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

Morgan celebrates his century for Ireland © ICC

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.

Brad Haddin: gets a chance to be captain© Getty Images

Brad Haddin, the wicketkeeper-batsman, has been appointed as the New South Wales captain and will stand in for Simon Katich, when he is on international duty. Katich’s selection in the Australian squad for the Indian tour in October meant that Haddin got his chance.While terming it as a “great honour”, Haddin said that this was an exciting time to be made captain. “My role is to see that the guys keep improving. “I want to continue the good work that Simon and Steve Waugh have put into this team over the years.”Haddin recently played in the Videocon Cup in Holland and has been part of the NSW side since 1999. In 48 first-class matches, he averages 32.46, with two hundreds and 16 half-centuries.

Umpires through all levels of cricket in New Zealand this summer will not be giving explanations to players for their decisions.No longer will there be the signal of which way an umpire thought the ball was going after a leg-before-wicket appeal and there will be no comments on why, or why not, a particular bat-pad catch appeal was not upheld.New Zealand Cricket’s umpires manager Brian Aldridge said today that the policy of not explaining to players the reason for particular decisions was being employed on a trial basis but it was his belief that it would become a permanent policy, especially if, as he imagined, it was employed by all nations in the future.”It will take players a while to get used to and there may be the odd umpire who will break ranks in an attempt to keep in with the players,” Aldridge said. But he believed the policy of giving an explanation in the interests of communication had backfired.Players, once given a reason, had sometimes taken issue with the decision and this had been the cause of many of the code of conduct violations that have occurred. The decision to abandon the policy has been backed by New Zealand Cricket and it will be implemented this season.Player reactions to decision-making was just one area of potential conflict and removing it was one small step in reducing the opportunity for problems to develop. Aldridge said the reaction of players, even at club level, had been making it difficult to retain umpires who felt they could do without some of the problems that developed.

New South Wales coach Steve Rixon lauded Michael Bevan as the best cricketer he’s seen in a decade after the brilliant left hander steered the state to an improbable draw in the Pura Cup match against Western Australia here in Sydney today.”From what I’ve seen of Michael Bevan, he’s arguably the best I’ve seen in the past ten years,” said Rixon, after the former Test batsman’s double century had orchestrated the Blues’ escape from a disastrous 363-run first innings deficit.”He’s got a full range of shots, and he’s one of the few guys who can hit the full 360 degrees.”(Our guys) showed a lot of resolve and character and that’s the sort of thing that will get you into a ‘Shield’ final.”It was lavish praise, but praise hard to refute, after the tenacious Bevan (203*) produced the quintessential version of a captain’s innings to guide the Blues to a second innings score of 4/452 by the time that stumps were drawn half an hour before the scheduled close.It wasn’t only that he batted through the entirety of the fourth day, registered his equal highest first-class score, or became the greatest run scorer in New South Wales’ first-class history. Also stunning was his capacity to continue undisturbed by the bowlers for 562 minutes and forge significant partnerships today with teammates Mark Higgs (80) and Brad Haddin (52*).He had started the day on a score of 78, and with the Blues still facing potential ruin at a total of 3/188.But he was ultra-methodical, combining with Higgs in a stand of 181 runs that became the state’s highest for the fourth wicket against Western Australia at the SCG and then with Haddin in another of 85 at the end of the day.He had dodged bullets yesterday, as wicketkeeper Ryan Campbell spilt a chance with his score at 8 and as a dubious lbw decision went his way on 19. But, by the end of today, very little was left to detract from his marathon performance.”I felt I hit the ball well,” said Bevan after play.”I was under a bit of pressure out there and it was hard work, (but) it was satisfying.”When it’s that big a task, you’ve just got to say to yourself ‘alright, let’s get through this session’ and maybe set some personal goals.”And he was also quick to pay credit to his teammates.”(Greg) Mail and Higgs – they did the hard yards as well. They were good performances; it was good from their perspective as well.”Higgs and Bevan were eventually parted at the outset of the day’s final session, when the former top edged a mistimed sweep at Brad Hogg (2/102) to present Simon Katich with a catch at mid on.But splitting the partnership failed to dampen Bevan’s efforts or his passage into the record books.It was at 184 that the biggest of the milestones arrived – Alan Kippax’s mantle as New South Wales’ most prolific scorer of first-class runs seamlessly passing to the 31-year-old. On 203, he also equalled his own previous first-class best.Western Australian captain Katich, for his part, tried nine of his players at the bowling crease in a bid to shift his rival skipper – various part timers utilised and opening batsmen Mike Hussey (0/6) and Scott Meuleman (0/1) even becoming closing bowlers.But all of them found Bevan’s bat and a true pitch impossible barriers to overcome.Front line bowlers Brad Williams (1/73), Jo Angel (0/45) and Matthew Nicholson (0/61) also went without much in the way of luck at various stages of the innings as their team was forced to content itself with third – instead of second – place on the Pura Cup table.

Baroda translated their overwhelming superiority over Bihar into victory by an innings and 114 runs with a day to spare in their Group B match of the Ranji Trophy Super League at the IPCL sports complex ground in Baroda on Monday.An innings victory for the home team was always on the cards after Bihar had had a bad day at the office on the second day. After following on 380 runs behind, Bihar who resumed at 74 for three were all out for 266 on Monday.There was never much chance of Bihar saving the game but some of their batsmen did make an attempt. Opener Nikhilesh Ranjan hit a gallant 72. He faced 172 balls and hit nine fours. He and wicketkeeper Mahendra Singh Dhoni (45) added 84 runs for the fourth wicket off 22 overs. Then Mihir Diwakar, coming in at No 7, hit a breezy 67. He faced just 53 balls and hit four fours and six sixes. But the rest of the batsmen were no match for Zaheer Khan who took five for 67 to finish with match figures of ten for 110.

Sunderland find themselves once again in a play-off race for the opportunity to earn promotion up to the Championship, currently sitting fifth in the League One standings on 63 points, with just nine games to go.

While they will need all the experience and leadership from the likes of Corry Evans, Bailey Wright and new signing Jermain Defoe to help them avoid slipping up anymore, the youthful energy and confidence of loanee Jack Clarke could help them fire to promotion.

It was a difficult start at Stadium of Light for the youngster sent from Tottenham, but after scoring a “rocket” in stoppage time against Fleetwood Town on Tuesday night, his career might just begin to get back on track – right when the Black Cats need him most.

The 21-year-old posted a four-word message on his social media game, saying “all to play for” – which will surely excite fans with the temporary signing seeming committed to the cause and to achieving the target of securing Championship football for next season.

With every week his performances improve, which is evident by the fact that overall for Sunderland since joining he has averaged a 6.84 match rating, but in his last four games, he is averaging a 7.08 – which is a clear indication that he is beginning to settle in the North-East.

Despite on average appearing for just 43 minutes per game at Sunderland, Clarke has taken 1.2 shots per game, as well as winning over 50% of his duels and completing an impressive 92% of his dribbles.

Having shown plenty of potential before his move to Spurs, the winger earned praise regularly from Leeds fans, pundits and former players – including former Whites striker Noel Whelan, who said: “He has got a great ability to glide past players.

“I don’t think I’ve seen a winger really as talented as that, where it looks effortless, just to take somebody on and he really does get you on the edge of your seat, he’s one of those exciting players.”

After three unsuccessful loan spells, it is clear that his hard work is paying off, and he was praised for his “persistence” by the Sunderland Echo after the game – a testament to the determination he has to get his career back on track.

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Should he follow on from his encouraging recent performances, Sunderland could find themselves in a more favourable position at the end of the season thanks to his ability, commitment and firepower, as they look to end their four-season spell in the top flight.

In other news: Moyes flop who’s “like Eden Hazard” has seen value rise by £14.4m after leaving SAFC

Genuine international contests may return to the United States if the Cricket Australia chief executive James Sutherland has anything to do with it.Following on from the notable crowds drawn by the Twenty20 All-Star matches concocted by Sachin Tendulkar and Shane Warne, Sutherland has proposed the scheduling of limited-overs triangular series among leading nations in the USA, a concept flirted with more than a decade ago but more recently ignored by teams protective of television rights.In the week of the inaugural day-night Test match, Sutherland spoke boldly of USA as “potentially a great asset for cricket” and pointed out that it was Australia’s third biggest overseas television market behind India and England, ahead of the likes of Pakistan, South Africa and New Zealand.”I’d love to do it one day with the shorter forms of our game,” Sutherland told . “It would be a great thing to play a triangular series with say England and India or South Africa and Pakistan. We can really nurture the US market and get their people engaged. We’re talking about our third biggest overseas television market.”When we sell our rights overseas, India is the biggest, England is the second biggest and then North America third in terms of dollars they spend. There’s huge potential. There are more players in America than there are in New Zealand. During the World Cup we had 90,000 visitors to Australia and New Zealand and a quarter of them came from North America. A lot of it is born out of South Asian expats. This market is potentially a great asset for cricket.”Numerous attempts have been made to build regular cricket fixtures in North America, but most have floundered after a few years. The first day of the day-night Test in Adelaide drew a crowd of 47441, and Sutherland has clearly been encouraged to think more bullishly about where to take the game in the future. “This Test in Adelaide is a great example of what we’re trying to do,” he said.”It’s got a Melbourne Spring carnival type atmosphere about it. It’s a major event which brings people to the cricket. I think this is a game changer. It’s all about the fans and making cricket accessible. When people are working and kids are at school, it’s hard to sell Test cricket on a Thursday or a Friday. Moving it to the evening makes a big difference.”Right now kids have multiple choices in terms of what sports to play and computer games etc. We’re competing for people’s leisure time. Our focus is very much about giving fans a proposition to come to our games or watch us on TV. We want cricket to be a priority in their lives. We need to make sure the at-match experience is great because it’s such a good sport to watch on TV. We’re all about inspiring the next generation of players and fans.”

Inzamam-ul-Haq wants to play some cricket, even if it means signing up for the Indian Cricket League © AFP

Inzamam-ul-Haq has indicated that he might sign up for the Indian Cricket League (ICL), saying the ultimatum issued by the Pakistan Cricket Board does not apply to him as he isn’t under contract with the board.Inzamam, who was not among those given a central contract by the PCB last month, said he had been offered US$50,000 a month by the ICL. He was writing in his diary on bigstarcricket.com.”If they [PCB] are not selecting me I have a right to play cricket anywhere, whether in county cricket, Bangladesh, or India,” Inzamam said on the website. “But I’m not interested in only money, I’m interested in playing cricket.”The ICL is offering me good money and cricket. I have not played any cricket since the World Cup. Although I am still desperate to play for Pakistan it is not good for me if I get picked for Test cricket with no match practice behind me. There is no cricket in Pakistan before the South Africa series so I need to play.”Inzamam said he would want to play for Pakistan even if he signs for the ICL. “I would like to play in India and then as soon as my country needs me I would come back for national duty.”

Zaheer Abbas chats on his mobile phone during the Oval Test chaos © Getty Images

Zaheer Abbas, former Pakistan captain and manager on the recent tour to England, will not be attending the ICC hearing as a witness on charges laid against Inzamam-ul-Haq for ball tampering and bringing the game into disrepute. Abbas was listed by the PCB as one of their witnesses, as well as Danish Kaneria and Umar Gul, but it was confirmed by the board that neither of the three will be going and written statements will now be sought from the three.Abbas told APP, “I am not required to appear as a witness in the hearing and according to my information, Gul and Kaneria are not needed to appear either.” This was confirmed by the PCB. Abbas Zaidi, director board operations, told the Karachi-based daily that Abbas had been advised to stay at home.”Since we are bound to act on the advice of our lawyers whom we have engaged to plead Inzamam’s case, we have now been informed that Zaheer, Danish and Umar are not required to attend the hearing in person,” said Zaidi.He added, “In fact, the lawyers have now sought written statements of these three individuals. Now apart from Inzamam, the PCB chairman and Bob Woolmer will be present when the hearing begins next week.”Abbas was replaced by Talat Ali last week for the upcoming Champions Trophy as manager of the Pakistan side. At the time, the PCB explicitly stated that the move was not “any indictment on the capability or ability of Zaheer Abbas as team manager.” Instead, it was explained, that because of Abbas’s involvement as a witness in the hearings and any possible appeals thereafter “we wouldn’t like to put any extra pressure on him” by retaining him as manager.But the developments now confirm what many in Pakistan had assumed but what the PCB refused to acknowledge publicly – that Abbas’s removal as Pakistan manager was the result of his perceived lack of action during the Oval Test crisis and the criticism he came in for in its aftermath. Many felt he should have played a more proactive role in trying to negotiate between the ICC, the umpires and the PCB.Abbas was also attacked him for a number of statements he made in the immediate aftermath of the incident, including his terming of Darrell Hair’s US$500,000 resignation offer, a “moral victory” for Pakistan.

Sachin Tendulkar: ready to test his fitness © Getty Images

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.