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Somerset captain Jamie Cox was back at the County Ground earlier today just a few hours after he landed back in England with his new wife Helen and six-month-old son Lachlan.Jamie landed at Heathrow this morning just before 6am after a flight from Australia, and was back at Taunton just after nine to pick up the keys to his new house for the summer.As he stood outside the pavilion with Chief Executive Peter Anderson he told me: "It’s good to be back at Somerset, it’s a bit chilly after Tasmania, but hopefully I’ll have brought the sunshine with me."What were his immediate plans, I asked. Jamie told me: "I’m going back to the house now where we are going to live. I’ll have 24 hours to catch up and then I’ll be back in at the ground for nets on Friday morning with the rest of the team."Meanwhile Somerset fans will be able to hear Peter Anderson on Radio Five Live between 8 and 10 pm where he will be taking part in a debate on county cricket.

When Northerns captain Martin van Jaarsveld chose not to enforce the follow-on on Friday, you would have been hard-pushed to find anyone at St George’s Park who would take money on this Supersport Series Super Eight match against Eastern Province being decided within three days.That it was can be largely laid at the door of a second seriouslydeficient batting performance from the home side as they were bowled out forjust 149 to lose by a mammoth 368 runs. Yes there was a fine bowlingperformance from Rudi Bryson, who decimated the top order and finished withfiigures of 5/33, but there was also some poor shot selection amid theknowledge that the cause was close to futile.Chasing 517 (surely enough said), EP collapsed to 13/3. From that pointon, it was purely a question of how long they could make the match last.Never accuse a professional sportsman of being anything but fully committed,but it would have been understandable if a day off sounded more attractivethan hanging around fighting a losing cause.Don’t tell that to Carl Bradfield, as the EP captain performed that rarefeat of carrying his bat throughout the entire innings as wickets tumbled atthe other end. Bradfield finished unbeaten on 64, but his was a lonerearguard action and all the more laudable for it.Earlier, Northerns had stretched their advantage beyond 500 with more ofthe same – solid if unspectacular batting. Dirkie de Vos was still there atthe declaration on 60, but Meyrick Pringle’s four wickets were welcome ifnot somewhat late and irrelevant as far as the game itself was concerned.Before this game EP had hopes – admittedly faint ones – of reaching theSupersport Series final. Northerns put them well and truly in their place.

Pakistan’s final warm-up game prior to Thursday’s First Test at Lord’s was abandoned without a ball being bowled on the third and final day in Canterbury.Match umpires David Shepherd and Roy Palmer had no option but to the declare the Vodafone Challenge game with Kent a draw, much to the disappointment of a small crowd and the Pakistan top order batsmen.The game had been intriguingly poised with Kent just 100 runs ahead with seven second innings wickets intact.Although touring openers Saeed Anwar and Saleem Elahi hit form by posting a record first wicket stand of 307 here yesterday, the players at three, four and five in the Pakistan order are still crying out for batting practice – yet the next time they take guard in anger will be against England in three days’ time.In the three warm-up games on tour to date Abdur Razzaq, Inzamam-Ul-Haq and Yousuf Youhana have scored just 64 runs between them, hardly ideal preparation for Test cricket or batting on a likely seamer-friendly pitch in St John’s Wood.

Ali Azmat’s half-century combined with some strong lower-order batting helped Water and Power Development Authority post a challenging first-innings score of 369 for 9 declared against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. Azmat led all batsmen with 79, laced with 12 boundaries, as the last five wickets added 222. He was ably supported by Sarfraz Ahmed, who made 33, and Umaid Asif, who made 47, whil Kashif Raza chipped in with an unbeaten 31. Left-arm spinner Zohaib Khan was the best of the bowlers, taking 3 for 45.Both teams are still in the hunt for a spot in the finals, but probably need an outright win to get there, so ZTBL opener Yasir Hameed came out swinging the bat with intent. He had reached 18 from 21 balls, with three fours, before seamer Umaid Asif had him caught behind. At stumps, ZTBL were 34 for 1.Rain continued to play spoilsport on the second day of the game between Sialkot and Rawalpindi, with only 29 overs being bowled, but that was enough for the Rawalpindi bowlers to reduce Sialkot to 16 for 4, before the hosts staged a semi-recovery to end the day on 89 for 5 at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot. Rizwan Akbar produced a devastating opening spell to remove three of the top four batsmen, claiming two wickets with two balls, while Sadaf Hussain prised out Sialkot captain Mansoor Ajmad. Majid Jehangir and Shehzad Malik then added 49 to stem the rot somewhat before Jehangir was caught behind off the bowling seamer Nasir Malik for 34. Shehzad and Nabeel Malik then managed to avoid further damage, with the former on 22 and the latter on 14. Rawalpindi are currently tied second in the points table with Water and Power Development Authority, and potentially need a big win to qualify for the finals.A half-century by Mohammad Kashif got Islamabad back into their game against Multan on a curtailed day at the Multan Cricket Stadium. Islamabad were in trouble after they lost two quick wickets on the second morning to leave them at 48 for 4 in response to Multan’s 244. But, Kashif’s 61 and contributions from Imad Wasim and Kamran Hussain helped them recover to 189 for 6 by the end of the 46 overs that were played on the day. Multan seamer Tahir Maqsood dismissed overnight batsman Zeeshan Mushtaq and then got Faizan Riaz for a duck next ball. Kashif and Farrukh Hayat shared a 54-run partnership before Hayat was run out. Kashif got his runs quickly, hitting 10 boundaries in his innings. For Multan, who have lost all of their ten games so far this season, the match is a last hope to gain some pride, while Islamabad can finish no higher than eighth even if they win.Karachi Blues managed to take a 72-run first-innings lead against Faisalabad by the end of the second day at the National Stadium in Karachi. It didn’t look like that would happen after the first few overs of Karachi’s innings. Faisalabad fast bowler Ahmed Hayat ripped out three early wickets to leave them 3 for 3, and facing a top-order collapse. Unfortunately for Faisalabad, Hayat could only bowl five overs in the day, and Rameez Raja (2) counterattacked, racing to 67 off 55 balls. Most of Karachi’s middle-order batsmen got starts but left-arm spinner Hasan Mahmood kept chipping away at the wickets, picking up five in the end, as Karachi were all out for 264. The lead was pushed past the 50-run mark thanks to a 57-run tenth-wicket stand between Babar Rehman and Malik Aftab.Habib Bank Limited continued to be frustrated by the conditions as only nine overs were bowled on the second day of their match against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore. HBL reached 19 for 0, but with no play on the first day as well, the win they need to make absolutely certain of their spot in the finals is unlikely. The good news for HBL is that Rawalpindi and Pakistan International Airlines’ matches have also been affected by rain. PIA, Rawalpindi, Water and Power Development Authority and Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited are the four teams who have a chance to catch up with HBL. WAPDA and ZTBL are playing each other, which also helps HBL’s cause.There was no play in the game between National Bank and Pakistan International Airlines for the second straight day.

Knights beat current Momentum One Day Cup table-toppers Lions by six wickets in a rain-affected match in Potchefstroom. Lions chose to bat and several cameo contributions helped lift them to 250 for 7. Stephen Cook and Neil McKenzie both scored half-centuries, No. 4 McKenzie remaining 67 not out of 105 balls to anchor the innings, while Chris Morris provided a final surge with 30 off 17. In the shortened chase, Knights needed 204 from 33 overs, and went at over a run a ball to knock off the runs with seven balls to spare. Incidentally, Knights’ top-scoring batsman, Obus Pienaar, also made 67 not out, but his came at a strike-rate of 155.81 to beat the Duckworth/Lewis requirements.A century from opener Imraan Khan helped Dolphins chase down 251 against Titans with four wickets and eight balls to spare in Durban. Titans chose to bat, and apart from a 142-run second-wicket partnership between Mangaliso Mosehle had no contribution of note. Mosehle hit a century too, his 118 being the top score in the match. But only one other batsman got into double digits as Titans were bowled out for 250 in the 46th over. It was not enough, as the rest of the Dolphins’ top-order batsmen batted around centurion Imraan to help their side home.Cape Cobras slipped to their third defeat in four games, losing to Warriors by 76 runs in East London. Cobras needed 263 to win, and the only sizeable innings for them was opener Richard Levi, who hit a rapid 83. With the Warriors bowlers sharing the wickets around, Cobras suffered regular blows and finally faded quickly: they went from 158 for 4 to 186 all out in the space of 7.2 overs. Warriors total, after they had chosen to bat, built their innings around half-centuries from Wayne Parnell and Michael Price.

ScorecardBinura Fernando and AK Tyronne scored a century each in the second innings to help Sri Lanka salvage a draw against India in the second youth Test at the Welagedara Stadium in Kurunegala.The pair added 188 for the eighth wicket to seize the initiative, leaving India to chase an improbable 319.Sri Lanka, electing to bat, struggled to get partnerships going in the first innings. Left-arm spinner Kuldeep Yadav finished with figures of 6-38 and spearheaded a fine bowling performance, as Sri Lanka were bowled out for 212. Only Kavindu Kulasekara scored a fifty and his 84 took the hosts past 200.India, in reply, led by a century from the captain Vijay Zol, established a firm foothold on the match with a fine batting display. Zol struck 16 fours during his 128, and put up a 160-run third-wicket partnership with Sanju Samson, who scored 70. Shreyas Iyer, batting at No. 5, then scored 84 to take India to 393 and establish a lead of 181.After Sri Lanka lost three wickets for 99, Sadeera Samarawickrama and Kusal Mendis scored half-centuries, adding 60 for the fourth wicket to arrest India’s momentum. But medium pacer Chama Milind picked up four crucial wickets to leave Sri Lanka precariously placed at 258 for 7, with Fernando and Tyronne at the crease, facing a big defeat.However, the pair counterattacked with 32 fours and four sixes between them. Tyronne departed for 123 and Fernando remained unbeaten on 100 to take Sri Lanka to 499, and all but secure the draw.India were 113 for 3 at the time of stumps, with Iyer and Samson at the crease and the series was drawn 0-0. The two teams will now play three youth ODIs.

ScorecardShabbir Ahmed finished with 5 for 23•Pakistan Cricket Board

Shabbir Ahmed’s five-wicket haul powered United Bank Limited (UBL) to beat Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) by four wickets.PIA captain Shoaib Malik, after a Man-of-the-Match performance in the last game, became Shabbir’s first victim off only the second ball of the match. PIA lost another early wicket when Shabbir removed Malik’s opening partner Agha Sabir with the score at 34 in the fifth over. Faisal Iqbal’s run-a-ball 48 steadied one end, but a flurry of wickets in the death – five in the last 19 balls, capped off by Shabbir dismissing Ali Raza and Fahad Iqbal off the last two balls of the innings limited PIA to 129.Opener Asif Ali started UBL’s chase positively, striking three sixes and a four but Salman Saeed struck in successive overs to leave UBL at 37 for 2 in the sixth over. With the asking rate hovering at a modest 6.5 per over, Mohammad Sami and Faisal Athar came together and added 35. Sami and Mohammad Irshad fell off consecutive balls in the 17th over, but Athar, who had five fours to his credit, held firm as UBL won the match with five balls to spare.
ScorecardYounis Khan, who remains outside Pakistan’s limited-overs, hit a brisk half-century to drive Habib Bank Limited to a competitive score before part-time offspinner Asad Baig ran through Water and Power Development Auhtority’s middle order to complete a comfortable victory.Imran Farhat, another experienced player who finds himself sidelined from the national team, failed to give HBL a strong start after they won the toss. His opening partner Baig fared better, making 29 as he shared a 41-run stand with No. 3 Fahad Masood. The run-rate picked up in the second half of the innings as two senior players, Younis and Hasan Raza, put together 55 in 33 deliveries. Raza hit three sixes in his 27, and Younis struck seven fours in his unbeaten 54.In the chase, WAPDA were in a reasonable position in the 13th over, with Sohaib Maqsood’s 40 guiding them to 93 for 3. It unravelled spectacularly after that, though, as their final seven wickets went down for 15 runs. What made it more galling for WAPDA was that the wickets weren’t taken by regular bowlers – Baig, who has only one wicket in his 27 first-class matches, bagged 4 for 12while Raza, who has 27 wickets in 175 domestic one-dayers, took two in his first three deliveries to wrap up the match.

Sahara India, owners of the Pune Warriors franchise, have pulled out of the IPL over financial differences with the BCCI stemming from the valuation of the annual franchise fee it has to pay. The decision, the latest crisis to hit the IPL, comes three years after it bought the Pune franchise for $370 million – the highest price paid for any of the IPL franchises.It seems the immediate cause was the BCCI’s decision to cash the bank guarantee from Sahara that that it was obliged, under its contract, to furnish at the start of each season. The guarantee is equivalent to the amount to be paid annually to the BCCI and can be cashed in case a franchise fails to honour its commitments.In this case, Sahara had furnished a bank guarantee worth Rs 170.2 crore (approximately $30 million). Since the deadline for paying the franchise fees was May 2, the BCCI waited till Sahara’s IPL 6 commitments were over and cashed the guarantee on May 20.Reacting to the development, IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla said the board cashed the bank guarantee according to the rules. “Yes, it (Pune Warriors) has pulled out. As per the rules and procedure of the BCCI if a franchise fails to pay the fee then we cash the franchise’s bank guarantee. We are extremely sad by their decision to pull out. This should not have happened,” Shukla said.Pune Warriors finished eighth in the current IPL season, winning four out of their 16 matches.

Franchises’ troubled history

• Deccan Chargers – Terminated on September 14, 2012 due to financial problems as the owners were unable to service their debt obligations to lenders, eventually leading to its attempted sale and dissolution.

• Pune Warriors – Owners Sahara India had cut its ties with the BCCI on February 4, 2012, withdrawing sponsorship from the Indian team and ownership of the franchise. However, the two patched up later, ending the dispute by issuing a joint statement.

• Kochi Tuskers Kerala – Terminated on September 19, 2011 for breaching the terms of agreement – their inability to furnish a new bank guarantee for 2011.

This is the second time Sahara have pulled out of the IPL; they quit on the day of the 2012 auction and withdrew from sponsorship of the Indian team.This time, though, Sahara will continue its sponsorship of the Indian team until the end of December 2013, when their present contract expires. “We share an excellent relationship with the players and will not want such dedicated and good human beings who serve the country so committed to get harmed financially due to unsporting attitude of BCCI. So we have given time to BCCI to get the new sponsorship in place from January 2014.”Sahara’s actual franchise fee has been a contentious issue ever since they bought the Pune franchise for Rs 1702 crore ($370 million) in March 2010. Sahara had been demanding that the franchise fee from their original agreement should be recalculated since the minimum matches per year have been reduced to 14 from the 18 promised to them.In a lengthy statement, Sahara detailed its dispute with the BCCI over franchise fees. It said it was “disgusted” by the BCCI’s attitude towards it and would not rejoin the league even if the entire franchise fee was waived.”In 2010, Sahara had bid Rs 1700 crore for the IPL franchise on the basis of revenue calculation on 94 matches. But we got 64 matches only,” it added.”We and the Kochi team [also bought at the 2010 auction] immediately protested and requested the BCCI to reduce the bid price proportionately for viable IPL proposition. Nothing was heard. We waited with confidence that such a sports body should have sportsmanship spirit,” it said.

In the same moment Brad Haddin played down the importance of his elevation to the Australia Test vice-captaincy for the Ashes, he struck exactly the sort of team-oriented note the national selectors are hoping he maintains over three pressurised months at Michael Clarke’s side in England.After a period of confusion and exasperation about Australian cricket’s direction, the announcement of the tour party for the Ashes brought a feeling of some relief. The squad appeared well balanced, various selection pratfalls had been avoided and, in Haddin and Chris Rogers, Clarke had two seasoned performers to fill the leadership void left by Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey.Haddin’s return to international cricket, following a year in which he has spent as much time as possible close to his ill daughter Mia after leaving in the midst of a West Indies tour to be with her, is a laudable story in itself, but Clarke and the selectors are not after human drama in England. They want a solid citizen and an able lieutenant and, to that end, Haddin made the right start.”It’s an honour and a privilege to have the VC next to your name, but your role doesn’t change too much,” Haddin told reporters in Sydney. “Michael controls what goes on in the team and our job is to come together as the group. We’re not going to win this by ourselves. We need everyone going in the same direction and coming together as a team. That’s as simple as it’s going to get and the result in that is that we’ll win the Ashes.”I just had to trust that if I got back playing cricket, I could get back to this level. The only doubt that came across my mind was, ‘Am I ever going to come back and play the game?’ I’ve been allowed to do that through my family circumstances and I’m excited about today and can’t wait to get involved in this Ashes campaign.”Apart from the leadership element, Haddin hopes also to provide sound glovework and brazen batting. Haddin’s Test career that has at times been more muted than his best displays for New South Wales but in each of the past two Ashes series Haddin has been Australia’s second-most accomplished performer, behind Clarke in 2009 and Hussey in 2010-11.”I know if I’m playing to the best of my ability I’m the No. 1 choice in my position,” he said. “From that point of view it’s been an exciting day today. There’s nothing more exciting in this game of cricket than being involved in an Ashes campaign. We’ve picked 16 guys now that are going to go over there and we’ve got one thing in mind and that’s to come together as a team and win.”One other Ashes tourist happy to see Haddin return to his post behind the stumps is the spin bowler Nathan Lyon. While Matthew Wade’s youth and exuberance has been a welcome commodity at times over the past year, Lyon has suffered from the younger gloveman’s lapses. He said the balance achieved by the England squad was a welcome one.”It’s exciting to be named in the squad and a dream to be on an Ashes tour over to England,” Lyon said. “It’s going to be a massive challenge for the Australian cricket side but I think they’ve picked a really balanced squad for over there and I think we’re heading in the right direction to bring home the Ashes.”Chris Rogers is an unbelievable batsman, he’s proven himself at first-class level all over the place, so it’s exciting to have him in the squad, and to have Brad Haddin come back in, his experience and his leadership around the squad, especially with the younger fellas in the side, I know the young guys really love having Hadds around and he’s going to be a vital player for us.”

India will tour South Africa for three Tests, seven ODIs and two Twenty20s beginning in December this year and extending to early 2014. This will be the teams’ first meeting since two seasons ago when they battled for the No.1 ranking which India held onto under Gary Kirsten. Now, South Africa are mace holders with Kirsten in their camp.There was talk of a fourth Test being built into the schedule but that has not materialised. Mike Gajjar, CSA’s manager cricket operations, said it was only ever a “possibility” to have an additional Test and the two boards stuck to what was “entrenched in the FTP.”But there is some good news for fans of the longest format. ESPNcricinfo understands the traditional Boxing Day Test will return to Durban after it was cancelled previous season because CSA opted to play three festive T20s instead. Although the other venues have not been confirmed, it is a given that Cape Town will host the New Year’s Test and either Johannesburg or Centurion should get the third fixture.Both teams will be short on Test cricket before the meeting. South Africa last played the format in February and will only meet Pakistan for two matches in the UAE before hosting India while their opposition will not play a single Test between now and then. India whitewashed Australia at home in March but have only fifty-over engagements until they fly to South Africa.That includes seven ODIs against Australia after the Champions Trophy which adds to the glut of matches in the format. South Africa do not usually host ODI series of longer than five matches so India’s scheduled seven is unusual. It should present an opportunity for some of the less visited grounds in the country, such as the Maritzburg Oval, the chance to host international cricket.India’s tour forms part of a bumper summer for South Africa. They also host Australia for three Tests in February-March 2014. Both series are among the more lucrative incoming tours with only England being the other team to bring in sizeable profits from television rights.