenn McGrath, Shane Warne, Inzamam-ul Haq, Jacques KallisODI Player Andrew Flintoff, Kevin Pietersen, Adam Gilchrist, Brett Lee and Andrew SymondsEmerging Player Aftab Ahmed, Ian Bell, Dinesh Karthik, Kevin Pietersen and AB de Villiers