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Anil Kumble has started to show signs of form ahead of New Zealand’s tour of India, leading the Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA) XI into the final of the KSCA all-India Invitation MRF Trophy tournament.Kumble was instrumental in crushing the Railway Sports Promotion Board (RSPB) by 111 runs in the semi-final at Bangalore. He took four wickets in the RSPB’s first innings, restricting their total to 219, a lead of 37. He then gambled by promoting Stuart Binny to number three, and was duly rewarded with a 99-ball 117.That set the RSPB a target of 199 runs, and Kumble shone again, removing Bhavin Thakkar, Jai P Yadav and Santosh Sahu to pick three for 15. Just when he looked certain to run through the side, however, he brought medium-pacer Vinay Kumar into the attack. Yet again, his move paid rich dividends – in this case, a hat-trick that accounted for Yerre Goud, Kulamani Parida and Santosh Saxena.Kumble’s role as the strike-bowler on home pitches seems certain to continue for the New Zealand tour, but bigger challenges lie ahead, when India tour Australia at the end of the year. It will be a long, hard season, but Kumble has begun it well.

For the third home series in succession it’s 1-1 after the first two Tests,when it could so easily have been 2-0 to Sri Lanka. No time for regrets,though, as we have a chance to win the series once and for all in the finalTest in Colombo.The turning point in Kandy was undoubtedly the third morning. We had startedthe day well placed, on 55 for one with a lead of 94, but our grip on thegame was loosened, as we lost four wickets for 72 runs in the morningsession. Then, in the afternoon, Venkatesh Prasad finished off the jobstarted by Zaheer Khan in the morning.It’s hard to put the finger on what exactly went wrong. India did bowl well.They bowled a consistent line and length and extracted surprising movementfrom the wicket, which put our batsmen under considerable pressure. Thewickets were falling, but the runs weren’t flowing and that is always goingto lead to strife. Even so, individual batsman didn’t play with theresponsibility that was demanded. It was almost as if they expected theothers to do the job.There were other important moments earlier in the game too. On the firstday, when we lost two wickets just before lunch, to throw away an excellentmornings work. Then, on the second day, when we let Harbhajan Singh smack 42quick runs and significantly reduce their first innings deficit. Theselittle moments contributed, but it was the second innings batting that lostus the game.Muttiah Muralitharan did his best to save us with that fantastic innings,just when we needed it most. He has always had good hand-eye coordination,but he used his brains too, selecting which deliveries to hit and cleverlyfarming the strike, so that Ruchira (Perera) was not overly exposed. He wasalso paid the biggest compliment that anyone has ever been paid to him as abatsman by Sourav Ganguly, who opted to post all his fielders on theboundary. It’s a real shame that we weren’t unable to pull off a win for himafter his heroics.We always wanted to post a higher target than 264. The pitch had heldtogether well and was much easier to bat on the fourth day than when we hadplayed England and South Africa. Nevertheless, we felt that the game wouldbe close and we expected it to go right down to the wire.We were unlucky. Both on the third evening when Chaminda (Vaas) was swingingthe ball around and could so easily have nipped out one or two. Then, on thefourth morning, Muttiah Muralitharan was not properly rewarded for the skillhe displayed. You can only feel sorry for the poor guy. During his last fiveTests, played against England in March and India now, he can rightfullyclaimed to have taken 15 more wickets than have been recorded.Fortune aside, Dravid batted exceptionally. He held India together and wasboth confident and positive. He also ran well between the wickets. He is theone player that stands out from that team, as being really special. We haveto take his wicket early at the Sinhalese Sports Club.In the aftermath of defeat it is important to not make rash conclusions.Wait for the emotions to blow over and then analyse the situation coolly.The fast bowlers did not bowl at their best on the last day, but you cannotbe too harsh on them. Apart from Chaminda (Vaas), they have only played ahandful of Tests and need greater experience.The new look formation with a greater emphasis on fast bowlers isundoubtedly the way forward for Sri Lanka, but it is going to take time forthe philosophy to work consistently. Individual players, and the team ingeneral, need to become more accustomed to the system. We have to persevere.Yes, we did lose, but not because of the fast bowlers – the game turned inour second innings. We now have to make sure that we don’t make the samemistakes again.

Hampshire, bottom of Division One, have announced that Jimmy Adams has stepped down as captain of their Championship side to find form with the bat.The decision has been made with six matches remaining in the 2015 season and Hampshire 22 points adrift of the two sides above them – Worcestershire and Sussex.James Vince, Hampshire’s one-day captain, will now take over in all competitions for the rest of the season. He succeeded Adams as captain in 50-over cricket in April and in the T20 format last year.Adams is only averaging 29.15 in Division One – and, although Vince can claim to have a higher average it is only by one-hundredth of a run. His own batting returns have also been vastly disappointing considering that he is regularly presented as one of England’s brightest young batting talents.Hampshire’s director of cricket, Giles White, said: “Jimmy feels that the most important thing right now is for him to focus on his batting and to get back to scoring runs at the top of the order. While this is the case Vincey will lead the team.”Hampshire’s promotion under Adams last season, as Division Two champions, was their fifth trophy in as many seasons. The county’s first official Hampshire-born captain since the war is the most popular of beneficiaries, although this is also bound to have taken its toll, as is a run of defeats and the birth of a second child earlier in the summer.

West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his batting, his doughty 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning Sydney pitch. He has nothing at all to say about, or for, Marlon Samuels.In a telling interlude as Brathwaite spoke about how he has evolved as a batsman on this trip, becoming more proactive to counter Australia’s bowlers rather than simply trying to wait them out, he became decidedly tight-lipped about Samuels, the run-out they were involved in, and the older man’s contribution to the tour.It may well have been a case of if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, for Samuels has endured a wretched tour, notching a meagre 35 runs in five innings – an average of seven for those not paying attention – and earning plenty of criticism for his apparent lack of verve in the field. At the time of the run-out, which was Samuels’ call, West Indies were in a decent position. After it, they subsided to 6 for 207.”I think those things happen in cricket. I’m not sure what to say about that,” Brathwaite said. “It was just a misunderstanding.”Queried further on Samuels’ contribution this tour, Brathwaite clammed up. “There’s not much I can say about that at the moment,” he said. A further question to that effect drew a similar response from the team media manager.What was left to discuss was an innings that impressed many, lacking only the catharsis of reaching three figures after Nathan Lyon finally found a way to confound Brathwaite’s previously sure feet and sound mind. “It is a good challenge,” Brathwaite said of Lyon. “I think he is bowling quite well and I just have to keep believing in my ability. They fielded well today and for me it is about trusting my defence and working towards my plan.”It is a tour where I am learning and I just want to keep going out there and building a foundation for my team and learning in the process. On a first-day pitch that is spinning like that, once we get a score, anything about 300 will put ourselves in a good position.”I think the spinners bowled well, it is just about trusting your defence and backing your shots and you can score. Coming from the last game, when the guys showed some improvement, it is key to keep showing that improvement and supporting one another.”As for the pitch, Brathwaite was surprised by how much deviation it offered, but was eager to see how his team might fare on it – and how he might bowl on it. “I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect the first day to spin like that,” he said. “I heard it can spin here but I didn’t expect that.”So as batters, once we put some runs on the board, we can put some pressure on Australia. It is important when we do bowl that we string those dots together because dots balls can build pressure and that brings wickets. I will be looking forward to [bowling]. We will just have to see what happens.”

Scorecard

Warding off a scare before the final Test at The Oval, the Indian batsmen held on for a hard-fought draw on the final day of their tour game at Grace Road. The Sri Lankans will rue declaring a bit too late, leaving the Indians an improbable 294 to chase in 57 overs. In the end, they didn’t have enough time to polish off the tail.At 152 for 6 with 15 overs to go India were staring at a morale-shattering defeat but Gautam Gambhir’s calm half-century, his second of the match, defied the Sri Lankans. Instead of withdrawing into a shell Gambhir remained positive, going for his shots when given the chance to pilot the team through to stumps. Both Rangana Herath and Dammika Prasad were causing problems but Gambhir’s hour-long stand with Ramesh Powar ensured that the Indians continued their undefeated run on this tour.Until the action-filled final hour, a couple of laidback innings brightened what threatened to be a drab day. Michael Vandort’s assertive century stretched the Sri Lankans’ lead to 293 before Wasim Jaffer responded in typically languid style. Vandort was the bully who waited to pounce; Jaffer, the artist who simply waved the brush. Both reeled off joyous drives, used their feet against spin and batted with an air of effortlessness. In a situation that could have led to drudgery, both injected a vital spark.A 57-run second-wicket stand between Jaffer and Yuvraj Singh allowed the Indians to sniff an unlikely win. Yuvraj’s 33 was chancy – he was dropped early and survived a big shout for caught behind – but bristled with crackling strokes on both sides of the wicket. In the eighth over, delivered by left-armer Chanaka Walegedera, he ripped fours through square leg, midwicket and cover, telegraphing his intentions of going for the victory target.His dismissal, though, trapped lbw while trying to paddle-sweep offspinner Dilruwan Perera, set the match on course for a draw. Jaffer continued to prosper and brought up his fifty with a delicious cover-drive struck on the up. Waltzing down the track to Perera, he lofted as if enjoying a net, smacking him for a handsome six over long-off. It was all too easy until he was deceived by the left-arm spin of Herath and popped an inside edge back to the bowler. Two more quick wickets caused some flutters but Gambhir downed the shutters calmly.Twelve wickets fell on a day when conditions were ideal for batting. Vandort, resuming on 61, dispatched the bowling to different parts, pounding straight-drives with minimum fuss. Tall and usually taking a big stride forward, he was aggressive in bursts – a string of dot balls being followed by a couple of meaty blows.Perera, his partner this morning, fell one short of a well-deserved half-century and Malinda Warnapura capped a forgettable game with a first-ball duck, prodding unconvincingly. It was only because of Kaushal Lokuarachchi and Dammika Prasad that the Sri Lankans could boost their total. Both used agricultural methods – mowing across the line with abandon – and took on the spinners. Prasad’s two sixes pushed the total to 248 before his attempt at a third saw him caught at long-off.Despite the final-day stumble the Indians will leave Leicester upbeat, especially with their captain, Rahul Dravid, striking form with an assured half-century in the first innings. However, a couple of issues remain: one surrounding Mahendra Singh Dhoni, who didn’t keep wicket for most of this game and endured two batting failures, and another involving Anil Kumble, who didn’t make any sort of impact in his 20 overs. It’s unlikely, though, that either will sit out at The Oval.How they were outDilruwan Perera run-out (Gambhir/Karthik) 49 (115 for 2)Malinda Warnapura c Karthik b Bose 0 (115 for 3)Michael Vandort c Bose b Powar 117 (196 for 4)Thilan Samaraweera c and b Powar 24 (205 for 5)Kaushal Lokuarachchi c Kumble b Laxman 16 (217 for 6)Dammika Prasad c Karthik b Gambhir 21 (248 for 7)IndiansDinesh Karthik b Walagedera 9 (9 for 1)\Yuvraj Singh lbw b Perera 33 (66 for 2)Mahendra Singh Dhoni lbw Prasad 1 (73 for 3)Wasim Jaffer c and b Herath 55 (116 for 4)VVS Laxman lbw Herath 3 (122 for 5)Rahul Dravid lbw b Prasad 15 (152 for 6)

Two days after The Oval fiasco Malcolm Speed, the ICC chief executive, has said the conclusion to the fourth Test was “hugely regrettable”, but he insisted it was not the organisation’s role to overrule any umpiring decision. As expected, Speed has supported the umpires Darrell Hair and Billy Doctrove in their “correct” move to award the game to England when Pakistan did not return to the field after tea following a five-run punishment for ball tampering.”It is not the role of the ICC to overturn the decisions of on-field umpires, the ultimate arbiters of the game,” Speed said in a statement. “In this instance the decision to award the match to England was the correct one under the Laws.”Speed also confirmed the ICC had received a letter from the Pakistan Cricket Board expressing its concerns over the appointment of Hair to matches involving the country. “This is the first time they have put them in writing, even though they have previously been invited to do so,” Speed said. “However, it remains the role of the ICC and not our members to appoint umpires to Tests and one-day internationals.”Sunil Gavaskar, the chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, and Speed select the officials for each series on recommendations from the body’s cricket department. “The appointments are made without fear or favour and are based on the performances of the umpires in international matches,” Speed said.Speed also said it was important to remember that Friday’s hearing, when Inzamam-ul-Haq will face ball tampering and disrepute charges, was purely a playing issue. “It is not a political, racial or religious matter but a cricketing one,” he said. “We have no vested interests in the outcome of the hearing but what we expect is that it will be fair and will illustrate our processes are suitably robust to deal with these issues.”

Alan Mullally, the former England left-arm seamer, has announced his retirement from first-class cricket. He played 19 Tests between 1996 and 2001, while having stints at Leicestershire and Hampshire, after beginning his professional career in Australia with Western Australia in 1987.Mullally, 36, has suffered a series of injuries this summer which have meant he has played only three National League matches. Paul Terry, the Hampshire coach, told : “A few little injuries have slowed Alan down and it’s probably the right time to retire.”Terry added: “He has been a great servant for Leicestershire, Hampshire and England and he’s been a really popular bloke in the dressing room. His humour will be missed.”Mullally made his England debut against India in June 1996, at Edgbaston, and took 58 wickets in Tests. He also claimed 63 scalps in 50 ODIs and, for a time, was a ranked as the fourth best limited overs bowler in the world. In his first-class career he finished with 708 wickets at 28 apiece, including a best innings haul of 9 for 93 against Derbyshire in 2000.

ScorecardTaufeeq Umar and Faisal Iqbal, with a fourth-wicket partnership of 161, put Pakistan A in an excellent position on the first day of their three-day match against Kenya in Nairobi. Taufeeq consolidated after some early wickets fell around him to make 144, while Faisal was not out on 90 at stumps, as Pakistan A reached 352 for 4.Thomas Odoyo gave Kenya reason to cheer in the morning, accounting for the first two wickets to fall, those of Salman Butt, for 15 (28 for 1), and Bazid Khan, for 26 (97 for 2). But Odoyo had to be substituted in the afternoon session, and Kenya missed him sorely. Collins Obuya, who had turned in such impressive performances in the last World Cup, was woefully off-colour, conceding 34 in his six overs. As it happened, the highest number of overs in the day were bowled by Steve Tikolo, the captain, who took 2 for 95 in his 28 overs.One of Tikolo’s wicket was that was Taufeeq, who was lbw to him after hitting up 144. But Pakistan A were already on 305 by then, and they did not let the momentum slip. Naved Latif, on 22 not out, kept Faisal company till the end.

“What a difference a day makes”, goes the song, and that was the feeling on the second day of Hampshire’s Frizzell Championship match with Glamorgan at The Rose Bowl, when 14 Hampshire wickets fell to leave the home side in desperate trouble, facing an innings defeat.The County Championship was never supposed to be similar to 20/20 however seven Hampshire batsmen fell during the day, having got started, only to fall in the twenties.Dimitri Mascarenhas took the final wicket to fall of the Glamorgan innings, but as Hampshire started their reply they looked to the sky, which the previous day was permanantly blue, today was overcast and humid, made for swing bowlers. In Michael Kasprowicz they had just that, as the batsmen fell at steady intervals. Kenway, Adams, Crawley, Francis and Tremlett reached their 20 milestones, and when Hampshire were invited to bat again, Kenway and Adams for a second time joined in.Kasprowitz a strong swing bowler bowled long spells and was rewarded with a 5-wicket haul, as Hampshire finished with a woeful 185.Invited to follow on, this time it was skipper Robert Croft who did the damage, taking four wickets to leave the home side in the mire. Simon Katich broke the 20 run hoodoo to reach his half century, but he fell in the last over of the day, trying to pull Croft to deep mid-wicket only to find Alex Wharf waiting for the catch.

Speaking at The County Ground at Taunton this evening, Somerset Chief Executive Peter Anderson said, “Following my article on the Somerset web site regarding County Cricket it is interesting to notice that Australian Coach John Buchanan has joined in the criticsm of the County Championship.”The Chief execvutive went on, “This is a bit rich coming from him, having failed at Middlesex, presumably because the job was too much for him.”