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ScorecardMonde Zondeki, the right-arm fast bowler, tore through the West Indian batting line-up with five wickets to restrict the tourists to 193 after they opted to bat. Even though South Africa A replied strongly – 78 for 1 at the close with Neil McKenzie, the captain, unbeaten on 43 – the day belonged to Zondeki who played the last of his five Tests for South Africa over two years ago.Despite two early losses, the West Indians were well-placed at 83 for 2 before a flurry of wickets – including a second-ball duck for Shivnarine Chanderpaul – had them reeling on 112 for 7. A spirited fightback by Runako Morton (54) and useful 40s from Darren Sammy and Rawl Lewis helped them to 193. Sammy and Lewis shared 57 for the eighth wicket and hit 11 fours and a six between them.Charl Langeveldt and Vernon Philander took two wickets apiece to back-up Zondeki, who has been in excellent domestic form this season with 44 wickets in seven matches.South Africa A lost an early wicket when Alviro Petersen was bowled by Sammyfor 8. But Morne van Wyk and McKenzie put on an unbroken 63 for the second wicket as the visiting bowlers struggled in their only first-class fixture before a three-Test series starting in Port Elizabeth next Wednesday.

Nathan Astle’s record double-century against England was a highlight © Getty Images

January 1995 – At 23, makes his one-day international debut against West Indies at Auckland. Scores 25 and takes 0 for 27.November 1995 – Having established his place as an opener, scores his first ODI century. His 114 from 128 balls against India at Nagpur drives New Zealand to a 99-run win.January 1996 – After a year in the one-day team, makes his Test debut against Zimbabwe at Hamilton. Scores 18 and 32 in a drawn game.February 1996 – In his first World Cup game, his 101 sets up an 11-run win against England at Ahmedabad.April 1996 – Makes back-to-back Test centuries on a tour of West Indies. His 125 at Bridgetown against an attack boasting Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop is his maiden Test hundred. He follows it up at St John’s with 103 but New Zealand go down in both matches.January 1997 – Scores his first Test hundred on home soil with an unbeaten 102 against England at Auckland.May 1997 – Records his best ODI bowling figures with a vital spell of 4 for 43 as New Zealand beat Pakistan at Chandigarh.June 1999 – Struggles through his second World Cup in poor form. Averages only 8.77 from his nine innings as New Zealand are eliminated at the semi-final stage.December 2001 – Top scores with 156 not out in the third Test against Australia at Perth as New Zealand draw the series 0-0.March 2002 – Smashes the fastest Test double-century, reaching the milestone in 153 balls against England at Christchurch. Finishes with 222, his highest Test score.March 2003 – Has a more successful World Cup in South Africa, making 102 not out against Zimbabwe and averaging 42.60 for the tournament.September 2004 – Takes the opportunity against the United States at The Oval to raise his highest ODI score, 145 from 151 deliveries.January 2006 – Is briefly dropped from the ODI squad to take on Sri Lanka at home but returns to the side with a string of high scores, including an unbeaten 118 against West Indies at Christchurch.January 26, 2007 – After a poor start to the CB Series in Australia, announces his retirement from international cricket, citing a lack of motivation.

ScorecardEngland’s miserable time on the subcontinent continued with their fourth successive defeat in the triangular tournament, this time to Sri Lanka. They now need unlikely victories with bonus points in their remaining two matches – and for Bangladesh to win tomorrow – to make the final. Chance would be a fine thing … but the chances are it will be Sri Lanka and the hosts Bangladesh who contest the final on December 14th.Before then England must play both teams once again and, realistically, only pride at stake. But any pride they can salvage at all will act as at least some fillip to them after Sri Lanka beat them by a whopping 60 runs to make it nine defeats out of nine matches this tour. Just like their senior counterparts, they are finding life on the subcontinent somewhat testing.Hans Fernando’s unbeaten century helped to take Sri Lanka to 281 for 6 from their 50 overs. His 119 not out came from 106 balls and included 15 fours. It took him two hours. The opener Dimuth Karunaratne piled on the misery with 56 from 80 balls. Rory Hamilton-Brown was England’s most successful bowler, with two wickets for 59 runs from his ten overs.England’s reply got off to a creditable start, with Varun Chopra making his highest total this tournament, 77. Ben Wright added 47 before he was caught and bowled by Sacithra Serasinghe, who bagged 4 for 53. Rajeeva Weerasinghe also chipped in with an impressive 3 for 22 from 8.1 overs as England crumbled in the face of a mountainous target.

England XI 225 (Langeveldt 5-48) and 154 for 7 (Vaughan 82*, Willoughby 3-47) lead South Africa A 281 (van Jaarsveld 71, Ontong 56, Morkel 47) by 98 runs
Scorecard

Michael Vaughan was at the crease for England at the close, unbeaten on 82© Getty Images

One top-order aberration could be put down to ring-rustiness, but two in a single match smacks of carelessness. For the second day running at Potchefstroom, England’s batting collapsed in a heap against South Africa A, leaving the team in severe danger of an embarrassing three-day defeat. With less than a week to go until the first Test at Port Elizabeth, all of their pre-series optimism has gone floating down the river Mooi.Up until twenty minutes before tea, the day was looking quite promising for England. A spirited bowling performance had limited the South Africans to a first-innings lead of 56, and England seemed ready to set out their stall on a pitch that had flattened out since the first morning. But you know what they say about the best-laid plans. In a disastrous five-over spell before tea, England slumped to 3 for 3, and went on to lose four more wickets in the final session, with only the captain, Michael Vaughan, hanging around to man the barriers.By the close, Vaughan was still there on 82, a innings of phlegmatic serenity that was reminiscent of his effort at Johannesburg on Test debut four years ago, when England were reduced to 2 for 4 by Allan Donald and Shaun Pollock. The destroyers on this occasion, however, were nowhere near such a potent pairing. Instead Charl Willoughby and Ethy Mbhalati stuck to the basics of line, length and a modicum of movement, and let England’s lack of application do the rest.

Charl Willoughby congratulated for Mark Butcher’s dismissal just before tea© Getty Images

The first of their victims was Marcus Trescothick, who had scratched around for a 43-ball 7 in the first innings. He lasted just five more balls second-time around, before being pinned plumb lbw in Willoughby’s first over. And then Andrew Strauss, with a fluent 50 to his name already, turned Mbhalati straight into the hands of JP Duminy at short-leg, to fall for a six-ball duck.The worst, however, was yet to come for England. Mark Butcher, who was in desperate need of some time in the middle after his two failures on the tour so far, had faced just ten balls by the time he was adjudged lbw by umpire Karl Hurtur, again for a duck. There was more than a hint of inside-edge in the decision, but no matter. England’s selectors now face a tricky decision – should they risk Butcher, or persevere with the in-form Robert Key, the man who replaced him when he was injured last summer?Graham Thorpe at least showed some signs of fluency in his brief stay – he rasped an Mbhalati half-volley through the covers for four, but was then beaten by a ball that kept a fraction low and bowled off the inside-edge by Willoughby. At 29 for 4, Vaughan was joined by Andrew Flintoff, just as he had been at Jo’burg five years ago, and together they wiped out what remained of the deficit with a series of counterattacking cuts and pulls.

Albie Morkel clipped Andrew Flintoff’s off stump with his fifth delivery© Getty Images

But a change in the South African bowling attack ended that brief flurry of runs. Albie Morkel struck with his fifth delivery, clipping Flintoff’s off bail as he played down the wrong line (64 for 5), and for the second innings running, Geraint Jones arrived at the crease with England in all sorts of bother. He did his best to provide Vaughan with support, cracking five fours in an hour-long stay, but when Mbhalati returned to the attack, Jones feathered a lifting delivery through to Mark Boucher, to depart for 26 from 47 balls.Mbhalati then blotted his copy-book off the very next delivery, as he dropped Vaughan at fine leg, but by then the damage had been done. Ashley Giles was unable to stick around in his now-customary manner, as Martin van Jaarsveld snapped him up at second slip off Alfonso Thomas, but Matthew Hoggard did his bit, clinging on in the fading light as England closed on 154 for 7.For the first two sessions, it had looked like being England’s day, as their bowlers enjoyed precisely the sort of workout they needed ahead of the Port Elizabeth Test. Flintoff extracted some menacing bounce with his heavy-limbed action to pocket three scalps in a brisk spell before lunch, and though the rest of the attack took their time to click through the gears, each of them picked up at least one wicket, with Simon Jones cleaning up the tail in perfunctory fashion. For South Africa, van Jaarsveld top-scored with a fine 71, and Morkel cracked two sixes and six fours in an entertaining 47 from 48 balls, but it was with the ball that they really did their talking.

India A 276 for 8 (Gavaskar 79* Sriram 77, Balaji 5-50) beat India Seniors 249 for 8 (Badani 73, Bangar 66) by 27 runs
ScorecardThe Challenger Series for the 2003-04 season got off to an entertaining start when India A pulled off a 27-run upset victory over the Seniors at the Chinnaswamy Stadium in Bangalore. Opting to bat first on a belter, India A shrugged off the loss of early wickets to score 276, and then restricted the Seniors to 249.If the idea of the tournament was to pit the probables for the Indian team together and judge their performances, then today’s match should have given the selectors plenty to ponder over. The most impressive displays were from those on the fringes of the national team, while the certainties put in tepid performances. The lack of match-play for many of the top players was evident too. In fact, of the five star-rated performances today, four came from players who had toured with the A team to England recently. For India A, Sridharan Sriram (77) and Rohan Gavaskar (79 not out) were the heroes, while Hemang Badani (73) and Sanjay Bangar (66) contributed most of the runs for India Seniors. L Balaji had reason to celebrate too, bowling with control and consistency to pick up a five-for.Both innings were dominated by fifth-wicket partnerships: Sriram and Gavaskar revived India A’s innings with a 126-run stand, while Badani and Bangar added 114 to put the India Seniors’ run-chase back on track after they had slumped to 86 for 4.On an excellent batting strip, a target of 277 wasn’t insurmountable, but India Seniors erred in sending Parthiv Patel to open, while Sourav Ganguly dropped down to No. 3. The move flopped, as Parthiv edged the fourth ball of the innings to Mohammad Kaif at gully. Rayudu was secure in defence, but got himself run out after a misunderstanding with Ganguly (7 for 2). Ganguly himself started nervously, then showed signs of getting back in form with a couple of rasping square-drives, before top-edging a pull off Pathan (39 for 3).When Tendulkar – in the middle of an inspired spell – trapped VVS Laxman (30) in front to end a promising 47-run stand with Badani, India A seemed to have wrapped up the match. However, Badani and Bangar then proceeded to pull the innings out of the rut. Badani used the sweep to good effect, and drove in the V to anything which was pitched up. Bangar, once again, impressed with his cricketing sense, chipping over the infield intelligently and running hard.Salvi ended the partnership when Badani – after having scored 13 from that over – attempted a pull and top-edged to Ajay Ratra (200 for 5). Bangar was stumped off Anil Kumble soon after, as India Seniors’ hopes faded away.Earlier, Balaji was the chief wrecker as India A stuttered at the start. Keeping an excellent control over his length and pitching it consistently in the corridor, Balaji struck three times in his first six overs, and almost got a fourth. Gautam Gambhir succumbed to an old weakness, driving on the up at a widish ball, straight to Ambati Rayudu at backward point (20 for 1). Balaji then bowled Tendulkar with a no-ball, but television replays suggested that the call was a harsh one.Wasim Jaffer’s played three gorgeous drives on either side of the wicket, and then fell attempting another one, nicking to VVS Laxman at slip (43 for 2), while Kaif gave more catching practice to Laxman (66 for 3). With Zaheer Khan showing signs of early season rustiness – he bowled four no-balls and as many wides in his first five overs, which went for 38 – Balaji’s incisiveness and control was vital in keeping the senior side in the match.On 7 when given the reprieve, Tendulkar struggled for fluency throughout, striking just four fours in his 66-ball effort. His subdued innings finally ended courtesy a clever piece of bowling by Harbhajan, who enticed Tendulkar down the pitch and then held on to a sharp return catch.Sriram and Gavaskar led the recovery with a carefully constructed partnership. Both batsmen were circumspect at the start, nurdling the ball in the gaps and sprinting hard, and then slowly upped the tempo. Sriram’s sweep stroke was especially effective, while Gavaskar played some spanking shots down the ground, especially memorable being a straight six off Harbhajan and a straight-drive off Zaheer. The stand finally ended when Sriram skied an attempted flick to Ganguly at mid-on (237 for 5), but Gavaskar kept the innings going. In the end, a total of 276 turned out to be more than enough.

Middle-order batsman Michael Vandort has been left out of Sri Lanka’s 14-man squad for the third and final Test against West Indies as Sri Lankan selectors back Russel Arnold to return to form.Vandort made his Test debut at the expense of Russel Arnold in the Asian Test championship match against Bangladesh at the SSC grounds in September scoring 36 and, was a member of the 15-man squad for the on-going Test series against West Indies at Galle and Kandy.As is normally the practice when the team is playing in Colombo, the squad is pruned down to 14 and Vandort, who made 93 for CCC in last week’s Premier Trophy match against Sebastianites, finds himself the unlucky one to be left out.Barring injuries, Sri Lanka are likely to go into the final Test with the same eleven that won the second Test at Kandy by 131 runs to give them an unassailable 2-0 lead in the three-match series.This means that Arnold will retain his place as a number five batsman despite the paucity of his runs at this level, which has seen his Test average dip from a promising 40 to 27.37 in the last 20 Tests he’s played.The left-hander has been able to go past 50 only three times in his last 33 Test innings, which doesn’t reflect the talent he possesses. Arnold himself must be worried about his own contribution with the bat to the team. His failures have not been largely significant because the other batsmen have been in the runs and given Sri Lanka match-winning totals.Apart from his batting capabilities, Arnold is also an outstanding close-infielder who has contributed much to the success of off-spinner MuttiahMuralitharan, latching on to the bat-pad catches.The selectors left out Arnold for the Asian Test championship match against Bangladesh, but brought him back for the West Indies series where he has scored only 38 runs in three innings.Despite the dearth of runs at Test level, we understand the selectors willpersevere with him for the three-Tests against Zimbabwe as well, which shouldput Arnold’s mind at ease and make him more relaxed to go out to the middleand score a century, which is long overdue.Sri Lanka squad of 14 for SSC Test:Sanath Jayasuriya (captain), Marvan Atapattu, Kumar Sangakkara, MahelaJayawardene, Russel Arnold, Hashan Tillakaratne, Tilan Samaraweera, ChamindaVaas, Muttiah Muralitharan, Niroshan Bandaratillake, Nuwan Zoysa, CharithaBuddhika Fernando, Upul Chandana, Suresh Perera.

The chance to show off their depth rather than the concerns of whether the waters may be too shallow is how Hashim Amla has described the challenge South Africa face in Bangalore. His team go into the match without two of three first-choice fast bowlers, after Vernon Philander and Dale Steyn were ruled out of the series and match respectively, leaving South Africa with a young attack who Amla believes will be able to fill big shoes.”A series is generally won with 15 players and not just 11,” Amla said. “Obviously losing Dale – the best bowler in the world – and Vernon – arguably the best allrounder in the world – changes the dynamics of our team but the guys who are going to be replacing them are quality cricketers and we are very fortunate to have great depth in our bowling attack.”South Africa’s new-look pace pack will be led by Morne Morkel, who has recovered from the quad strain that kept him out of the last two ODIs and the first Test, and seconded by Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada. Between them, they have played just four Tests and Rabada only one – South Africa’s previous one in Mohali – but they will be need to take on the roles of much more experienced men. But Amla brushed off worries about his attack being too green.”Things like this happen and sometimes you get fairy tales coming out of these type of things. If Kyle rocks up and has an amazing day then so be it,” he said.Abbott has already been part of one Cinderella story. On debut, he stood in for Jacques Kallis, who missed the 2013 Centurion Test against Pakistan with a calf injury and became the second most successful South African on debut. He took 7 for 29 in the first innings and finished the match with nine scalps.Although he has not had the same success in the two other Tests he played – as part of a four-man pace pack against Australia in March 2014 and against West Indies in December 2014 – he has done well when filling in for the likes of Philander and Steyn in ODI cricket and is regarded as South Africa’s go-to deputiser.”Over the last couple of years Kyle has been one of our outstanding reserve bowlers. Whenever he has had an opportunity for us in T20s, ODIs and even in Tests, he has done exceptionally well,” Amla said. “It’s great to have him back.”Abbott will be back barely after stepping off the plane, having arrived in India on Thursday evening. Less than 48 hours later he could be on the field but Amla is not worried about jet-lag either. “Kyle is a wonderful professional and when he puts his boots on he’s ready, even if he got off the plane 10 minutes before he bowled the first ball,” Amla said.South Africa’s desperation to use Abbott comes because they see him as a like-for-like replacement for both Philander and Steyn because of his consistency and his ability to swing the ball. “He brings a little bit of what Vernon brings in terms of consistency, you kind of know what you are going to get, he is extremely consistent in where he lands the ball,” Amla said. “He brings a lot of control and he has got a great know-how of what he wants to do.”Abbott stood in for Philander at the 2015 World Cup, where he played four matches including the quarter-final because Philander was battling a hamstring injury. Abbott finished with South Africa’s best average in the tournament – 14.44 – and was controversially replaced in the semi-final when Philander regained fitness. The irony of Abbott now replacing Philander will not be lost on the many who followed the story of Abbott being left out of the semi-final XI for what was later revealed as political, not tactical, considerations.This time there are no politics involved, only strategy. South Africa seem set on three seamers in every match, not fewer, because they don’t want to leave too much for their part-timer bowlers, specifically JP Duminy, to do. Duminy has recovered from a cut on his hand and will be back in the XI but selector Ashwell Prince, speaking on a television show, said Duminy’s focus should be his batting.”I would like him, if he comes back into the team, to play as a batsman, a world-class batsman… the responsibility of his off spin needs to come off his shoulders. It must be seen as a bonus, as with Dean Elgar’s left-arm spin,” Prince said.Amla seems to be leaning the same way. He spoke about Duminy’s value as a batsmen above the options he provides with ball in hand. “JP has been a quality player over many years for us. He bats in a crucial position down at No. 5, 6 and 7. In all forms of cricket, that’s the business end of the game,” Amla said. “He brings a lot of know-how and experience to the middle order and his off spin has been vital for us.”Duminy will do some bowling but all indications are that South Africa will continue to rely on their traditional strength in seamers although not all their strong men are available anymore.

Transfer insider Dean Jones isn’t sure whether Leon Bailey will be at Aston Villa next season. 

The lowdown

Villa paid £28.8m to sign the 24-year-old from Bayer Leverkusen just last summer. That made him the third-biggest signing in the club’s history, behind Emiliano Buendia and Ollie Watkins, but the winger hasn’t been able to make too much of an impact up to this point.

Having struggled to stay fit, he has started only four Premier League matches, making a further eight appearances from the bench (totalling 472 minutes).

The Jamaican’s solitary Villa goal so far came in the 3-0 win over Everton in September, although he has also provided two assists.

The latest

Speaking to GiveMeSport, Jones suggested that Villa might let Bailey leave after just 12 months if the right offer arrives at the club’s door.

The journalist admitted: “Bailey I’m not so sure about. I think that he really could be moved on in the summer in the right circumstances.”

The verdict

It’s worth remembering just how good Bailey was at Leverkusen last season. He scored 15 goals and laid on 11 assists in all competitions, and with that kind of return, he looked like a real coup for Villa at the time.

Back in September, then-manager Dean Smith outlined his expectation that the 24-year-old would be a ‘crowd favourite’ at Villa Park.

According to Transfermarkt, Bailey had only missed 13 games through injury across his entire career before he moved to England, which should surely give Villa hope that he can overcome the problems he has encountered this season.

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Despite Jones casting some doubt over the Jamaican’s future in the Midlands, the winger deserves more time to prove his worth to Steven Gerrard.

In other news, one player on Villa’s books has suffered a major setback

Celtic have opened contract renewal talks with first-team coach Gavin Strachan.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a report by Football Insider, who claim a Celtic source has revealed that Ange Postecoglou’s side have opened talks with the first-team coach regarding the extension of his current deal at Parkhead.

The report goes on to state that the 43-year-old is highly regarded by the Bhoys hierarchy, and is being rewarded for his role in the Hoops’ transformation under the leadership of the Greek-Australian head coach this season.

Finally, it is said that the negotiations between the coach and the club are already well underway, with it being hoped by both parties that an agreement can be reached in the near future.

Postecoglou will be buzzing

With Strachan having started to attract interest from clubs looking for a new manager – such as League Two side Hartlepool United, who approached the 43-year-old in November of last year – the news that the first team coach looks set to remain at Parkhead for the foreseeable is sure to have left Postecoglou buzzing.

Indeed, the Daily Record previously reported that Strachan has “been hailed by Postecoglou for the key role he has played behind the scenes” at Lennoxtown, as well as it being stated that the “highly-rated” Scotsman has proven himself to be “an integral part of Postecoglou’s backroom team.”

The 56-year-old Bhoys boss has also joked about the former Peterborough United and Doncaster Rovers assistant manager’s reputation of a “laptop coach” – stating about Strachan and his hardware, which featured in Celtic’s Christmas advert, earlier this season:

“I’m not surprised he’s taken star billing. It’s a very important part of our setup here, and that’s all I’ll say about it!”

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However, all joking aside, considering the remarkable job Postecoglou and his backroom staff have done in turning Celtic’s extremely disappointing 2020/21 campaign into what could well be a domestic treble-winning season this time around, it is clear the 43-year-old has well and truly earned a new deal at Parkhead – with his impending extension undoubtedly being good news for the club.

AND in other news: Postecoglou drops huge behind the scenes update, it’s great news for Celtic

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

Shoaib Malik’s all-round performance allowed Pakistan to reduce India’s margin of victory to 3-2 © AFP

Shoaib Malik excelled with both bat and ball as Pakistan notched up the consolation win that reduced India’s margin of victory in the one-day series to 3-2. A 168-run partnership with Mohammad Yousuf revived Pakistan’s stuttering innings, and he then picked up the key wickets of Mahendra Singh Dhoni and Rohit Sharma as an under-strength team outlasted an Indian side that had also rested four regulars.By the time Malik arrived in the middle, Sreesanth had struck in each over of his second spell to transform a promising start (65 for 0) into a decidedly rocky one (77 for 3). But with Yousuf in the sort of form that fetched him an unbeaten 99 in the previous game, the innings was steadily rebuilt, first with singles, and then with big hits over midwicket and through the covers.Malik’s innings was laced with some good fortune too, with top-edged pulls off Sreesanth and Praveen Kumar, the debutant, falling safe, but the manner in which he and Yousuf took on India’s slow bowlers completely changed the complexion of the innings.Yousuf was again at his unhurried, classy best. He picked the gaps on the leg side cleverly and cut the ball behind point fluently when the bowlers erred. He was well on track for the century that he had missed both in Guwahati and Gwalior, but was flummoxed when the previously expensive Yuvraj Singh spun one past the bat as he lunged forward.Malik’s 82-ball 89 had ended in similar fashion just minutes earlier, with Murali Kartik deceiving him in the flight. But Misbah-ul-Haq and the impressive Fawad Alam finished with a flourish to ensure that the exit of the two established batsmen didn’t really affect the final total.India’s reply was doomed almost from the start, with Sohail Tanvir and Iftikhar Anjum doing the damage. Sourav Ganguly was among the four rested, and it was Gautam Gambhir who emerged to open with Sachin Tendulkar. He cut and flicked Tanvir for two fours, but was fortunate to be reprieved when a thick edge just brushed the fingertips of second slip. His luck didn’t last though, and when he played down the wrong line, he was plumb in front.Tendulkar got going with two gorgeous cuts for four off Umar Gul, but Robin Uthappa, promoted to No. 3, struggled in conditions where the ball moved around. Anjum was dismayed when a flashing edge was put down by Misbah at slip, but he didn’t need to frown for long. With his feet statuesque, Uthappa repeated the shot, and this time Misbah’s fingers weren’t slippery.Tendulkar was carrying on where he left off in Gwalior, cover-driving and flicking Tanvir with superb timing. But when he was drawn to play one that angled well away from him, Misbah was on hand once again to take the catch. That put India on the back foot, and it was backs-to-the-wall moments later when Virender Sehwag had a grotesque dart at another Tanvir delivery that angled across. Sarfraz Ahmed took his first catch in ODIs, and India were in disarray at 62 for 4.Yuvraj struggled horribly early on, getting off the mark from the 11th ball he faced, a fortuitous inside edge for four. His timing was awry, and when Anjum thumped him on the helmet with a well-directed short ball, it exemplified India’s travails. But Rohit Sharma played himself in and then proceeded to play some gorgeous shots, including a six on-the-walk over mid-off, as an 81-run partnership revived Indian hopes.But a tame loft to long-on ended his innings, and when Yuvraj, who had overcome early jitters to post yet another 50, was given out caught off the arm, Malik and Pakistan sensed their moment. Dhoni, who appeared to damage an ankle while running a single, lost patience and miscued one to cover, and Kumar made little impact. It was left to Irfan Pathan to reduce the margin as the match petered out.Sharma’s composure and class apart, India could take some comfort from the performances of Kumar and Sreesanth. Sreesanth struggled for line and fluency against the left-hand Salman Butt, and it was Kumar who was clearly more impressive in the first spell. Bowling in the low 130s for the most part, he got some movement and troubled both batsmen with his accuracy before a couple of wayward deliveries at the end of the spell allowed the batsmen to score a few.

India got off to a poor start chasing when Sohail Tanvir and Iftikhar Anjum reduced them to 62 for 4 in 12 overs © AFP

Sreesanth went for 20 in his first three overs, but when he returned, it was a different tale. Butt miscued a pull to short mid-on, and Yasir Hameed was also undone by steep bounce outside his off stump. Imran Nazir had been largely becalmed on his way to 20, but when a slower ball came his way outside off stump, he couldn’t resist the temptation. The swipecame straight back at Sreesanth, who took a smart catch.That was as good as it got for the capacity crowd. Malik and Yousuf wrested the initiative, and a young pace attack along with Alam – who showed nice variations despite going wicketless – made light of the absence of Shoaib Akhtar to script an emphatic victory. For Malik, the star of the show, it was the perfect note with which to end one campaign and prepare for a more testing one.