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Victoria 6 for 281 (Hussey 113, Rogers 105, Symonds 3-34) v Queensland
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Andrew Symonds is supposed to be proving his batting is ready for a Test return in the Ashes, but it was his medium pace that kept Queensland in with a chance of an upset in the Sheffield Shield final. David Hussey’s 113 and 105 from Chris Rogers lifted the Bushrangers from two early slips and they struggled over the final hour to finish with 6 for 281.Victoria, who need only a draw in the five-day final to lift the trophy, went to lunch having lost Nick Jewell and Brad Hodge, but they recovered through a 181-run stand between Rogers and Hussey before losing the momentum when Symonds grabbed the second new ball. Symonds, who is recovering from knee surgery and off-field problems, helped Queensland regain their spark when he picked up Hussey and the nightwatchman Dirk Nannes, while the impressive James Hopes removed Rob Quiney with a glance behind.The breakthroughs left the game delicately balanced and the stumbles will raise concerns in the Victoria dressing room after their losses in the FR Cup and Twenty20 finals this season, along with a five-year drought in the Sheffield Shield. Symonds’ late burst also allowed Queensland to stop worrying about the Bushrangers posting another massive total to follow their 8 for 806 last weekend. Symonds finished with 3 for 34 from 15 overs while Hopes had 2 for 47 off 21 to cover some of the lapses of an attack missing the injured Ashley Noffke and Ryan Harris.While Rogers provided the steel for Victoria, Hussey displayed the flair and spent 180 balls collecting 14 fours, and two sixes off Daniel Doran. After giving Rogers a 90-minute start, Hussey beat his partner to a century, ending his year-long drought with a drive to midwicket for two. Like Rogers, he didn’t stay long after raising his bat and was lbw to a Symonds inswinger.The momentum changed swiftly after lunch when Hussey struck four boundaries from Ben Cutting and followed up by hitting the legspinner Doran for six to long-on and adding a four in the same over. The pair continued to build during the impressive stand before the visitors hit back.An over after Hussey got his hundred, Rogers took ten from Doran to bring up his fifth century of an incredible summer – he is second on the run list – and he walked off with his tally at 1153 for his new state. Rogers remained committed through the tricky opening exchanges, experienced a couple of near misses and then built another firm platform.The end was a surprise as Rogers played back to Doran and got an edge on to his hip that popped to Ryan Broad at short leg. Having jumped in the air and pumped his fist on gaining three figures, he was quickly shaking his head and leaving after 14 boundaries and 237 balls.Rogers, who continues to hope for an Ashes spot, survived an opening-over lbw appeal and was dropped off Symonds’ bowling by Shane Watson on 18, with Martin Love unable to collect the ricochet to his left. He remained unflustered and a straight four off Hopes, who was always a challenge with his swinging deliveries, was particularly smart. He also pulled and cut Symonds for boundaries in the same over and showed his strength square of the wicket again with a couple of fours from Ben Laughlin.Hopes opened the bowling and picked up Jewell (6) lbw playing back in the seventh over and the Bushrangers were 2 for 55 when Symonds confused Hodge into edging to Watson at second slip. From there the match swung back and forth to ensure a compelling second day.

Australia 307 for 4 (Ebsary 86, Poulton 81, Nitschke 58) beat New Zealand 263 (Satterthwaite 67, Sampson 3-34) by 44 runs
Scorecard

Australia levelled the Rose Bowl Series after four matches when their third-highest total in history ensured a satisfying 44-run victory in Hamilton. Lauren Ebsary, Leah Poulton and Shelley Nitschke fired with half-centuries in Australia’s 307 for 4 before the hosts lost too many wickets to mount a serious challenge.The final match is in Wellington on Thursday and Australia, who came back from a 2-0 deficit, will enter the contest with renewed confidence following their outstanding form over the past two games. “Scoring 300 is something that we’ve been working towards as a team since the India series late last year,” the captain Karen Rolton said. “We made some good scores in that series, but it’s been fantastic to build on that and reach that goal. We’ve got to make sure now that we keep this form going on Thursday.”Nitschke, who cruised to 58, and Poulton combined for an opening stand of 121 at almost a run a ball to lay the platform for a huge total. Poulton hit 11 fours and departed with 81 off 97 while Ebsary almost stayed till the end in bringing up an aggressive 86 from 76. Beth McNeill was the only multiple wicket-taker with 2 for 52 after picking up Ebsary and Alex Blackwell (37).Amy Satterthwaite top scored for New Zealand with 67 and there were useful contributions from Nicola Browne (45) and Sara Tsukigawa (45), but the task was too heavy and they finished at 263. The 570 runs scored were the most in any of the previous 679 one-day internationals. Emma Sampson finished off the match two overs early and collected 3 for 34 while Lisa Sthalekar gained two important breakthroughs to disrupt the chase.

Shane Warne has called on the ICC to introduce a window for the IPL so that players from every country can take part in what he called the most intense experience of his 20-year career. Warne said not even the biggest Ashes series could compare to the IPL, which was won by Warne’s Rajasthan Royals last year.”In 20 years of playing – I got in the state squad in 1987-88 for Victoria – I haven’t experienced anything like what I experienced in India last year,” Warne said in the . “It was truly unbelievable.”The Ashes [in] ’05 comes pretty close to the intensity of the crowd and the passion and the news and everything. But we were getting 110,000 at Eden Gardens … there were 25,000 people outside the ground for the final, plus 90,000 in the stadium.”Having retired from Australian duties, Warne was free to enjoy the full IPL programme, while players still representing their countries flitted in and out as their Test and ODI duties demanded. Warne said a two-month freeze on other international cricket was needed so the IPL could have the best cricketers available.”For world cricket, the IPL for April and May, there should be no international cricket, and all the players around the world should be involved,” Warne said. “For the players, they have to have that opportunity to earn the money they can possibly make, but also to sell the brand of cricket worldwide. Twenty20, I believe, is one of the best forms to do that.”Despite Warne’s love of Twenty20, he backed Cricket Australia’s decision not to allow players involved in the ongoing ODI series against South Africa to take part in the domestic Twenty20 preliminary final on Wednesday. The winner of the game between Queensland and Victoria earns a place at the multi-million dollar Champions League but the state stars Cameron White, David Hussey and James Hopes are not allowed to play.”The country should come first,” Warne said. “If the Australian selectors and the captain believe it’s the best thing for Australia that David Hussey and Cameron White have to play for Australia, well then, that’s what we have to do.”But as a Victorian I would love them to play for Victoria, and because it’s a Twenty20 game it’s not going to take a lot out of them. They’ve still got a lot of time to prepare. But if they get injured, then what do you do? Imagine if Cameron White and David Hussey both got injured — there’d be uproar.”

Scorecard

A hamstring injury couldn’t prevent Brad Hodge from carrying an under-strength Victoria into the Champions League in India with a half-century that put their small chase back on track after early wobbles. Hodge finished unbeaten on 59 and had strong support from Adam Crosthwaite as they eased past Queensland’s sub-par 6 for 112 with two overs to spare.Officially the preliminary final was to determine who would take on New South Wales in the Big Bash decider on Saturday in Sydney, where the Bushrangers now have the chance to win their fourth straight Twenty20 title. The real prize was a place at the Champions League later this year, where the two finalists will take on domestic teams from around the world for multi-million dollar rewards.Victoria and Western Australia qualified for last year’s event, which was postponed after the terror attacks in Mumbai, and the Warriors had already lost their spot for this year’s tournament by finishing on the bottom of the table. Victoria were desperate not to follow their lead but without Cameron White and David Hussey, who were with the ODI squad, they were robbed of significant batting power.It didn’t look like that would matter when Victoria’s bowlers, led by Dirk Nannes, kept the Bulls to such a small total. But another man who has spent time with the Australia squad recently, Ryan Harris, gave Queensland the perfect start as Victoria stumbled to 3 for 7 in the third over.Harris bowled fast and straight and picked up Rob Quiney, who was caught at slip, and Aaron Finch, who was lbw, within three deliveries. Aiden Blizzard had already driven Nathan Rimmington to cover point and Victoria were having flashbacks of their previous match, when they failed to overhaul New South Wales’ 128.The concerns increased when Andrew McDonald slashed to third man for 10 and at 4 for 30, and with the wicketkeeper Crosthwaite the next man in, the pressure was squarely on Hodge. He was batting with a runner having hurt his hamstring taking a quick single on 2, from a delivery that was dropped by a diving Ben Laughlin at backward point.The run-rate was not an issue but wickets were, so Hodge and Crosthwaite spent much of their time pushing singles and giving the Queensland captain Chris Simpson headaches over how to plug the gaps in the field. Hodge guided the chase superbly from the crease, finding the boundary with minimal risk, and Crosthwaite finished the task with three consecutive fours over the leg side off Alister McDermott to end up with 40.Restricting Victoria was always going to be a tough ask for the Bulls after they struggled to the lowest first-innings total in the competition this season. Again Lee Carseldine was left to shoulder the burden for the Queensland top order and he did the job well with 52. The problem was he had little support.The Bulls had wobbled to 5 for 51 and despite a late partnership between Carseldine and Chris Hartley (27 not out) they never quite got out of second gear. At one point Queensland went 11 overs without a boundary – almost unheard of in Twenty20 cricket – and they struck only seven fours for the innings.The early pressure came from Nannes, who rattled Simpson’s stumps with a quick ball in the first over and finished with 2 for 20. All the bowlers played a part and in his second match back from shoulder surgery, Bryce McGain was pleased to strike with his first ball when he enticed an edge behind from Glen Batticciotto.Damien Wright and Shane Harwood were tight and dangerous and Victoria’s bowling will be crucial in Saturday’s final as their batting line-up will retain an air of inexperience. That will be particularly so if Hodge’s injury keeps him out – they would also need to find a new captain – but the main prize of a trip to India for the Champions League has already been won.

Scorecard

Mumbai maintained their supremacy, thrashing Punjab by nine wickets in their final match of the group stage. Ajinkya Rahane and Wasim Jaffer swiftly overhauled the target of 149 before the stroke of lunch on the final day. Rahane added an unbeaten 82, to go along with his first-innings 80, and combined well with his captain as the undefeated 130-run second-wicket partnership extinguished Punjab’s hopes.Punjab had offered stiff resistance in the final two sessions the previous day, with Uday Kaul’s century and attacking knocks by Ankur Kakkar (58) and Chandan Madan (32) impeding Mumbai’s march. However, within the first half an hour on day four, the visitors folded, leaving Kaul stranded on 136.Mumbai’s opening pair of Jaffer and Vinayak Samant then started aggressively. The first scoring shot was a boundary – a steer by Samant past gully off Gagandeep Singh. Two overs later, against the same bowler, Samant guided a short and wide delivery to the point boundary, two deliveries after a Chinese cut had evaded the stumps.Jaffer started off on a scratchy note, unable to get behind the line, but played his first confident stroke, a firm on-drive past mid-on for a four off Gagandeep. Punjab’s fleeting moment of joy arrived when Amanpreet Singh trapped Samant leg-before as he tried to play across, but they must have braced themselves at the sight of Rahane, the highest run-getter this season in the tournament.Rahane opened his account with a back-foot punch for four off Gagandeep, and then skimmed a leg glance to the boundary in the same over. In the next over, against Amanpreet, Jaffer shifted gears with three fours: the first, a classic front-foot drive past the straight boundary followed two balls later with a whipped glance past fine leg, and finally an on-drive in front of square.Even the spin combination of Varun Khanna and Sarabjit Ladda failed to put brakes as the runs poured mostly in boundaries. Watching the Mumbai duo dish out their brilliance, one could easily feel they were competing against each other: if Jaffer drove through extra cover off Ladda on the back foot, Rahane hit consecutive fours off Khanna. For Punjab though, this mini-battle was hurting them as the pair soon brought up their respective fifties.Two overs before lunch Mumbai were on the cusp of victory with 22 runs needed and clearly they did not intend to take the break. Rahane drove Kakkar past the stranded fielders at short cover and cover, followed by consecutive fours, both cut shots, and Mumbai needed just eight off the final over from Ladda. Another Rahane boundary meant just one run was needed and both captains decided to prolong play. Rahane deservingly hit the winning stroke, a square drive that rushed past cover.Jaffer was all praise for Rahane, and believed he was ready for the No.3 position in the Indian Test team. “He has proved he can counter-attack as well as stay put according to the situation and he is definitely a contender for the No. 3 slot.”Despite entering the knock-out stage, Jaffer pointed out that there was still work to do, particularly in the bowling department, which has struggled even with the likes of Dhawal Kulkarni, one the best bowlers this season, among their ranks. “The knock-outs is a new phase and the intensity will be key. When there is nothing much happening, the bowlers need to keep it simple instead of giving easy runs.”Mumbai finished the league campaign as group leaders with the maximum number of outright wins (five), and will now meet Himachal Pradesh in the quarter-finals in Ahmedabad starting on December 26.

Suriname’s squad for their debut at the ICC Americas Division 1 tournament has been severely weakened after US officials refused to grant entry visas for a significant number of its players.A source has advised CricInfo that as many as 50% of the original squad has had to be replaced. It’s not known whether captain and allrounder Troy Dudnauth is one of the players denied entry.Suriname’s participation had created interest ever since they surprisingly defeated Bahamas by 146 runs on the last day of Americas Division 2 tournament in Paramaribo in April.As a result, Suriname won the tournament on run-rate and earned the Affiliate place in the Division 1 tournament previously filled by the Bahamas.

Scorecard

Federal Areas’ formidable fast bowling, led by Shoaib Akhtar, sparked a dramatic Punjab collapse to leave the match evenly poised going into the fourth day.Punjab were on top after overnight batsmen, Salman Butt and Umar Akmal, pushed the score to 78 for 1, an overall lead of 171. Ifthikar Anjum then had Butt caught behind but Punjab were still in control after Akmal guided them to 102 for 2. Things swiftly went downhill for them as Shoaib and Sohail Tanvir took six wickets for 21 runs before Ifthikar cleaned up the tail. Wahab Riaz (19*) was the only one of Punjab’s last eight batsmen to make more than 6. Shoaib finished with 10-7-14-4 while Tanvir took 3-27 to leave Federal Areas chasing 238 for a come-from-behind victory.Their openers gave the chase a solid start, putting on 70, and Federal Areas had moved to 124 for 2 before Mohammad Talha struck a double-blow to leave them 111 runs away from the target with six wickets in hand.
Scorecard
Sind’s batsmen showed a lot more resolve in their second innings compared to the first and clawed their way back into the match against Baluchistan.Three contrasting half-centuries averted the possibility of an innings defeat after fast bowler Kamran Hussain had Sind in trouble at 50 for 3, still trailing by 188 runs. Fawad Alam, who had an outstanding tour of Zimbabwe and Kenya recently, laboured to 68, opener Khalid Latif made a cavalier 78 and captain Shahid Afridi hammered a couple of sixes in his typically belligerent 81.Sarfraz Ahmed, a handy batsman to come in at No. 8 with a first-class average of 44.96, continued Sind’s resistance with a brisk 57 to help his side finish with a 128-run lead and two wickets in hand. Hussain was the most effective of the Baluchistan bowlers, picking up five wickets to go with the three he took in the first innings.

Dr Mtutuzeli Nyoka is the only nomination for president of Cricket South Africa’s board of directors, which is due to be formed as part of a restructuring.The amalgamation of CSA’s former general council and board of directors into a single body has come as a result of amendments to income tax regulations. There will be 13 members on the board in specific categories.Ray Mali and Peter Cyster have been nominated for the vice president’s position while there will also be three independent directors, including a South African Cricketers’ Association representative along with three directors nominated by the franchises. The 13th member will be the CEO Gerald Majola.

Kevin Pietersen has admitted that he just wants this week in Antigua to end, and Andrew Flintoff is sick – literally – of the whole tournament. As the realisation slowly dawns on England’s cricketers that their US$20million cash-grab is just a little tawdry, then at least Steve Harmison can say with honesty that he never wanted to be a part of this charade anyway.Harmison’s attitude to the Stanford Super Series has been one of unrelenting awkwardness, ever since he was persuaded by his new captain, Pietersen, to go back on the decision to retire from limited-overs internationals that he made at the end of the 2006-07 Ashes. His initial preference had been to come back into the fold on November 2, with the million-dollar match out of the way and a tour of India lying ahead, but now, here he is with the money-shot in sight, and he’s not about to pass up an opportunity to secure his family’s future.”I’m not someone who wears big, chunky watches or drives flash Ferraris,” said Harmison. “That’s just not me. If you win the game, you can spend the money on whatever you want. But I’ve four young children and I’d like to be able to make their life better through childhood all the way through to adulthood.”Financial security is a tantalising prospect (though not, it would seem, for the Superstars captain, Chris Gayle, who declared he would “spend it, man” if the bounty came his way). First though, the players on both sides will have to negotiate the nerves that will surely be associated with this most unconventional of contests.For Harmison, that may mean replicating the final-over heroics that saved England from slipping to an untimely defeat against Trinidad and Tobago on Tuesday night. With ten runs to play with, Harmison kept the ball as full and straight as he could, to inch his side to a one-run win.”Would I be able to bowl the same over as the other night? I would like to think I could because you are trying to win,” said Harmison. “It is a game of cricket, so when you cross that white line you play for each other, you’re in it together and you want to win the game. I am human so it would enter a small part of the mind but once you are about to bowl you are focused on one thing – where you want to put it.”Death bowling isn’t Harmison’s usual role in limited-overs cricket, although with the England camp stricken by a stomach bug, circumstances dictated that he had to step up. “I have played cricket for 10-12 years and I’ve bowled the last over maybe 10 times. So that was good to do. It’s not normally my job but if it comes down to it, in Twenty20 you have to be flexible to carry out whatever is put in front of you.”If England have spent the week planning for all eventualities, then at least it has distracted them from dwelling too long and hard on the implications of Saturday’s life-changing opportunity. “Of course, it is an incentive, it’s a life-changing sum, but nobody has really discussed the money because we haven’t got it. The money ain’t in our hands,” said Harmison. “But we’re not here for the Ashes, we’re not here for the World Cup. We are here for the money because the simple fact of the matter is we are playing for US$20million.”Win or lose, however, Harmison was adamant that the tournament would be beneficial to cricket in the long run, because regardless of the fattening of the players’ wallets, US$3.5million will go directly to the English and West Indian boards. “It is good for the game,” said Harmison. “Both boards are benefiting and the players who win are benefiting – in the long term. Hopefully the money in two or three years’ time will have filtered through to the right sources. Stadiums will be better, youth cricket will be better, everything will be better.” That sort of optimism ought to stand him in good stead on the big night.

ScorecardThe result of the four-day match between Bangladesh Cricket Board Academy and Sri Lanka Academy XI at the Premadasa Stadium will hinge on how long the hosts’ lower-middle order can resist the Bangladesh Academy attack on the final day. Sri Lanka Academy XI were reduced on 212 for 5 on the third day, after wiping out a first-innings deficit of 69, with a 143-run lead in the second innings.Sri Lanka Academy XI’s situation was dire in the second innings after they lost their first four wickets for 82, effectively leaving them 13 for 4. They were rescued by a 125-run stand for the fifth wicket, between Jeewan Mendis and Nadeera Nawela, which spanned nearly 53 overs. Nawela played 148 balls for his 50 while Mendis remained unbeaten on 93 off 185. Mahbubul Alam, Bangladesh Academy’s new-ball bowler who had taken two of the first three wickets, broke the stand by trapping Nawela lbw late in the day.Bangladesh had resumed their innings this morning on 310 for 8 with captain Naeem Islam batting on 73. He didn’t add to his score before being bowled by Mendis and the innings came to a close on 321. Mendis finished with figures of 4 for 61 but his work for the day had only just begun.