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Somerset 92 for 1 (Trescothick 53) trail Yorkshire 505 for 9 dec (Rashid 180, Ballance 107, Trego 4-107) by 413 runs
ScorecardAdil Rashid lifted Yorkshire over 500 for consecutive innings•Getty Images

Yorkshire followers have been spoilt of late. Not only have they been winning matches, but they’ve been winning them in style, with both bat and ball. On this occasion they were given more typical Yorkshire virtues: grit and pragmatism. They still saw another total of over 500, but there was less flair about its accumulation than in the victories against Durham and Derbyshire.The start of play was delayed for an hour by bad light and a little rain. Adil Rashid was 120 not out overnight, and he was to stay at the wicket until Andrew Gale declared at the fall of the ninth wicket. He was patient – he batted for exactly seven hours – but when the opportunity arose he was ruthless through the off side, and his wristy flicks off his pads were easy on the eye.He went past his previous highest score of 157 without any alarms, and when he was finally out for 180 he had reached exactly 4000 first-class runs. Rashid has reportedly settled his grievances with Yorkshire having gone public with a view that he has lacked support from the club, and this innings might launch his season.Rashid’s principal allies were Nos. 9 and 10, Rich Pyrah and Jack Brooks. Pyrah took guard shortly before lunch, and announced his intentions immediately after by taking four boundaries off a Peter Trego over: a leg glance, two sumptuous extra cover drives, and a streaky one through the slips. When he stepped away to leg and tried to chop behind square, losing his off stump, he had 55 of a stand of 79.Brooks has one first-class 50 and this innings suggested that it might not be his last. Two leg side sixes off successive balls by left-arm spinner Jack Leach took Yorkshire past 500 in successive innings.The main burden of the Somerset bowling was shouldered by Trego and Steve Kirby. Both conceded over a hundred runs, but at reasonable economy rates and they shared seven of the nine wickets to fall.At the start of the Somerset innings Tim Bresnan, who was being given the once over by Test selector James Whitaker, bowled with real menace, especially to Marcus Trescothick whose bottom hand he hit hard with a ball that rose sharply from a length. Both openers survived confident appeals for caught behind; Nick Compton off Brooks and Trescothick off Pyrah. Brooks in particular was, to put it mildly, very disappointed, and umpire George Sharp wisely had a quiet word with him at the end of the over.There was a lot of playing and missing as the ball moved in the air and occasionally off the pitch, but Compton and Trescothick played with the composure you would expect of Test opening batsmen. Trescothick reached his fifty off 114 balls with 10 boundaries, but was trapped next ball by Brooks, bowling from what is clearly his favoured Kirkstall Lane End.The rain promised never materialised, but the forecast for the third day is worse and if time is lost a positive result might be difficult to achieve although the way Yorkshire have played in recent weeks you can never tell.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Faisalabad Wolves celebrate their title win•Pakistan Cricket Board

After posting 158, Faisalabad Wolves had one major aim in the chase – dismissing Shoaib Malik. They got him in time to restrict Sialkot Stallions in the chase and take the title in front of a full house at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. The Wolves won their previous national T20 title in 2005.Wolves, by winning the title, have also qualified for the Champions League Twenty20 this year, though that remains subject invitation by the tournament organisers. Teams from Pakistan were ignored for the first three editions of that competition, though the Stallions were invited last year. They failed to qualify for the main round.Wolves were off to a poor start after winning the toss, the openers back in the hut in the space of eight balls. However, they recovered, and recovered well.The defining feature of Wolves’ innings was the swift pace at which runs were scored. The first 50 runs came off 50 balls, second in 49 and the final 50 were knocked off in just 17 balls. Asif Ali was key, smashing 70 off 49 balls with nine boundaries, including three sixes. He first put together a 63-run third wicket stand with Khurram Shehzad (30) after the loss of two early wickets and then added an unbeaten 79 with captain Misbah-ul-Haq.Ali won six awards for his 70: most stylish player, most fours, most sixes, best scorer, and the Player of the Match while Ehsan Adil was named best bowler of the tournament. Misbah, who is currently enjoying the best run in his career, finished being a tournament top-scorer with 206 at a strike-rate of 140.13 and an average of 103, He’s also hit the most sixes this competition, 12. He played another assured hand in Wolves’ innings, smacking three sixes for his brisk 38 off 25 balls.The Stallions were reeling at 10 for 3 in the chase. Shakeel Ansar (4) was the first to go, top-edging a catch wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman.Stallions once again had to rely on Malik. Along with Ayaz Tasawwar (28 off 26), Malik added a steady 63 runs for the fifth wicket but the asking-rate was climbing with each over. The pair resisted Wolves for a while but Adil returned for his final spell to end the fightback. He first dismissed Tasawwar – who was caught at extra cover by Asif – and followed with a double-strike, getting rid of the brothers (Shoaib and Adeel) in quick succession.Malik finished the tournament as second-highest run-getter. His 40 off 39 balls included four fours and a six. After his departure, the rest of the batting couldn’t hold together. Malik failed to turn the tables this time and his side was bowled out for 122 in 19.1 overs.

Match facts

March 16-20, 2013
Start time 1000 local (0430 GMT)Tamim Iqbal is fit and should return to the top•Bangladesh Cricket Board

Big Picture

Though the teams were almost even in the bland, high-scoring draw in Galle, they arrive in Colombo with vastly different perspectives on the first Test. Sri Lanka will feel they can take almost nothing from the match apart from meaningless runs, boosted batting averages and tired bowlers. Bangladesh meanwhile have been overjoyed at the application and skill of their batsmen, as well as the strong assertion in Galle, that they are an improving Test side.It follows that the challenge for each team at the Premadasa Stadium is also dissimilar. The visiting batsmen will seek to ride the momentum from the first Test, and reiterate the mastery over the Sri Lankan attack that saw them to their highest Test total. Their bowling might have been fodder for the hosts, but in constructing big innings in long, secure passages of play, the Bangladesh batsmen showed they are capable of closing the gap between the teams, and will be desperate to prove the draw was as much a result of their own aptitude as the lifeless surface.Sri Lanka however, will not only be chasing a win, they will be after an emphatic one. A 2-0 victory was what was expected when Bangladesh arrived, and while Angelo Mathews has explained the draw away by labeling the wicket “absolutely a road”, the pitch in Colombo seems set to favour bowlers, at least early on, and Mathews will want to reassert Sri Lanka’s dominance and avoid an embarrassing scoreline in his first series as captain.Where Sri Lanka will hope to outgun Bangladesh is, strangely, in the pace ranks. Fast bowling has long been Sri Lanka’s worst cricketing suit, but they will expect Nuwan Kulasekara and Shaminda Eranga can pose a greater threat to the Bangladesh batsmen than the spin bowlers can, while the batsmen will not be daunted by Abul Hasan and Shahadat Hossain.There is peril in that strategy though, as Sri Lanka’s top order has been prone to collapse against high-quality fast bowling in the past 12 months. Their tour of Australia was littered by meek capitulations, and even in the home series that preceded that tour, Sri Lanka’s batsmen fell prey to the pace and movement of Tim Southee and Trent Boult with alarming regularity. They are now also missing Thilan Samaraweera at No.5, who has in the past been their saviour on such occasions.The Premadasa pitch may be unlikely to allow another encouraging draw for Bangladesh, but if they can get the best of the seam-bowling conditions and put the hosts under pressure with tight, disciplined spells, they will give themselves a chance of causing an upset.

Form guide

(Most recent results first)Sri Lanka: DLLLL
Bangladesh: DLLLL

In the spotlight

Shaminda Eranga has been identified as a promising long-term prospect for Sri Lanka, who may lead the attack in future years. So far however, he has been steady, rather than brilliant, at Test level. He can bowl at around 145 kph, but does not bowl that fast consistently. He is also able to move the ball, but only slightly. He would do well to bolster his swing and improve his consistency under Chaminda Vaas, who specialised in both, and a good outing on a helpful pitch could provide a crucial confidence boost.Fans who have followed Mohammad Ashraful‘s career in all its fits and frustrations will have been staggered at the amount of care and responsibility he displayed during his 190 in Galle. There was barely a stroke in that knock that did not seem well-considered, while the pace of the innings was also entirely appropriate to the match situation. Mushfiqur Rahim heaped praise on him at the end of the match for helping him through his own innings, and in Colombo, Ashraful will be keen to show his prudent new avatar was not a one-match wonder.

Team news

Ajantha Mendis is in danger of being dropped, and though the young offspinner Tharindu Kaushal is in the team as spin-bowling cover, Mendis’ place will more likely go to one of the fast bowlers, if the track is as lively as it is expected to be. Chanaka Welegedara would ordinarily be the first seam bowler picked in the attack, but a string of injuries in the past year have left him struggling for rhythm. Suranga Lakmal is the other option for the hosts.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2. Dimuth Karunaratne, 3. Kumar Sangakkara, 4. Lahiru Thirimanne, 5. Angelo Mathews (capt), 6. Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 7. Kithuruwan Vithanage, 8. Nuwan Kulasekara, 9. Rangana Herath, 10. Shaminda Eranga, 11. Chanaka Welegedara/Suranga LakmalA fully fit Tamim Iqbal is expected to return for the visitors, and Anamul Haque most likely to make make way for the left-hander. Since the Premadasa pitch is expected to favour the seamers, Robiul Islam could come in as the extra seamer. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak could, however, be included because he offers control. Rubel Hossain has also been declared fit, and is likely to replace Shahadat Hossain.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Jahurul Islam, 3 Mohammad Ashraful, 4 Mominul Haque, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Nasir Hossain, 8 Sohag Gazi, 9 Abul Hasan, 10 Abdur Razzak/Robiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain

Stats and trivia

• After two matches, fast bowler Abul Hasan has a batting average of 136 and a bowling average of 270.
• Kumar Sangakkara has scored 669 runs in his last four innings against Bangladesh.
• Bangladesh have never drawn a Test series

Quotes

“You have to have competition in the team, whether for the youngsters or the seniors. Among the batsmen it has been very good.”
.”The biggest challenge for us is to follow up a drawn Test match with another very good performance. But I am confident we can correct the small mistakes we made in the field in Galle.”

Sri Lanka’s new Test and ODI captain, Angelo Mathews, has said he aims to arrest the team’s slide in the ICC rankings, and hoped to count his side among the best in the world in both formats in the next few yearsMathews succeeded Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after the tour of Australia, after spending almost two years as vice captain in all formats. Dinesh Chandimal was named his deputy in Tests and ODIs and captain of the Twenty20 team. Sri Lanka have been the top-ranked Twenty20 side in the world since their run to the World Twenty20 final in September, but slipped down the Test and ODI rankings after having been second on both tables in 2009. They have also failed to win a Test series away from home since 2008, and have won only four Tests since Muttiah Muralitharan retired in 2010.”My main ambition now is to see the Sri Lankan cricket team in the top three in the next few years,” Mathews said. “We’ve dropped down to sixth place in Tests and fifth in ODIs. It won’t be easy, and it will take some time. Myself, Chandimal and the selectors will have to work closely to achieve that.”Mathews had been Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain since the end of the World Twenty20 in 2012, but the new selection panel, headed by Sanath Jayasuriya, opted to give that position to Chandimal instead. Chandimal has not showed great promise in the Twenty20 format, but Jayasuriya said the selectors split the captaincy in order to help build a young leadership core, as well as to ease Mathews’ burden.”We thought that it would be too much for Angelo to give him the Twenty20 captaincy as well, as we wanted to allow him to concentrate on the Tests and ODIs,” Jayasuriya said. “We thought the best person for the Twenty20 captaincy was Dinesh Chandimal, who has a long future in the game. He will also get some experience of captaining Sri Lanka in case Angelo gets injured.”Mathews’ first assignment as captain will be the two-Test home series against Bangladesh, for which the selectors named a 20-man preliminary squad. The selectors sought to create a break from the past by selecting a young squad for their new captain, but Mathews was grateful for the presence of some senior players, most notably Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who have all captained Sri Lanka in the past.”I think you need both experience and youth in a team, because you can’t have XI new players in a match. I think the selectors had that balance in mind when they chose the team, and they’ve done a good job of that.”Of the older players the selectors omitted, Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene were the most notable exclusions. Jayasuriya was non-committal on whether there was an avenue back into the side for these players, but focused instead on the opportunity to develop fresh talent. He also said the 20-man squad would be whittled down to 15 in the lead up to the first Test.”We need to start giving the youngsters an opportunity, and a series against Bangladesh is a good one to give one or two new players a place,” he said. “Players like Kithuruwan Vithanage and Ashen Silva have been making runs in domestic cricket, and Jeevan Mendis has also scored well recently.”We want to make sure these young cricketers to experience the atmosphere in the Sri Lankan team, and this is a good opportunity to allow that, because it’s a home Test series. They can work with the Sri Lankan team until about 10 days prior to the Test, when we will name the 15-man squad.Chandimal, 23, was impressive in Tests and ODIs, but failed to make himself a regular in either side throughout much of 2012. He acknowledged the added responsibility more leadership would bring, but suggested that his new roles would be a boon to his development, rather than a hindrance.”There’s pressure every time you play a match, but I think the captaincy is a boost for me personally, and a validation of my past performances,” Chandimal said. “I’ve been a captain in Under-19 at school level as well. I didn’t think I would be captain this early in my career, but that’s a source of pride for me.”

ScorecardEngland Women kept their tournament hopes alive with a crushing seven-wicket win over South Africa in a Super Six match in Cuttack. While Australia are dominating the Super Six stage and leading the points table, the race for the second place is turning into a close, three-way contest between West Indies, England and New Zealand. England will need to win their next match against New Zealand with a large margin to improve their existing run rate, which may come into play in case two teams finish on same points.England’s win today was engineered by medium-pacer Anya Shrubsole who decimated the South African batting. By the eighth over, Shrubsole had dismissed South Africa’s top order to leave the side struggling at 18 for four wickets. South Africa never managed to recover from that position, losing wickets in clusters before eventually folding for 77.Given the small target, England struggled early on in their chase. Chloe Tryon took a couple of wickets in the fourth over to leave England wobbling at 26 for three. However, the total was too small for the South African bowlers to defend and Lydia Greenway and Arran Brindle ensured that England got home in under ten overs, giving their run rate a substantial boost.

Last year Ramnaresh Sarwan was a litigant of West Indies cricket. Today he is again a representative of the region, having been recalled to the limited overs team for the tour of Australia.Sarwan’s return follows an 18-month absence from the team, during which he claimed to have been hurt “mentally and emotionally” by national team’s coaching regime.In September it was revealed that Sarwan had won $161,000 in damages from the WICB after his fitness was publicly denigrated by the board when they dropped him from the list of centrally contracted players in 2010.”I’m happy to be back in the team. Obviously I’ve been out for a while, but it feels really good to be back representing West Indies,” Sarwan said. “I am hitting the ball pretty well. It’s a matter of me trying to get myself in and settle down and look to get big scores for the team.”The return of Sarwan to the national team had appeared unlikely last year, when he turned out for Leicestershire rather than West Indies during their tour of England early in the northern summer. At the time Sarwan spoke of the low ebb he had reached prior to being dropped, and the scant support he felt he had received.”The coach said some negative stuff that hurt me mentally and emotionally,” Sarwan told in May last year. “Mentally I was broken down, not from the stress of playing, it’s just certain individuals have drained me mentally. It took a toll on my confidence and the way I play. Everything went away.”I’m away from all those problems, my mind is at ease and I have had nothing to worry about, no coach to say any negative things. At one point I didn’t know which was my back foot and which was my front foot. Now I’m much better, more precise with my movements, everything crystal clear in my head.”I never spoke about this because I was caught up in a shell and I used to not come out of my house for up to three days. My dad was the one to inspire me to start back playing.”Sarwan prospered in England, making 294 runs at 36.75 for Leicestershire in limited overs matches and 941 at 40.91 in first-class competition, though his recent run in the Caribbean domestic T20 have been less promising – score of 8, 1, 2 and 7 in four matches for Guyana.The serious facial injury suffered by Marlon Samuels while playing for the Melbourne Renegades during the Big Bash League ruled him out of selection for the tour, which includes five ODIs and one Twenty20, opening the way for the left-hand batsman and right-arm off spin bowler Narsingh Deonarine to be included.Otherwise the squad is largely as expected, Darren Sammy leading a team that will also feature Chris Gayle, Kieron Pollard and Kemar Roach after their BBL exploits down under this summer. The tourists will arrive in Australia on January 26, and play a warm-up fixture against the Prime Minister’s XI in Canberra on January 29.West Indies squad: Darren Sammy (capt), Dwayne Bravo, Tino Best, Darren Bravo, Johnson Charles, Narsingh Deonarine, Chris Gayle, Jason Holder, Sunil Narine, Kieron Pollard, Kieran Powell, Kemar Roach, Andre Russell, Ramnaresh Sarwan, Devon Thomas

MS Dhoni, India’s captain, has suggested that a lack of availability rather than talent will continue to be a barrier for England players wishing to participate in the IPL. Although England’s Test series win in India has raised the profiles of several members of the squad, Dhoni said the limited window permitted by the ECB for IPL participation was a “big concern” for franchises.IPL commissioner Rajiv Shukla had suggested that the likes of Test captain Alastair Cook and Monty Panesar may be of interest when the next auction for international players takes place. However, with England commitments taking a higher priority, Dhoni said only “special” players like Kevin Pietersen would be of interest to franchises.”Most of the time when the IPL happens, I don’t think the English team has a clear period – so they’re not available for the full 45 to 50 days of cricket,” Dhoni said. “That’s a big concern when it comes to some of the IPL franchises.”The English team have fantastic talent, players who can have a big impact in the shorter format. If most of them were available for the full 45 or 50 days, I could see England players coming to the IPL.”The IPL in 2013 is scheduled to begin on April 3, a week after England finish their tour of New Zealand, and will run until May 26. England’s home series against New Zealand begins with the first of two Tests on May 16, further curtailing any potential for involvement. Pietersen and Eoin Morgan are the only current, centrally contracted England players with IPL deals and, when asked, Dhoni was unsure if many others would be joining them in the world’s most glamorous T20 tournament.”Kevin Pietersen is a really different batsman,” Dhoni said. “If he’s available for half a season, the sides can still gamble that he can play seven or eight games at least. He’s a special player. But you have to be that special.”Several members of the England set-up, including Graeme Swann, James Anderson and Matt Prior, entered the 2012 auction only to prove unattractive. Stuart Broad was bought by Kings XI Punjab in 2011 but was ruled out by injury in consecutive seasons before being released. Luke Wright, who is a member of England’s T20 squad but not in possession of a central contract, is part of Pune Warrior’s squad for 2013.Despite various obstacles – in Cook’s case, not even being considered good enough for England’s T20 side – Shukla had suggested that the Test series victory could capture the imagination of franchise owners and public alike.”I think so, I think it might well do that,” Shukla told . “England have done very well and the franchises are most definitely aware of what has been happening in this series. The English domestic schedule can make it difficult for players to play for long here, and franchises will look at that, but these Test matches have definitely raised expectations of the players from television viewers. I am sure Indian people would love to see them again.”Cook might be one. Test and Twenty20 cricket are different but Indian people know about him now as he made a very good impression. Monty Panesar could definitely be another, he is very popular over here already, and there are probably some others.”

Scorecard
Odisha’s batting keeled over for the second time in the match to help Baroda to all seven points in Vadodara. Five of Odisha’s top six made single-digit scores as their side collapsed to 56 for 6, still needing plenty to make Baroda bat again. The lower order showed a bit more spine than the specialist batsmen in the side to help Odisha reach 123, at least averting the ignominy of an innings defeat. Debutant left-arm spinner Ketul Patel was Baroda’s most successful bowler, taking 4 for 36. Baroda were left needing four runs to win, and they didn’t even have to score those off the bat as four byes confirmed their victory. The result took Baroda, at least temporarily, to the top of the table with 20 points. Odisha have slipped from second to third place, and still remain strong contenders for a place in the knockouts.
Scorecard
Uttar Pradesh finally declared their first innings on the third morning, after Arif Alam reached his second successive century, and then steadily consolidated their advantage with regular strikes against Vidarbha. Hemang Badani, the batsman formerly of Tamil Nadu, top scored with an unbeaten 69 but with UP having scored a mountain of runs, Vidarbha needed big hundreds to stand a serious chance of getting the first-innings lead. Instead, opener Faiz Fazal and No. 3 Amol Ubarhande produced 40s, which were not enough to prevent UP from dominating the game.
Scorecard
Maharashtra gave themselves a chance of their first outright victory of the season by taking a massive lead in the first innings and setting Haryana’s fragile batting the challenge of seeing out the best part of four sessions to survive. Sangram Atitkar, who reached his century on Sunday, reached his career-best score of 190, and Kedar Jadhav made a hundred to lift Maharashtra towards 500. Faced with a 283-run deficit, Haryana lost their openers in the 26 overs before stumps, and need to find some batting solidity on the final day to salvage a point.