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A round-up of Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy North Zone matches played on April 2, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2014Delhi cantered to their second successive win in the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, comfortably overhauling Jammu & Kashmir’s total with six wickets in hand. Opting to bowl, Delhi’s bowlers made their mark early in the match by getting rid of the J&K openers within the first three overs. Left-arm spinner Varun Sood then aggravated J&K’s problems by picking up two wickets in the ninth over and the rest of the batting line-up, apart from a fighting 38-ball 44 from Parvez Rasool, caved in to finish at 119 for 8. Sood, with three wickets for 14, was the best bowler.Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir could not repeat their first match heroics, both falling to Abid Nabi, but Unmukt Chand scored a composed 41-ball 39 to anchor the chase. Rajat Bhatia added an unbeaten 16-ball 28 to complete the chase with an over to spare.A five-wicket haul by the right-arm seamer Ashish Hooda helped Haryana to their second win, beating Services by eight runs in Mohali. Chasing 145, Services began well with their openers Yashpal Singh and Nakul Verma adding 60. Hooda got rid of the top three in quick succession and it triggered a collapse. Soumya Swain remained unbeaten on 32 but lacked support as Services batted out 20 overs and could only manage 136. Hooda finished with his best T20 figures of 5 for 22. The win was set up by Avi Barot, who carried his bat for 78. Barot stabilized the innings after they were 55 for 4. Most of the bowlers chipped in with a wicket each, with Rajat Paliwal taking 2 for 28.Punjab bounced back from their defeat to Haryana with a five-wicket victory over Himachal, which was completed in the final over thanks to Manpreet Gony’s 17-ball 35. The win was a team effort, with four batsmen reaching 24 but none crossing 35, and with four bowlers taking a wicket apiece. Himachal opener Prashant Chopra bludgeoned a 54-ball 90 to set up a total of 154, a target Punjab chased down with three balls to spare. If Gony’s quick 35 provided the finishing touches, it was Manan Vohra’s quick 35 that provided the early impetus. Harbhajan Singh struck three fours and two sixes after being promoted to No. 3, and also helped Punjab maintain a punishing pace early on.After two rounds, Delhi and Haryana have two wins, Services and Punjab have a win and a loss each, while Himachal and J&K have lost both their matches.

Eighteen wickets fell at Wantage Road as Northamptonshire and Lancashire punched themselves to a standstill

Alan Gardner at Wantage Road27-Apr-2014
ScorecardJames Anderson was key for Lancashire, and not just with the ball•Getty ImagesEighteen wickets fell at Wantage Road as Northamptonshire and Lancashire punched themselves to a standstill. These two sides were promoted together last year and began this round of the new Championship nestled alongside each other at the bottom of Division One. Once again, there was not much between them and, on the evidence of some desultory batting, both may have to get used to being on the ropes this season.That Northamptonshire took a slender lead was down to the tenacity of Matthew Spriegel whose unbeaten 43 was the highest score of the day. After Stephen Peters had won the toss, his seam attack bundled out the visitors in less than two sessions before James Anderson’s 5 for 37 ensured the visitors remained in the contest. More surprising was the fact that Lancashire were also indebted to Anderson for his efforts with the bat.Lord Mancroft’s famous aphorism about the English having invented cricket to “give themselves some conception of eternity” was turned on its head. Batsmen instead seemed intent on offering the crowd an object lesson in brevity. In physics, the shortest measurable unit of time is known as a Planck. As 15 wickets went down before 4.30pm, it seemed as if the teams were trying to re-establish the fashion for Plancking, though rather than lying prone in public places this version involved getting back to the dressing room as quickly as possible to stare at the ceiling in private.Lancashire’s scorecard appeared as if it had been inverted, with No. 11 Anderson’s 28 the top score. There was appreciable swing under frowning skies and enough assistance from the pitch to further fray the nerves of two fragile batting line-ups. When the sun did come out during the evening session, it was the cue for Spriegel and Ben Duckett to put on the most substantial partnership of the day. Their stand of 57 spanned 20.5 overs – more than twice as long as the next best – and helped Northamptonshire to eke out an advantage.When Glen Chapple took his second wicket in the second over after tea, Northamptonshire were precariously placed at 35 for 5. Chapple himself had come in with Lancashire 33 for 6 before playing a bustling innings of 26, the captain now doubly responsible for rallying his side in his first match as coach, after the departure of Peter Moores. Even after a career as long and eventful as his, this was quite a start to life as the gaffer.”I think in the end, we’ve done really well to be somewhere near level with them,” Chapple said. “I think if we’re honest, it was a really bad toss to lose. It was damp this morning, and I’ve not seen a pitch seam around as much as that for a long time. Whilst we’ve got to be honest with ourselves and say we would always like to score more heavily, it was decking around and really difficult for batting up until about 4pm.”I genuinely haven’t seen a pitch do that much for quite a while. They’ve had a bit of rain down here. Their pitches tend to be flat in general, and tomorrow could be a different story. It’s made for an entertaining day’s cricket, and the big thing is we’re still in the game.”For the faithful who did choose to spend Sunday at worship, it was an occasion to take a pew with the thermos under one arm and a spirit, holy or otherwise, in the hip flask. With a bank of grey clouds parked above the ground, one Northamptonshire member was vocally pessimistic about the chances of play. His face, in keeping with the skies, may have brightened a touch by the end of the day.Chapple would not have been surprised to be asked to bat, with the light so poor that play was interrupted after less than four overs and the delay extended to around half an hour by light drizzle. When the teams came back on, Lancashire’s batsmen continued to grope unavailingly in the gloom. Olly Stone and Azharullah initially did not force the batsmen to play enough but Lancashire’s openers dug in so doggedly they were soon stuck a hole that would take some escaping.Paul Horton lasted 22 balls for his duck, though he was outdone for excruciating crease occupation by Andrea Agathangelou, who was dropped at slip from his 29th ball, picking up a single to get off the mark, and then played on to his 30th. Luis Reece could at least console himself with the knowledge that he received a very good delivery from Stone, one that swung in and then seamed away to knock out off stump.Luke Procter was first man into double figures with a driven four – possibly the first runs scored in front of the wicket – off Andrew Hall in the 28th over. His partnership with Chapple was worth 29 and the lower order lifted Lancashire clear of total ignominy, though it required the highest partnership of the innings, 39 of 32 balls from the last-wicket pair of Anderson and Simon Kerrigan, to do so. Anderson smacked Steven Crook through the covers and Azharullah down the ground with the fury of a man who was not best impressed by what had gone before.

England’s Jonathan Trott joined his Warwickshire teammates in the dressing room to witness their 98-run win over Nottinghamshire from the pavilion balcony

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge29-Apr-2014England’s Jonathan Trott joined his Warwickshire team-mates in the dressing room to witness their 98-run win over Nottinghamshire from the pavilion balcony but head coach, Dougie Brown, played down the prospect of another attempted playing comeback for the troubled batsman.Trott, who left England’s Ashes tour to Australia after the opening Test because of what was described as a stress-related illness, returned to Championship action for his county just under three weeks ago only to suffer a relapse, after which it was announced he would take an indefinite break.”I assume he will be around the dressing room for the next little while,” Brown said. “We had a good chat and we know where he is at and all I can say is what we spoke about is very encouraging.”However, Brown would not be drawn on the subject of a return to playing cricket, even at 2nd XI level. “Let’s just see where he is at,” he said. “He is dealing with something that has been ongoing for a while and the last thing I want it to be, just because he is back in the dressing room, is it turning into a circus.”I would really like it to be understated, for him to do what he needs to do to get back into cricket and for people to leave him to do that. People now understand that this is something he has got to focus on to get himself back to where he needs to be, without it being a circus.”Interviewed before the season began, Trott insisted he was not suffering from depression but burnout in Australia, where his problems became public knowledge after he suffered a peppering from Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson in the opening Test.He had hoped a period at home with his family, away from the pressures of an Ashes series, would enable him to make a quick recovery. However, after a low-key comeback in a pre-season University fixture, Trott was selected for Warwickshire’s opening Championship match against Sussex at Edgbaston, where he looked comfortable in the first innings but again struggled against short-pitched bowling in the second, twice being hit on the head and body before he was caught at deep square leg playing a poor leg-side shot.His troubles were compounded when he then dropped a routine catch in the slips offered by the Sussex matchwinner, Ed Joyce, and confessed to his team-mates afterwards that his problems had resurfaced.

Queensland batsman Luke Pomersbach has walked away from cricket due to mental health issues

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Jun-2014Queensland batsman Luke Pomersbach has walked away from cricket due to mental health issues. In a statement, Queensland Cricket said that Pomersbach had been “battling issues associated with depression” and he has cut ties with the Bulls and the Brisbane Heat to focus on his recovery.”Luke’s health is the number one priority in all of this and his doctor has told him that at this point in time, it is essential Luke takes a complete break away from the day-to-day pressures and challenges of professional cricket so that he can continue to concentrate on his recovery and rehabilitation from his illness,” Geoff Cockerill, the Queensland Cricket chief executive, said.”We appreciate the difficulties and challenges that Luke faces with his illness. The most important thing is that Luke continues to receive the necessary treatment and has the best possible support available to him. To this end, Queensland Cricket has put into place a number of measures to assist Luke to fund the additional medical and other expenses associated with his ongoing treatment and recovery.”Pomersbach said: “I really appreciate all the help and support that I have received from Queensland Cricket over the past three years and especially over the past couple of months leading up to this difficult decision to leave professional cricket so that I can put all my efforts into getting better and making a full recovery.”In particular, I would sincerely like to thank Stuart Law and the coaching staff as well as my Bulls and Heat teammates for all the things they have done for me during this difficult time.”Pomersbach, 29, was signed by Queensland in the 2012 off-season, after he announced the previous year that he would skip the 2011-12 season for Western Australia due to “health and well-being issues”. He made a positive on-filed impression in Queensland and was the Brisbane Heat’s Player of the Year in 2012-13, also averaging 53.87 in the Sheffield Shield last summer.But during his time with Western Australia, Pomersbach often gained attention for off-field issues as much as his output of runs, and he was suspended four times by the WACA. It was during one of those suspensions that Pomersbach was unexpectedly called up to play for Australia in a Twenty20 international in Perth in 2007-08 when Brad Hodge hurt his back shortly before the match.

Yorkshire’s deprivations again were comfortably overcome as Warwickshire conceded a lead just big enough to raise the uncomfortable possibility of a third consecutive innings defeat in matches between these sides

Jon Culley at Edgbaston23-Jun-2014
ScorecardAaron Finch, expected to make his mark in T20, scored his first Championship hundred for Yorkshire•Getty ImagesYorkshire’s deprivations again were comfortably overcome as Warwickshire conceded a lead just big enough to raise the uncomfortable possibility of a third consecutive innings defeat in matches between these sides.Half-centuries from Alex Lees and Jonny Bairstow preceded one from Rich Pyrah to go with his fine bowling on day one, but all were trumped by Aaron Finch, who scored a first Championship century with which he was so delighted as he watched his ninth four race unstoppably towards the midwicket boundary he bounded across two neighbouring pitches, leaping in the air and thrusting his bat in the direction of the Yorkshire dressing room.Its significance to the Australian batsman was clearly momentous, no doubt because he represents that modern phenomenon, the Twenty20 specialist who wishes it to be known that he can be a proper cricketer too. He has scored more runs in T20 than any other form, most notably smashing 156 in just 63 balls against England at the Ageas Bowl last year, and he was hired primarily to unleash his muscle power on the NatWest Blast.Yet it was always in Yorkshire’s plans that Finch would play Championship cricket while Kane Williamson was on duty with New Zealand. It is in Finch’s plans, moreover, to play Test cricket, quite possibly here next summer. He had scored first-class hundreds before, one in the Sheffield Shield and another for Australia A, but it appeared – unless he celebrated the first two with similar extravagance – that this one meant more. He can set it alongside his 88 off 55 balls in the Roses T20 as the highlights of his summer so far.The manner of this innings was more prudent, naturally, although he did not miss many opportunities to flex his muscles, twice lifting balls from Jeetan Patel, the offspinner, over the ropes, and blasting one delivery from Keith Barker, the left-arm quick, for six over extra cover. The shot benefited from a short boundary but cleared 17 rows of seats before it landed. An off-drive for four followed next ball and a meaty pull to the midwicket boundary in the same over brought up the hundred.Finch was out on 110, top-edging an attempted pull against Boyd Rankin, to which Tim Ambrose reacted with a salmon-like leap to take a fine, acrobatic catch with one hand behind the stumps, but by then Yorkshire were well on the way to maximum bonus points, which they needed to keep pace with Nottinghamshire as joint leaders in the Championship.There were solid contributions, too, from Lees, who advanced to 64 before Chris Woakes tempted him with a bit of width and found the edge, and Bairstow, who escaped a chance on 26 but otherwise looked in good order until he chopped a ball from Rankin on to his stumps on 68, ending a stand of 92 with Finch during an afternoon session that added 134 for that one loss.The final session at least yielded some wickets for Warwickshire, although not quickly enough for them to take three bowling points. Pyrah, who shared a stand of 123 in 30 overs with Finch, was leg before for a commendable 62, then Steve Patterson added 32 before he was caught at midwicket. Ryan Sidebottom nicked one to the wicketkeeper before Varun Chopra held a slip catch off Rankin as Jack Brooks fell for 3.

Dinesh Chandimal made a difference in his first match on tour, scoring a century and extending Sri Lanka A’s winning run on tour

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Jul-2014
ScorecardDropped from the Test side after a series of low scores, Dinesh Chandimal was sent to England to join the A squad. He made a difference in his first match on tour, scoring a century and extending Sri Lanka A’s winning run on tour. Chandimal’s 100 took Sri Lanka to 275 but the Yorkshire batsmen succumbed to spin, losing nine of their ten wickets to the slower bowlers at Headingley and falling short by 26 runs.Chandimal and Danushka Gunathilaka added 101 for the second wicket after Sri Lanka opted to bat. Gunathilaka made a patient 65 off 110 balls before he was dismissed by Jack Leaning. Chandimal added another 58 with Chaturanga de Silva before the latter fell to Adil Rashid. Chandimal made 100 off 105 balls before he was dismissed in the 46th over by Rashid. James Wainman finished with 3 for 51 while Rashid took 4 for 57.Yorkshire began strongly and appeared to be in control in the first half of their innings. The openers added 70 by the ninth over before Adam Lyth was caught behind off Ramith Rambukwella. The captain Alex Lees scored 54 off 58 balls before falling to Ashan Priyanjan. The spinners helped the visitors claw back as Chaturanga, the left-arm spinner, took three wickets in quick succession to reduce Yorkshire to 158 for 5 in the 30th over. One of his victims was the well-set Dan Hodgson for 51. Seekkuge Prasanna, the legspinner, ran through the lower order to finish with 4 for 42. Wainman made an aggressive 33 off 27 balls at No. 9, but Yorkshire had lost too many wickets at that stage to mount a fightback.It was Sri Lanka’s fifth win on tour and they are yet to drop a game.

Nicole Bolton and captain Meg Lanning made fifties as Australia made it 3-0 against Pakistan in the women’s ODI series in Brisbane with a game to go

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Aug-2014
ScorecardFile photo – Meg Lanning made 78 off 77•Getty ImagesNicole Bolton and captain Meg Lanning made fifties as Australia made it 3-0 against Pakistan in the women’s ODI series in Brisbane with a game to go. Having restricted the visitors to 8 for 189, Australia took just 33 overs to complete the chase. Lanning lashed 78 off 77 while Bolton was unbeaten on 81 off 93.The pair put on 135 in 23 overs after Alyssa Healy was run out in the third over, caught short at the non-striker’s end as Bolton’s drive hit the stumps after brushing the bowler Qanita Jalil’s fingers. Lanning shut Pakistan out of the match after that, cracking eight fours while Bolton hit four. Lanning departed in the 26th over with the score on 142 but Alex Blackwell ensured the rest of the chase remained smooth for Australia with an unbeaten 23 off 21.Pakistan had started steadily after choosing to bat with an opening stand of 41 before Sarah Coyte had Javeria Khan caught behind. Marina Iqbal and Bismah Maroof contributed thirties but left-arm spinner Jess Jonassen broke their partnership on her way to 3 for 37. Nain Abidi made 43 off 52 at No. 4 but did not have too much support down the order. Coyte and Rene Farrell ended with two wickets each.The fourth and final ODI will be played on August 28 after which the teams will play four T20 internationals.

Andy Moles, the former New Zealand coach, has been appointed as the new coach of Afghanistan. He replaces Kabir Khan, whose resignation was confirmed yesterday

Tim Wigmore03-Sep-2014Andy Moles, the former New Zealand coach, has been appointed as the new coach of Afghanistan. He replaces Kabir Khan, whose resignation was confirmed on Tuesday.Before taking over as head coach, former Warwickshire batsman Moles had been working as Afghanistan’s batting coach, a position he was only appointed to in June this year.His first assignment with the Afghanistan side will be on the tour to Australia and New Zealand, for eight fixtures designed to prepare the side for the World Cup next year. The tour begins on September 12, and will see Afghanistan play eight fixtures against state and district sides, although their attempts to organise a one-day international against Australia or New Zealand were turned down.”The good thing about Andy is that he’s worked with a full member team – New Zealand,” the Afghan Cricket Board CEO Noor Mohammad Murad told ESPNcricinfo. “And the World Cup will also be held in New Zealand. A 100% focus is on the World Cup.”Since retiring as a player in 1997, Moles has enjoyed a diverse coaching career. He has worked for Griqualand West, Northern Districts and New Zealand, who he coached for a year from 2008. Moles also has a proven pedigree with associate sides, and led Scotland to victory in the ICC Trophy in 2005, earning them qualification for the 2007 World Cup.His appointment brings to an end Khan’s six-year involvement in Afghan Cricket, although he may yet work in an advisory capacity. Khan worked as head coach from 2008 to 2010, before resigning citing board interference with the team during a tour of Scotland.He returned to Afghanistan at the end of 2011, and oversaw a run of six consecutive World Cricket League victories that resulted in qualification for the 2015 World Cup last October.ESPNcricinfo understands that Khan originally tried to resign six months ago, but the Afghan Board has only now accepted his resignation because Moles is an obvious successor. Khan’s contract had been due to expire at the end of the year but he has stood down now citing “personal issues and commitment with his family”, Murad said. “We respect his decision.”Some media outlets have described Kabir Khan’s resignation as a setback and a major blow for Afghanistan cricket. We do not see it this way. We see it as a new opportunity for further development both of the national team and our national cricket generally.”Whilst Kabir shared his particular skills with our players over a long period, Andy Moles brings different skills. He comes to us at this important time with a wealth of experience in international cricket both as player and coach.”The Afghan Cricket Board have also confirmed that Peter Anderson, the former South Australia and Queensland wicket-keeper and current coach of the Afghanistan National Cricket Academy, will accompany the side on their tour of Australia and New Zealand.

Sussex picked up their sixth win of the LV= County Championship season with a 191-run triumph over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Press Association18-Sep-2014
ScorecardSteve Magoffin took four in each innings to help Sussex to victory•Getty ImagesSussex picked up their sixth win of the LV= County Championship season with a 191-run triumph over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.Chasing a victory target of 385 from a minimum of 75 overs, the home side were bowled out for 193 in 60.3 overs. Steve Magoffin claimed 4 for 51, to take eight wickets in the match, with three wickets apiece to Chris Jordan and Ashar Zaidi.Earlier, as Sussex batted on until 20 minutes before lunch, Ed Joyce, who had been undefeated on 115 overnight, fell for 149 after sharing a stand of 60 with Luke Wells, who scored 79. Luke Fletcher, on his 26th birthday, was the pick of the Nottinghamshire attack, taking 3 for 66, to add his first-innings haul of 3 for 67.Alex Hales and Jake Libby negotiated a tricky three-over spell before lunch as Nottinghamshire embarked on their pursuit, but both fell soon afterwards. Hales was snapped up at slip by Jordan, off Magoffin, who then had Libby caught one-handed by Chris Nash at short leg.Michael Lumb was also caught by Jordan – a stunning reflex effort, at the second attempt, from Zaidi’s second ball of the innings. Riki Wessels was yorked by Jordan, who then had James Taylor caught down the leg side for 46, eight runs away from reaching 1,000 in the Championship this year.Samit Patel scored seven from 40 deliveries before becoming Magoffin’s third victim, aided by another Jordan catch in the slips.Zaidi, bowling a 20-over spell which was broken only by the tea interval, turned a ball sharply to knock back Chris Read’s off stump and then trapped Luke Wood lbw. Jordan finished the match off by bowling Harry Gurney, to seal the win with 9.3 overs to spare.Sussex had added a further 162 runs during the morning session, declaring just before lunch. Luke Wright showed his intentions by pulling Gurney into the midwicket seats before driving Fletcher straight to mid-on.Joyce was caught at deep midwicket from the bowling of Gary Keedy, having faced 159 balls, hitting 17 fours and three sixes. Wells, who faced 13 deliveries before getting off the mark, then went up a gear, playing shots all around the wicket as he galloped to his 50 from 48 balls and had hit three sixes and 13 fours by the time he hit Patel to Fletcher at long-off. Ben Brown also cleared the ropes and was unbeaten on 38 at the time of the declaration.Nottinghamshire’s season comes to an end with them occupying third place on 206 points – but they could be overtaken by Durham, Somerset and Sussex, who all have a game in hand on the Trent Bridge side.

A round-up of Quaid-e-Azam Trophy Silver League games that ended on November 9, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-2014Group IFahad-ul-Haq struck a brisk, unbeaten century to help Lahore Eagles present a target of 310 to Quetta Bears, who were happy to hold on for the 38 overs remaining till stumps and secure a draw.The second day’s play was lost leaving Eagles to rue a batting display filled with starts that were not capitalised. Wicketkeeper , Jahanzeb Abdullah came in at No. 9 and top scored with 53 off 81 balls. His team’s prospects improved on the next after a maiden five-wicket haul from 18-year old seaner Shahid Nawaz. Bears folded for 142, 48 of which was provided by Shahbaz Khan and Eagles had managed to wrangle a lead of 87 runs.Eagles’ batsmen produced a much better effort led by Fahad’s 100 off 129 balls, but they did not leave their bowlers enough time to push for victory. They got rid of the Bears openers cheaply, but a half-century from Arun Lal ensured there were no further hiccups.Bahawalpur Stags wobbled dangerously in a chase of 161 runs, but managed to survive till stumps to complete an eventful draw with Sialkot Stallions.A top-order slump was capitalised upon by Stags captain Imranullah Aslam whose 5 for 37 limited Stallions to 185. That they reached as much was because of Bilal Hussain, who came in at No. 7 and laced 88 off 83, with 17 fours and a six.Stags were propped up by contributions down the order as Imranullah top-scored with 62. Their bid to score over 300 though was hampered by Bilal Asif, whose 5 for 60 left them seven runs short. Having given away a lead of 108 runs, Stallions’ top order left them waiting for a big innings until their captain Faisal Khan stepped up at No. 6 with 92 off 148 balls, with 11 fours. They could only manage 268 though with Imranullah claiming three wickets.Stags might have contemplated a victory with an equation that read 161 in 31 overs. A couple of early wickets though weaved them off such notions, but Hasan Ali (3-61) and Waqas Ahmed (2-32) continued attacking had Stags at 109 for 6. There were no further strikes possible though and the batsmen batted out time.Four-wicket hauls from Waqar Ahmed and Ali Raza handed Pakistan Television three vital points by virtue of taking a seven-run lead in the first innings against Khan Research Laboratories. After fifties from Nawas Ahmed (81) and Zeeshan Mushtaq (73) had lifted PTV to 260, KRL responded with a century from Usman Arshad. However, with no other batsman contributing more than 40, Waqas (4 for 65) and Ali Raza (4 for 75) ensured that KRL were dismissed for 253.Nawaz once again stroked a half-century in the second innings, but just like in the first essay, the other batsmen failed to make good on their starts, as PTV were bundled out for 206, with Sadaf Hussain running through their middle order to claim 5 for 62. With 214 to chase in less than a day, a KRL win was almost out of the question, but a three-wicket haul from Raza had the team precariously placed at 74 for 4, and PTV had one eye on an unlikely outright victory. Imam-ul-Haq, however, remained unbeaten on 72 to play out a stalemate.Group IIAn impressive batting display from Abbottabad Falcons’ lower middle order helped secure a crucial first-innings lead, but the team did not have the required time nor overs to chase down the 158 runs that would have given them an outright win against Faisalabad Wolves. This was mainly because the second day’s play was limited to just 22 overs.Batting first, Wolves’ captain Fahim Ashraf led the way with 105, and Sadaqat Ali, the No.10 batsman, hit 62, but none of the other players could muster more than 18. Aziz-ur-Rehman and Umair Khan both collected three-wicket hauls, as Wolves were skittled for 232.Bursts from Faisal Yasin (4 for 110) and Fahim Ashraf (4 for 100) had Falcons precariously placed at 180 for 7 in their reply. However, Wolves’ hopes of securing three points were dashed by Nasir Khan’s 72, Sohail Akhtar’s 94 and a handy 45 from Shakeel Ahmed, which pushed the score to 353, a lead of 121.Wolves then batted the game to safety, with Shahid Siddiq’s 76 taking the total to 278 for 5, before they decided to declare and set Falcons 158 for victory. Falcons were 9 for 0 when stumps were called.