Sachin Tendulkar has indicated that the Challenger Series will give him a good idea of how well his elbow is responding to treatment. Speaking to the media after a net session, Tendulkar said that while there was still some discomfort, the doctors had assured him that he was recovering well.”It [the elbow] still pains a little, but my doctors have declared me fit to play. They say it [the pain] is very normal and I don’t have to worry about it,” Tendulkar said. “I enjoy playing in the Challenger Trophy. It gives a perfect platform for me to test my match fitness.”I am just going to go out there and give myself a chance and see what happens. I would know exactly where I stand and, basically, that becomes my target. After the Challenger, I will be in a better position to figure out how it is.”Tendulkar hasn’t played competitive cricket since May, after undergoing surgery for tennis elbow, and has been forced to skip the Super Series, which be held in Australia later this month. He has, however, been named in the India Seniors side for the Challengers, and if he comes through those matches unscathed, he could be expected to make his international comeback in the one-day series against Sri Lanka, which starts on October 25.

UAE 77 for 4 trail Ireland 350 for 7 dec (EJG Morgan 151, JP Bray 78, Ali Asad 5-93) by 273 runs
Scorecard

Eoin Morgan, 19, scored a run-a-ball hundred to give Ireland the advantage on day one of their semi-final against UAE at the Wanderers Sports Club. Ireland declared on 350 for 7 and reduced UAE to 77 for 4 at the close, a lead of 273.Morgan smashed 151 from 150 balls and ensured that Ireland’s good start wasn’t wasted as wickets tumbled around him. Morgan, who made his first-team debut for Middlesex in the National League last summer, hit 18 fours and a six against an under-strength UAE side.Ireland’s bowlers didn’t let Morgan’s good work go to waste, and Paul Morgan picked up the first two wickets of captain Arshad Ali and Sammer Ali with only three runs on the board. The wicketkeeper, Mohammad Taskeen, and Vairamoorthy Sockalingam staged a recovery with a third-wicket stand of 53 – aided by 12 no-balls – before Ireland’s captain Trent Johnston removed Sockalingam. Kyle McCallan then accounted for Kafish Ahmed to leave Ireland well in charge.After Johnston won the toss and put his side in, openers Dominick Joyce and Jeremy Bray – who has turned out for New South Wales – put on 111 for the first wicket. After a second-wicket stand of 32 between Morgan and Bray, Morgan took charge as wickets fell at regular intervals at the other end. Ali Asad was the pick of the bowlers, keeping UAE in the match with an impressive 5 for 93.

England are likely to use all 14 available players during next week’s three-day tour match against a Patrons XI in Rawalpindi. A Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) official said Michael Vaughan, the England captain, had asked permission to use more than the usual 11 players in the game.A board official told Reuters, “They want to give maximum exposure to all their players and get a feel of local conditions. The match will now be a non-first class practice game. The local side will also now try out more than 11 players.” He added that the PCB was unlikely to have any problems with that.England are awaiting the arrival of Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison who are not due to join the team until next week. Their opponents in the warm-up match – the Patrons XI – will include several Test players, including Yasir Hameed, Asim Kamal and Faisal Iqbal.England then move to Lahore for another three-day game, against a Pakistan ‘A’ side, from November 6, before the first Test in Multan.Meanwhile, Shaharyar Khan, chairman of the Pakistan board, has expressed his dissatisfaction with the pitch during the practice match between a Pakistan XI and Rest of Pakistan. He was quoted by the BBC website as saying, “I told the groundsmen clearly that I don’t need such tracks. It was a pity to see Shoaib’s deliveries carrying through to the wicketkeeper at ankle height.”The chairman promised “competitive pitches” throughout the Test series. “We don’t want bowlers to dominate and the Test finishes inside three days but they should be competitive. We need wickets that must have nice carry and bounce and have some bite for spinners too.”There has been mild speculation – certain to heighten as the Tests draw nearer – about the state of pitches for the Tests. Some quarters have suggested that Pakistan will prepare spin-friendly tracks, to exploit a perceived weakness in the English team against quality spinners. The speculation has been fuelled further by Pakistan toying with the idea of recalling Mushtaq Ahmed and giving Imran Tahir, another leg-spinner and former U-19 player, a prolonged run in the practice matches.In the past, Andy Atkinson has been hired by the board to prepare wickets for international matches but Shaharyar says this will not happen again. “Our groundsmen have enough capabilities to prepare wickets. They have learnt how to make good sporting wickets so I don’t think we need pitch doctors from abroad.”

Scorecard

South Australia held all the aces thanks to Mark Cosgrove’s fabulous 184 that propelled them to 389, securing a massive first-innings lead of 240 against Victoria at the Junction Oval. At stumps, Victoria were 0 for 7, still 233 runs short of avoiding an innings defeat.Resuming overnight on 2 for 58, Shane Deitz and Cosgrove put on another 101 in the morning before Deitz (78) finally fell to Gerard Denton, but not before their 158-run stand had taken South Australia ahead. Mick Lewis and Allan Wise prised out Callum Ferguson and Graham Manou relatively cheaply but Cosgrove, who hammered 14 fours and four sixes, stood firm at one end and strung together a couple of handy partnerships. When he brought up his century, Cosgrove added another impressive display to his fine run of scores since his return after being suspended for being unfit.Darren Lehmann, who had been ruled out of action for six weeks after injuring his thumb on the first day, was expected to bat only if necessary and walked out at 5 for 236. He struck six fours and was dominant in an 87-run partnership with Cosgrove that battered Victoria before he eventually fell to Wise for 49. Cameron White dismissed Matthew Weeks after some resistance before Jason Gillespie defied Victoria for 70 balls for his 20.Cosgrove batted on and extended the lead past 230 before Wise had him caught by Michael Klinger. Wise, who ended with figures of 4 for 78, finally dismissed Gillespie, whose stubborn batting is now a trademark, on 389 and White followed up with the wicket of Dan Cullen to end the innings.

Ahmedabad has been chosen as the venue for the third Test between India and Sri Lanka, after Kanpur opted out of the race. This also means Mohali, and not Ahmedabad, will host a Test against England. This was decided after a meeting of the Tour Programme and Fixtures Committee in Mumbai.According to the original schedule, Kanpur was slated to host the third Test against Sri Lanka from December 18 to 22. However, with the Uttar Pradesh Cricket Association, which hosts matches at Kanpur, and the municipal authorities, who actually own the Green Park ground, involved in a dispute, the third tie has been moved out of Kanpur.This also means that, according to the rotation policy followed by the Indian board to allot matches, Mohali will now get the Test against England which was originally scheduled to go to Ahmedabad. The one-day international between India and England which was supposed to be played at Mohali will now be shifted to Jamshedpur.Sharad Pawar, the BCCI president, also announced that the Asia Cup tournament, scheduled to be held in Pakistan from February 16-28, had been called off. The Indian board had made the request to postpone the tournament due to the team’s packed itinerary. Pawar said that the tournament will be held at a “mutually convenient” date.

From the moment the former Sri Lanka batting star, Roy Dias, took charge of running the cricket affairs of Nepal, the country’s cricketing stocks has gone only in one direction. That is skywards.People start giving unusual stares when one tries to connect Nepal with cricket. There is one incident that Dias recalls when Nepal took part in their first Under-19 World Cup, in New Zealand in 2001, and performed well to reach the Plate final, eventually losing lost to Zimbabwe, who were led by their former national captain Tatenda Taibu.”Some of the BBC reporters were not sure whether Nepal played cricket,” explained Dias. “One guy asked me how you play cricket in the mountains.”Dias, who played 20 Tests and 58 one-day internationals for Sri Lanka, believes that the tournament was the beginning for the development of Nepal. The country was fortunate enough to have a coach as qualified Dias to guide them on the correct path.How much Nepal has improved over the past five years can be gauged by the fact that the 2006 U-19 World Cup, which will be held in Sri Lanka next month, will be Nepal’s third year.According to Dias the domestic structure in Nepal is `not that great’, but overall Nepal has come a long way. “If you take the age groups U-15, 17 and 19, they fall into the best,” said Dias. “This is our third U-19 World Cup under my coaching. Apart from the four Test-playing countries in Asia, Nepal is the strongest.””Most of these kids have a lot of talent. It is just that the exposure is not enough. They believe in themselves that they are good enough to take part in any tournament. I am quite happy with them because I run the cricket show there.”I have worked these boys for the past five years and know them inside out. It is easy for us to understand each other. Even the senior team has about 6 players from the U-19 side and the future for them is good.”Unlike other non-Test-playing Asian countries, Nepal does not rely on expatriates to make up their XI. Their team is strictly players of Nepalese origin and because of it they stand a very good chance of stealing a march over their rivals.”What these guys need to improve in their cricket is to play stronger teams outside their country. There is no school structure,” explained Dias. “They learn the basics of the game only when they come together in a national pool at the various age group levels.”Most of their cricket is played on matting. They are very keen to learn and they are very friendly people, more like Sri Lankans, and give a lot of respect. For me it was a challenge accepting this job.”When I took the job and first saw them playing, I thought I had made a mistake by coming to Nepal. But later on when we kept on improving I saw that they had it in them to become good cricketers. It is just that they lacked someone to advise them, especially a person who has played at the top level. They believe in me and they are a much disciplined lot.”Football is the main sport in Nepal but by way of results achieved during the last 3-4 years cricket has taken over. With India being so close to them the Nepalese have access to all TV sports channels. “They watch a lot of cricket,” added Dias, “they have learnt the game watching cricket on television and by listening to commentaries.”Nepal are the first out of the 16 participating countries for the 2006 U-19 World Cup to arrive in Sri Lanka. “We have come two weeks before the tournament because at this period of time it is very cold in Nepal,” explains Dias. “There is no point practicing there because conditions are different.”Nepal is indebted to the ICC and the Asian Cricket Council, who are doing a lot of funding for their cricket, as Dias acknowledges. “Without their help I don’t think Nepal cricket would have got anywhere. We don’t have many sponsors.”Nepal are drawn in Group D with England (who they will be meeting for the third time in the tournament), Zimbabwe and Ireland. “Hopefully, I think on Sri Lankan wickets we might have a slight chance of upsetting England,” said Dias. “The guys are very keen. Initially bowling and fielding were our strong points, but the batting has got going. We have a balanced side. I will be happy if we can get to the last eight.”Apart from doing well in the World Cup, Nepal’s greatest ambition is to qualify to play in the Inter-continental Cup which would enable their senior side to play matches of longer duration.

The England captain, Michael Vaughan, has promised his side will go on the attack in the forthcoming Test series against India. Vaughan’s team arrive in Mumbai on Monday for three Tests and seven one-dayers and Vaughan insisted that there will be no repeat of the containing tactics they used on their last visit in 2001-02.England have their four fast bowlers – Andrew Flintoff, Stephen Harmison, Matthew Hoggard and Simon Jones – all fit but Vaughan has warned that one of them could miss out if conditions happen to suit to the slower bowlers.With Ashley Giles missing through injury, England would pick two bowlers from Shaun Udal, Monty Panesar and Ian Blackwell; both Blackwell and Panesar have yet to make their debuts, and Udal turns 37 in March.”Flintoff and Harmison could be crucial and having Jones back is a big positive – he is fit and well and raring to go,” Vaughan said. “We will have to see what [conditions] we get but if the ball is swinging then we have an attacking bunch of bowlers and I would rather use them that way. The ideal is to play five bowlers who are going to get us 20 wickets.”If we feel we need to use two spinners then one [of the fast bowlers] will have to miss out – we will just have to see what the surfaces are like.”Panesar could become the first Sikh to play a Test for England and Vaughan is excited by the youngster’s potential.

“Spin is going to play a big part,” he said. “I have not seen much of Monty Panesar, apart from the nets, but he is exciting and has a bit about him and is a good character. He looks like he has the ability to spin the ball, he gets good flight and he’s got guile. I’m looking forward to working with him.”India lost to a rejuevanted Pakistan in the recent Test series, but Vaughan is expecting an improved performance from India on their home soil; they have lost just three series from the last 25 in 19 years.”On home soil they are right up there – a really good team – and their record shows that,” he said. “They have just lost in Pakistan but they will be a real tough nut to crack in India and we are going to have to play some real good cricket if we are to put them under pressure.”I’ve been there a few times with England A, the Under-19s and on the last tour and it is hard but enjoyable cricket. There is nothing much tougher than facing their spinners on a dusty track in Mumbai or bowling at Sachin Tendulkar on a hard track. Playing in India is a tough challenge but we have overcome challenges when people have not expected us to do so.”We want to try and win [in] India – it is something an England team has not done for a long time.”Vaughan returned home early from England’s tour of Pakistan to undergo a second operation on his troublesome knee. Responding to Duncan Fletcher’s concerns that the injury could persist for his entire career, he said: “It’s fine. Until you’ve played a game of cricket it’s hard to tell but I’m very positive about the knee. It feels as good as it’s done for a long time so I don’t see it being a problem. I feel strong.”

Zimbabwe 201(Higgins 74, Khadka 4-28) beat Nepal 199 for 9 (Chaugai 78, Cremer 3-36) by two runs
Scorecard

Zimbabwe held on by their fingernails to put themselves on the verge of a Super League quarter-final berth, but they came close to becoming the competition’s first significant casualty. Nepal should have won after reaching 150 for 2 in the 38th over chasing 202, but a series of rash shots meant Kanishka Chaugai’s fine 78 went to waste as seven runs from the final over proved out of reach.It was Zimbabwe’s legspin duo of Ryan Higgins – following a vital 74 to resurrect their innings from 90 for 6 – and Graeme Cremer who pulled the match out of the fire. Cremer brought them back onto contention with two wickets in two balls, breaking the partnership between Chaugai and Paras Khadka which was steering Nepal towards their target. Khadka played a huge fresh air shot and was stumped by miles, then Prem Chaudhary edged a cut first ball.Higgins, though, claimed the vital scalp, bowling Chaugai attempting an ambitious sweep. The Nepal captain could hardly tear himself from the crease and it is easy to understand why. He had done more than anyone else to put his country within touching distance of taking a memorable victory with a calm and assured innings.”My form is good but it means nothing if we lose,” he said following the presentation. Under-19 teams will make mistakes, but if they learn from them the process is working. Today, it appeared that Nepal had heeded the lessons of the England match and Chaugai epitomised this.After launching the innings with his customary flourish of searing cuts and drives, he switched into accumulation mode. As his second-wicket stand with Sharad Vesawkar passed fifty Chaugai was content to pick up the singles when Sean Williams set his field back to protect the boundary. All it needed was the batsmen to keep the cool, but as Chaugai admitted, “We got out trying to play some big shots, including me, and we couldn’t quite get there in the last over.”In the end it was the extra experience of the Zimbabwean team that counted. Cremer has played six Tests for Zimbabwe and finished with figures of 9-0-86-3 against South Africa at Cape Town, so is used to dealing with pressure situations. However, even Cremer, with his international experience, was affected by the tension and was not best pleased that a team-mate almost collided with him when he held the caught and bowled off Gyanendra Malla.As the margin grew narrower the arm waving became more furious and there were one or two rumbles of discontent from the boundary fielders as runs were scampered. Following the match Williams was a mightily relieved captain. “I wasn’t too confident at all to be honest, I thought the pitch would have been a little bit lower than it did. It was the wrong toss to lose and our boys did well to come back and win.”Williams was one of the early casualties with the bat, as Nepal held sway after choosing to field first. There was swing with the new ball and at 56 for 5 a humiliating total was looming. Higgins, though, set about the task of building respectability with a level head and straight, adding 96 with Glen Querl. Higgins used the long handle to good effect, showing the benefits of playing out a one-day innings however dire a position may seem.If it had appeared a bleak day for Zimbabwe with the bat, it had nearly got to the point of no return in the field. They dominated less than half the match but, at the vital times it was they who held their nerve.

Scorecard

Hundreds from Vikram Solanki and Chris Read turned the second Test on its head after West Indies A had seemed on course for victory on the third day at St Lucia. By the close, it was England A who were in the driving seat.The pair came together with England, who trailed by 20 runs in the first innings, struggling at 152 for 5 on a slow wicket after losing James Dalrymple and Rikki Clarke in quick succession. Dalrymple had added 65 with Solanki when he was caught behind for 29 driving Gavin Tonge, and then Clarke recklessly charged Dave Mohammed and was stumped for 0.Solanki batted for almost six hours for his 127 and Read, who ironically lost his England place in the Caribbean in 2003-04 because his batting was not considered good enough, made 107. Although both perished in the closing overs – Solanki after six hours application in the heat – West Indies will now do well to save this match, let alone win it, although England will be aware that they successfully chased 366 in the first Test.Solanki had struck one six and 14 fours when he was caught on the cover boundary, while Read hit three sixes and ten fours before becoming the impressive Andrew Richardson’s fifth wicket.&

Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary
How they were out

Australia will have to chase at least 284 for a 3-0 cleansweep after South Africa spent most of the day building a hugely competitive lead in an absorbing contest. The home side was cruising at 100 for 2 as Herschelle Gibbs breezed to an attractive half-century, but they were pegged back and the advantage would have been much greater if Stuart Clark and Shane Warne had not kept Australia in touch.The pitch is offering disconcerting pace and movement, especially with the new ball, and the target will be a severely challenging one as both teams attempt to end a one-sided series on a high. Each time South Africa threatened to run away with the match Australia dragged themselves back, although the hosts finished extremely strongly in the last 30 minutes with Mark Boucher and Andre Nel taking them to 250 for 8 when bad light ended play early again.Clark used the conditions superbly to deliver a consistent line that challenged the batsmen and upset their rhythm. He finished with 4 for 64 while Warne struck three blows – two with full tosses – as the side performed without Michael Kasprowicz for the final two sessions as he struggled with a back problem. They were already missing Justin Langer, who was recovering from the hit he copped from Makhaya Ntini yesterday, and he is still waiting to make a decision about whether he will bat in the second innings.South Africa realised every run was valuable and promoted Shaun Pollock to No. 6 in a bid to increase the score quickly, and he re-floated them with an entertaining 40 as they coped with the loss of their two rocks, Jacques Kallis and Ashwell Prince, in quick succession. Clark collected Kallis for 27 when he won an lbw decision from Tony Hill and Warne knocked over Prince to a catch that was so doubtful Andrew Symonds didn’t seem to appeal for his take at leg slip. Steve Bucknor sensed an edge and South Africa stuttered as they lost 3 for 20.

When Kallis was dismissed South Africa were 130 for 5 and battling to maintain their momentum, and it wasn’t until Pollock combined with Boucher in a 46-run stand that the lead pushed past 200. Boucher made sure it went even further during another crucial performance with the tail, picking up an unbeaten 55 with Nel chipping into the target setting by adding 18.Australia’s second innings will not be easy as few batsmen have felt comfortable on this surface. Nobody has been as dominant as Gibbs during his 53 that contained six fours and a six to drive his team’s charge. His upbeat display ended with a soft dismissal when he planted Warne’s full toss to Damien Martyn at mid-on and South Africa slowly slipped until Pollock and Boucher intervened.Warne’s entrance had been delayed until after lunch and he bowled throughout the rest of the day to finish with 3 for 83 from 25 overs. His victims will not be memorable ones at the end of his career, including his addition of Nicky Boje to a full toss from a wrong’un gone badly wrong, but they were necessary in a difficult situation.South Africa lost the early wicket of AB de Villiers at 9 when he left a Clark delivery that tipped the top of off stump in the same over he was struck on the gloves by one that jumped. Boeta Dippenaar joined Gibbs in a bright second-wicket stand of 46 at almost six an over before Matthew Hayden dived to intercept a stinging Dippenaar drive at gully that gave Clark his second victim. Clark returned for a long and impressive spell before tea to take care of Kallis and then forced an edge from Jacques Rudolph to continue Australia’s fightback.Ntini finished off the tourists this morning with 6 for 100 as South Africa gained a 33-run buffer after the first innings. Australia added 24 and Brett Lee posted his highest Test score with 64 from 68 balls in a controversial and powerful installment. He escaped an lbw appeal from Pollock on 45 and next ball cut to Dippenaar at first slip, standing his ground until the umpires surprisingly gave him not out.There were a handful of confusing decisions but Australia’s batting on a surface offering regular assistance to the bowlers will determine the result. Langer stayed in the hotel as Australia’s innings concluded, but he might be required to make a tough decision as a fascinating Test heads towards its conclusion.

South Africa
AB de Villiers b Clark 4 (9 for 1)
Boeta Dippenaar c Hayden b Clark 20 (55 for 2)
Herschelle Gibbs c Martyn b Warne 53 (100 for 3)
Ashwell Prince c Symonds b Warne 9 (120 for 4)
Jacques Rudolph c Gilchrist b Clark 0 (140 for 6)
Shaun Pollock c Gilchrist b Lee 44 (186 for 7)
Nicky Boje c Symonds b Warne 4 (194 for 8)
Australia
Michael Kasprowicz c Gibbs b Pollock 2 (260 for 8)
Brett Lee c Boje b Ntini 64 (270 for 9)