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ScorecardA career-best haul for left-arm spinner Ahmed Raza and a half-century from Shaiman Anwar helped UAE push ahead of Namibia on the opening day of the Intercontinental Cup match that saw 15 wickets.Namibia, who chose to bat at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium, were in trouble early on as debutant pacer Kamran Shazad struck in successive overs to dismiss opener Xander Pitchers and Stephan Baard. But from that point onwards, the innings belonged to Raza, whose dominance of the Namibia batting was reflected in his figures of 7 for 37 off 20.4 overs.Raza, introduced into the attack in the ninth over, bowled three maidens first-up and had debutant Michau de Preez caught behind for his first wicket. Bowling unchanged from one end for the rest of the Namibia innings, Raza induced a batting collapse that saw the visitors fold for 90.UAE were shaky at the start, too, as Namibia’s left-arm pacer JJ Smit struck off successive balls in the fifth over to dismiss Saqib Shah and Saqib Ali. UAE’s recovery was led by the in-form Shaiman Anwar who shared a 123-run third-wicket stand with Khurram Khan. Anwar scored a 90-ball 81, which included 10 fours and three sixes while Khurram played a more sedate 49 off 111 balls.Namibia tried out nine bowlers, including captain Raymond van Schoor, who temporarily gave up his wicketkeeping gloves to pitch in with three overs. The breakthrough, however, came from part-time offspinner Pitchers, who dismissed Anwar. Du Preez took the wicket of Khurram Khan with his legspin, while Smit got his third leg-before victim in Rohan Mustafa.

Brendon McCullum is not the sort to shirk a challenge so when New Zealand’s wicketkeeper, BJ Watling, was ruled out of the second Test at Headingley because of injury, he wasted little time in deciding to take up the gloves that he supposedly relinquished for good in Test cricket nearly three years ago.McCullum kept for part of England’s second innings at Lord’s – without pads on day three – after Watling injured his left knee attempting to run out Joe Root with a dive. Watling left the field and speculation began over who would take the gloves at Headlingey.Watling seemed to come through practise on Wednesday reasonably well to most observers, which begs the question whether New Zealand viewed his bruised knee as an injury of convenience after what McCullum himself described as their “hour of madness” – the collapse to 68 all out as England forced an abrupt victory in the opening Test at Lord’s.Watling’s absence allows New Zealand to slot in Martin Guptill, who has extensive experience in English conditions with Derbyshire, as an extra batsman at No. 6, rather than as an opener in place of Peter Fulton whose tour of England has so far brought 34 runs in five knocks.Captain, wicketkeeper and New Zealand’s most pugnacious batsman: McCullum will not be short of roles when the second Test begins in Leeds on Friday. All this with a back complaint which puts him under strain whenever he returns to the keeping role.McCullum announced that he would only keep wicket for New Zealand in limited-overs cricket after the IPL in 2010. In New Zealand’s next Test against India in Ahmedabad, Gareth Hopkins deputised and in 24 subsequent Tests, the role has passed between Hopkins, Reece Young, Watling and Kruger van Wyk. Watling has been the only one to suggest he might make a long-term go of it and he can expect to return after this series.Such heavy demands upon McCullum make it almost inevitable that Dan Vettori, a former New Zealand captain, will make his Test comeback for the first time for almost a year’s absence with Achilles trouble. McCullum, an “ideas” captain, likes to keep lines of communication open with his bowlers, but he feel less need for endless dashes up and down the pitch in the middle of an over if he sees the familiar figure of Vettori fielding.One of the New Zealand bowlers to recognise the advantage of that was Neil Wagner. He is a garrulous sort – a refreshing change in the sanitised media conferences of today – and it was all he could do to stop himself pronouncing that Vettori would definitely get the final place ahead of Doug Bracewell and an all-seam attack. These days at Headingley, the temptation to rely on pace bowling alone should be resisted because the pitches can show extremes of character and are just as likely to go flat if the clouds lift. Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire legspinner, took five wickets in the second match of the season at Headingley, so it should not automatically be assumed that a spinner has no role here.”Brendon’s back has been playing up a bit, but he is going to grit his teeth and do a job for the team, that’s just the sort of guy that Brendon is,” Wagner said. “There is going to be quite a bit of running up and down because he likes to talk to the bowlers about plans but having the opportunity maybe to have Dan at mid-on and mid-off and pick his brains and pass on messages will be pretty awesome.”It’s exciting seeing Dan around the changing room and training with us again. He is just one of those guys you can always rely on. He brings a good spirit into the team, and brings in humour in tough situations sometimes, but he also has such massive experience. If as a bowler you want to pick someone’s brain, he is going to be the one you want to talk to.”Vettori will be a like-for-like replacement for his fellow left-arm spinner, Bruce Martin, who has left the tour because of a calf injury he picked up at Lord’s. That will at least stop the England fans wondering – as they have for the past three months – why nobody is clobbering him down the ground.Vettori, veteran of 112 Tests, bowled for half-an-hour, had a bat against some throw-downs and took some high catches on a middling Leeds morning, dry and largely overcast. Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, then rejected requests to speak to him, leaving the bowling coach, Shane Bond, to indicate that Vettori himself would be trusted to make the call on his fitness.”He’s the sort of guy who will know whether he can do it or not,” Bond said. “He’s got that experience and he knows how he’s going physically. Either way I’m sure the right decision will be made.”Vettori’s last Test came against West Indies in Antigua last July. After an inactive time in the IPL, even a long-haul flight from New Zealand could not disguise the feeling that he was itching to play again.Vettori would join an attack that has come close to breaking England’s batting on several occasions over the four Tests stretching back to March, something Wagner takes comfort from.”We have come close a couple of times so it has been a bit frustrating for us as a bowling unit,” he said. “At Lord’s we got ourselves into a perfect position and then two guys came out with serious class and bowled unbelievably well.”Jonny Bairstow at the moment is trying to find his feet a bit. Nick Compton played a bit of a rash shot in the first innings after showing a bit of patience. Matt Prior hasn’t got a run in two innings. There is stuff we can thrive on.”

ScorecardBJ Watling and Grant Elliott both struck hundreds in Ayr•Donald MacLeod/Cricket Scotland

Hundreds from Grant Elliott and BJ Watling powered New Zealand A to a comprehensive victory in Ayr, as Scotland, without a number of their top-order batsmen, succumbed in the first of three matches.Scotland had started well with the ball but lost the plot at the back end of the innings, conceding nearly 150 runs in the last ten overs as Watling and Elliott piled on the misery. In reply the home side never threatened, with only Richie Berrington and David Murphy displaying any fluency with the bat.Without eight regulars due to injury and county commitments, including captain Kyle Coetzer, Scotland were forced to field a weakened side, handing a debut to 21-year-old Gordon Munsey; by contrast, the New Zealand A side featured six players with Test match experience.Having won his first toss as Scotland captain, Matt Machan would have been delighted with the way his bowlers started, removing both openers inside the first ten, including in-form Hamish RutherfordAfter the seamers’ hard work, it was the introduction of spin from the Cottage End that broke the third-wicket partnership, when Dean Brownlie chopped the third ball of Majid Haq’s first over on to his leg stump; seam struck an over later when Evans trapped Daryl Mitchell lbw to leave New Zealand A 92 for 4.However, as the sun and stiff breeze dried the pitch, batting got easier and easier. Both Machan and Michael Leask were deposited over the boundary by Colin de Grandhomme, and had he not missed a straight one off Haq the No. 6 might have caused some real damage. But for Scotland, the worst was yet to come.Once Elliott reached an obdurate fifty, he accelerated alongside Watling, who batted with total ease. Their partnership was eventually worth 185 from 19 overs. Elliott scored his second half-century off 26 balls, while Watling’s second came off just 13, as they battered Safyaan Sharif’s final three overs for 57 runs. Still 20 short of his hundred, Watling mistimed the ball over mid-off but Machan, running back, never quite settled under it; the drop seemed inevitable, as did defeat even at that point.If Scotland’s bowling was ultimately sub-par, their batting was dire. From the moment Hamish Gardiner became the first of Matt Henry’s four victims, Scotland never looked like threatening the target of 348. There were bright patches for Grant Bradburn, Scotland’s coach, to focus on: Munsey looked at ease with the pace and bite of the attack until he played a loose drive and Berrington once again showed form with the bat, although by the time he got into his groove the game was well done. In truth, it had the feel of a square practice for both sides after Henry and Scott Kuggeleijn blew away the top order.”The first 35 overs, we bowled well, we fielded well, and then we let it get away from us,” Bradburn said. “We’ve got a lot of high-level cricket between now and the World Cup, and we have to try and improve those skills, and try and be comfortable chasing. At the moment, we’re more comfortable setting than chasing, and we have to be able to do both. We have the skills to go out and chase big scores, but what we need is the belief.”

ScorecardSeven hundred and thirty five days and counting. That’s how long it has been since the Sydney Thunder last won in the Big Bash League and on Friday, not even the most remarkable innings from a most remarkable cricketer could break that drought.Michael Hussey’s extraordinary 85 from 56 balls wasn’t enough, as Shaun Tait and the Strikers held their nerve to inflict the Thunder’s 15th consecutive defeat.Michael Hussey’s 56-ball 85 could not take the Sydney Thunder over the line•Getty Images

Hussey could not have done more to win this game for his new team. Aged 39, and nearly 12 months since retiring from international cricket, his superpowers have not diminished even the slightest.He entered at 2 for 20 in the fourth over, chasing 154 to win, and watched from the non-strikers’ end as Michael Neser claimed Ryan Carters to be on a hat-trick and send the Thunder further into the mire.But Hussey remained unfazed and accumulated eight runs from his first 12 balls in a typical risk-free manner. Then on the 13th delivery, on a wicket where it was difficult to score off balls that were banged, Hussey advanced at Neser and lofted him into the stands over long-on.In the next over, he charged at the legspin of Adam Zampa and hit him inside out over wide long off for six. The Thunder needed 96 runs from 60 balls and Strikers captain Johan Botha turned to the raw pace of Tait, but Hussey still didn’t blink. He hooked the first-ball bouncer for six, glided a length ball fine of third man for four, and pulled another short ball though square leg for four more.Seventy-nine off 54 became 56 off 42 after Zampa’s third over, as Hussey reached his fifty with another six. Eoin Morgan, who played Robin to Hussey’s Batman, hit a trademark reverse sweep for four in the same over to keep the runs flowing.The pair combined for 109 off 75 balls and by the time Morgan had holed out to Callum Ferguson at backward point, the Thunder needed just 25 from 22.But the youngster Kurtis Patterson struggled to get Hussey back on strike, and ran himself out with 11 to win. Tait was thrown the ball for the final over and Hussey fell 15 metres short of victory, getting caught by Johan Botha at deep long-on.Earlier, the Strikers were pleased when asked to bat first after losing the toss. Michael Klinger cover-drove the first ball for four to lay the foundation for a classy 44. The Thunder bowlers, led by Dirk Nannes, Gurinder Sandhu and Chris Woakes adjusted their lengths on the unique drop-in wicket to restrict the Strikers after their positive start.But a very skilful innings from Nathan Reardon tipped the total past 150, and in the end, it was just a little too much for Hussey and the Thunder to overcome.

The fast bowler James Pattinson will not be part of the Australia A tour of England due to an abdominal strain. Pattinson suffered the problem during the final ODI against England in Manchester earlier this month and has not stayed on with the A side, which begins its tour with a three-day match against Derbyshire on Friday.Pattinson is instead expected to resume bowling next week with Victoria, having returned home to Melbourne following the ODI series. However, he is expected to be fit for the one-day series against Pakistan in the UAE next month, having been named in the squad for that tour after he suffered the injury.The Western Australia fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile is set to join the Australia A squad, which had already gained Alister McDermott after he was brought in to replace in the injured Pat Cummins, who suffered a side strain. The tour would have provided a valuable opportunity for Pattinson and Cummins to bowl with the red ball in English conditions ahead of their likely involvement in next year’s Ashes.Instead, the Australia A group will rely on Mitchell Johnson, Mitchell Starc, Ben Cutting, Jackson Bird, McDermott and Coulter-Nile for their pace requirements. The spin contingent is made up of Nathan Lyon, Jon Holland and Steven Smith. The Australia A series includes four games against county sides and the England Lions over the next three weeks.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAB de Villiers was involved in a match-winning stand with Chris Gayle•AFP

For a while, Kings XI Punjab showed some fight. Azhar Mahmood turned a middling total into a seemingly challenging one. Parvinder Awana jolted Royal Challengers Bangalore with three early strikes. But the visitors had Chris Gayle. And AB de Villiers. A nearly risk-free partnership of 131 at more than ten runs an over followed, shutting Kings XI out totally.At 25 for 3 facing an asking-rate touching nine-and-a-half, Royal Challengers should have been pushed much more than they were. That they were not was down to the class of Gayle and de Villiers and the lack of depth in the Kings XI attack.When they needed someone to increase the pressure after Awana’s initial burst, Kings XI instead had Harmeet Singh delivering innocuous legbreaks from a long run-up on a greenish pitch. They were also confronted with two batsmen who were so much in control of the situation that they did not even bother to attack as much as they usually do.Gayle kept the big strokes away as long as he could rein himself in but that did not deter him from scoring boundaries at will. Awana had just taken out Mayank Agarwal and Virat Kohli in the space of five deliveries. Gayle responded with consecutive fours off Praveen Kumar in the next over.Awana had Saurabh Tiwary top-edging to the wicketkeeper off the first ball of the sixth over. Gayle responded with another pair of boundaries. He softly turned deliveries through square leg for runs while de Villiers found his timing as soon as he arrived.De Villiers, in fact, went along at a faster clip than Gayle initially, tapering off towards the end as the latter finally decided to display his range with some huge straight hits.The game went to the last over only because Gayle and de Villiers fell on the brink of victory. In the end, Royal Challengers had just too much power for a ragged Kings XI unit. That Kings XI even set the visitors a reasonable chase was down to Mahmood, the former Pakistan allrounder debuting in the IPL as a British citizen. He breathed life into a stuttering innings after Kings XI had once again been let down by their batsmen. Coming in at No. 7 in the 16th over, Mahmood smashed 33 off 14 deliveries as Kings XI posted their highest total of the season.Despite three of five bowlers used going for around six runs an over, Royal Challengers discovered there were still enough weak links in their attack for even a shaky Kings XI line-up to exploit. Harshal Patel disappeared for 44 and Vinay Kumar for 40 as Kings XI took 51 off the final four overs.Kings XI had sleepwalked to 105 by the 15th over, and the departure of David Hussey off the last ball of that over had further dented their hopes of posting a decent total. Mahmood walked in and completely changed the tempo of the innings. Harshal was thumped over mid-off and midwicket for consecutive boundaries; Vinay was calmly dabbed between the wicketkeeper and wide slip for four.Royal Challengers had been on top till Mahmood’s arrival. Only Shaun Marsh and Hussey had dominated them in a three-over span. Even that partnership had been terminated before it could cause much damage. After playing some pleasing cover drives, Marsh was bowled for 26 as he tried to late-cut Andrew McDonald.Marsh’s fall came after Zaheer Khan, enjoying the bounce on the Mohali pitch and bowling with control from both sides of the wicket, had removed the Kings XI openers early. Stand-in captain Hussey, leading in place of the injured Adam Gilchrist, kept the home side going steadily but fell when they were in need of a late boost. It was to come from Mahmood, and gave their medium-pacers some leeway to exploit a favourable pitch. Awana did that, but Gayle and de Villiers were unstoppable.

Ajit Chandila, the only Rajasthan Royals player yet to be out on bail in relation to the IPL spot-fixing case, has been remanded to judicial custody until July 2.A Delhi court had sentenced Chandila to police custody for three days on June 17 and also deferred his bail plea, along with that of five others including former Ranji player Baburao Yadav, till June 22 after being informed by the police that some statements of the bookies arrested in the same case had to be placed on record.The Delhi Police said they had completed their custodial interrogation, following which a vacation judge ruled that Chandila would be sent to Tihar jail for 12 days.Ajit Chandila, Sreesanth and Ankeet Chavan were arrested, along with 11 bookies, on May 16 and charged under the Indian Penal Code section 420 and 120B, which deal with fraud, cheating and conspiracy.Sreesanth and Chavan had applied for bail before Chandila and were released from Tihar jail on June 11.

Ryan Harris’ recovery from shoulder surgery has consumed his BBL campaign for the Brisbane Heat, as the highly regarded fast bowler strives to be considered for Australia’s 2013 Test tours of India and England.Having undergone rotator cuff surgery in August, Harris had originally hoped to be fit in time to take part in Australia’s home Test series against Sri Lanka, starting on Friday in Hobart.But a careful recuperation process has taken longer than first thought, first ruling him out of any cricket before Christmas and now extending into the BBL phase of summer. While Harris has returned to the bowling crease, he is yet to deliver a ball at full pace or off his long run, and it has been decided that he is better off not rushing back for Twenty20 duty.”It’s disappointing because I am pretty close but to push now might not turn out to be the best thing for longer term,” Harris said. “Everyone agrees that I will be best suited to come back with Toombul in club cricket first up in January and then aim to be considered for the first Queensland games after the BBL.”I’ve been feeling pretty good in the nets so far, and while I’m not bowling off the full run-up or at full pace, I’m very positive about getting up to that level soon.”James Hopes, captain of the Bulls and the Heat, was hopeful that Harris’ conservative approach would reap benefits at the international level in the new year.”I pushed myself too hard with a knee injury last year for the first half of the BBL,” Hopes said. “I was fortunate enough to be able to take stock and opt for a less aggressive recovery schedule that got me back fit and well in time for the remaining Shield and one-dayers, and that’s what we’re going to do with Ryano.”He is bowling really well at this stage of his recovery, but it would have been unfair to throw him back into a BBL game and expect him to go full tilt from the outset. This is the best thing for him and will give him plenty of playing time for Queensland and allow him to build a case for the Australian tours to India and England.”I’m firmly convinced that with his bowling skill set, he is comfortably in the ranks of the best Test bowling line-up that Australia can field.”When fit, Harris is greatly valued by Australia’s captain Michael Clarke and the national selectors for his combination of swing, speed and accuracy. His bowling was a key plank of Australia’s series win in Sri Lanka in 2011, utilising a skidding, wicket-to-wicket method that will be suited to India.Beyond that lies the trip to England for the first leg of dual Ashes series.

An allrounder display from Jan Smuts propelled Warriors to a 31-run win over Knights at Buffalo Park in East London. Warriors chose to bat and Smuts led the way with a patient 98 to anchor his side. The innings was built the old fashioned way, with the top order scoring at less than five an over, before the lower order had a go at the end. Four of the top five batsmen had strike-rates under 80; the next three had strike-rates over 140. JP Kresuch, who made 46, shared the biggest partnership of the innings with Smuts, 85 for the fourth wicket. It was Smuts’ departure, caught and bowled by Werner Coetsee in the 44th over, that led to surge in the scoring rate as Johan Botha, Craig Thyssen and Nicky Boje all had a go to take their side to 265 for 7.Knights lost regular wickets from the start of their chase, and struggled to build momentum. They had slid to 119 for 7 before Coetsee and Charl Pietersen attempted to resurrect their challenge, but it was too little too late. Smut had Pietersen caught for 41 and though Coetsee remained unbeaten on 66, Knights were always behind the asking rate and could only manage 234 for 9. Smuts finished with figures of 3 for 48 to and was named Player of the Match.The game between Dolphins and Cape Cobras was called off due to rain after just 10 overs were bowled.

ScorecardCameron White’s experience ensured the run chase was calm•Getty Images

Northamptonshire booked their place in the Friends Life T20 quarter-finals with a comfortable win over Glamorgan in Cardiff.Fine displays from Cameron White and Azharullah enabled Northamptonshire to win this top of the table clash in the Midlands, Wales and West Group by six wickets, with nine balls to spare. Glamorgan, unbeaten at home until tonight, will have to beat Gloucestershire at Cardiff on Tuesday to have any chance of reaching the last eight.White scored 71 from 48 balls while Azharullah recorded figures of 4 for 16 runs from his four overs as Glamorgan were restricted to 125 for 9. Azharullah produced a fine spell, with his first three overs only producing six runs.Only Chris Cooke, with 50 from 38 balls, took the attack to the Northamptonshire bowlers with only two other batsmen – Mark Wallace (22) and Nathan McCullum (20) – getting into double figures.After the early loss of in-form Jim Allenby, Azharullah’s first victim, in the third over, Cooke and Wallace got Glamorgan into a useful position at 71 for 1 in the 10th over. But after Wallace holed out to Azharullah to long-on Glamorgan’s runs dried up with no boundaries coming between the ninth and 14th overs.And from 90 for 2 Glamorgan lost seven wickets for the addition of only 35 runs. Captain Marcus North looked out of form as he was caught off Steven Crook before Cooke was dismissed in the next over the ball after reaching his 50. McCullum struck three fours but Glamorgan’s total looked nothing more than competitive.Northamptonshire had looked comfortable in the opening three overs as they reached 21 without loss but Glamorgan struck when the dangerous Richard Levi was run out at the non-striker’s end off the bowler’s hand.Kyle Coetzer looked in good form but was caught at midwicket by Ben Wright off Michael Hogan. White hit McCullum for a straight six as the Australian took the pressure of his side’s chase. After nine overs the visitors had reached 50 for 2.But they suffered a setback when captain Alex Wakely holed out off Dean Cosker to make it 62 for 3 in the 12th over. Crook took the pressure off with two consecutive fours as 15 came off an over from Jim Allenby as 36 were required from the final 30 balls.White reached his 50 from 42 balls with four fours and a six as the visitors needed only 18 runs from 18 balls. White hit two sixes off the 17th over from McCullum as Northamptonshire eased to victory.