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There was heartbreak in store for either Barisal or Rajshahi in the last round, and the title was not decided until the final session. A victory would have given Barisal their first National League trophy, which many thought they deserved for the consistency and enthusiasm their young brigade brought to the competition despite being written off at the start of the season. But their hopes were dashed by Dhaka’s Mahmudullah, whose phenomenal effort denied them a win. The result meant the top two, Rajshahi and Barisal, finished equal on points (101), but it was Rajshahi who were celebrating at home despite losing to Khulna as they had one more outright win (5) than Barisal and were declared champions in accordance to the tournament rules. Chittagong, meanwhile, ensured Sylhet would remain winless in a season both sides would wish to forget.Though Barisal had a point more than Rajshahi at the start of the final round, their title hopes depended on a win over a lacklustre Dhaka in Fatullah and on Khulna beating Rajshahi It didn’t quite follow the script. Barisal’s batsmen collapsed against left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, who took 7 for 50. In reply to Barisal’s 125, Dhaka scraped to a 50-run lead on day two with Javed Omar scoring 62. However, the lead advantage was promptly wiped out as opener Rony Talukder and Imran Ahmed, the Barisal captain, made half-centuries. Ashraful Haque’s five-for kept Barisal to 265. The target of 216 was gettable but Dhaka lost three wickets before stumps on day three.Monoar Hossain’s four-wicket burst left Dhaka reeling on 95 for 8 by lunch on the final day but the stage was set for a twist. Barisal could not call on fast bowler Talha Jubair, who suffered a rib strain after bowling two deliveries in the morning, but even without him victory appeared a mere formality. Having scored a hundred in Dhaka’s previous three matches, the in-form Mahmudullah made Barisal pay for a dropped catch at gully, when on 3, and partnered Elias Sunny (37 not out) in an unbroken 124-run stand as Dhaka snatched an unexpected two-wicket win. Mahmudullah continued his amazing run of form, piling up his fourth century (116 not out off 306 balls) to finish second to Chittagong’s Faisal Hossain in the list of highest run-getters.Rajshahi were playing catch-up for the most part against Khulna, despite a good first day Rajshahi Stadium. Suhrawadi Shuvo, the league’s leading wicket-taker, took 6 for 71 as Khulna made 255 for 9 declared in their first innings. Day two belonged to Robiul Islam, who picked up 5 for 68 as Rajshahi were bowled out for 251. Khulna extended their lead to 75 by close for the loss of three wickets, with Shuvo striking twice. Half-centuries from Fariduddin and Dolar Mahmud took Khulna to 347. Set 252, Rajshahi were 23 for 1 going into the final day. Anisur Rahman (71), Hamidul Islam (53) and Shabbir Rahman (72) scored half-centuries, but the home team still fell 29 short of their target. Celebrations, though, had already begun before the match ended, as the news of Dhaka’s win over Barisal assured the hosts of the title.In Chittagong, an unbeaten 120 from captain Masumud Dowla allowed the home team to score a formidable 382 in the first innings. Sylhet then crumbled to 268 against the hostile pace of Rubel Hossain, who was playing his first first-class match following a shin injury. Rubel’s 5 for 60 was even more remarkable considering he was bowling on the flattest track in the domestic circuit. Chittagong struggled in their second innings before declaring on 185 for 7 after a delayed start on day four. Sylhet, set a target of 300, were 65 for 4 in 11 overs when the match ended.Player of the week – Suhrawadi Shuvo
Without his six wickets on day one, Rajshahi would not have got the three bowling bonus points that let them finish on top with Barisal at the end of the round. Shuvo took wickets at will and made runs at crucial junctures and was the standout performer for the newly-crowned champions.

Peter Moores, the England coach, has refused to blame tactics for the six-wicket defeat in the first Test against India in Chennai. England lost the game after being in the driver’s seat for three days and two sessions.”I don’t think it’s tactics, it’s skill,” Moores told . “To rotate spinners on a difficult surface like a Test match pitch in India takes a lot of skill. We saw that from Andrew Strauss and Paul Collingwood, who rotated the strike well. Where the Indians have balanced themselves well is, one, rotating the strike, but also scoring boundaries and putting bowlers under pressure. In the first innings we found that quite hard to work,” he said.Moores said he had been expecting more from the spinners, Monty Panesar and Graeme Swann, who he believed were still getting used to the conditions in India. “In some ways I feel for Monty in that our preparation was compromised quite a lot,” he said.”He hasn’t played competitive cricket for four months, so that was tough, and as a spinner it’s hard. As the game went on he was getting back into some sort of rhythm. Swanny’s played in the one-dayers, but again the longer format is hard and I think both will have learnt how skillful Indian batters are once they get in.””I thought Freddie bowled beautifully this [Monday] morning but we’ll hope Mohali has a little bit more for our seamers and I think the spinners will also enjoy a little bit of bounce to bring them into the game,” he said.

England’s batting coach Andy Flower called the defeat dispiriting. “To be honest, I think we were a little defensive. I feel we could have been more attacking in our game,” Flower was quoted as saying by . “To lose after setting up a target of 387 is extremely dispiriting. It doesn’t happen often but then we cannot dwell too much on that and should look to move on.”England managed a meagre 57 runs between lunch and tea on the fourth day, which offered the hosts a chance to get back into the match.Flower, however, indicated that there would be no major replacements for the second Test. “We are not looking for huge changes but must look to capitalise on momentum,” he said.

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

First days for an opposition captain in India don’t get much worse. Kevin Pietersen’s decision to field because of an early morning start in Rajkot backfired spectacularly as India galloped out of the blocks and never looked back. What seemed a brave decision turned into an utter disaster with India posting 387 for 5 in 50 overs of ballistic strokeplay. Gautam Gambhir and Virender Sehwag added 127 for the first wicket, after which Yuvraj Singh overcame a stiff back to slam an unbeaten 138 from only 78 balls.It was the fastest ODI hundred against England, while India’s total beat the previous best against this team – Pakistan’s 353 in Karachi in 2005. It was also India’s best total at home and second highest anywhere. England could only reply with 229, and suffered their third heaviest ODI defeat ever.The last time Yuvraj scored a hundred in a limited-overs game was on October 5 2007 against Australia. He began in the 24th over, after Sehwag had been brilliantly caught by Ian Bell at midwicket for a 73-ball 85. Shortly into his innings, Yuvraj had problems with his back and needed a brace. Steve Harmison decided to test him with some short balls and, though Yuvraj took his eyes off them, he pulled consecutive boundaries and rounded off the over with a steer past slip for four more. Those three strokes set the tone.India took the third Powerplay after the 34th over, a move which prompted Pietersen to bring back Andrew Flintoff. Yuvraj, who had Gambhir running for him, took the opportunity to break free by hitting sixes off Flintoff and Harmison before raising his fifty with a classy off-drive. Yuvraj’s partnership with Suresh Raina for the third wicket had added 89 off 78 balls before his partner scooped Flintoff to backward point for 43.Yusuf Pathan came and went for 0, but Yuvraj, not disturbed by the double blow, stood his ground and swatted a wayward Stuart Broad for six and four. He brought up the 300 – and the fifty partnership with Mahendra Singh Dhoni – by smashing Samit Patel out of the ground in the 44th over.A 20-year-old Indian record for the fastest century (Mohammad Azharuddin’s 62-ball ton against New Zealand) was under threat but Yuvraj was probably unaware and turned the ball off his pads for a single when he was on 94 off 61 balls. He reached his ninth hundred off his 64th ball and lofted Flintoff for two sixes in the 47th over and took another 18 off him in the 49th. Yuvraj’s 138 was one shy of his career best.

The platform for Yuvraj’s blitz, however, had been by India’s openers early in the day. Sehwag and Gambhir tucked into some generous offerings from James Anderson and Broad and added 127 in good time. Paul Collingwood took the ball after the drinks break and Sehwag slammed his first two balls for six. The second shot, a disdainful sweep into the stands at midwicket, raised his fifty, from 44 balls, and India’s 200. Gambhir – who had crossed 2000 ODI runs – followed Sehwag to fifty, from 59 balls, but became the first casualty. Dancing down to Patel, he holed out to Owais Shah at long-off. Sehwag smashed Patel for 15 runs off four balls in the 24th over before he was splendidly caught by Bell. England needed something extraordinary to stop Sehwag, but failed to keep Yuvraj quiet.Spin had been expected to play a key role, but by the time the first spinner appeared England were already four down thanks to the discipline of Zaheer Khan and Munaf Patel. Both started well, bowling short of a length outside the off stump. Matt Prior fell for 4, edging Munaf to Sehwag at slip, and Shah was caught by the same fielder in the next over, giving Zaheer, who was playing his 150th ODI, his first wicket.Maintaining a steady line and moving the ball both ways, Zaheer took two wickets in the 11th over. Bell nibbled a wide one to Dhoni but the prize scalp was Flintoff, unfortunate to be adjudged lbw to a delivery that pitched just outside leg stump. Paul Collingwood’s 150th ODI appearance was one to forget: he wafted at a wide delivery from RP Singh and feathered a catch to Dhoni.Pietersen had few qualms and settled quickly into his stride, collecting three boundaries off RP Singh. He kept things simple and rotated the strike without fuss, adding 71 with Patel. Just after the 25-over mark, Patel swung at Harbhajan Singh, missed, and was stumped for a run-a-ball 28. Rohit Sharma nailed a smart throw from cover to send Pietersen (63) on his way and the rest flittered away by the 38th over. Ravi Bopara’s lusty hitting took the six tally for this match to 22, and his rapid fifty helped England avert their heaviest defeat.

Paul Reiffel has become the first former Australia Test player to be added to the ICC international panel of umpires. Reiffel has been promoted to the group in the smaller role of TV umpire, which means he can now be appointed as the third official for Tests and one-day internationals.The retirement of Peter Parker sparked the move, which has also allowed the former Tasmania and New South Wales player Rod Tucker to jump from TV umpire to on-field official. It means Australia’s entire international panel – which Cricket Australia nominates to the ICC – is made up of former first-class players with Tucker and Reiffel joined by Queensland’s Bruce Oxenford.Reiffel, 42, played 35 Tests and 92 ODIs as a fast bowler during the 1990s before retiring from first-class cricket in 2001-02 and making his interstate umpiring debut in 2004-05. Reiffel has stood in 21 first-class matches and 20 domestic one-day fixtures.He is the second man after Tucker to be promoted to the international panel from Cricket Australia’s project panel, which started in 2002 with the aim of fast-tracking former first-class players into umpiring. That programme will continue with the development of Paul Wilson, the fast bowler who played one Test for Australia.Wilson was added to the project panel in 2006 and will make his interstate debut alongside Reiffel in an FR Cup match at the WACA today. But notably, the three Australian officials who are on the ICC’s elite panel, Daryl Harper, Steve Davis, and the world’s top umpire, Simon Taufel, have no high-level playing experience.Australians on the ICC’s elite panelSteve Davis (SA), Daryl Harper (SA), Simon Taufel (NSW).Cricket Australia’s international panelBruce Oxenford (Qld), Rod Tucker (NSW), Paul Reiffel (TV umpire, Vic).National umpires’ panelJeff Brookes (WA), Andrew Craig (WA), Simon Fry (SA), Ian Lock (WA), Mick Martell (WA), Bruce Oxenford (Qld), Bob Parry (Vic), Paul Reiffel (Vic), Rod Tucker (NSW), John Ward (VIC), Tony Ward (Vic).

ScorecardAustralia Women successfully defended a total of 162, restricting Australia Under-21s Women to 5 for 156 in 20 overs. Australia racked up a challenging total thanks to a 144-run opening partnership between Shelley Nitschke (56) and Alex Blackwell (37) Delissa Kimmince, on debut, checked the U-21 reply. Jessica Cameron’s 55-ball 79 took the U-21s very close, but the last six runs proved out of their reach.The U-21s’ decision to field clearly didn’t go to plan. Nitschke and Blackwell launched a strong platform, collecting 13 boundaries between them. Nitschke’s innings needed just 38 delivieries, while Blackwell batted 41 balls for her 37. Both openers retired hurt, following which Karen Rolton, the Australian captain, made 23 from 17 balls.The U-21s’ chase never really took off, thank to two quick wickets from Kimmence, sharing the new ball. By the start of the fourth over the U-21s were 2 for 16, which soon became 3 for 39 when Nitschke had Corinne Hall stumped for 9. Elyse Villani, the opener, scored 40 from 66 balls, taking the score to 137 when she was run out. Cameron, who scored a half-century in a loss to India on Sunday, smacked ten fours and a couple of sixes but found little support from the lower middle order.

Younis Khan, the Pakistan batsman, has received clearance from the PCB to represent South Australia as their overseas player this domestic season, starting next month. Younis will fly to Australia after taking part in Pakistan’s domestic Twenty20 championship in Lahore, set to begin on October 4, and the four-nation quadrangular Twenty20 tournament in Canada, which starts six days later.”Younis has taken clearance from the board before he signed his contract with South Australia,” Zakir Khan, the Pakistan board’s director of cricket operations, told . “He is due to leave soon. But he has to make himself available for national duty when he is required.”Younis was sounded out by South Australia back in May after several senior players had quit. After looking at their own talent and failing to capture any significant interstate signings, the struggling team decided to look for an overseas recruit. The Redbacks finished second-last on the Pura Cup points table ahead of Queensland, with two wins out of ten.Younis, though, is likely to miss the opening game of the Redbacks’ Sheffield Shield campaign, starting on October 14 against Victoria at the Adelaide Oval.

With cricket boards placing several restrictions on where the rebel Indian Cricket League (ICL) can train, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has shown some leniency by allowing one of its ICL recruits, fast bowler Shabbir Ahmed, to train at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore.All 16 of Pakistan’s ICL-contracted players have been banned from playing domestic cricket, thereby ruling themselves out of national selection. But apparently no such ban exists on their using board facilities.”There was never any ban on Shabbir Ahmed to practice. He is only banned from representing Pakistan in Tests and ODIs and from first-class cricket,” a senior board official said.However, Shafqat Naghmi, the PCB’s chief operating officer, reiterated that the board wasn’t going to soften its stance on ICL players, saying that the ban stands.”Any player who has represented Pakistan can practice here but that does not mean we are thinking about changing our policy on the ICL,” Naghmi said. “It remains the same. When the ICC recognises it we will also adopt a softer line.”Shabbir had a long session at the nets, preparing for the next season of the ICL. “I am preparing for the start of the new ICL season this year and so far no one has told me not to practice here,” Shabbir said. “Right now I am here to train and get tips from Aaqib Javed and Geoff Lawson who are at the academy.”

The winners of the Twenty20 Cup at the Rose Bowl on Saturday are set to join in Allen Stanford’s winner-takes-all bonanza in Antigua in November, as county cricket anticipates the biggest single payday in its history.Twenty20 Finals Day gets underway this Saturday, where there is expected to be an additional incentive for the four teams involved – Kent, Essex, Durham and Middlesex. Whoever lifts the cup will take on Trinidad & Tobago, the 2008 Stanford 20/20 champions, ahead of the £10million winner-takes-all match between Stanford’s All Stars team against England.According to a report in The Daily Mail, Stanford will offer each member of the county £30,000 for their efforts, but only if they win. The tantalising offer will go some way towards compensating the counties if the proposed Champions League, which is due to feature the two teams that contest the final, fails to take place.At present, the Champions League proposal is on the rocks due to the insistence of the host board, the BCCI, that the counties will be disqualified if they include players from the “rebel” Indian Cricket League. If Essex and Middlesex make it to the final, there will be no complications as neither side is implicated, but if Durham or Kent progress, they both have players involved.Stanford’s intervention, however, increases the possibility that the ECB will simply walk away from the proposal, and seek further money-making opportunities with their billionaire benefactor.At his Rose Bowl press conference, Stanford is also expected to confirm details of the annual three-nation Twenty20 challenge that is set to be staged at Lord’s from 2009. England and West Indies will be regular competitors, with one other nation invited to make up the numbers each year.

South Africa’s coach, Mickey Arthur, believes that his side could well find themselves facing Andrew Flintoff when they take on England in the first Test at Lord’s a week on Thursday, even though he concedes that it would require a gamble from the selectors to pick him.Arthur was speaking at Taunton where South Africa’s first warm-up game drifted to a draw on the final afternoon. Had the South African dressing-room contained a television, they would have been able to watch a fired-up Flintoff taking on Sussex for Lancashire at Hove, where he bowled with great pace and hostility, and was only denied the wicket of Chris Adams when the third umpire decided that an edge to slip had not carried.His bowling form presents England with a dilemma, because for all that the trio of Ryan Sidebottom, Stuart Broad and James Anderson have impressed in recent months against New Zealand, none of them provides the attack with the same 90mph cutting edge of a fully-fit Flintoff. With South Africa set to field two out-and-out pace bowlers in Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, plus the enduring hostility of Makhaya Ntini, the temptation to fight fire with fire is all the greater.England’s selectors met today, and are set to unveil their squad on Thursday, along with a 30-man preliminary party for the Champions Trophy in September, and Arthur was more than willing to stir the pot ahead of the series. “If I had a Flintoff I’d have him back,” he said. “I think Andrew gives their attack a different flavour. He’s got that bustling pace so it would be tempting to play him if he’s fighting fit.”It might be a gamble, but Peter [Moores] knows what he’s doing,” said Arthur. “He’ll assess the risk, because if you’ve got a quality player like him available, you certainly want to pick him. I wouldn’t be surprised if he came straight back … I think he strengthens England.”Though Flintoff’s pace and skill is not in question, there are two big question marks hanging over his game. The first is the ability of his troublesome left ankle to withstand 25 overs in an innings, the prerequisite for a bowler in a four-man attack. The other is the current state of his batting – he managed only 6 in the current match at Hove, and has now gone 114 innings in all forms of the game without hitting a century.”I wouldn’t want to be selecting the side, because I’m not sure you can bank on him coming straight back and giving the amount of overs a Broad or an Anderson would,” said Arthur. “He really has to take the place of one of the top six. [The selectors] have got to weigh it up because I’m not quite sure they’ll get the balance right there.”Arthur’s willingness to speculate on England’s selection issues reflected the confidence and satisfaction he was able to take out of South Africa’s first foray of their tour. Aside from Mark Boucher, every single member of the top seven managed a lengthy spell in the middle over their three days in Taunton, and the bowlers all enjoyed a useful workout as well.Off the field, Graeme Smith made encouraging progress in his recuperation from his hamstring tear, while Jacques Kallis has already been passed fit for the four-day warm-up match against Middlesex at Uxbridge on Friday, after recovering well from a bruised elbow. “I think we got everything we wanted out of the game,” said Arthur. “In fact I don’t think we could have scripted it better.On the first afternoon, Somerset’s captain, Andrew Caddick, had hit out at the flat-pitch policy that had condemned his bowlers to a long and fruitless toil in the first innings, and Arthur was being slightly tongue-in-cheek when he thanked Somerset for their outstanding hospitality. Even so, if there was one quibble he could take from their three days in Taunton, it was the failure of his pace attack to step up their intensity on the final afternoon.”The one thing we probably lacked a little was we wanted to build our bowlers up,” he said, “but we’ve got another four-day game before the Test so we didn’t want to overbowl them either. We probably get better intensity in two-day warm-ups because you bat for one day, bowl for one day, and then the third day tends to drag on a little bit, but we’re very happy with where we’re at. Our focus is on July 10, and everything we do is leading up to that day.”

Aftab Ahmed, the Bangladesh batsman, will miss the forthcoming tri-series at home and the Asia Cup in Pakistan, after sustaining a fractured finger during training at the Sher-e-Bangla Stadium in Mirpur, on Saturday.Aftab was struck on the ring finger of his right hand, while trying to fend off a rising delivery from the seamer Mahbubul Alam. His place has gone to the allrounder Alok Kapali while Rajin Saleh will replace Kapali in the Bangladesh A squad for the upcoming tour of Ireland.The Bangladesh Cricket Board has confirmed the finger was also dislocated. Aftab will require surgery and is ruled out for six weeks. “There is a lot of pain on the finger and it has also swelled,” Aftab told the .This is Aftab’s second injury in the last three months, after he top-edged a Jacques Kallis delivery onto his face while batting in the Chittagong Test against South Africa. He missed the three one-dayers which followed and returned for the ODI series against Ireland at home.The first match of the tri-series, also featuring India and Pakistan, will be played on June 8 in Mirpur.