All posts by csb10.top

The ECB has cancelled next summer’s tour by Zimbabwe and suspended all bilateral arrangements with the Zimbabwe board.The news came minutes after Gordon Brown, the prime minister, told the House of Commons that he wanted the tour scrapped. “We want to ensure that Zimbabwe does not tour England next year and we will call for other countries to join us in banning Zimbabwe from the Twenty20 international tournament,” he said.In a short statement, Colin Gibson, the ECB’s head of corporate communications, said: “The ECB deplores the position in Zimbabwe and, like Cricket South Africa, finds this untenable. Therefore all bilateral arrangements are suspended with Zimbabwe Cricket with immediate effect.”The government has written to the ECB today and has made a clear instruction that Zimbabwe’s bilateral tour scheduled under the ICC Future Tours Programme for 2009 should be cancelled.”The ECB, which has been in constructive and extensive dialogue with the department for culture, media and sport for some time, welcome the government’s decision and share the government’s concerns about the deteriorating situation and lack of human rights in Zimbabwe.”Andy Burnham, the culture, media and sport secretary, told the ECB the government had “concluded that it would not be right to allow the proposed tour [to England] by Zimbabwe Cricket in 2009 to take place. The government has previously called on the ICC to reconsider its rules to allow teams to forfeit tours to countries, such as Zimbabwe, where serious human rights abuses are occurring. Unfortunately the ICC has declined to do so. Therefore, the government has decided to make it clear that it will take all necessary steps to prevent players from Zimbabwe from participating in that tour.”The ECB is now looking at identifying a replacement for the tour, which is scheduled to take place before the ICC World Twenty20 next June. “It’s a great relief in many ways,” said England’s one-day captain, Paul Collingwood. “It’s been going on since 2001, since I’ve been playing cricket [for England] and it’s good that it’s been taken out of our hands.”

Bandula Warnapura, who is on his way out as Sri Lankan Cricket’s director of operations, has said that the country needs a cricket-development base before harbouring visions of producing the best cricket team in the world.Warnapura, Sri Lanka’s first Test captain, has been involved with SLC for the past eight years (as director of operations) and worked under the administration of elected as well as appointed bodies. “My belief is that until SLC is completely transformed into a 100% cricket development base with transparency and accountability we will not get anywhere. Today it is not a cricket-development base, but a power-development base.”Set to take over as the development manager with the Asian Cricket Council, Warnapura urged Sri Lankan administrators to forget their difference and come together for a common purpose. “People who have fallen out with each other must get together and work towards the development of this game immaterial of names or clubs,” he said. “If we can do that part only we will develop and achieve to become the best in cricket. A good example is Australia. Their cricket is the best because their administration is the best.”There should be a proper structure where each post is given in black and white. Nobody should be taken outside that. We don’t have a structure that is why anybody can come in. SLC doesn’t have any guidelines for employing people. It is very loose. That is why politicians try to get their people in and the right person for the right job doesn’t get in. This is a big drawback. The present system is an advantage for people who want to get their own people in to have it loose like this.”He was also critical of the present voting system which forced SLC to bend over backwards to help individual clubs, all with a vote in mind. “The clubs have also got used to playing cricket with SLC money,” he said. “If you don’t give them money they say they won’t play. A club tournament is like having branches of SLC. SLC gives everything to the club for what? Just for one or two votes. There is no commitment from the clubs. They pay huge amounts of money for players but to play in the tournament matches they want money from SLC. All this is because of the present voting system.Warnapura, a towering figure in club circles in Sri Lanka, was saddened with monetary concerns over-riding team loyalties. “Most of the players today don’t have a feeling towards the club that they play,” he said. “It is because of the money which has come in and the perks that they are getting. At the end of the season you find players wanting to change clubs for the sake of money. Even provincial tournament the players must have a feeling towards the province.”He was also concerned about the provincial set-up, one that was affecting outstation cricket in the country. “From what I see these outstation clubs and schools are feeder grounds to Colombo schools and clubs. Based on that we must make sure we provide the basic facilities for the youngsters to develop. Until such time we sort out the provincial set-up we have to make sure we give enough facilities to outstations. We talk about outstations clubs today but most of the boys are practicing in Colombo. We have to make it stronger to avoid it. We are going in the right direction at the moment but it will take another 3-5 years time.”

Tom Moody, the Kings XI Punjab coach, has said Wednesday’s clash against the Mumbai Indians his team’s “biggest” test in the Indian Premier League.Punjab have seven wins out of 10 games so far, which puts them second in the points table, but Moody felt the job was far from over as far as entry into the semi-finals was concerned.”(Only) Rajasthan Royals are so far in the box seat, but we’ve got some hard work to do. The game against Mumbai is going to be the biggest of the tournament for us”, Moody said as Punjab underwent a light training session at the Wankhede stadium.Mumbai became the first team in the tournament to notch six straight wins, a streak Punjab themselves were close to achieving when they strung together five in a row. Moody said his conversations with his team focused on the aspect of building on each victory. “I was telling the boys we need to focus on winning every game because momentum is very important.”Despite having beaten Mumbai by a comprehensive 66-run margin, Moody warned against complacency, saying his new-ball bowlers will once again play a crucial role in warding the batsmen away.”Their (Sreesanth and Pathan) performance has been crucial as they’ve taken wickets up front, used the new ball well and come back at the end,” he said. “It is said to be a batsmen’s game but bowlers have bounced back really well after initial beating they got which has made Twenty20 more interesting.”Sanath Jayasuriya, currently the fourth-highest run-getter, remains the biggest threat but Moody spoke of the plans they have for him and Sachin Tendulkar. “We are very much aware of Jayasuriya’s strengths and weaknesses. We know where to bowl to him but it’s about execution. We are happy that we bowled against him at Mohali [where Jayasuriya was caught and bowled by Brett Lee for 1] and hope to do the same here as well.”As for Tendulkar Moody said the presence of some of his India team-mates who “know his strengths at least” will prove to be crucial as that knowledge which could be used in making plans.

Pakistan’s second innings total of 53 in the recent second test matchagainst Australia at Sharjah is their record lowest completed innings total in test cricket. Unfortunately the team had already suffered the agony of scoring their previous lowest score of 59 in the first innings of the same match. There is no other example for a team to have suffered such humiliation in recent times.Presented below is a list of Pakistan’s completed innings totals below 100 followed by their lowest innings totals against each opponent:

Completed Innings Total Below 100Total Opponent Venue Series53 Australia Sharjah 2002-0359 Australia Sharjah 2002-0362 Australia Perth 1981-8277 West Indies Lahore 1986-8787 England Lords 195492 South Africa Faisalabad 1997-98Lowest Innings Total against each opponentOpponent Total Venue SeriesAustralia 53 Sharjah 2002-03West Indies 77 Lahore 1986-87England 87 Lords 1954South Africa 92 Faisalabad 1997-98New Zealand 102 Faisalabad 1990-91Zimbabwe 103 Peshawar 1998-99India 116 Banglore 1986-87Sir Lanka 132 Colombo (CCC) 1985-86Bangladesh 465-9dec Chittagong 2001-02Lowest Completed Innings Total for other TeamsTeam Total Opponent Venue SeriesNew Zealand 26** England Auckland 1954-55South Africa 30 England Birmingham 1924Australia 36 England Birmingham 1902India 42* England Lords 1974England 45 Australia Sydney 1886-87West Indies 51 Australia Port of Spain 1998-99Zimbabwe 63 West Indies Port of Spain 1999-2000Sri Lanka 71 Pakistan Kandy 1994-95Bangladesh 90 Sri Lanaka Colombo 2000-2001** Lowest in test cricket* Batted one man short

PERTH, Oct 23 AAP – England’s gamble on injured players appears to be backfiring already with paceman Alex Tudor under consideration for a call-up to the Ashes tour squad.Less than a week – and just one limited overs match – into the tour, coach Duncan Fletcher admitted today the 25-year-old Surrey quick could be summoned by Monday.Seeking its first Ashes series win in 16 years, England’s pace bowling shortcomings were badly exposed as it conceded 301 runs to the Chairman’s XI in 50 overs in the embarrassing 58-run loss at Lilac Hill yesterday.Tudor, who has taken 26 wickets in nine Tests at 31.5 since his debut at the WACA ground four years ago, is training at the national cricket academy in Adelaide.The tourists had planned for him to be in Australia in case members of its injury-plagued fast bowling brigade were unable to regain fitness.”We had contingency plans that we have got a player in South Australia who we might be looking at,” Fletcher said.”We’ll make that decision over the next four or five days.”The Lilac Hill defeat heightened the tourists’ grave concerns over the fitness of spearhead Darren Gough (knee) and allrounder Andrew Flintoff (hernia) who sat out the match.Such is the concern over Flintoff that he will fly to Adelaide tomorrow because busy team physiotherapist Kirk Russell can’t provide the necessary one-on-one treatment for him.Fletcher said Flintoff was still in the running to be ready for the first Ashes Test at the Gabba on November 7 but he wasn’t positive about Gough’s prospects.Fletcher hoped Flintoff, who is returning from a hernia operation, could recover as well as captain Nasser Hussain did from a similar problem during the 1998-99 Ashes tour.Quicks Andrew Caddick and Matthew Hoggard currently appear the most likely opening combination for England in the first Test at the Gabba starting on November 7.Youngster Simon Jones (side strain) looks underdone while Stephen Harmison’s confidence would have been sapped after delivering 16 wides in Tuesday’s loss.Fletcher expected England’s form batsman Michael Vaughan, who had a minor knee operation last month, to play in the three-day match against Western Australia starting Monday despite having an injection yesterday.Fletcher testily brushed off a question on whether England should have brought so many injured players.”Should we have left them at home then?” he said.Meanwhile West Australian captain Michael Hussey said his side would look to ensure the tourists continued to suffer a difficult lead-up to the five-Test Ashes series.”If we play as well as we can, I think we will keep the pressure on England and we won’t give them an easy build-up into the first Test,” he said.”We won’t be doing them any favours put it that way.”England’s two-day tour match against Western Australia starts tomorrow at the WACA ground.Australian players Adam Gilchrist and Damien Martyn were expected to sit out next week’s three-day tour match while Justin Langer and Brad Williams should be available.The WA team is: Western Australia: Mike Hussey (c), Beau Casson, Michael Clark, Murray Goodwin, Kade Harvey, Shaun Marsh, Scott Meuleman, Marcus North, Chris Rogers, Luke Ronchi, Callum Thorp, Paul Wilson.

SHARJAH, Oct 16: Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB)’s decision to call up Shahid Afridi as a replacement for ‘out of commission’ Abdul Razzaq to face the rampaging Australians in the third Test is another mind-boggling step which defies logic.This only confirms PCB’ management’s incompetency and lack of imagination.Shahid, who arrived here early Wednesday, first of all should have been in the original team. He was overlooked for reasons better known to the PCB selectors and the top management.Shahid’s record as an all-rounder at Test level is better than Razzaq’s. Even the unavailability of Razzaq is no excuse to replace him with Shahid as the second all-rounder Rana Naveed-ul-Hasan is in the original squad and so far done nothing but act as a “drinks carrier”.In case the PCB’s blundering management decided to use Shahid as an opener in place of a mediocre Imran Nazir there is already a third opener in the squad – Imran Farhat – who should be given a chance because he too was regarded as a better option than Shahid in the first instance by the selectors.It is certain that Shahid will play in Saturday’s Test. The all-rounder will be under tremendous pressure to perform well in this one-off given to him. And if he fails with the bat here then the selectors and the team management should be blamed.One cannot expect a player of even a bigger stature than Shahid to performhis best when the team’s morale is so low and especially when the rivals are the world’s best side. So it seems that Shahid is once again being sacrificed by PCB.With the series already decided, another victory for Australia will give them a second clean sweep against Pakistan, which is the most likely outcome barring a mini-miracle from beleaguered Waqar Younis’ boys.And the Aussies are determined to heap further humiliation on Pakistan by winning sixth successive Test success, a perfect retort to uncalled for empty threats from Shoaib Akhtar and coach Richard Pybus.The Australians did their talking on the field and the result of the second Test amply illustrated the steely determination of Steve Waugh and his colleagues.Majority of the diehard Pakistan team’s followers believe that the third Test is not going to last the distance as Waqar’s boys are not in the same league as the Australians. They are not accepting PCB’s excuses that the team tackling Aussies is short of experience.Another example of PCB’s bowing to player power is Razzaq’s presence here when he should have been flown back to Pakistan to give his injured wrist time to heal. Why he is still wandering around Sharjah and Dubai shopping centres with his left hand in sling is anybody’s guess.And as he has been ruled out playing cricket for six weeks there is no justification of him being with the team as one of its members.Reuters adds: Wicket-keeper Rashid Latif has been passed fit to play in the final Test.The former Pakistan captain was unable to keep wicket in the humiliating second Test defeat because of a muscle spasm in his back.Rashid, who went for an MRI scan on Tuesday said: “The scan showed no major problems, and the problems which surfaced will be treated with ultra sound, massage and icing.”I have started training and will play the third Test as wicketkeeper and batsman.”

It took an innings of raw courage, as much as instinctive class, from Brian Lara, and high-quality bowling by the constantly improving Pedro Collins for the West Indies to overcome Kenya’s spirited challenge in the ICC Champions Trophy yesterday.It ended with a distressed Lara in a Colombo hospital for the second time in nine months, awaiting tests on suspected hepatitis, a liver ailment.During the West Indies tour here last December, he fractured and dislocated his left elbow in an on-field accident that kept him out of the game for four months.Careless Kenyan fielding that missed the double world record-holder at 37, 45 and 61 on his way to 111 – and, less significantly, Shivnarine Chanderpaul at three and 36 in his laboured 40 off 76 balls – also aided the West Indies to get home by 29 runs.Had they not converted a clear chance of victory into a stunning, last-ball loss to South Africa in their opening match last Friday, the result would have booked their semifinal place.That possibility is now beyond their control, depending as it does on Kenya somehow upsetting South Africa on Friday.Summoning the willpower to survive the physical torment that he clearly endured throughout his two-and-a-half hours in the middle, Lara defied the sweltering 35-degree heat and high humidity to compile his 15th One-Day International hundred.His first, unconvincing, 50 took him 80 deliveries as he battled against the illness that began to take hold the previous day.Although needing the on-field attention of his non-playing teammates and lying flat on his back, panting uncomfortably, during the refreshment break, he plundered his next 61 runs off a mere 41.It was acceleration, complemented by Ramnaresh Sarwan’s busy, run-a-ball 20 and Wavell Hinds’ two breathtaking sixes in 20 from just seven balls, that gave the innings an emphatic conclusion.The last five overs yielded 56 runs, boosting the 50-overs total to 260 for six. Kenya were bowled out with five balls left, for 232.Collins, offering nothing to the batsmen with his controlled, accurate left-arm movement, immediately set Kenya back with a wicket in his second over, bowling Kennedy Obuya round his legs.Every time he was called back to check Kenya’s worrying advance, led by captain Steve Tikolo’s 93 off 91 balls with nine fours, the left-armer responded with a restraining spell.His figures when he appropriately formalised the result with the first ball of the last over by bowling Martin Suji were 9.1-4-18-3. They were his best in the shorter game. Not many have had better.On a pitch of slow pace offering encouraging turn, batting was never straightforward. Chanderpaul, as he did against South Africa, made it seem as difficult as wringing water from stone. Until he finally found his range, and rode his luck, it also mocked Lara’s timing.The off-spin of Maurice Odumbe, Man Of The Match in Kenya’s unforgettable win over the West Indies in the World Cup six years ago, and Tikolo, another survivor from that time, and the leg-spin of Collins Obuya presented the main problems.Odumbe gave up only 21 from his ten overs for the wicket of Chanderpaul, caught behind cutting for 40 in the 29th over.At the start, the faster bowlers kept Chris Gayle scoreless his first 15 balls but the tall left-hander then lashed two long sixes off successive balls from Thomas Obuya, one of three Kenyan brothers in the side – two named Obuya and the other Otieno. He had made 33 off 42 balls when he topedged a catch. For the next 17.4 overs, as they added 55, Chanderpaul and Lara could hardly get the ball off the square, so the West Indies were only 115 for two when Chanderpaul went.At Hooper’s dismissal in the 41st, caught at deep midwicket, they were 179 for three but Lara was then finding his range, finishing with two sixes and eight fours when bowled by Tikolo with 11 balls remaining in spite of his distress. Sarwan and Hinds simply added to the momentum.Collins apart, the early West Indies bowling was ragged, as Tikolo, long since proven a batsman of Test quality, made it look even more so.

A century from Virender Sehwag has given India backbone on the first day of the second Test against England at Trent Bridge. When bad light ended play early after 66 overs, India had reached 210 for four, with Sehwag out for 106 and Sourav Ganguly unbeaten on 29.Sustained hostility and accuracy from Matthew Hoggard gave England the initial honours this morning, as the Yorkshireman bowled an opening spell of ten overs for just 17 runs and two wickets. Wasim Jaffer was his first victim, bowled for a duck off the inside edge. Rahul Dravid (13) then got another perfect outswinger, which he edged to the England debutant, Robert Key, at first slip.Sachin Tendulkar stayed with Sehwag until lunch, and the two provided the most entertaining passage of the day soon after the interval, with 40 runs off five overs. A single off Flintoff took Tendulkar past Gary Sobers’s 8,032 Test runs, putting him alone in ninth place in the list of highest Test run scorers. Tendulkar had made 34, including six sweetly-struck boundaries, when he played on trying to pull an innocuous long hop from Dominic Cork for another.The dismissal ended a partnership of 74, and came shortly after Sehwag had completed his fifty, driving Hoggard through the covers for his ninth boundary. Ganguly joined Sehwag and the two made steady progress as England struggled for a breakthrough in conditions that favoured swing bowling. Cork was expensive, while Steve Harmison, who began his Test career with four consecutive maidens, and Andrew Flintoff were both steady.Sehwag had reached his highest score in Test cricket, 106 (183 balls, 18 fours) when a bowling change did the trick for England. Craig White, who had earlier bowled just two overs for 19, returned to dismiss India’s centurion, playing around a ball that was full and straight. Sehwag had put on 71 with his captain.Injuries forced the only two changes to India’s line-up this morning. Ajay Ratra, who damaged his foot in training yesterday, made way for Parthiv Patel to make his Test debut as India’s wicket-keeper. The 17-year-old from Gujarat has played in just seven first-class matches, and is the third-youngest debutant in Indian Test history. Harbhajan Singh has replaced Anil Kumble, who has a calf strain. Ashley Giles was the man eventually omitted from England’s final eleven.England survived an injury scare after Dominic Cork left the field in the afternoon session. A precautionary x-ray on his right knee revealed no serious damage after he hurt it while attempting a run out.

The decline of South Africa’s men’s team is not quite as bad as many may think, according to first-choice white-ball spinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Speaking after South Africa reeled off a third successive T20I series win, Shamsi pleaded for patience and understanding as the national side seeks to win the country’s hearts and minds following a two-year period of inconsistent form and off-field drama.While South Africa have not played any Tests in the next World Test Championship cycle, are in a precarious position on the World Cup Super League and are not considered among the favourites for the T20 World Cup, they are rebuilding as a unit and Shamsi believes they will only get better with time.”We’re on a run of consecutive series so I don’t think this team is rubbish. I think we are quite good,” Shamsi said. “People speak about the great teams of the past. This team is on par with them.We might not have as many household names because we haven’t played that much international cricket. It doesn’t mean the players are not that good, just because they are not well known.”In this series, Bjorn Fortuin is one of the players who has had, and taken, an opportunity to come to the fore but the spotlight has been on fairly popular names, albeit maybe not in the shortest format. Keshav Maharaj, who was seen to be more of a red-ball specialist, has stepped up in shorter formats and has even led the team in Temba Bavuma’s injury-enforced absence. And Aiden Markram, whose name is attached to the Test side and struggles against spin in equal parts, has debunked both those myths and showed off personal improvement and a versatility of skill that could see him regarded as a genuine allrounder in white-ball cricket.Markram bowled a full quota of four overs for the first time in Sunday’s win – and bagged a career-best 3 for 21 – to add to South Africa’s spin options, which look more plentiful than ever before. “We are bowling so many overs of spin because we have that many quality spinners. That’s been very nice,” Shamsi said. “Maybe in the past, when we got to spinning wickets, we had a reluctance in picking spinners so that’s been a refreshing change. We are picking teams according to the conditions and we have the players to back it up. We have three quality spinners in the side, plus Aiden, and it means the captain can utilise me in different ways.”Rather than operate solely as an attacking spinner, Shamsi now sees himself as someone who can also hold an end. “I’ve realised my role is quite floaty. In the past I would be disappointed if I didn’t pick up wickets. I’ve realised I don’t always have to take wickets to influence the team. If people are playing me cautiously, I have the ability to bowl a cheaper spell,” he said.But there are few things that get him going quite as much as the feeling of adding to his wicket-tally, especially as he remains the leading T20I wicket-taker in 2021. He also took three in the match that clinched that series and enjoyed Dasun Shanaka’s the most, largely because the Sri Lankan attack had smoked him for six the ball before the dismissal.”The emotions that go through your mind when someone smokes you like that… I don’t think I can use the words going on in my head. But to be able to get the person out after that, that gives you a lot of satisfaction,” Shamsi said. “The biggest change that came in my game is when I realised getting hit for six is part and parcel of my job. There’s no embarrassment. If a guy hits me for a six, he hits me for a six, but I am coming back for him.”South Africa play one more match in Sri Lanka before a break as some players head to the IPL and others back home for a new domestic T20 knockout competition. They will regroup in October ahead of the T20 World Cup and even though few expect them to break their trophy drought, Shamsi said they are doing everything to represent the country as best as they can. “It’s South Africa’s team, it’s the people’s team. We are not playing for ourselves. I don’t have my picture here on (the protea) badge,” he said. “It’s our country and all of us are trying to make people proud. We are going to make mistakes but we are freaking sweating here in the sun to try and get results.”

Fourteen wickets fell at the Eden Gardens where Haryana reduced Tripura to 70 for 4 after getting bowled out for 231. After Tripura elected to field, their pace trio of Manisankar Murasingh (3 for 53), Sanjay Majumder (3 for 53) and Bunti Roy (2 for 44) shared eight wickets, while left-arm spinner Gurinder Singh took one. Haryana could have been sent packing for a much lower score had it not been for their lower order. Chaitanya Bishnoi, the No. 4, fell to Roy to leave Haryana 103 for 6, having made 52 of those runs himself. The recovery began with Rahul Tewatia’s 35 at No. 7. Joginder Sharma made 21 at No. 8, while Haryana’s last two, Harshal Patel and captain Mohit Sharma, chipped in with 26 and 39 not out respectively.Harshal took out Udiyan Bose and Samrat Singha in a new-ball burst to leave Tripura on 22 for 2. Bishal Ghosh was caught behind off Joginder for 36 before Tewatia removed Majumder for a duck on what turned out to be the last ball of the day. Wicketkeeper-batsman Smit Patel was not out on 26.Goa captain Sagun Kamat scored his third score in excess of hundred this season to take his team to 260 for 6 against Himachal Pradesh in Mumbai. Kamat dominated an opening stand of 47 with Sumiran Amonkar (18) before Snehal Kauthankar (43) joined him for a 70-run stand. It took a run-out to end Kamat’s resistance, but not before he had put on a further 95 for the third wicket with Darshan Misal. Kamat’s 104 off 170 balls was studded with 11 fours and two sixes. Goa squandered their strong position after Kamat’s dismissal, as they lost three more wickets for 31 runs. Misal was unbeaten on 68 at stumps.Hyderabad‘s new-ball duo of Ravi Kiran and Chama Milind took nine wickets between them to dismiss Andhra for 190 in Lucknow. In reply, Tanmay Agarwal and Akshath Reddy saw off seven overs as Hyderabad ended the day on 10 for no loss.Kiran took 4 for 33, while Milind took his maiden first-class five-wicket haul to finish with 5 for 28. The duo’s efforts meant Andhra lasted just 59 overs after they were asked to bat. That Andhra got close to 200 was down to half-centuries from Manyala Pranith (63) and Ashwin Hebbar (52), as their 91-run sixth-wicket partnership rescued the team from 80 for 5.Amandeep Khare struck his second first-class century, but Samiullah Beigh’s four-for reduced Chhattisgarh to 217 for 6 against Jammu & Kashmir in Gwalior. J&K elected to field and could only get 60 overs in as the entire first session was ruled out. Once play began, Beigh sent Chhattisgarh’s openers back for ducks in the first five overs. Khare then led the repair job, stitching together 84 for the third wicket with Anupam Toppo (40) and 120 for the fourth with Ashutosh Singh. Beigh troubled Chhattisgarh again by taking out Khare for 106, before sending back a third batsman – Avnish Dhaliwal – for a duck. Manoj Singh, the wicketkeeper, fell off the last ball of the penultimate over, but Ashutosh stayed unbeaten on 41, along with Ajay Mandal.Kerala pacer Athif Bin Ashraf took three early wickets on first-class debut to leave Services 103 for 4 on a 42-over day at the Karnail Singh Stadium in Delhi. Ashraf sent back Nakul Verma, Ravi Chauhan and Amit Pachhara for single digits to leave Services 22 for 3. That became 43 for 4 when Basil Thampi bowled Irfan Khan for 15. Anshul Gupta, the Services captain and opener, stayed not out on 52 and had Shamsher Yadav on 23 for company.