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Ben Ackland’s unbeaten 71 guided Ireland to a six-wicket win against Scotland in the European Under-19 qualifier in Belfast and helped his side gain a berth in the Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia.Rain reduced the match to 35 overs-a-side and Scotland posted 157, boosted by Calum MacLeod’s 58, a knock which contained eight fours and two sixes. His partnership with Scott MacLennan (36) helped them recover from a shaky start at 47 for 4. Richard Keaveney, Graham McDonnell and captain Greg Thompson claimed three wickets each to bowl out the opposition in 34 overs.Another rain interruption reduced the target to 150 and the overs to 32. Ireland were rocked early in their chase by MacLeod’s double-strike before Ackland and Chris Dougherty combined to add 99 for the third wicket. Ackland’s knock came off 70 balls and included eight fours while Dougherty played the supporting act with a patient 37 off 77 balls which contained two fours.Thompson said that the senior team’s performance in the recent World Cup in the West Indies, qualifying for the Super Eights, impacted the nation’s cricket in a big way.”The seniors made the country proud in the ICC Cricket World Cup in the West Indies which, of course, was a huge motivation for all of us, while at the junior level we have won all the European titles,” Thompson was quoted in a ICC media release. “The team is shaping well and we look to be heading in the right direction.”Ireland have now qualified for their third successive Under-19 World Cup. Scotland, though, still have the chance to qualify for the 16th place. A play-off, at a venue and date to be confirmed next month, will be held between them and the top team in the Asia group, bar Malaysia. As hosts, Malaysia have received an automatic place – to encourage local support.In the third and fourth placed play-off match at Stormont, Netherlands demolished Denmark for 46 and eased to a nine-wicket win. Olivier de Geus and Graeme Davey led the rout with three wickets each in after rain reduced the match to 41 overs-a-side.

The Titans took an almost unassailable lead at the top of the MTN Domestic Championship, their three wins this week maintaining their 100% record and giving them an 11-point lead over the Dolphins. However, all of the victories were hard fought.Their game with the Warriors was the match of the week. Warriors posted 221 for 9 and the Titans seemed to be coasting as they reached 221 for 7 before losing two wickets in three balls. They eventually squeezed a one-wicket win. Against the Lions they again struggled, eventually overcoming a target of 139 with four wickets In hand. A hundred from Tatenda Taibu enabled Zimbabwe Chevrons to score 223 for 8, and when the Titans slid to 166 for 7 an upset seemed likely. But David Wiese and Brendon Reddy added an unbeaten 58 in five overs to see them home.The Dolphins started the week with a thumping win over Zimbabwe, Johann Louw’s 5 for 27 setting them on their way to a five-wicket victory, and two days later Louw was again to the fore with 4 for 23 as they beat Cape Cobras by four wickets. But their hopes of staying in touch with the Titans suffered a major blow when they crashed to a five-wicket loss at the hands of the Lions.The Eagles lifted themselves into the middle of the table with two solid wins over the Cobras and the Warriors. Roger Telemachus was the star against the Warriors with 6 for 24. The Cobras, who led the competition early on, suffered two more defeats to leave them struggling to make the semi-finals.The Lions and the Warriors are still in with a chance of the semi-finals, and on form you have to prefer the Lions who won both their games while the Warriors lost both theirs. Zimbabwe, with one win in seven, will not be competing in the knock-out stages in mid March.The picture will be much clearer this week as the Cobras and the Lions play the Warriors. At the top of the table, the Titans can almost wrap up the league if they win home matches against the Dolphins and the Eagles.

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has downplayed reports of a rift that has emerged between the national selection committee and the team’s management over a number of issues, mostly revolving around the make-up of the team.The schism first emerged on Pakistan’s tour to India, with what appeared initially to be a miscommunication over the identity of a replacement player. The selectors, in apparent agreement with the coach and captain, had initially agreed on calling up Abdur Rauf as replacement for the injured Umar Gul.Having announced it officially during the second Test at Kolkata, the board changed tack later that evening and decided to send Rao Iftikhar Anjum instead. It is now understood that Shoaib Malik, the captain, and coach Geoff Lawson had wanted Iftikhar Anjum all along and convinced the board directly later, thus bypassing the selection committee.Since then, Cricinfo has learnt, there have been continuing disagreements over the playing XI in the current series against Zimbabwe. The selection committee has been keen to use the opportunity to blood new players in various positions. In particular, they were adamant that Nasir Jamshed should make his debut as opener; the team management, as well as Malik were instead eager to use Kamran Akmal as opener and play an extra bowler in place of Shahid Afridi.Before the series began, a heated debate is said to have taken place between Salahuddin Ahmed, chairman of selectors, and Geoff Lawson, the coach, over the matter. But as a result of a recent policy shift, it is now the selection committee that decides on the final playing XI during a home series.Jamshed has thus played and made an immediate impact in his first twoODIs. But Pakistan have also appeared a bowler short in both games, struggling to bowl out Zimbabwe with only three specialist bowlers and five realistic bowling options in total.Nasim Ashraf, chairman PCB, didn’t deny the reports, but sought to play them down instead, claiming them to be nothing more than everyday professional tussles. “Everyone is operating within their sphere of responsibility,” he told reporters in Hyderabad.”Both the selection committee and team management have separately told me in the last few days that they have a good relationship. If they don’t disagree on matters during meetings, what is the point of having these meetings at all? This is healthy debate and not signs of a rift.”Sources close to the matter maintain, however, that the issue is swiftly developing into more than just professional differences in opinion. One source adds that there has been another run-in with Malik following Pakistan’s win in the first ODI at Karachi. The last selection committee, headed by Wasim Bari, was widely thought to be little more than a rubber-stamp for Inzamam-ul-Haq’s choices while he was captain, particularly towards the end of its tenure. The current committee, the first in Pakistan’s history to employ full-time, paid selectors, is understandably keen to avoid a similar situation with Malik and eager to assert its authority.Ashraf also played down the contents of a report by manager Talat Ali following the tour to India, in which, according to a couple of local newspapers, the contributions of Younis Khan, Gul and Shoaib Akhtar have come under fire. The report is due to be discussed at a meeting of the board’s governing committee in Karachi on January 25.”We expect everybody to give an honest opinion in a respectful way,” said Ashraf. “We expect the manager and the coach to do this in their reports. The governing board is looking at the issue and the report will be discussed professionally. The idea of these reports is not to apportion blame but to learn from mistakes on future tours.”

England 351 and 48 for 0 (Vaughan 28*, Cook 13*) trail Sri Lanka 548 for 9 dec (M Jayawardene 195, Vandort 138, P Jayawardene 79, Sidebottom 3-100, Harmison 3-111) by 149 runs
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How they were out

It wasn’t the most attractive day of Test cricket, but Sri Lanka’s batsmen put them in a dominating position on the fourth day at Colombo with a 197-run lead over a weary England, grinding their noses into the ground. As ever, Muttiah Muralitharan looms large but England’s openers took them to a position of relative comfort, racing to 48 before bad light curtailed the day’s play.It was another torrid, wearying day for England’s bowlers who battled in intense heat to pick up 5 for 169 before Mahela Jayawardene, the Sri Lanka captain, finally ended their misery with a declaration 30 minutes after tea. The ease with which Prasanna Jayawardene, the wicketkeeper, batted with his No.10, Dilhara Fernando, belied the consistent allround effort England’s bowlers showed – in particular Steve Harmison, who improved upon his encouraging display yesterday with a determined and disciplined performance on a lifeless pitch.It was he who gave England early hope of restricting Sri Lanka’s lead, too, removing Jehan Mubarak with a nasty lifter. Stuart Broad, England’s 6ft 7in debutant, also stuck to his task and was rewarded with his maiden Test wicket when Chaminda Vaas – no rabbit with the bat at No.8 – was too late on a pull, gloving a bouncer to Ian Bell at slip. It was just reward for Broad for what has been a daunting introduction to Test cricket.Jayawardene lacked the fluency and elegance he showed yesterday, and threw away his wicket with an ugly slog off Monty Panesar, top-edging a simple catch to Paul Collingwood at second slip. It was the first and last sign of any form of urgency from a Sri Lanka batsman who, from then on, blocked their way to the declaration, grinding England’s noses and spirits into the ground.Panesar hasn’t bowled with his magical, tantalising flight during this series but was much improved today and, after dismissing Jayawardene, bowled with greater control, trapping Lasith Malinga in front to briefly give hope to England of limiting Sri Lanka’s lead to under 100. However, with one Jayawardene dismissed, England were at the mercy of another, the wicketkeeper who was ably assisted by Dilhara Fernando. The pair put on a determined and turgid ninth-wicket stand of 98, just when England felt they had broken the back of Sri Lanka’s innings.It was grizzly cricket but hugely effective for Sri Lanka, as England’s shoulders dropped. Fernando, with a beaming smile and equally enthusiastic defensive technique, rode his luck against Kevin Pietersen, smacking a straight drive to bring up Sri Lanka’s 500 and the pair’s fifty partnership.Jayawardene might not share his captain’s elegance or range of strokes, but there was no denying his application. He rode the bounce of Harmison’s shorter deliveries and used his feet well to Panesar, flicking him through midwicket before slamming one over mid-off. His second Test fifty came from 109 balls.England didn’t enjoy much luck, however. Fernando back-cut Pietersen for four before he was rapped on the back leg, seemingly plump in front. And, off the next ball, Prior should have stumped him but the ball somehow lodged itself between his pad and leg. As tea approached, Sri Lanka’s lead went past 150, and England were on their knees.The declaration finally came when Jayawardene edged Harmison behind for 79, causing the bowler to roar his delight, justifiably, too, as he bowled with impressive energy and discipline for a man returning from injury. Nevertheless, Sri Lanka’s lead reached 197 and England had an hour of Chaminda Vaas and Muralitharan in which to survive.Impressively – particularly on a day in which the run-rate barely lifted above three per over – Cook and Vaughan were immediately into their stride, cracking 48 from 13 overs. Cook picked off two classy fours, showing impressive timing, while Vaughan continued his fine form, driving with aplomb to reach 28 by stumps.The pitch remains flat and true, and hasn’t cracked up nearly as much as England feared. But Muralitharan remains the big threat, and England have a big fight on their hands.

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