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The duo added an unconquered 143 after joining forces at 70 for 2, and have left South Africa needing only 69 more on the fourth day

Andrew McGlashan13-Jun-20252:23

Day 3 review: Markram’s knock could be career-defining

South Africa can dare to dream. With Aiden Markram and Temba Bavuma playing the most significant innings of their careers, the latter while carrying a hamstring injury, they closed within 69 runs of claiming the World Test Championship title, which would be the finest hour for a cricket nation steeped in history but short on silverware.The second-wicket pair combined to add 143 in 38 overs of wonderfully controlled batting, a partnership that will go down in South Africa folklore barring extraordinary events on the fourth morning, with Markram reaching his eighth Test century from 156 deliveries in the closing moments of the day. They repelled everything Australia threw at them on a pitch that, with the sun out for most of the day, was at its friendliest for batting in the Test. The way Australia’s last-wicket pair of Mitchell Starc and Josh Hazlewood had earlier been able to add 59 in 22 overs had foretold what was to come.Related

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• South Africa had to make 'big call' on whether Bavuma should retire hurt

• South Africa hope Markram's career-defining knock can be match-defining, too

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Still, Australia felt favourites when they set about defending 282. Despite the early loss of Ryan Rickelton, edging a very full delivery from Starc which was confirmed by the third umpire, there was a notable urgency to South Africa’s batting. In the first innings, it took until the 20th over to reach 30 (three wickets were gone by then), whereas this time they were 47 for 1 after ten.Starc struck again to have Wiaan Mulder caught low at cover, but then came a vital moment when Bavuma, on 2, edged to Steven Smith at first slip. Smith was stood so close – he was wearing a helmet as the carry off the surface continued to die – and the chance burst through his hands, leaving him with a compound dislocation of his right little finger. The agony was clear on his face as he immediately left the field. By the end of the day, it was likely shared by his team-mates.Shortly before tea, Bavuma joined the injury list when he picked up a hamstring injury but he defied the pain, mixing hobbling between the wickets with some crisp strokeplay. It was going to take much more than a tweaked muscle to stop Bavuma. There was, however, a question to be asked as to whether Australia could have squeezed an injured batter hard in the field. The closest Bavuma came to a mistake was when he top-edged Nathan Lyon towards deep square-leg on 43 but Sam Konstas, on as a substitute, couldn’t quite make enough ground with a full-length dive that left him with a mouthful of grass.Aiden Markram brought up his eighth Test century•ICC/Getty Images

Meanwhile, Markram was all but faultless. He kept the scoreboard ticking – Australia sent down just three maidens in 56 overs – alongside a selection of handsome boundaries, none better than the back-cut off Starc which bisected deep third and deep point with precision and left the bowler waving his arms in frustration. He would then move to 97 with the sweetest of straight drives against Hazlewood. As the close neared, and it appeared he may have to wait for the morning, his crowning moment arrived with a whip through the leg side.Pat Cummins went through all the options at his disposal, but nothing could conjure the moment to create an opening. Lyon caused some problems out of the rough and came very close on a few occasions while Travis Head’s first delivery ragged sharply at Markram. They will need a miracle on Saturday.It was South Africa’s surge with the ball on the second day that had kept them in the game after conceding a lead of 74, but Alex Carey had pushed the advantage over 200. When Lyon was lbw to Kagiso Rabada in the third over of the day – his ninth wicket of the match – it appeared Australia’s innings would end swiftly, but the last-wicket pair had other ideas.3:26

Hayden: Starc showed courage with the bat

It was not the first time Starc and Hazlewood had combined in such a fashion, surviving 18 overs together against India in Perth last year, while Hazlewood has also previously shown his stickability when helping Cameron Green add 116 against New Zealand in Wellington earlier in 2024.There was rarely anything expansive about the partnership but for large stages the duo were untroubled which was a hint at the changing batting conditions. Starc shielded Hazlewood on occasions, particularly against Rabada and Marco Jansen, but Hazlewood produced one of shots of partnership when he ramped Jansen over the slips.Starc has always had batting pedigree and at times has underdelivered for his talent in Test cricket. This half-century, coming off 131 balls, was his first since Old Trafford in 2019 and it ended as the second-most deliveries he had faced behind the career-best 99 (a Test high score he shares with wife Alyssa Healy).At times South Africa seemed strangely flat but so, too, did the pitch for the first time in the game. In the end it was the sixth bowler used in the session, Markram, who ended the resistance when Hazlewood drove off the back foot to cover. And so the final question was posed: was 282 chaseable? The answer, historically so for South Africa, would appear to be in the affirmative.

The allrounder takes over on a permanent basis from Travis Head

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Dec-2023Matthew Short, last season’s player of the tournament in the BBL, has been named Adelaide Strikers’ new captain.Short takes over permanently from Travis Head having stood in for him last season. He scored 458 runs and claimed 11 wickets in the 2022-23 edition of the tournament and has since made his T20I and ODIs debut for Australia.He will be in the running for a spot in next year’s T20 World Cup squad although there is a squeeze for top-order batting slots along with Head, David Warner, Mitchell Marsh, Steven Smith.At the end of the recent T20I series in India Short was given a run lower down the order to see him in a finishing role”Matt was a standout choice to take on the captaincy at the Adelaide Strikers and we are thrilled to announce him as our sixth captain,” Strikers head coach Jason Gillespie said. “When he stepped up last year we were very impressed with his leadership and we are looking forward to seeing him grow further into the role.”Short added: “I really enjoyed the little taste of captaincy I got last season and I’m excited to put my full attention to it in BBL13.”Strikers are unlikely to see much of Head or Alex Carey for this season’s tournament given the Test schedule although there is a chance they could make an appearance between the Pakistan and West Indies series in mid-January.Strikers finished seventh last season with just five wins from 14 matches. They will open this campaign against Brisbane Heat in Adelaide on Saturday.

Inoka Ranaweera starred with 2 for 17, before Pakistan needed three off the last ball, which Nida Dar couldn’t put away

Mohammad Isam13-Oct-2022Achini Kulasuriya bowled a stunning final over to help Sri Lanka beat Pakistan in the second semi-final and march into the final of the Asia Cup. Kulasuriya bowled full and straight throughout the over and left Pakistan needing three off the last ball. But Nida Dar could not clear cover, where Kavisha Dilhari dropped the catch running backwards but recovered well to return a throw to the wicketkeeper, who ran Dar out to squeeze out a one-run victory.It is Sri Lanka’s first T20 Asia Cup final, having made it to the title clash three times when the tournament was an ODI affair. Pakistan would feel hard done by, as they were cruising till captain Bismah Maroof was at the crease.Kulasuriya does the magic
When Maroof got out in the 18th over, Pakistan were in the driver’s seat, needing a run-a-ball 16. But Inoka Ranaweera bowled a superb penultimate over – giving away just four and prising out big-hitting Ayesha Naseem cheaply – to leave eight for Kulasuriya to defend. Kulasuriya bowled full mostly and did not allow Aliya Riaz and Dar to free their arms. Eventually, it was down to three needed of the last ball but Dar couldn’t take Pakistan home, leaving Sri Lanka screaming in delight in front of the sparse crowd in Sylhet.Kulasuriya did not let the over-rate punishment, due to which they were allowed a fielder less outside the inner ring in the final over, hamper them. Sri Lanka would also be thankful to their batters for their fine effort earlier, particularly at the start when they got a few boundaries to get things going.Sanjeewani gives Sri Lanka quick start
Sri Lanka raced to 39 in the powerplay, thanks mainly to wicketkeeper-batter Anushka Sanjeewani’s 26 off 21 balls. After being promoted to open, she struck a four and a big six over square leg but fell in the last over of the fielding restriction. Chamari Athapaththu also hit a six but was the first batter to get out when she tried to slog Dar over long-on and was bowled.Nashra Sandhu’s classic left-armer’s delivery – pitching in line and turning away past the outside edge – then deceived Sanjeewani, bringing an end to Sri Lanka’s powerplay exploits.Bismah Maroof made 42 off 41 balls to set up the chase•Asian Cricket Council

Sandhu revives Pakistan after big stand
Harshitha Samarawickrama, however, ensured Sri Lanka didn’t let their good start go waste, adding 50 for the third wicket with Nilakshi de Silva. But the pair managed just one boundary between them, which Samarawickrama got during her 35 off 41 balls, before Sandhu removed her in the 18th over. Sandhu also had de Silva caught-and-bowled in her previous over, and finished with 3 for 17 from four overs.Sadia Iqbal and Aiman Anwer too bowled excellently in the last few overs, both picking up a wicket each as Sri Lanka made only 35 runs in the last five overs. They slipped from 102 for 3 with 14 balls remaining, only to be restricted to 122 for 6 after 20 overs.Muneeba fires up Pakistan
Pakistan responded to Sri Lanka’s fast start with one of their own. Sugandika Kumari was hit for back-to-back fours by Muneeba Ali before Sidra Ameen hit one in the third over of the chase. Muneeba struck the ball sweetly through point first, before executing the sweep to perfection on the next.But Muneeba fell in the next over when she was run out trying to get a quick single. She twisted her ankle in the process, but her presence for a few more overs might have helped Pakistan carry on further after a bright start.Bismah gets Pakistan to the brink
Sri Lanka stayed in the game with the wickets of Ameen and Omaima Sohail by the 11th over, but Maroof kept things tight at her end. She played the ball around for plenty of singles, apart from four boundaries. She struck two through fine leg, one past short third and the fourth over long-on.Maroof added 42 for the fourth wicket with Dar but fell while trying to work the ball to the on side against Kumari. Little did she know her side would end up losing the game despite setting up the chase.

Angelo Mathews was omitted while Nuwan Pradeep earned a recall to bolster the seam attack

Andrew Fidel Fernando08-Jun-2021Left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, and allrounders Dhananjaya Lakshan, Charith Asalanka, and Ishan Jayaratne are the surprise entrants to Sri Lanka men’s 24-member squad for the limited-overs tour of England. Although Sri Lanka have again insisted on picking young players, omitting Angelo Mathews, they have recalled Nuwan Pradeep to beef up the seam-bowling stocks. Batter Avishka Fernando, who missed the last two tours due to substandard fitness, made it into this squad, having passed his tests. Batter Ashen Bandara, however, was not in the squad.Jayaratne, 31, is perhaps the most unheralded name in the squad. He made it on the back of an excellent List A domestic tournament, in which he claimed 18 wickets at 20.61, with an economy rate of 5.44. He has been handy, rather than consistent, with the bat, averaging 20.57 in List A cricket, with a high score of 105 not out.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Lakshan, 22, had been one of the breakout players of the Lanka Premier League last year. Asalanka, 23, is a former Sri Lanka under-19 captain, and has been on the radar of the senior team for years. Left-arm spinner Jayawickrama, meanwhile, had impressed on Test debut against Bangladesh earlier this year, earning the Player-of-the Match award for his 11 wickets.Avishka Fernando’s return will create competition at the top of the order. Kusal Perera, Danushka Gunathilaka and Kusal Mendis had formed the top three in the recent ODIs in Bangladesh. But if Avishka makes it into the XI, it is likely that either Kusal Mendis or Perera may move down the order.Related

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With Pradeep back, Sri Lanka have no fewer than six specialist seam-bowling options on this tour, with Dushmantha Chameera, Isuru Udana, Asitha Fernando, Binura Fernando, and Shiran Fernando all picked. Allrounders Dasun Shanaka and Chamika Karunaratne also bowl seam, in addition to Jayaratne and Lakshan.There were four frontline spinners in the group – Wanindu Hasaranga, Lakshan Sandakana, Akila Dananjaya and Jayawickrama.Sri Lanka leave for England on Tuesday. Following quarantine, they are expected to play two tour matches, before the internationals start with the first of three T20Is on June 23. Three ODIs will follow.

Batsman hopes injury will prove a ‘good thing’ in the long run and hopes to be fit for County Championship opener

George Dobell27-Feb-2020Rory Burns believes the injury that curtailed his winter with the Test team may prove “a good thing” for English cricket in the long term.Burns sustained serious ligament damage when playing football in warm-up the day before the second Test against South Africa. He subsequently underwent surgery and was ruled out of the remaining three Tests in that series and the two upcoming Tests in Sri Lanka. Having just established himself in the team – he had made two Test centuries since August and at least one half-century in four of his previous five Tests – it was a cruel blow both for Burns and for England.ALSO READ: Burns sidelined for four months after ankle surgeryBut the injury had further repercussions. As the latest in a saga of football-related injuries – Jonny Bairstow and Joe Denly were among the other members of the England squad to have sustained injuries in a similar manner – it led to the England management banning football in warm-ups. Several of the first-class counties are understood to have taken similar decisions ahead of the 2020 season.Now, as Burns contemplates his comeback, he admits he will not be playing football again. And he reflects that Ashley Giles, a long-term critic of the idea of playing football as a warm-up activity, was probably right all along. Giles is the director of England’s men’s teams.”Have I ruined it [playing football] for everyone?” Burns says with a smile. “I think I have ruined it for the county circuit. The majority of it, anyway, and certainly the England boys. But I don’t think there’s too many arguments from too many places.”While I am still a professional cricketer I probably won’t play football again. It’s taken four months out of a career and the stage I had got myself to where I was playing quite nicely.”It was an avoidable setback and when you get something that’s avoidable like that you probably re-evaluate whether you want to waste your time doing four months in a gym rehabbing or being on a plane to Sri Lanka.”Was Giles right all along? Potentially. It’s probably taken something like this to re-evaluate it; something like this to put it into perspective. It shows what the downsides of football are, I suppose. There are obviously a lot of plus points to football but I don’t think I will be playing it any time again soon.”It was a bit freakish. Most people roll their ankle on the outside; I did going over to the inside. I think my studs got caught in the floor. But if that’s the catalyst to put things right and maybe say you don’t need it and keep the boys on the park it’s probably a good thing in a weird way.”If none of those guys get injured moving forward because football has been moved out of it then I think that’s a positive thing for English cricket.”Rory Burns speaks at the PCA’s rookie camp•Barrington Coombs/Getty Images for PCA

The good news for Burns is that he looks on course to be fit for the start of the county season. While he hasn’t picked up a bat as yet, he will go on Surrey’s pre-season tour to the UAE from March 17 and is expected to return to their team for their opening Championship fixture against Somerset at The Oval starting on April 19. Barring a significant dip in form, it would be a surprise if he did not return to the Test team when England host West Indies from the start of June.As a player who has had his fair share of ups and downs in the game, Burns was a natural choice to address the 50 or so young players attending the PCA’s rookie camp earlier this week. Among other things, he spoke of the need for persistence – it took him five successive seasons of scoring 1,000 first-class runs to convince the selectors to pick him – and the dangers of social media.ALSO READ: Never a better time to be a professional cricket, but rookies learn perils are huge tooIn particular, he looks back to the aftermath of the Ireland Test – when he scored 6 in each innings – and the savaging he took from some sections of the media. Mark Waugh memorably said Burns “looked like a nightwatchman” and suggested: “don’t think he’ll be playing the Ashes.” Burns responded with a maiden Test century in the first Ashes Test a few days later.”The thing that annoyed me about the Ireland game was that people judge you very quickly – be it fans or whatever – on a snapshot of your career,” he says. “I’d had seven years of batting in first-class cricket that was overwritten in seven Tests.”In the County Championship you don’t get that level of speculation. I don’t avoid social media, but you have to taper it to the voices you want to listen to. I still had it open when I started my Test career and I didn’t read all of it but you can’t help it when it’s at the top of your mentions… Tom Noddy down the road has given his twopence.”The key is: you’re never as good as you think you are when you’re doing well, and you’re never as bad as you think you are when you’re not. You’re always somewhere in the middle and you just bounce along. It’s remembering that. Sticking to the fundamentals of what works for you.”

England’s limited-overs captain and the explosive South Africa batsman are among five additions to the auction list

ESPNcricinfo staff17-Dec-2018Eoin Morgan, England’s limited-overs captain, has been added to the player list for Tuesday’s IPL auction, alongside four other late inclusions: South Africa’s Rassie van der Dussen, uncapped Australian Riley Meredith, and Indians Mayank Dagar and Pranav Gupta.

Zaheer Khan links up with Mumbai Indians

Former India fast bowler Zaheer Khan has been named Mumbai Indians’ mentor. Zaheer, who retired from international cricket in 2015, had played for and captained Delhi Daredevils in the IPL till 2017.
Mahela Jayawardene and Shane Bond will stay on at Mumbai Indians as head coach and bowling coach respectively this season.

Morgan will be entered at the highest base price of INR 2 crore (USD 280,000), putting him in the same bracket as IPL veterans such as Brendon McCullum, Lasith Malinga and Shaun Marsh. Van der Dussen is priced at INR 50 lakh (USD 70,000), Meredith INR 40 lakh (USD 55,600), with Dagar and Gupta listed at the lowest reserve price of INR 20 lakhs (USD 27,800).The late additions, bringing the overall number of players involved in the auction to 351, came after franchises expressed an interest in their involvement to the BCCI.ALSO READ: All you need to know abou the IPL auctionVan der Dussen, who was on the original long list, put his name back into the auction pool after making his third consecutive Mzansi Super League fifty on Sunday, a knock that sealed the inaugural title for his team, Jozi Stars. He was the highest run-getter in the tournament.He won the inaugural Global T20 Canada with Vancouver Knights, whose head coach Donovan Miller then called him up for his CPL team St Kitts & Nevis Patriots. Van der Dussen is highly rated for his batting in the middle overs, particularly for his ability to hit big at the end, skills that he honed through crossfit and kickboxing, among other things. His rising fame in the format and recent form could well make him the subject of a bidding war.Of the two Indian players to enter the fray, batsman Gupta is one of six Jammu & Kashmir players in the pool, while allrounder Dagar is a former India Under-19 player and Virender Sehwag’s nephew. He was picked up by Kings XI Punjab last year.Meredith, a rookie seamer, has only played in two T20 games, both for Hobart Hurricanes in February this year.Morgan went unsold in the auction for the 2018 IPL but has previously played for four franchises, most recently in 2017 with Kings XI Punjab. He takes the number of England players interested in the proceedings in Jaipur to 19.Several, including Jonny Bairstow, Alex Hales and Sam Curran, will hope to attract bids, although the question of limited availability could deter franchises. Centrally contracted England players such as Morgan and Bairstow will be expected to return on April 25, ahead of preparations for the World Cup – meaning they would miss the last three weeks of the IPL.

Punjab’s Shubman Gill, who was the top scorer in the Youth ODI series in England earlier this year, has been named as Shaw’s deputy

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Dec-20171:20

Archive – Who is Prithvi Shaw?

Mumbai batsman Prithvi Shaw will lead India at the Under-19 World Cup to be held in New Zealand from January 13. Punjab’s Shubman Gill, who was the top scorer in the Youth ODI series in England earlier this year at an average of 92.66, has been named as Shaw’s deputy. The 15-member squad also includes Haryana’s Himanshu Rana and Assam’s Riyan Parag along with five stand-by players, all of whom are set to participate in a preparatory camp in Bengaluru from December 8 to 22.Seven of the 15 players in the squad have experience of playing Ranji Trophy. Shaw, who is Mumbai’s second-highest scorer this season with 521 runs at 57.88, and Bengal’s Ishan Porel, who has bagged 10 wickets in two matches have been permitted to play for their respective sides in the quarter-finals starting December 7, and will join the camp on December 12.India have won the Under-19 title thrice, a record they hold together with Australia. They made the final of the previous edition in Bangladesh but lost to West Indies by five wickets.Squad: Prithvi Shaw (capt), Shubman Gill (vice-capt), Manjot Kalra, Himanshu Rana, Abhishek Sharma, Riyan Parag, Aryan Juyal, Harvik Desai, Shivam Mavi, Kamlesh Nagarkoti, Ishan Porel, Arshdeep Singh, Anukul Roy, Shiva Singh, Pankaj YadavStandby players: Om Bhosle, Rahul Chahar, Ninad Rathva, Urvil Patel, Aditya Thakare

John Gleeson, the former Australia spinner, has died at the age of 78 in Tamworth, New South Wales

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Oct-2016John Gleeson, the former Australia spinner, has died at the age of 78 in Tamworth, New South Wales.Gleeson was Australia’s 242nd Test cricketer and played 29 matches between 1967 and 1972. He took 93 wickets at an average of 36 with three five-wicket hauls. Gleeson also claimed 430 first-class wickets in a 116-match career between 1966 and 1975, predominantly for New South Wales.”He’s sadly passed away in the Tamworth hospital, aged 78,” the former Australia captain Ian Chappell relayed to viewers during Channel Nine’s coverage of a Matador Cup game.Gleeson was one of the early unorthodox spinners, delivering with an unusual action like Australia’s Jack Iverson before him and Sri Lanka’s Ajantha Mendis decades later. “The folded finger-spinner they called him,” Chappell said. “He came from Tamworth, started out his cricket life as a wicketkeeper and he fiddled around flicking these balls … I think he started with a table tennis ball, and developed into a very fine finger spinner.”I spoke to him the other day, he’d come to grips with his situation and his last words were to me, ‘Don’t fret, mate, I’m in good shape’.”A late starter to first-class cricket at 27, Gleeson had honed his method for years prior, experimenting with various grips in backyard cricket ater being partly inspired by fellow “mystery” spinner Iverson. “The first time I saw it was a photograph in a 1951 Sporting Life magazine,” he said of Iverson’s grip in a 2008 interview. “I would bowl with the same grip with a tennis ball in backyard cricket, with a jacaranda tree as the wicket. It was quite natural for me to bowl a legspinner even if it looked like an offspinner – it was basically a reverse wrong’un: looks like an offspinner but is a legspinner.”Gleeson worked his way into the New South Wales state side and ultimately the Australian Test team after impressing Richie Benaud in a net session in the summer of 1966-67. He always remained somewhat miffed by the hype that surrounded his bowling style, which was a forerunner to other more lateral methods of spinning the ball that would follow in later years around the cricket world. His path to the Test side was to be smoothed by another net session, in Adelaide where he bowled to the then selection chairman Sir Donald Bradman.”He stood there, in his suit, at the batting crease, without a bat. I ran up and bowled. To get the ball to turn a fair bit I had to bowl a lot slower than I normally did,” Gleeson said. “I bowled him that ball [an off break] and he tried to let it hit the net, but it went the other way, flew up, and hit him on the hip. His eyes lit up and he just picked the ball up and threw it back to me. Next ball, I bowled him the wrong’un and then he wasn’t quite sure which way to go as he wasn’t reading from the hand.”James Sutherland, the Cricket Australia chief executive, said: “John captured the imagination of cricket fans everywhere as he bamboozled batsmen with his odd bowling grip, borrowed from another mystery Australian spinner, Jack Iverson.””We were deeply saddened to hear of John’s passing and are truly appreciative of his contribution to the game, which, beyond his distinguished playing career, included time as an administrator with World Series Cricket. As a cricketer, he will be remembered as someone who played for his country at the highest level and, with his unique skills, had the ability to regularly dumbfound the best batsmen in any team.”

James Anderson could be ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes after being forced off the field at Edgbaston with an apparent side strain

George Dobell30-Jul-2015James Anderson could be ruled out of the remainder of the Investec Ashes after being forced off the field at Edgbaston with an apparent side strain.Anderson, England’s record wicket taker, was two balls into his ninth over when he clutched his side after delivery. While he bowled one more ball, he then pulled up in his run-up and left the field. His over was completed by Joe Root.The ECB released a statement on Twitter confirming that Anderson had a “tight side” and would be “assessed overnight”. That means he will be sent for a scan with any firm decision about his future involvement delayed until the results are known. The fourth Test begins at Trent Bridge next Thursday.”I’ve heard nothing yet,” said Steven Finn, who was England’s best bowler on the day with five wickets. “Obviously pulling up halfway through an over for someone like Jimmy, he wouldn’t go off if it wasn’t hurting.”He’s a huge player for us. He is the leader of our attack. He sets the tone with everything he does. Jimmy loves bowling at Trent Bridge, everyone knows that. If he was to miss it, it would be a big loss, but we don’t know yet.”The injury took the gloss off an otherwise wonderful day for England. While they are strong favourites to take a 2-1 lead, the loss of Anderson would be a major blow. Anderson has a superb record at Trent Bridge: he has taken 53 wickets in eight Tests on the ground at an average of 19.24. He claimed a 10-wicket haul in the last Ashes Test there in 2013 – one of two 10-wicket hauls he has at the venue – and has taken six five-wicket hauls there.If Anderson is unavailable, as looks likely, England will probably look to Mark Wood to take his place, though Mark Footitt and Chris Woakes may also be considered.England, meanwhile, only have eyes for tomorrow’s third day, when Australia will resume with a lead of 23 and three wickets in hand.”The game is most definitely still not won yet,” said Finn. “They’ve got guys to come in who can bat, there will still be pressure on tomorrow and we have to do a professional job.”

A round-up of the last round of National Cricket League matches

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Dec-2012Khulna Division became National Cricket League champions by beating Rajshahi Division by 33 runs in a low-scoring game in Bogra. The win put them on 40 points, ten ahead of Dhaka Division, who can’t catch up even though they are poised to thrash Barisal Division in Rajshahi. It is Khulna’s third NCL triumph after winning the tournament in 2002-03 and 2007-08.Rajshahi had a shot at victory after they bowled out Khulna for 180 in the second innings; they needed to chase only 187. However the pace and spin combination of Robiul Islam and Nizamuddin took eight wickets and Rajshahi were bowled out for 153.In the first innings, Khulna had made 228 after being put into bat. Imrul Kayes’ 60 was the only major contribution as the Rajshahi bowlers Farhad Reza and Saqlain Sajib took control, picking up three wickets each.Rajshahi, however, batted poorly in their first innings and conceded a six-run lead. Maisuqur Rahman made 64 but the rest failed to support him. Robiul and left-arm spinner Murad Khan took three wickets each for Khulna.Dhaka Division finished as runners-up in this season’s National Cricket League after crushing Barisal Division by an innings and 105 runs in Rajshahi. The win gave them eight points taking them to 38, two short of Khulna Division’s 40 points at the top of the table.Batting first, Barisal scored 256 runs with only Iftekhar Nayem and Zakaria Masud making half-centuries. Mohammad Sharif and Shuvagata Hom took three wickets each for Dhaka.They replied with 474 runs at a run rate of 3.48, with Raqibul Hasan finally getting some runs with a solid 160. Rony Talukder, Hom and Sharif also got half-centuries as they took a 218-run lead.Barisal surrendered meekly on the final day, getting bowled out for 113 runs. Left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain took five wickets while pace bowler Shahadat Hossain took three.Dhaka Metropolis finished third in the competition with a nine-wicket win over Sylhet Division in Rangpur. They banked on centuries from Marshall Ayub and Mehrab Hossain jnr to make 345 runs after the top-order fell cheaply. Marshall made 116 while the left-handed Mehrab struck 110.Mohammad Ashraful’s five-wicket haul helped Dhaka Metro bowl out Sylhet for just 155 runs in the first innings, and following on, they made 265 runs. Offspinner Sharifullah took five wickets for Dhaka Metro in the second innings.Set 76 to win, Dhaka Metro completed the chase in the fourth morning, taking only 11 overs to complete the win.Rangpur Division and Chittagong Division drew their last match of this season in Sylhet. Heavy fog disrupted the game on all four days.Batting first, Chittagong made 350 runs with Aftab Ahmed narrowly missing out on a first-class hundred. He was dismissed for 97 runs while Yasir Ali and Sadid Hossain also scored half centuries. Hundreds from Litton Das and Tanveer Haider led Rangpur’s reply as they made 487 runs.Chittagong batted out 52 overs to make 187 for 6 before stumps were drawn.