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Simon Katich’s Test career is effectively finished and he may yet retire from cricket altogether after he was denied a Cricket Australia contract in the most significant change to the 25-man list of national team players for the 2011-12 season.Mike Hussey, 36, and Katich, 35, were the two players thought in most danger of being culled as the national selectors maintain their push towards youth. The strong form of New South Wales team-mates and fellow top order batsmen Phil Hughes and David Warner, late in the domestic season, arguably tipped the scales against Katich.All this was understandably difficult to fathom for Katich who, with 2928 runs at 50.48 since he was recalled to the Test team in 2008, has been not only Australia’s most reliable batsman but among the most bankable in the world. In that time only Alastair Cook has scored more runs.”It was obviously devastating for Simon, from the time he went out of the Australian team and fought his way back through weight of runs he’s been a really fantastic player for us and has been extremely successful,” said Andrew Hilditch, the chairman of selectors, at the contract announcement in Adelaide.”So it was a big decision, obviously really hard on Simon, but in our view the opening partnership is critical, it takes time to get a good opening partnership and we think now the time is right to make sure we have the right opening partnership come the Ashes.”He was really devastated as you can imagine, and they’re not easy phone calls to make, he was really upset.”Katich played his last Test during the innings defeat in the second Ashes Test in Adelaide in December last year, limping out of international cricket with a torn Achilles tendon that cancelled him out of the equation for the remainder of the series. His manager, Robert Joske, said Katich would take some time to consider his future before speaking publicly.”Simon’s bitterly disappointed but we’re going to take a look at all of the options,” Joske told ESPNcricinfo. “There’s lots of options we’ll look at, both playing and non-playing, before we decide what’s best for Simon and his family. We’ll wait until the dust settles.”Hussey’s staunch efforts during the Ashes were followed up by a rapid recovery from a hamstring tear to play a walk-on role in the World Cup in March, and he also made a century against Bangladesh in Dhaka during Michael Clarke’s first tour as captain in April. Hilditch said Hussey and the former captain Ricky Ponting would have to shepherd a young batting line-up through the perils of Sri Lanka and South Africa.”We see them having a very important role with our middle order,” Hilditch said. “It’s as tough as it gets, Sri Lanka away, South Africa away, India at home, we play three of the top four nations in the next 12 months, so it’s a really demanding time and we just think they’ve got a great role to play at the moment.”Another most significant contractual decision is the inclusion of the 18-year-old NSW paceman Patrick Cummins. Cummins, currently recuperating from a back strain that has kept him out of the Australia A tour of Zimbabwe, is the youngest player to be granted a contract since the current system was introduced in 1998.Xavier Doherty, John Hastings, David Hussey, Usman Khawaja, Jason Krejza and James Pattinson are the other players to be added to the contracts list, having all taken part in matches for Australia over the past 18 months. Alongside Cummins, Pattinson is considered one of the most promising fast bowling prospects in the country, and made his international debut in Bangladesh.”James has tasted international cricket and we see him as a young man of immense talent who is made of the right stuff to succeed at the higher level,” said Hilditch. “Patrick Cummins is an exceptional talent who has impressed with his opportunities to date for New South Wales and it will be very exciting to watch his progress.”We’re really all of the view that he’s a potential champion for Australia and we’re going to encourage that and look after him.”Cummins was shocked to receive a call from Hilditch, and later another from Clarke, as he came to terms with being so quickly in the national frame.”I got a call from Michael Clarke so that was pretty exciting – I didn’t have his phone number before, but now I’ve got it,” Cummins told reporters at the SCG. “I’m still level-headed about it, trying to play for NSW whenever I can, whenever I get an opportunity. There’s still plenty of quality bowlers out there and when they return from injury they probably deserve a spot ahead of me, so hopefully I can bowl well and keep that spot.”Apart from Katich, James Hopes, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, Marcus North, Shaun Tait and Adam Voges were also cut from the list, while Australia’s incumbent Test spinner Michael Beer was not offered a contract though he remains in the selectors’ plans.”You shouldn’t read too much into that,” Hilditch said of Beer’s absence. “Michael Beer and Steven O’Keefe are still very much in contention for Sri Lanka, even though they don’t get a ranking. Because we now rank three forms of the game there are still players we rank very highly who are out of that contract list.”Cricket Australia contracts list 2011-12: Doug Bollinger, Michael Clarke, Patrick Cummins, Xavier Doherty, Callum Ferguson, Brad Haddin, Ryan Harris, John Hastings, Nathan Hauritz, Ben Hilfenhaus, Phillip Hughes, David Hussey, Michael Hussey, Mitchell Johnson, Usman Khawaja, Jason Krejza, Brett Lee, Shaun Marsh, Tim Paine, James Pattinson, Ricky Ponting, Peter Siddle, Steven Smith, Shane Watson, Cameron White.

Up to eight top Pakistan players are likely to be in the running to play in the first edition of the Sri Lanka Premier League (SLPL), allowing players from that country to finally benefit from some of the riches on offer in lucrative Twenty20 leagues around the world. The SLPL, likely to feature players from around the world, is scheduled to be held at the end of July and beginning of August this year, a window in the FTP where Pakistan has no commitments currently.Both Pakistan captains – Shahid Afridi from the limited overs side and Misbah-ul-Haq from the Test side – have been approached, as have Shoaib Akhtar, Shoaib Malik and Umar Gul.The players were first approached directly by the organisers of the tournament, the Singapore-based Somerset Entertainment, something that the PCB wasn’t pleased about. But eventually the organisers contacted the PCB asking for clearance for the players to participate and they have been given a positive response. “We told them, in theory, we have no issues with our players taking part in the tournament,” a senior board official told ESPNcricinfo. “The first priority of each player of course will be Pakistan’s international commitments and if there is something on in that window and the player concerned is picked for Pakistan, that commitment will take priority.”The participation of Malik will depend on whether he will be cleared by the PCB’s integrity committee, a condition which has kept him out of the national side since last summer.Players from Pakistan are currently the only ones from the Test-playing nations not to be taking part in the richest domestic Twenty20 league of all, the IPL. Though a number of players took part in the inaugural season of the tournament, in 2008, deteriorating political ties between India and Pakistan in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks later that year have led to them missing out since, much to the chagrin of the players themselves, some of whom can rightly claim to be among the best international players in the format. The players were even put into the auction for the third season of the IPL but no franchise was willing to buy them, given the potentially tricky diplomatic and logistical issues that could have emerged.For similar reasons, no Pakistan domestic side has taken part in the equally lucrative IPL spin-off, the Champions League, which brings together the best domestic Twenty20 sides from around the world. A few Pakistan players, including Afridi, Gul and Rana Naved-ul-Hasan have taken part in the Australian Big Bash but the timing of it generally tends to clash with international commitments and so curtails participation.There is also regular participation in Twenty20 competitions in England, as well as longer-term county contracts but by and large, Pakistan’s players have missed out on the bonanza of the last few years. “We are aware that our players have not benefitted as others around the world have done, though much of this is out of our hands,” the official said. “This will be a good opportunity, if things work out, for them to take part.”Though full financial details of the league are yet to emerge, one estimate suggests that there will be three salary tabs with the highest at US$ 30,000.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
The contest of the gmae: Robin Uthappa took on Shane Warne, but eventually fell to him•AFP

It was a tale of contrasting performances from two Pune Warriors spinners. Rahul Sharma threatened to win it for them but Murali Kartik lost the plot and Rajasthan Royals’ Ross Taylor seized the moment, with valuable support from Ajinkya Rahane, to clinch a thrilling win. Rajasthan moved to the top of the table while Pune stayed frozen at rock bottom.With 52 runs required from six overs, Rahul bowled a gem of a maiden over that included the wicket of the aggressive Ashok Menaria to end his spell with figures of 4-1-13-3. However, Kartik gifted two short balls and a full toss in the next over and Taylor looted 17 runs with the help of two fours and a six. Suddenly, the equation came down to 29 from 18 and despite two relatively disciplined overs from Alphonso Thomas and Jerome Taylor, Rajasthan just needed the odd boundary here and there to squeeze past the line.Two boundary hits from Rahane and Ross Taylor sealed the contest. When they needed 24 runs from 14 balls, Rahane sliced a slower length ball from Jerome Taylor to the point boundary and when they required 17 from 11, Ross Taylor slugged a length delivery from Thomas deep into the midwicket stands. Game over.Pune will look back and rue the reprieve they offered Ross Taylor. When Rajasthan needed 32 from 20, Taylor, on 31 then, heaved Thomas to left of deep midwicket where Nathan McCullum did all the hard work to get there but couldn’t hold on. He lunged out to take it but it bounced off his palms as he fell to the ground and bounded off his chest and right thigh.It was that kind of night for Pune. Only Rahul sparkled with the ball and almost single-handedly pushed them to the cusp of victory. His evening changed with a long hop in his second over, the seventh of the innings. Rahul Dravid, who again failed to convert a start, pulled it back to him and Rahul started to choke the run-flow with a slew of bouncing top spinners. However, Kartik had a horror day, leaking 41 runs from his four overs.Pune will also look back at their batting effort and wish if they could have done a bit more. The top order flattered to deceive. The contest of the afternoon was between Shane Warne and Robin Uthappa. It had an overload of skill, adrenaline, ego, canniness and a dash of foolhardiness. It lasted eight deliveries but it encapsulated everything that is good about Twenty20. It had an aggressive batsman intent on attack and an ambitious bowler focused on hunting down his prey. Throw in an umpire ready to brave ferocious appeals and rule on the side of conservatism, and you had a thoroughly entertaining package.Uthappa unfurled the reverse-sweep and conventional sweep to collect two fours. Warne ripped a big leg break next, starting from just about leg stump – part of the ball was outside leg – and it beat the bat to strike the pad. It was the start of Warne’s increasingly vocal tussle with the umpire Shavir Tarapore. He yelped out a huge appeal but Tarapore perhaps thought it pitched just outside leg and turned it down. Warne looped the next delivery on a length but Uthappa stretched forward to slog-sweep it over midwicket.Three boundaries in four balls and the heat was well and truly on Warne, who responded with a front-of-hand skidder that landed on the line of leg stump and just about straightened to hit the pad. Warne screamed, Tarapore stayed frozen and Uthappa survived. Warne got the final delivery to skid on towards the leg stump, Uthappa was caught in a tangle and yet again, got stuck on the pad. Replays suggested it would have clipped leg stump but you could understand why the umpire didn’t give it.Warne removed himself from Tarapore’s end and appeared at Simon Taufel’s in the ninth over. Uthappa again reverse-swept the first ball to the boundary but Warne shortened the length off the next and got it to skid and bounce towards middle. Uthappa ended up top-edging the swat to the keeper. Uthappa’s exit was sandwiched between the dismissals of Jesse Ryder, stumped off Johan Botha, and Yuvraj Singh, run out after he backed up too far at the non-striker’s end, and it derailed the innings.

The citadel of the Chinnaswamy remains secure for India, but the men in green made those in blue fight hard for victory and will leave Bangalore with their honour intact. A gritty 113-run stand between captain William Porterfield and Niall O’Brien, Ireland’s highest for the third wicket, leant a respectable sheen to the total and Ireland’s never-say-die attitude was in full evidence in the field as they made India fight for every run before a blitzkrieg of Yusuf Pathan boundaries sealed the battle.Outgunned on almost every front, Ireland nevertheless kept themselves in the game until the very end. Porterfield and the elder O’Brien defied the opposition and the baying crowd to haul their side out of a perilous 9 for 2, and Trent Johnston’s two early wickets in his opening spell breathed life into the innings – especially after his scene-stealing ‘chicken dance’ celebration at Virender Sehwag’s dismissal. Throughout, Ireland fought as a team and eventually lost as a team, and there was plenty for their captain to be proud of despite the defeat.”I’m definitely [proud],” said Porterfield. “There were a lot of key moments through that game where it would’ve been easy to sit back and say ‘well we’re playing India and we’re on the back foot’. We were 9 for 2 and we fought back from that, and we lost three quick wickets in the middle and we fought back again. And we came out after halftime and fought right from the start and put a bit of pressure on India. We really fought, the way we fielded and bowled throughout, and it’s a great credit to the lads.”A travelling brigade of Irish supporters was dwarfed by the 40,000-strong legion of Indian fans that packed the stands, but their team gave them ample reason to make themselves heard all the same. It helped that Ireland’s relentless nipping at the ankles of the more fancied Indians meant the home fans couldn’t have it all their own way, and for extended sessions there was a tangible mood of silent, even nervous apprehension in the stadium.”The green stands out from the rest of the crowd,” added Porterfield. “It’s good to see so many people travelling over. It’s great to see the support even back at the hotel, you walk about and you see a lot of familiar faces and a lot of Irish accents. That’s great to see and all credit to them for come out here and spending the money to travel and taking time. The lads really appreciate it and hopefully they keep coming.”William Porterfield’s team made India fight for their win•Getty Images

Their neighbours across the Irish sea had the firepower to push India to the very brink last Sunday, but Ireland don’t have quite the stocks that England do. Porterfield rued the “two key moments” where they slipped behind the pace and subsequently failed to set what could have been a challenging total – O’Brien’s run-out that broke their century stand, and his own dismissal for 75 when he slapped a Yuvraj Singh long-hop straight to cover. “I think those were the two key points where we could have kicked on from the position we were in, but we lost two wickets and that set us back a bit,” he said.In the field, Ireland were also struck by Johnston’s knee injury in his fifth over and his guile and experience was sorely missed later on. Scans revealed no fracture or ligament damage, and it is hoped he would be fit for Ireland’s next game against West Indies in Mohali in five days time. The bowling attack stuck gamely to their plans in his absence, and there was a touch of a wobble in India’s chase when Virat Kohli was run out to reduce them to 100 for 4.M S Dhoni has masterminded just this sort of chase countless times before, however, and he nudged his way into the 20s with little fanfare, biding his time and playing himself in and coming to terms with the vagaries of a pitch which offered far more succour to bowlers of all types than had been the case in the previous two games here.With less than 50 needed, Porterfield’s last throw of the dice was to hand the ball to his two most dangerous bowlers: Boyd Rankin and George Dockrell. As the stadium’s sound system blared out a techno-infused Bon Jovi singing “it’s my life, and it’s now or never” Dockrell skipped to the crease and delivered a perfectly-flighted delivery that nipped past Dhoni’s lunging defensive stroke and would’ve smashed into middle had his back leg not got in the way. India were 167 for 5 and it seemed there would be a final twist to the chase.Enter Yusuf. He responded to the situation in explosive fashion, re-awakening the stadium with a volley of enormous hits. He blasted 16 off the last five balls Dockrell bowled, hammered a third six straight down the ground off Paul Stirling, and finished the job with a flashing glance to the fine-leg boundary shortly afterwards. The end came quickly for Ireland, but the lasting impression they gave was of a team that truly believes it can win every game it plays, no matter who the opposition is.”We fought really hard when we came out again and threw ourselves around in the field, and also the way we bowled, especially defending a small total like that. As long as we kept picking up wickets it was always there. You never know, we could’ve come in and got Yusuf first ball and then that would’ve put even more pressure on them again. You never know what could’ve happened from there, but we fought hard in defending 200 and you can’t ask for any more.”

The West Indies Players’ Association, the players’ representative body in the Caribbean, has strongly condemned the stone-pelting of the West Indies team bus by angry fans following Bangladesh’s nine-wicket defeat in Dhaka. It also expressed concern claiming that the West Indies team was not provided a security consultant whilst other participating teams had been by their respective boards.”It is regrettable what transpired in Bangladesh, thankfully none of our players are hurt,” The WIPA chairman Dinanath Ramnarine was quoted in a release. “The potential for terrible incidents like this one today is why we insist that the standards agreed for regional and international matches must be continuously assessed and must be met at all times as it relates to the security of our players and other related matters.”We just cannot wait for something more serious to happen to pay attention to the issue of security, we need to be proactive”.The WIPA has requested the ICC and/or the West Indies Cricket Board (WICB) for a full report of the incident, and called for a revised security assessment to ensure such an incident didn’t happen again.The release added: “Given the serious ambush and assault by gunmen on the bus of the Sri Lankan players almost exactly two years ago to the date, WIPA is concerned that while other teams were provided with their personal security consultant by their respective boards, the West Indies team was not provided with the same level of support.”WIPA is naturally concerned about the attack – more specifically about the ability of individuals to be able to attack the bus, without the protection layer promised in the Event security plans …”Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, played down the incident, calling it “minor”. The WICB, meanwhile, said the team had a meeting and left for Mohali for its next game as planned. “The WICB is satisfied with the security arrangements for the Cricket World Cup and the team management will continue to work closely with the event organisers and local officials to ensure that the safety and well being of the players remains paramount at all times.”The Bangladesh bowling coach, Ian Pont, told ESPNcricinfo that the Bangladesh team bus had also been stoned.Fans in Dhaka apologised to both teams the next day.

The appointment of YP Singh to the ICC’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) has been raised in the Indian Supreme Court during the hearing of a high-profile corruption case. Singh, the joint director of India’s Central Bureau of Investigation (CBI), was leading the agency’s team investigating a possible scam in the sale of 2G mobile telephony spectrum that has been estimated by some to have cost the Indian government as much as $38 billion in revenue. The scam has seen the arrest of one former central minister and has become a snowballing embarrassment for the government, in which ICC president Sharad Pawar is a senior minister.The Supreme Court is supervising the investigation into the allegations, and Indian news channel reported that Prashant Bhushan, the lawyer who was the catalyst for the investigation, raised the question of why Singh had quit to join the ICC.According to the , Singh asked for voluntary retirement so he could make the switch. He becomes the second CBI officer to move to the ICC, after Ravi Sawani, who led the probe into the match-fixing scam that shook the game a decade ago. Meanwhile, a CBI spokesperson said Singh’s move would not affect its investigation. “There won’t be any effect on the probe as CBI has a multi-layered monitoring mechanism of every case.”

The IPL governing council has denied franchises permission to sign the three unsold Indian players from the auction after some of the teams objected to the proposal, putting an end to any chances former India captain, Sourav Ganguly, had of playing in IPL 4. The governing council, also, in a questionable decision, allowed Manish Pandey to sign with the Pune Warriors, but banned him for four matches for breaching the IPL’s rules concerning the signing of uncapped players.It is understood that the Kochi franchise wanted to buy Ganguly, and had sought permission from the BCCI since IPL rules did not permit unsold players to be signed. Subsequently, the BCCI sent a letter to the ten franchises asking if they would have any objections to the unsold players being made available again. Mehul Shah, one of the co-owners at Kochi, had claimed the franchise had not approached the IPL to sign Ganguly, but one of the governing council members, speaking to ESPNcricinfo, said it had. “Kochi were interested in him as a player.”Incidentally, three franchises – Deccan Chargers, Rajasthan Royals and Royal Challengers Bangalore – objected to bringing back the unsold players into the league, thus putting to rest any possibility of Ganguly’s return. But it was Pandey’s case that was deliberated by the governing council members for a significant part of three-hour long meeting.

Venues for Pune and Kochi

The governing council has decided on the venues for the home games for two news teams Pune Warriors and Kochi. Pending inspections, Pune will host five matches at DY Patil stadium in Navi Mumbai while two would be held at the new ground in Pune. The Nehru Stadium in Kochi, if deemed fit, would host two matches with the remaining five being distributed between Indore and Dharamsala.
The IPL inspection team will visit both venues, the existing Jawaharlal Nehru stadium in Kochi and the new ground in Pune, next week to decide the feasibility of hosting matches there.

Pandey, the most sought-after uncapped domestic player, attracted attention after the IPL got a complaint from his former owners Bangalore, who alleged that the player’s agent was involved in discussions with rival teams and demanding more money than the rules allow. The uncapped players have been placed in fixed price brackets by the IPL – those players who made their first-class debut in the last two years will be paid Rs 10 lakhs ($22,000); those in the field for two to five years would get Rs 20 lakhs ($44,000) and those with more than five years’ experience Rs 30 lakhs ($66,000).But, according to an IPL official, despite the lengthy discussions, the governing council could not conclusively ascertain if Pandey or his agent had committed any violations. “It (the allegation) could not be established,” the source revealed. So, instead the IPL decided to allow Pandey, India’s first centurion in the league, to play but with the rider that he sit out of the first four games.The IPL also “rejected” Mumbai Indians’ charge (expressed in a letter to the BCCI last week) that a last-minute change in the auction procedure had compromised the “level-playing field” for all franchises. But in a statement released after the meeting today, the IPL said “the auction was transparent and fair” in response. It stated the procedure was the same as all the previous IPL auctions and that representatives of all the franchisees had signed the briefing note accepting the rules, including India Win Sports Private Limited, the company that owns the Mumbai Indians.”The Mumbai case was discussed in great detail but their complaint was rejected. Their protest about not following auction rules does not hold water now because before the auction everybody submitted a signed letter,” the source said. According to him, Mumbai were indirectly trying to suggest that N Srinivisan, who is the owner of Chennai Super Kings, and a member of the governing council, was privy to everything during the auction and was influencing the buying of players which left other teams at a disadvantage. “Mumbai will be provided with a detailed reply,” the source said.

Group B

Sudeep Tyagi sparked a stunning turnaround for Uttar Pradesh against Baroda•AFP

In a remarkable turnaround at the Moti Bagh Stadium in Vadodara, Uttar Pradesh stunned the hosts Baroda to sneak home by 32 runs. Baroda had dominated the game on the first three days and victory appeared a formality on the fourth when UP began just 160 ahead with two wickets left. Baroda were on track to complete a comprehensive win and retain their place at the top of the Group B standings, with No.3 batsman Kedar Devdhar guiding the innings to 89 for 2.But the seam-bowling pair of Sudeep Tyagi and Bhuvneshwar Kumar turned the tables, in dramatic fashion. Tyagi, who has played four ODIs for India and represents Chennai Super Kings in the IPL, triggered a collapse, grabbing the next three wickets for six runs. At 95 for 5, it was still advantage Baroda with Yusuf Pathan at the crease, who had finished with ten wickets in the match and was looking good to steer his team to victory with the bat.Yusuf added 36 with wicketkeeper-captain Pinal Shah for the sixth wicket, and at 143 for 6 with Yusuf having blasted 49 off 39 with four sixes, Baroda were still in control. Bhuvneshwar, though, stepped up to have Yusuf caught and then ran through the tail to nip out two more wickets. Tyagi finished the innings by dismissing Murtuja Vahora and bag a six-for. Baroda had lost their last four wickets with no addition to the score and fell short of a chase they should have comfortably completed. Instead, it is now UP who top the Group Table with 11 points from three games.This isn’t the first time Tyagi and Bhuvneshwar have come together to script an enthralling win for UP. In the Ranji Trophy semi-final three years ago, at the same venue against Saurashtra, they helped their team defend 162 and qualify for the final.Opener Ravi Inder Singh struck his fifth first-class century and Yuvraj Singh made 92 to help Punjab bat out the fourth day in Dharmasala and save the game against Himachal Pradesh after following on. The pair added 167 for the second wicket. While Ravi Inder took his time and was sedate, his 129 coming off 330 deliveries, Yuvraj was more fluent, stroking 15 fours and two sixes in his 92. Both were dismissed by seamer Rishi Dhawan, who followed up his three wickets in the first innings with another three-for, but after Punjab had looked good to reach safety. Punjab, though, find themselves at the bottom of the Group B table, while Himachal, who gained three points on a massive first-innings lead, are fifth.Karnataka decided to get some bat out the fourth day against Haryana at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak but gained only one point from the game after conceding a first-innings lead. Opener KB Pawan made 80, Manish Pandey helped himself to a half-century, Amit Verma notched up his third first-class century while Sunil Joshi, the former India left-arm spinner, achieved the rare double of 500-plus wickets and 5000-plus first-class runs on his way to a half-century. Joginder Sharma was the pick of Haryana’s bowlers with 3 for 46, but Karnataka improved significantly on their first-innings performance, making 409 for 8. Both teams are tied on six points in Group B, but Karnataka have played one game less.

Group A

Ajinkya Rahane and Rohit Sharma played crucial roles in Mumbai‘s nerve-wracking chase against Railways at the Bandra-Kurla Complex, helping their team prevail by two wickets and top the Group A table.

Form Guide

Tracking ESPNcricinfo’s players to watch this season
Piyush Chawla: Got hit for 40 runs in six overs by the Baroda batsmen but his team prevailed in the end, winning by 32 runs
Yuvraj Singh: Helped Punjab save the game against Himachal Pradesh after following on. He made 92 in the second innings
Ajinkya Rahane: Made 43 and 97 in Mumbai’s two-wicket win over Railways. He anchored Mumbai’s chase
Rohit Sharma: Played a crucial role in Mumbai’s chase of 252 against Railways, making an unbeaten 31 in 55 after a collapse
R Ashwin: Picked up 2 for 118 in 38 overs against Saurashtra in the second innings, helping prevent them from gaining a first-innings lead.

Rahane backed up his 43 in the first innings by anchoring the chase with 94 after the loss of opener Onkar Gurav with the score on 56. Mumbai looked in a comfortable position to seal the chase as Rahane and opener Sahil Kukreja added 97, followed by a further 53 between Rahane and captain Wasim Jaffer. At 204 for 2 and with just 48 to get, it was Mumbai’s game to lose and they almost did. Left-arm spinner Murali Kartik and medium-pacer Jai P Yadav, both who have played for India, sent jitters in the Mumbai camp by picking up the next wickets for just 33 runs. At 237 for 8, with 15 more to get, it was almost even but Rohit’s presence at the crease proved decisive. He took charge, scoring 31 in 55 balls and a ninth-wicket stand of 15 with Rohan Raje sealed the game for Mumbai.Gujarat managed to hang on by a thread in their draw against Delhi at the Feroz Shah Kotla, with their last-wicket pair seeing them through to the close. Gujarat were always going to be under pressure after being bowled out for 71 in the first innings and once Delhi amassed 437, the visitors faced a struggle for survival. Things were looking up at the end of day three with the score on 114 for 2, but they came perilously close to losing on the fourth.The star for Gujarat was opener Priyank Panchal, who made his maiden first-class century, but was dismissed with almost 35 overs still left in the day. At one stage, Gujarat lost three wickets for 16 runs to slide to 260 for 7 but the lower order stepped up. Rohit Dahiya batted with determination, finishing unbeaten on 2 off 109 balls while Siddharth Trivedi and Jayesh Makla, too, fought on. Dahiya batted with Makla for 85 balls before Makla was dismissed off the first ball of the final over of the day. Vikas Mishra, the left-arm spinner, bowled that over and with good reason – he picked up four wickets. But last man Ishwar Choudhary negotiated the five remaining deliveries to save his team. Gujarat, by preventing defeat, managed to be ahead of Delhi on points. They are third in Group A, Delhi are fourth.Assam gained three points based on a first-innings lead against Bengal at the Eden Gardens in a high-scoring draw, overhauling a score of 562 for 6 declared thanks to centuries from Sridharan Sriram and Gokul Sharma and an equally important 98 from Tarjinder Singh.Sriram, the former Tamil Nadu batsman who was unbeaten on 89 overnight, had put his team on track to gaining a first-innings lead and completed the task on the fourth day with support from the middle order. Sriram struck his 32nd first-class century but was one of two wickets to fall in quick succession as Assam were reduced to 386 for 5. But Tarjinder and Sharma added 176 for the sixth wicket, taking Assam past the Bengal score and eventually to 588 for 6 at the close. The Assam innings featured three partnerships in excess of 100 runs, and that edged them ahead. At the end of the third round, Assam are placed fifth in Group A; Bengal are sixth.Saurashtra battled hard against Tamil Nadu at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot but could not manage a first-innings lead. Tamil Nadu had piled up 582 and Saurashtra were well placed at 246 for 4 at the end of the third day. There were valuable contributions from Shitanshu Kotak, who fell just one short of a century, and wicketkeeper Sagar Jogiyani, who made 93. The lower order, too, provided support with the last three wickets adding 101 but the TN score proved too much and a collective bowling effort from the visitors had Saurashtra bowled out for 492. TN are second in the Group A table, Saurashtra are at the bottom.

Match Facts

Sunday, October 24, Margao
Start time 09:00 (03:30 GMT)Australia’s middle order will revolve around Michael Clarke and Callum Ferguson. Will rains allow Ferguson a game, though?•Associated Press

The Big Picture

“My god I have never seen rain like this before,” John Hastings, the Australia allrounder, tweeted on Saturday afternoon. “Chances are slim.” He was right. It poured for five hours on Friday evening and rained again on Saturday morning. The forecast threatens more bad weather; if the game is washed out it would be the first time since the 1979-80 tour that Australia will leave India without having won a single game, including any tour matches. There was also a short tour in 1996 (one Test and one warm-up game) where Australia drew the tour game and lost the Test.If the rains stay away and the drainage facility at the stadium, reportedly substandard, surprises to give us a game, Callum Ferguson will replace Michael Hussey. Ferguson hasn’t played a single Test match but they say he will be the captain in the future. Do such wild expectations terrify a young talent? “That would be the highest honour as a cricketer you could possibly get,” Ferguson said. “I just desperately want to get my baggy green first and see where we go from there.” Before that Test debut, though, he will strive to shine in one-dayers. He had impressed in the 25 ODIs he played before his career was halted by an injury sustained in the 2009 Champions Trophy final. He has to do it all over again now, returning after knee reconstruction surgery.Will Australia be tempted to give David Warner a game? Shaun Marsh was a bit scratchy in the last ODI and his technique was different from the serene version that was on show during the IPL in India. Back then, Marsh chose to remain as still as possible and play beside the line of the delivery, but he was seen shuffling all over in the previous match. Warner gives Australia an aggressive option at the top for barring Cameron White, who too can be a slow starter, the batting line-up is filled with batsmen whose strike-rates hover around the 75 mark. Time will tell whether the plan is to play Marsh along with the powerful Shane Watson during the World Cup. Visakhapatnam marked the promising debut of the 20-year old left-arm seamer Mitchell Starc. With his high-arm action he managed to extract some bounce on a life-less pitch and beat the bat of Yuvraj Singh a few times.The match also eased a couple of India’s concerns. Virat Kohli has now definitely moved ahead of Rohit Sharma in the pecking order, while R Ashwin put up a promising display with the ball. Kohli will hope he can get a couple more big knocks before Gautam Gambhir returns from injury. Ashwin impressed with his control and repertoire against two good players of spin – Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey. He will, however, want to improve on his poor fielding if he wants to firmly shut the door on his competitor Ravindra Jadeja.

Form guide

(most recent first)
India WLWLW
Australia LWWLL

Watch out for…

Tim Paine struggled to adapt to the slowness of the Visakhapatnam track. He tried to force the pace but went too hard at the ball. In the Tests, though, he showed signs of being a batsman who waits for the ball to come on against the seamers, and doesn’t try to hide his bat behind the pads while playing spin. If he can return to that mode, Paine is likely to do well in the third ODI.You could sense that Yuvraj Singh was desperate to finish the game at Visakhapatnam. He revived the innings with a calm approach and looked to be in complete control. He didn’t let the pressure of the high asking rate to get to him and continued to steady the chase in Kohli’s company. His end, though, revealed the inner turmoil. He scored six runs off his last 18 deliveries and was run-less for his final six. The pressure proved claustrophobic: when Shikhar Dhawan, runner for Kohli, refused a risky single, Yuvraj slogged at the next delivery and was bowled. This fascinating inner battle between the adrenaline-fuelled Yuvraj and the calm senior version has been a constant feature over the years. Which one will dominate in Goa?

Team news

Vinay Kumar leaked runs in the end after a steady start – he went for 31 runs in his first seven overs but bled 41 in his final two – and India will consider replacing him with Munaf Patel who was economical in the Sri Lanka tri-series.
India (probable): 1 M Vijay, 2 Shikhar Dhawan, 3 Virat Kohli, 4 Yuvraj Singh, 5 Suresh Raina, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Saurabh Tiwary, 8 Praveen Kumar, 9 R Ashwin, 10 Vinay Kumar / Munaf Patel, 11 Ashish Nehra.Ferguson is certain to play, while Warner will hope to replace Marsh in the Australia side.Australia (probable): 1 Shaun Marsh / David Warner, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Michael Clarke (capt), 4 Callum Ferguson, 5 Cameron White, 6 Steven Smith, 7 James Hopes, 8 John Hastings, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Mitchell Starc.

Pitch and conditions

The rains have affected the pitch preparations. Australia’s coach Tim Nielsen believes it would play slow. “I’m not sure it has seen a lot of sunshine,” Nielsen said. They can roll a bit more tomorrow, if the sun comes out. The wicket may be a bit slow but it could be a good batting wicket.”

Stats and trivia

• Shaun Marsh made his name in India during the IPL but hasn’t had a great time against India. His career batting average is 37.33 but it slips to 28.80 from five games against India. It’s not all gloom, though, as his only ODI ton came against them.
• Yuvraj Singh has picked up 84 ODI wickets at an average of 40.73 and an economy rate of 5.05 in his career. He has struggled against Australia, though. He has taken only six wickets at an average of 92.66.
• Yuvraj’s batting record against Australia is not the best either. He averages just 28.28 from 34 games as compared to his career average of 36.83. His captain MS Dhoni averages 40.58 (career average is 50.28) from 24 games against them, while his strike rate drops from 88.34 to 74.11.
  

  Quotes

  “I have never seen rain like this in India.. It does not look good for our game on Sunday.”
  

The IPL is likely to invite fresh tenders for an eighth team as the factions within the Kochi franchise have failed to resolve ownership disputes 24 hours before the expiry of the BCCI deadline asking them to register as a company. A team insider has said that the deadlock continues and there is little hope left for the five-company consortium. There have been six extensive meetings in the last two days, but no progress.After a recent offer by Kochi franchise promoters Rendezvous Sports, to buy out the 25% free equity – granted to it for life for setting up the consortium – was not accepted by its rival group, Rendezvous went back to the negotiation table with another offer. The equity buyout was reduced from 25% to 20% free equity. A source close to the discussions said Rendezvous’ rival group, led by Mehul Shah of the Anchor Group, did not want Rendezvous to hold 25 % “because that would give special voting rights to the owner. “In the latest development, the faction led by Shah, the biggest investor in the Kochi franchise with 26% stake, initially agreed to the 20% offer but with certain terms and conditions. It is those terms and conditions that have set up the new obstacle to an agreement.A Kochi franchise source told ESPNcricinfo, “Both groups had agreed to the 20% equity but the terms sent to Satyajitsinh Gaekwad (the head of Rendezvous Sports) said that Rendezvous would not have voting rights or a seat on the management and nor would they be part of the running of the company.”Gaekwad, who recently appointed himself as the chief executive of the franchise, was unimpressed and an official who has presided over all the franchise meetings said Gaekwad had responded by asking, “Why should we [Rendezvous Sports] invest any money? Forget equity, if our shares are not performing shares then why we should pay?”This latest development is a setback for the owners of the Kochi franchise, won the bid for the 10th IPL franchise with an offer of US$333.33 million. Subsequently, differences emerged in the consortium whose board comprised owners from diverse fields.Ownership has been the most contentious issue with Gaekwad claiming Rendezvous Sports had the right to assume control of the franchise since it had made most of the investments at the time of winning the bid. The other faction, though, represented by Anchor’s Shah, was against both the involvement of Rendezvous and the appointment of Gaekwad as chief executive. The Shah group had offered Rendezvous 10% of the equity as an exit payment from the consortium.Rendezvous, however, remained adamant and made a counter offer less than a month ago. In an attempt to save the franchise from disintegrating, Rendezvous was willing to invest 100% of the free equity, an increase from its initial offer of investing 15% of the equity to end the feud. Shah, though, remained resolute and the sources said, “he plainly did not want Rendezvous on the team. The problem is that without Rendezvous, you cannot register a company, because they are the promoters.”The last few weeks have been clouded with uncertainity for the IPL but an governing council member said that neither the confusion over Kochi or the termination of the Rajasthan Royals and King’s XI Punjab teams would have any impact on the league as a whole. “IPL 4 will happen” the governing council member said, “and it will happen with as many teams as it always has – all matters will be sorted out.”