Manchester City have turned their attention to Real Madrid midfielder Toni Kroos as their pursuit of Napoli’s Jorginho drags on, according to Don Balon.

What’s the word?

The Premier League champions have been heavily linked with a swoop for Jorginho for some time.

Despite stories emerging weeks ago, it does not seem like there is any sort of breakthrough with regards to a deal.

City manager Pep Guardiols is in the market for a defensive midfielder that can share the duties with Fernandinho.

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According to Don Balon, the North-West outfit have now switched focus to Real Madrid’s key man Kroos.

The Germany international, who has won four Champions League trophies in his career, predominantly plays more centrally, but he has equal share of defensive and attacking qualities.

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Is it believable?

Don Balon are known for reporting crazy transfer rumours, and at the moment it does not seem like there is much foundation to this latest speculation.

Of course, that is not to say that envisaging Kroos at City is ludicrous given the club have the funds and calibre to attract such a player.

It would, however, be highly unlikely due to the player’s current situation.

He has no need to leave the Bernabeu having just won another European trophy.

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On top of that, Los Blancos would demand a hefty price tag, which could result in City ending up in another transfer saga.

There is no doubt that Kroos would be a sensational addition to Guardiola’s team, but the timing seems off.

Leeds United are interested in signing Al Saad SC striker Baghdad Bounedjah, according to Algerian news outlet FZ Foot.

What’s the story?

The 26-year-old Algerian international hasn’t played any club football in Europe but has maintained a remarkable scoring record so far in his career.

At current club Al Saad SC in the Qatar Stars League, he has scored 64 goals in 57 games in all competitions.

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According to the report, Leeds have made an offer for the prolific striker who is valued at £3.15million on Transfermarkt, but the player rejected the approach as he wants a salary equivalent to what he is currently earning.

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Out of the blue

This is certainly one of the more unusual transfer stories emanating from Elland Road this summer, particularly as they are already looking to sign strikers Matej Vydra and Jerry Mbakogu.

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There’s no denying that Bounedjah has an eye for goal and he has a remarkable scoring record, but the quality of defending in the QSL is certainly not Championship quality.

Perhaps he is worth a punt to see if he can carry on scoring at a higher level, but in truth it’s probably best if Leeds stick to players who have proven it against similar high level opposition.

Duckworth/Lewis was the decider at Colts cricket grounds today as the match between Colts CC and Galle CC ended with a victory for Colts after heavy rain play at 4.00 pm.Galle, chasing a victory target of 227 runs in 50 overs, were 86 for the loss of five wickets in the 29th over when the two umpires called off play due to rain and returned to the pavilion to inspect their Duckworth Lewis calculation tables.According to the Duckworth/Lewis system, Galle who had lost five wickets in 29 overs, needed to have scored over 133 runs to pull a win. They thus lost the match by 47 runs.Galle CC had no reason to be aggrieved as Colts looked to be certain of victory having polished off the Galle CC middle order. They started their run chase disastrously and, with the exception of opening batsman Dammika Sudarshana, who made 31 runs, none of the Galle batsmen settled at the crease.They struggled against a strong pace attack led by Eric Upashantha. He captured two wickets for 25 runs in seven overs, while Kaushalya Weeraratne finishedwith one for 11 in three overs.Earlier in the day Colts had elected to bat first but suffered an early shock when last weeks Centurion, Romesh Kaluwitharana, was run out in the first over even without facing a ball.Then Chaminda Mendis(47) and Jeevantha Kulatunga(25) laid the foundation for a big score, before Kulatunga was out in the 10th over with the total on 54. Sajith Fernando(29) joined Mendis and kept up the fast run rate as Colts reached the hundred mark in the 17th over.However, a superb spell of bowling by Saman Fonseka who captured four for 45 and Pasan Wanasinghe with three for 33, restricted Colts to 226 runs in 47.3 overs. Viraj Perera chipped in with two for 53.Ruchira Karunasena, who was responsible for the dismissal of Kaluwitharana, was brilliant in the field, taking three superb catches.

An unbeaten century from Tariq-ur-Rehman spurred Bihar to a fivewicket win over Assam in their Ranji one-day match at Cuttack onThursday.Assam, winning the toss, scored a decent 255 in their innings. A 95from an in-form Syed Zuffri was the spine of an innings that saw a lotof substantial contributions from many batsmen. Zuffri was ablysupported by Rajkumar Gohain (46); for Bihar, Mihir Diwakar took 4-46.Chasing 256, Bihar never looked in trouble. After 21 apiece from theopeners, it was Rehman all the way. Batting primarily with skipperRajiv Kumar (52 off 55), Rehman made 101 off 137 balls with six foursand a six. He took Bihar to victory in just 47.1 overs, a goodachievement.

Rajasthan Royals legspinner Pravin Tambe, who has also played for Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, has participated in a private T20 tournament in the USA alongside Mohammad Ashraful, who is currently serving a five-year ban imposed on him by the Bangladesh Cricket Board (BCB) for his role in fixing during the 2013 Bangladesh Premier League.The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA), the governing body for cricket for Tambe’s state team in India, said the player had not sought permission to participate in the tournament and it was unaware of his involvement. When contacted for a response, Tambe said he had been unaware that it was an official tournament and that he did not know of Ashraful’s involvement in it until he took the field for a game.Apart from Tambe, Bangladesh internationals Elias Sunny and Nadif Chowdhury, who are contracted first-class cricketers with the BCB, and other Bangladeshi players also played with Ashraful in a T20 tournament in the USA. The BCB, also unaware of their participation, said no permission had been requested and that it would conduct an inquiry into the matter.An ICC spokesperson said he would revert once he had more information, when asked whether the players had violated any code of conduct by playing alongside or against a banned player. Officials from the BCB and MCA also responded in a similar manner.The website of Laurel Hill Cricket, a T20 tournament in New Jersey, mentions Tambe and Royal Challengers Bangalore bowler Harshal Patel as attractions in the competition, though Patel has not participated in any of the games and has actually been playing a tournament in India during this time.Tambe, however, played with Ashraful for South Gujarat CC Jrs against Bulls on July 27. As Tambe does not have a BCCI contract, he had to obtain clearances from the MCA, but the association’s joint-secretary Dr PV Shetty confirmed Tambe had not sought a no-objection certificate. The BCCI did not reply to an email asking for a comment.Tambe told ESPNcricinfo that he had been in New York between July 23 and 31 to visit friends but had no idea that the cricket he was playing was a competitive tournament or that his name had featured on Laurel Hill Cricket website.”I had no idea it was an official tournament,” he said. “I had just gone there to visit my friends in the US for a week of holidays and I was enjoying. I did not even have a kit with me.”Tambe said he played a match for Holmdel CC on July 26 and his friends on the team said they were going to play a practice game the next day. He went along to play on July 27 and said that only when entering the field did he take notice of Ashraful’s presence.”I was told it was a practice match. When I went to the ground I realised it was Twenty20 match,” Tambe said. “Till I went into the ground and stood at my fielding position I had no clue that he [Ashraful] was also playing. Even my friends did not know. They were told that some other friend had got him.”When asked why he did not pull out from the match as soon as he spotted Ashraful, Tambe said he found himself in a helpless position. “I did not know he was also playing. And I just went there to play a simple game of cricket with my close friends. I told my friends and the organisers I would not like to play in any other game after the incident.”Tambe said that because he was not aware of it being an official tournament he did not ask the MCA for permission. He also said he had not been paid for his participation in the Laurel Hill Cricket tournament. At present, Tambe is in the UK playing for Rainford Cricket Club in the first division of the Liverpool District Cricket competition. He said he had been playing for Rainford for more than a decade and has the necessary clearances from the MCA to do so.While Tambe teaming up with Ashraful appears limited to one T20 match, Bangladesh cricketers Sunny, Chowdhury and Shaker Ahmed played several games with the banned cricketer, in tournaments in New Jersey and Michigan. Former Bangladesh international Tapash Baisya also played with Ashraful for a team called Bangladesh Tigers XI in a tournament that ended on August 2.In July, nine current and former Bangladesh cricketers took part in an unofficial indoor tournament in which Ashraful also played. The BCB chief executive Nizamuddin Chowdhury said the board would look into the matter because of the frequency of such events. “We have to look into the board’s guidelines exactly and then comment on it,” Chowdhury said. “Since it is happening frequently, we will look closely… We have to see the board’s anti-corruption rules and procedures before we can say anything about it.”When Ashraful was originally banned for eight years – it was later reduced to five with two years suspended – in June 2014, Justice Khademul Islam, the convener of the probe committee, had said: “He will not be able to take part in any authorised cricketing activities anywhere in the world.”Chowdhury said the ban on Ashraful was in tournaments under the jurisdiction of recognised cricket bodies. “The tournament or match you are referring is outside our jurisdiction,” he said. “Number two, the players within our first-class contract who have participated in an unauthorised cricket event without board’s permission, or without NOC, will be addressed in accordance with the board’s policy.”It won’t be right to comment whether it is disapproved cricket or not. What we understand is that this is not official cricket. Whether this is a neighborhood tournament, we have to find out.”Some of the other players who participated in the Michigan and Laurel Hill Cricket tournaments were Farveez Maharoof (Sri Lanka), Xavier Marshall (West Indies) and John Campbell (Jamaica); Fahad Babar, Akeem Dodson, Jasdeep Singh, Durale Forrest, George Adams and Muhammad Ghous (USA), Rizwan Cheema, Ruvindu Gunasekera, Navneet Dhaliwal, Satsimranjit Singh Dhindsa and Saad Bin Zafar (Canada).

Jason Holder has replaced Denesh Ramdin as captain of West Indies for the upcoming two-Test series against Sri Lanka, which starts on October 14. A WICB media release stated that Holder’s appointment “was recommended by the selection panel and endorsed unanimously by the directors during a teleconference meeting on Wednesday.”

West Indies squad

IN
Jomel Warrican, Carlos Brathwaite
OUT
Veerasamy Permaul

Clive Lloyd, the head of the the selection committee, believed it was “the right time for a change”, and backed the 23-year-old Holder to guide a young West Indies team forward. Holder had also been appointed ODI captain last December, but Lloyd said the selectors didn’t want to burden Holder further by giving him the reins even in T20s.”We expect to get new thinking and new dynamism from him,” Lloyd said. “Jason commands respect. He is a fine young man, very intelligent and he seems to get the best from the players because he is a straightforward guy. I think the players will warm to him. He has a young bunch of players and we feel he can guide them in the manner that is required for internationals.”We do not want to any captain to lead in all three formats just now. It would be quite burdensome on anyone. We think we can have a separate Twenty20 captain.”Opening batsman Kraigg Brathwaite will be Holder’s deputy in Sri Lanka. The squad contains two uncapped players in fast bowler Carlos Brathwaite and left-arm spinner Jomel Warrican, both of whom play for Barbados. In a like-for-like selection, Warrican replaces Veerasammy Permaul, who was part of West Indies’ squad during their home series against Australia. Ramdin retains his place as wicketkeeper.Lloyd thanked Ramdin for his contributions as Test captain. Ramdin led West Indies in 13 Tests, of which they won four, drew two and lost seven.”I have spoken to Denesh and he understood the situation and there was no animosity,” Lloyd said. “We just want him to perform a little bit better right now, particularly with the bat, and give of his best and support the new captain.”Holder has only played eight Tests so far. He has made 380 runs, with a century and two fifties, at 34.54, and taken 16 wickets at 35.37 with his medium-pace. He took over the ODI captaincy at a similarly inexperienced stage in his 50-over career, with only 21 matches behind him.West Indies endured a difficult World Cup, which they exited at the quarter-final stage, but Holder showed evidence of his leadership skills during the tournament, shouldering the responsibility of bowling in difficult situations – such as the final over against a rampaging AB de Villiers – and batting with maturity.In the home Tests that followed, the same qualities came to the fore, particularly with the bat, as shown by a match-saving century against England in Antigua, and an unbeaten 82 against Australia in Jamaica.West Indies will undergo an eight-day preparatory camp in Barbados from September 20. They are scheduled to land in Sri Lanka on October 1.West Indies squad: Jason Holder(captain), Kraigg Brathwaite (vice-captain), Devendra Bishoo, Jermaine Blackwood, Carlos Brathwaite, Darren Bravo, Rajindra Chandrika, Shane Dowrich, Shannon Gabriel, Shai Hope, Denesh Ramdin , Kemar Roach, Marlon Samuels, Jerome Taylor, Jomel Warrican

In taking on Australia at home over the next month, New Zealand’s cricketers wish to overturn one element of history while also paying homage to another.The Kiwis’ two most successful recent tilts at beating the men in baggy green took place in 2001 and 1995. In the more recent encounter, the batsmen dropped anchor and insisted on leaving the ball as much as possible. That approach worked so successfully that Glenn McGrath endured one of his poorest series of all, and the visitors came within a couple of wickets of snatching the series in Perth.Sixteen years before, a youthful Australian side gutted by retirements and South African rebel tour contracts had no answer to Sir Richard Hadlee at his peak. Moving the ball both ways while sticking to an immaculate line, a pair of thrashings in Brisbane and Perth fell either side of a narrower win for Allan Border’s bedraggled team in Sydney.This time around, New Zealand’s captain Brendon McCullum has no intention of instructing his batsmen to shelve their free-spirited batting tendencies in contrast to 2001. But there is well-founded confidence within the visitors’ ranks that a moving ball in the hands of Tim Southee, Trent Boult and company can confound another transitional Australian team after the fashion of Hadlee.For McCullum, the chance to play a three-Test series in Australia will sit high on any list of his career highlights, especially given how shabbily New Zealand have been treated by their wealthier neighbour in terms of fixtures since 2010. He is determined to maintain a positive, aggressive attitude to the task, something that cost him during the World Cup final earlier this year but has brought him great rewards elsewhere.”We’ve got to keep the positive mindset, that’s what works for us,” McCullum said. “It’s not always going to work but it gives us our greatest chance and we’ve said that time and time again over the last couple of years. That sits comfortably with us, it’s more authentic that style of play to the personnel in the unit and probably with us as people, as Kiwis. We’ll go and play some positive cricket and hopefully the gods will shine on us.”The World Cup was a great event and amazing to be part of, but we ran second in the event and we were proud of what we were able to achieve and how we gave ourselves a shot at the title. Unfortunately we weren’t good enough on the day and Australia deserved to win, but it’s not a motivation for us. Our motivation is to be as good as we possibly can, and to come over here and try and get the result which is to win the three-Test series.”The fact that both sides played England during the northern summer offers an intriguing insight into their strengths and weaknesses. New Zealand’s aggression got them into trouble at Lord’s but they rebounded strongly to win at Headingley, whereas Australia also finished the stronger but only after the Ashes had been whisked away by a combination of Steven Finn, Stuart Broad and heedless batting on a pair of seaming pitches.”To a degree, but I think Australia’s different at home,” McCullum said when queried on how much the Ashes result gave New Zealand an idea of how to make the hosts uncomfortable. “England in England are tough to beat and with a different ball as well. The series oscillated so much – England got the spoils at the end but it certainly wasn’t one sided.”For us we’ve got to play positive cricket, we know we’ve got a good line up, a team which we know well within ourselves, we’ve got good balance, and we’re going to have to work out some areas along the way where we think we might be able to attack Australia, and areas we have to shore up as well, because we know we’ve got some really explosive batters and they’ve got some dangerous bowlers as well.”That’s the art of trying to work out how you’re going to compete on a tour, but they’re going to be tough, and we’ve got to make sure we play well.”It should not escape the attention of those who have hesitated to schedule matches been Australia and New Zealand for reasons of competitiveness or financial value that the last time they played one another it was actually the Kiwis who were victorious, on a green Hobart pitch not dissimilar to those prepared in Birmingham and Nottingham.Tim Southee, who will lead in McCullum’s stead against the Prime Minister’s XI, said the swinging ball against aggressive Australian batsmen would be a prime weapon for the New Zealand attack. “I think the strength of myself and Trent particularly is the way we can swing a ball and it does help if it is swinging,” he said, “but I think we’ve also had results where it hasn’t swung.”We’ve performed in all sorts of conditions in all parts of the world now, and although we like it when it swings, we know if it is not swinging it is not the end of the world. We do have other plans and things up our sleeve as well. But if does make a bit of a difference if there is a bit of swing in the air and I think last time we played in Brisbane there was a little bit of swing around – James Pattinson swung it too nicely that day – so yeah hopefully we can get it swinging.”Talk of sledging and confrontations had to arise after the events of the World Cup final, but it is fair to surmise that this will be a series played in friendlier spirit based on recent evidence. Under McCullum, New Zealand have become a byword for fairness, while the Australians were notably short of verbal venom during the Ashes, even before the retirements of two chief provocateurs in Brad Haddin and Shane Watson.”I don’t know, time will tell. We’re certainly not spending any energy on that sort of stuff, I’m sure the series will be played in great spirit,” McCullum said. “Obviously with Steve Smith and with Darren Lehmann as coach, the two teams will get on well.”It will be healthy competition on the field and it should be played in good spirits, but for us the focus will be very much on our skills rather than anything else. We’ll just go and play our cricket and have a good time while we’re at it. We’ve got a great bunch of guys that we’re playing with and we’re out there representing our country, and that’s where our focus is rather than on the other stuff.”As for the experimental third Test, the first to be played under lights with a pink ball, McCullum acknowledged that not everyone involved had leapt into it with the greatest enthusiasm. However he summed up the position New Zealand were placed in by noting that it was highly unusual for them to be granted a three-Test series, so if the third had to be played with a pink ball then it was better than getting two.”The two boards were in discussions but from our point of view we arrived at the fact we were going to play a Test match with the pink ball,” he said. “We knew we were going to get some preparation, so from a players’ point of view we were going to allow ourselves to be able to get ready for the Test.”It is what it is, I know there’s been a bit of negativity around it, but I guess we’ll find out with the pink ball whether it works or not, and that’s one of the good things about playing the Test. We normally only get two-match series so it’s quite nice to have a third one, so we’ll deal with the third one when it arrives.”The pink ball’s debut will be a moment of history. But it is not only kind New Zealand want to be making this series.

Match facts

Tuesday, 13 October
Start time 9.30am local (0730GMT)

Big picture

Kevin O’Brien hasn’t fired in the manner he is capable of•AFP

Series victories are a luxury which Zimbabwe have had to learn to live without in the last two years, and Sunday’s win will have given them a timely morale boost. A great deal of the pressure the hosts were under ahead of this series will have evaporated, and Tuesday’s dead rubber is likely to be played in a much less intense atmosphere. Ireland still have a four-day game against Zimbabwe A to look forward to ahead of their departure for Namibia, but it is a win over the national side that they will want most and while it won’t give them much in the way of bragging rights, a victory on Tuesday will still be seen as an important achievement.Zimbabwe’s batsmen, who struggled so visibly against Pakistan, have now pulled off two successful run chases in challenging conditions – although against a relatively modest bowling attack. Craig Ervine’s return, after his cautionary hiatus against Pakistan due to a tweaked hamstring, has brought added solidity to the top order. His runs have made him a strong contender for Man of the Series, and he’s given Zimbabwe an anchor to bat around.Besides Ervine’s success, Zimbabwe have a number of other reasons to be pleased. Tinashe Panyangara has been exemplary with the new ball, while Zimbabwe’s death bowling hasn’t been an issue and there has been control from the spinners. Apart from a few blips, the fielding has been good – witness an energized Malcolm Waller who was on the field for almost the whole of Ireland’s innings as 12th man, and Sikandar Raza’s stunning catch, sprinting in from long-on, to dismiss Kevin O’Brien. They are just two examples within a solid team effort.Ireland haven’t done an awful lot wrong, but there are key areas they need to improve upon. They didn’t take every chance offered to them in the field in the second match, and the form of some of their batsmen will be a worry. Captain William Porterfield was out for single figures in both of the previous games, while Ireland also struggled to assert themselves at the death.Zimbabwe will have to decide how to make best use of this final match ahead of their seven-match series against Afghanistan, while Ireland will have to pick themselves up again after two fantastic, but draining, games of cricket. Indeed, so absorbing has the cricket been that at the tail end of this series the real questions are: why don’t these teams play each other more often? And when will they have a chance to take each other on in a Test match?

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe WWLWLIreland LLLLL

In the spotlight

Sikandar Raza is becoming a crowd favourite at Harare Sports Club. There was a loud cheer when he walked in during the second ODI – an appreciative gesture after his match-winning fifty in the first game – but the warmest applause of the day came after his incredible catch in the deep to get rid of Kevin O’Brien. Raza trotted back to his position and the crowd beyond long-on stood to greet him. Reading the moment perfectly, Raza doffed his cap and bowed to bring even louder cheers. If he keeps scoring runs, taking wickets, and holding on to sharp catches, he’ll give the home supporters plenty more to be happy about.Ireland are missing their X factor. They managed 66 in the last ten overs on Sunday, and just 61 during the same period in the first match. Though he’s chipped in here and there, Kevin O’Brien hasn’t fired in the manner he is capable of. The conditions will continue to suit his mixed bag of medium-paced deliveries, but it’s his batting firepower that Ireland really need, and Kevin O’Brien has scored just 21 runs in two innings on the tour. If he fires on all cylinders on Tuesday, Ireland could yet end their tour with a consolation win.

Team news

With the series in the bag, there will be a temptation for Zimbabwe to experiment with a few new faces, but this will be tempered by the knowledge that their one-day series against Afghanistan starts at the end of the week. Afghanistan are taking their trip very seriously, and have already won two warm-up matches against a Zimbabwe Chairman’s XI. Zimbabwe will want their own preparation to include time in the middle wherever it’s necessary.Zimbabwe (possible): 1 Chamu Chibhabha, 2 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 3 Craig Ervine, 4 Sean Williams, 5 Sikandar Raza, 6 Elton Chigumbura (capt), 7 Tino Mutombodzi, 8 Wellington Masakadza, 9 Neville Madziva, 10 Taurai Muzarabani, 11 John NyumbuLike Zimbabwe, Ireland’s only changes could be to rest a couple of their bowlers ahead of the four-day game and their onward trip to Namibia.Ireland (possible): 1 Will Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Ed Joyce, 4 Andy Balbirnie, 5 Niall O’Brien (wk), 6 Gary Wilson, 7 Kevin O’Brien, 8 John Mooney, 9 George Dockrell, 10 Max Sorensen, 11 Craig Young

Pitch and conditions

The pitch used in the second ODI seemed slightly harder and bouncier than has often been the case this season at HSC, with a noticeably high number of top-edged sweeps against spin, but generally played in the way that one has come to expect. Expect more of the same, with a par score of around 250, as well as more hot, sunny weather.

Stats and trivia

• Craig Ervine’s career ODI batting average of 41.24 is the highest for any Zimbabwe cricketer. The next highest is Neil Johnson’s 36.50, followed by Andy Flower’s 35.34.
• Zimbabwe’s victory on Sunday was their 36th in ODIs at Harare Sports Club.
• Paul Stirling needs 17 runs to reach 2,000 ODI runs for Ireland. He will become the third player to reach the mark, after Will Porterfield and Kevin O’Brien.

Quotes

“At the moment Zimbabwe have shown greater composure at the pressure points and that counts for a lot.”
concedes that Zimbabwe have won the important moments in both games.”I’m a lot fitter than I was at the beginning of the day, that’s for sure.”
jokes about his fitness after sweating through his unbeaten century on one of the hottest days of the year in Harare.

ScorecardFile photo: Arun Karthik is at the crease for Assam, with the side 95 runs away from a third win in six games•PTI

Assam drew with defending champions Karnataka, beat former back-to-back winners Rajasthan by an innings, toppled Haryana at home in Lahli and are now on the cusp of beating Delhi. Ninety-five runs separate the newly-promoted team from registering their third win in six matches and consolidate their place at the top half of the Ranji Trophy points table in Group B. They still have seven wickets in hand, with opener Rahul Hazarika and KB Arun Karthik are at the crease in the final innings in Guwahati.Much of their position has been down to the bowlers who dismissed Delhi for totals under 200 both times. Spinners Amit Verma and J Syed Mohammad took six wickets between them. Unmukt Chand made 44 yesterday and that remained the top-score of the innings. Pulkit Narang tried to delay the inevitable with 26 off 133 balls and remained not out even as Delhi were all out for 172.
ScorecardHaryana crumpled to 216 all out in their first innings, which well short of Odisha’s 529 for 6 declared and were made to follow-on in Lahli. Seamers Basant Mohanty and Suryakant Pradhan picked up three wickets each whilst the only substantial resistance came from opener Nitin Saini and his 51 off 146 balls.Haryana, resuming on 38 for 0, were bundled out soon after tea. Although there wasn’t a startling collapse, none of the batsmen could put up a substantial score. Besides Saini, Jayant Yadav made 46 but the remaining eight batsmen could not push past 30. A definite problem when there is a batsman among the opposition who made 255. Natraj Behera, the Odisha captain, appears all but certain to have helped his team to their second win of the season.
ScorecardAditya Sarwate struck a combative fifty from No. 8 and then nipped out four wickets to keep Vidarbha’s hopes of an outright win. The match had been petering towards a draw with Rajasthan on 150 for 2 when he, Akshay Wakhare and Ravi Jangid orchestrated a collapse. Seven wickets fell for 69 runs and Rajasthan ended the day on 226 for 9, leading by 195 with one day left to play in Nagpur.Ashok Menaria and Vineet Saxena had picked up a half-century each during a 110-run partnership for the third wicket, but as soon as it was broken, Rajasthan’s stability was lost. Jangid provided those vital wickets, having both men caught by Wasim Jaffer for 76 and 54 runs respectively. That opening was enough for Sarwate who got rid of Rajat Bhatia for 3 and then ran through the tail to finish the day on 4 for 58.
ScorecardMaharashtra made a solid reply to Bengal, who had declared overnight at 528 for 8, with Rahul Tripathi’s third first-class century. He was unbeaten on 116 at stumps in Pune with Ankit Bawne on 59 not out keeping him good company. The hosts had put on 296 runs on the board, but were still 232 runs behind.An early wicket is not what teams going in to bat after conceding 500 runs want, but Maharashtra had to contend with opener Harshad Khadiwale falling for only 5. But his partner Swapnil Gugale made 35 off 68 balls after which Sangram Atitkar breezed to 69 off 118 balls as Maharashtra recovered nicely and gave themselves an outside chance of taking a first-innings lead.

Bhargav Bhatt and Aditya Waghmode continued their good form with ball and bat, respectively, to guide Baroda to a comfortable eight-wicket win over Maharashtra.Bhatt, who was coming off a stellar performance of 2 for 16 against Odisha on Monday, picked up three wickets in the 35th over and one in the 37th, as Maharashtra slid from 135 for 4 to 145 for 9 within five overs. Nikit Dhumal then paired with Domnic Muthuswami to add an unbeaten 31 for the last wicket, taking Maharashtra to 176 for 9 in their fifty overs. Irfan Pathan and Munaf Patel picked up one wicket each, while pacer Rishi Arothe picked up two.Waghmode followed up his maiden List A century against Odisha with an unbeaten 77 to steer Baroda’s 177-run chase. He found an able partner in Deepak Hooda, who scored 58 not out off 78 deliveries, and contributed to the 132-run, third-wicket partnership that sealed Baroda’s win in the 40th over.Odisha suffered their fourth consecutive defeat, losing by 55 runs to an Andhra side that was guided by AG Pradeep’s 102* and D Siva Kumar’s 4 for 37.Opting to bat, Andhra’s innings was anchored by Pradeep’s second List A hundred, after Alok Chandra Sahoo sent back the openers within the first ten overs. Pradeep shared a 79-run stand for the third wicket with captain Prashanth Kumar (46), and then posted a partnership of 138 runs for the fourth wicket with Jyothi Sai Krishna, lifting the team score to 261 for 4 in 50 overs.Odisha were off to a poor start, losing two wickets to Siva Kumar in the first over. Anurag Sarangi (52) then combined with captain Natraj Behera(42) and Biplab Samantray (44) to post partnerships worth 71 and 56 respectively, but Andhra’s bowlers kept chipping away at the wickets. Odisha lost their last six wickets for 60 runs and were eventually bowled out for 206 in 48 overs.Centuries from Ganesh Satish and Jitesh Sharma drove Vidarbha‘s colossal 158-run win over Tripura. Satish’s unbeaten 140 off 134 included 12 fours and four sixes, while Jitesh stroked ten fours and one six in his 108-ball 105. The pair added 172 for the second wicket, after opener Faiz Fazal fell for 12 and the partnership took Vidarbha to a commanding 324 for 5 in their 50 overs, after they were put in. None of Tripura’s bowlers conceded less than 50 runs, with Manisankar Murasingh (79 for 1) the most expensive bowler.In reply, no Tripura batsman scored more than 40 as the side was dismissed for 166 in the 48th over. Offspinner Akshay Wakhare picked up 3 for 29, while Ravikumar Thakur and Akshay Karnewar picked up two each.