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Sana Mir, the Pakistan women’s cricket team captain, has said women’s cricket in Pakistan has developed significantly since the PCB handed contracts to 19 women cricketers. Pakistan recently finished as runners-up in the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier in Bangladesh and will take part in the Women’s World Twenty20 next year and the Women’s 50-over World Cup in 2013.”Our approach to the game is entirely professional now,” Mir, who was Pakistan’s second-highest run-scorer during the qualifiers and also took four wickets, told ESPNcricinfo. “It is not just a game but a profession we have chosen to earn a livelihood from.”The Pakistan women’s team only emerged in 1997 and it took them almost four years to register their first win, in a home ODI against Netherlands in 2001. They had to wait till 2004 to beat a top-flight team but victories have become more frequent in the last two years. Earlier this year the PCB offered the players central contracts, after they won the gold medal in the Asian Games in 2010. Mir, who is on a Grade A contract, said women’s cricket is now headed in the right direction.”We have been struggling in many areas but in the last couple of years things have improved significantly. Cricket is very old in our region but among women it is not that popular; it has gained popularity among girls only in the last six-seven years.”But we are heading in the right direction. Technically, we have to do a lot to break into the top three teams but we have gained a lot of ground. We have to work on our bench strength. We have to introduce the game at the grass-root level. In Pakistan there are only a few cricket clubs for women; the number of them has to increase to three figures. We still have nearly 50 girls as backup for the national squad.”Mir was conservative in setting goals for the upcoming World Cups, saying winning was more of a fantasy than an achievable goal. “We have been in the World Twenty20 before and lost our way in the opening round, so this time our target is to at least get through to the second round. As far as the 50-over World Cup is concerned, we have better chances and are targeting at least the semi-finals.”Pakistan have risen to sixth in the women’s ODI rankings this year but Mir said they were still some way off competing with the top teams. “We are still far off from being the best as they are many areas in which we lag behind. The most important things we need to work on are fitness, endurance and mental strength. We need to play more and more quality cricket against better teams to flourish. We are at No. 6 now and our first priority is to hold this spot and not slip back down.”

South Africa need just two more wickets to be assured of a series win against Sri Lanka, according to Vernon Philander. Philander, who missed the last Test with a knee injury and has taken four wickets in the deciding match so far, said once South Africa break into Sri Lanka’s tail, they expect victory to come fairly easily.”Once we get past [Dinesh] Chandimal at No.7, we won’t find much resistance from the lower order,” Philander said. “If we can get No. 7 out, we are pretty much in it.”Chandimal is the next man in and is considered Sri Lanka’s last line of defence after his bright debut in Durban. He scored twin half-centuries and was credited by both Russell Arnold and Mahela Jayawardene as being one of the main reasons for Sri Lanka winning their first Test in South Africa.Since the euphoria of that victory, Sri Lanka have struggled to reach similar highs in Cape Town. They lost 12 wickets on day three and were made to follow-on after conceding a massive 580 for four. On a pitch that was expected to remain batsmen-friendly until the end of day three, Sri Lanka made it look like the complete opposite.Chandimal said the South African attack made life difficult on a pitch good for batting. “The wicket is still good but the South African attack doesn’t give you a chance to relax at any time,” he said. “Their bowlers keep giving a variety of deliveries and you have to concentrate hard which makes it difficult. All three quicks bowl differently and that variation also causes problems when batting.”Dale Steyn, Philander and Morne Morkel operated in short, incisive bursts to slice their way through Sri Lanka’s line-up. From the third ball of the morning, when Kumar Sangakkara slashed at a Steyn delivery, the tone was set for the trio, aided by a pumped-up Imran Tahir, to take centre stage. “Wickets always set the tone of the day,” Philander said. “Picking up Sangakkara gives the bowlers a bit more oomph and bit more of a big boost.”Tahir bowled 30 overs on the third day, substantially more than he has been given the opportunity to do in the previous four Tests he has played. For the first time, he was able to perform a dual role of containing and attacking and it was one he fitted into well. “His last two games he has put a few overs under the belt. You can just see the confidence he has within in himself. He also does a big job for us in holding up one end,” Philander said. “It gives the seamers the freedom of bowling short spells and being fresh all day.”Philander and Steyn both returned in later spells to claim wickets with the older ball, something that Philander, in particular, needed to prove he could do. After starting his career bowling in helpful conditions, skeptics wanted to see how Philander would fare in more trying situations. He showed he would do no worse. “I always back myself to take wickets, whether it be upfront or in the middle with the older ball,” he said.South Africa’s bowlers have been in the field for one ball short of 127 overs and will have to spend more time toiling in the sun tomorrow. Although they could have refrained from enforcing the follow-on, Philander said the strategy was to take advantage of their big lead. “Having such a big lead, you have to make them follow on and try and bowl them out as quickly as possible,” he said. “Tomorrow morning the bowlers will be a fresh and legs will be ready to go again.”Philander thinks a win is within touching distance for South Africa but Chandimal believes Sri Lanka can still make them work hard for it, and possibly even prevent it, with a more determined approach. “We made a few mistakes which cost us dearly and that’s why we are in this position but the game is not over yet and we’ve lost only four wickets in the second innings,” he said. “If a long partnership is established, we can still be competitive.”

ScorecardA typically blistering half-century by Chris Gayle went in vain for Sydney Thunder as they fell short by six runs to Melbourne Renegades at Stadium Australia. The Renegades posted a middling total of 140, but a three-wicket haul by Shahid Afridi and some good death bowling stopped Thunder on their tracks.The Renegades promised a bigger score after their openers, Aaron Finch and Brad Hodge, added 82. Luke Doran, the left-arm spinner, claimed both wickets in three balls. The quick strikes put the skids on the scoring rate. Shahid Afridi managed one four in his 16 before he was dismissed by Luke Butterworth in the 18th over.Debutant Tim Cruickshank and Gayle got off to a sound start chasing 141, adding 59 in close to eight overs. Cruickshank perished for 15 when he tried to loft Afridi over long-on. Gayle carried on attacking, hitting five sixes and three fours en route to 75. However, he didn’t have the support he would have liked as wickets kept falling at the other end. The Renegades pulled it back thanks to the discipline shown by their bowlers, Dirk Nannes (0-10) and Afridi (3-21). When Gayle fell in the penultimate over, caught at midwicket, the Renegades had all but sealed their first win against Thunder.

Mohsin Khan, the Pakistan coach, compared his team’s whitewash against England to the 1992 World Cup triumph after the 3-0 margin was sealed with a 71-run victory in Dubai. It was the first time since 1907 that a team had won after being dismissed in double figures in the first innings of a Test and completed Pakistan’s first cleansweep over England.”Today is like a dream come true,” Mohsin told . “It’s not a very experienced team but it’s very talented. Today, the captain and all the players have proved they are one of the best in the world. It’s a great achievement for the Pakistan team.”Pakistan’s captain Misbah-ul-Haq always believed his team could fight back from their poor first innings which had seen them 44 for 7 before lunch on the opening day. The fightback started with the bowlers and was built on by Younis Khan and Azhar Ali who struck the only hundreds made in the series.”After being bowled out for 99 nobody thought we could come back,” Misbah said. “But that is what this Pakistan team has been doing for the last year and a half, coming back in pressure situations. Everybody performed well, especially the bowlers. Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman brought us back into the game then there was a wonderful batting performance from Younis Khan and Azhar Ali. I think that was the difference in this game.”As they have throughout the series, England struggled to combat Pakistan’s spinners. Ajmal took four wickets in the final innings to take his series tally to 24 at 14.70 which earned him the Man-of-the-Series award. But it wasn’t all spin that ended England’s hopes of a consolation victory as Umar Gul took out key middle-order scalps in another penetrative spell.First he struck with the old ball to extract Ian Bell and then Eoin Morgan with the new ball to ensure no lower-order heroics from Stuart Broad or Graeme Swann. Having also taken a four-wicket haul in the previous Test in Dubai at the start of the series Misbah was full of praise for his senior fast bowler.”He’s a wonderful bowler, whenever we need him he performs well,” he said. “Today he gave us four precious wickets. He’s a matchwinning bowler and he showed that again today.”For Andrew Strauss the defeat completed a chastening three weeks where England’s credentials as the leading Test team have been left in tatters. The bowlers couldn’t have done more to try and keep their side in the series but time and again the batting failed to respond and Strauss admitted the constant failures were unexpected.”I’m a little surprised we didn’t get bigger scores over the three matches,” he said. “That was a consistent failure on our part but you have to give credit to Pakistan. When they got their noses in front they didn’t let us back in. We have to learn lessons from this. I’m a great believer you don’t become a great team overnight or a bad team overnight.”

Usman Arshad rescued Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) with a steady, unbeaten 70, leading them to a four-wicket victory against Peshawar Panthers at the Arbab Niaz Stadium.Having chosen to field, SNGPL managed to dismiss Peshawar for 179, with Asad Ali and Raza Ali Dar taking 4 for 38 and 3 for 30 respectively. Mohamamd Rizwan (65) and Gauhar Ali (31) were the only batsmen to make contributions of note to the Peshawar total.Peshawar, however, were strong at the start of the defence, reducing SNGPL to 30 for 5. Adnan Akmal, Azeem Ghumman and Ali Waqas were dismissed for a duck. But Arshad, along with Raza Ali (36) and Yasir Shah (35) ensured victory with 18 balls to spare. Riaz Afridi and Waqar Ahmed took two wickets each for Peshawar.SNGPL have finished their league matches, winning two and losing two to earn four points. Peshawar, despite losing this game, are at the top of table with four points and one match to go.

South Australia’s captain Michael Klinger dominated the state’s awards night on Friday, being named the Redbacks’ best player in the Sheffield Shield and the Ryobi Cup, and the best Adelaide Strikers T20 player for the summer.Klinger finished one vote ahead of Daniel Christian in the Lord Hampden Trophy, awarded to the state’s best Sheffield Shield player, after a season in which he scored 835 runs at 46.38. The Redbacks had a disappointing Shield season, failing to win a match, although they had plenty of success in the Ryobi Cup.South Australia took out the 50-over title for the first time in 25 years, with a tied home final against Tasmania. Klinger made 498 runs at 55.33 in the Ryobi Cup and ended up as the tournament’s leading run scorer, so it was no surprise that he finished on 112 votes, ahead of Tom Cooper on 103 votes.But Cooper, who had been named the Ryobi Cup Player of the Year at the annual State Cricket Awards in Brisbane, won the Barry Jarman Most Improved Trophy after a breakout season. In the Adelaide Strikers voting, Klinger finished one vote ahead of Johan Botha and Aaron O’Brien to be the team’s best T20 player of the Big Bash League.

Match facts

Sunday, April 29, Mumbai
Start time 2000 (1430 GMT)Deccan Chargers could cause a few more upsets in the tournament•AFP

Big Picture

After a demoralising sequence of five straight losses, Deccan Chargers finally got their first win of the season with a strong performance against Pune Warriors. They will take the momentum to Mumbai where they face a battered Mumbai Indians side. They had lost to Mumbai Indians in Visakhapatnam – a game that should have been closed out by Chargers.Chargers have faced a number of problems. Their batting line-up has been inconsistent, making three 150-plus totals and three sub-140 scores. One reason for that has been the failure of their captain Kumar Sangakkara and Daniel Christian, big name players who should be their pillars. Sangakkara has 83 runs from five games at less than run a ball and Christian has lost his place to Cameron White. That Chargers have posted high totals is largely due to the Shikhar Dhawan’s 224 runs in the tournament. While their batting has misfired, their bowling has been unable to defend good totals. Apart from Dale Steyn and Amit Mishra, the others have been taken for easy runs. But in the previous game, Juan Theron replaced Steyn in a surprising move and grabbed two wickets. Another addition to the team was 21-year old Ashish Reddy, who made his debut. Reddy bowled his four overs for 32 and picked up two wickets. He consistently bowled a foot outside the off stump, which helped Sangakkara set his fields.Mumbai Indians are back at Wankhede and will look to regroup quickly. They have now lost three of their last four games. They tried a new opening batsman in Delhi – their sixth different opening combination in eight matches, but that move didn’t work as Aiden Blizzard was out for a duck. They also came to know on Saturday that Australia fast bowler Mitchell Johnson will not be available this season due to a toe injury. The team needs some good news, and a match against the bottom-placed team at home presents them the opportunity.

Form guide

(most recent first)
Mumbai Indians: LWLLW
Deccan Chargers : WNrLLL (Nr – no result)

Players to watch

If Ambati Rayudu’s last two innings are any indication, he will be hard to stop. Rayudu scored a 17-ball 32 against in Mohali and bettered it with a 39-ball 62 against Delhi Daredevils. The Delhi innings kept Mumbai on track for three-quarters of their chase, even after they lost several heavyweights at the top of the order.Kumar Sangakkara needs to step up after a disappointing run so far. If the burden of defeat was affecting his batting, it would have lifted a bit after the win against Warriors. Against Mumbai Indians, Sangakkara will have to take the lead in tackling Malinga, like Mahela Jayawardene did.

Stats and trivia

• Dhawan was the leading scorer for Deccan Chargers in IPL 2011 with 400 runs. He is leading the charts again this year.
• Mishra is the leading spinner in IPL, with 66 wickets.

Quotes

“He’s been getting off to starts and playing reasonably well in the last couple of knocks, but he backed himself fully today and showed what he can really do.”

“I have got to lift my performance for myself and the team. I haven’t been bowling well, the last two-three matches, I have gone for runs.”

Scorecard
Rikki Clarke scored 140 to put Warwickshire in command•Getty Images

Rikki Clarke often responds to questions about his “unfulfilled talent” with a roll of the eyes and the deadest of verbal bats. All the same, when the Warwickshire all-rounder bats as fluently as he did in making 140 against Lancashire on the third day at Liverpool, it is inevitable that good judges will speculate about what he might have achieved with a little more consistency and, perhaps, a little more application.Clarke’s innings could not have been better timed, and neither could many of his shots. He joined Darren Maddy seven overs into the day’s play with his side on 81 for seven, still needing 19 runs to avoid being asked to follow-on. Smoothly shrugging off the prospect of such an indignity by lifting Simon Kerrigan for the first of his three sixes, Clarke then proceeded to change the character and tempo of the contest.The former Surrey and Derbyshire batsman shared an eighth-wicket partnership of 224 runs with the admirable Maddy, whose 112 was his first championship century for nearly four years. Their stand fell just four runs of the county’s all-time eighth-wicket record set by Bob Wyatt and Alf Croom against Worcestershire in 1925. More significantly, it meant that instead of conceding a substantial first-innings deficit, Warwickshire were able to take a 79-run lead into the second half of this fluctuating game.By the close of play Lancashire were only 35 runs behind but they had lost four choice wickets, three of them to the new ball. Stephen Moore, who has yet to pass 20 in eight first-class innings this year; Paul Horton, who gloved a lifting delivery to Tim Ambrose; and Karl Brown were all claimed by the impressive left-arm seamer Keith Barker. Then, immediately after being dropped by Clarke off Barker, Steven Croft very unwisely slog-swept Jeetan Patel to Neil Carter at deep square leg to complete Lancashire’s miserable day. Warwickshire will go into the fourth morning with buoyant expectations that they can clinch a remarkable victory.Indeed, the only good news for Lancashire supporters on Saturday arrived around teatime when Old Trafford officials confirmed that Junaid Khan has been given permission to play for them in both t20 and championship games this season. The Pakistani fast bowler is expected to arrive at Old Trafford in June.By then we will have a better idea of whether Lancashire are in anything like decent shape to defend their title. The evidence of the first two games is not especially encouraging for them.Yet it is key to an understanding of the Maddy-Clarke partnership that Lancashire did not bowl poorly on the third afternoon and nor did the Liverpool pitch wicket flatten out. The ball continued to pass the bat but the Warwickshire pair responded to any small defeats with phlegmatic temperaments and sound, albeit contrasting, techniques.At first Clarke was intent on taking the initiative away from a Lancashire attack which had been buoyed by Kerrigan claiming the wickets of Chris Wright and Tim Ambrose in the first seven overs of the day. On the ground where he took a record-equalling seven catches in an innings last August, Clarke took the attack to Lancashire with a display of controlled hitting which never veered into mere slogging. He chose the balls to hit wisely and he timed his strokes pleasingly well.After reaching his half century off 49 balls, he took a more sedate 89 deliveries to reach three figures. At the other end, Maddy ground his way to an equally vital century off 176 balls, an effort that was all the more praiseworthy given that he had been hit on the hand by Chapple early in the first session.It all made for good watching for the Warwickshire supporters, some of whom had draped a St George’s flag across one of the stands at Aigburth. In one corner of the patriotic symbol was a bear and ragged staff; but across the middle were written the words ‘One Rikki Clarke.’ By Saturday evening, everyone could see what the fuss was about.

Match Facts

June 7-11, Edgbaston
Start time 11.00 (1000GMT)Steven Finn will hope he is the man chosen to replace James Anderson•Getty Images

The Big Picture

Despite this series having been decided last week there have been plenty of talking points in the lead-up to the final Test at Edgbaston. Kevin Pietersen’s retirement from limited-overs cricket (his choice for ODIs, forced for T20s) heads the list, followed by James Anderson being rested and, from West Indies’ point of view, the call-up for Sunil Narine which puts him on the verge of an eagerly anticipated debut.The series has provided some periods of hard-fought Test cricket but, ultimately, England have had too much depth for West Indies. They overwhelmed the visitors on the third evening in Nottingham with a six-wicket burst led by Tim Bresnan which left West Indies no way back. It raised questions about how far West Indies have really come and they do have a major issue with sustaining performances over five days. Yet their recovery was never going to be easy.If the weather allows enough overs England will expect to complete a cleansweep but Andrew Strauss would like a more complete display. In both games the batting has not made the most of strong first-innings positions to really ram home an advantage. Better teams would not have allowed England off the hook.All eyes will be on Pietersen – now purely a Test player – but, obviously, he has nothing to prove. That is not the case for Jonny Bairstow who has another opportunity to make life tough for the selectors ahead of the South Africa series. Ravi Bopara is back from injury and scoring runs for Essex so the challenge is Bairstow’s to keep him at bay.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
England WWWLL
West Indies LLLDL

Watch out for

England’s record against mystery spin is poor, you only have to go back to Saeed Ajmal earlier this year, so the prospect of them facing Sunil Narine for the first time is a fascinating one. Conditions will not be in Narine’s favour, but the home side’s batsmen will have to base their planning on video evidence. Narine’s first-class average is an astonishing 11.88 (after six matches) and although that needs to include caveats about the quality of some of the opposition, his impact at ODI level suggests he will not be an easy prospect.Steven Finn has made no secret of his frustration at waiting on the sidelines this season so it may be an idea to give him some space if Graham Onions beats him to replacing Anderson. Since losing his place during the 2010-11 Ashes series Finn has only made two further appearances both against Sri Lanka; at Lord’s (when Anderson was injured) and in Colombo (when Broad was injured). If he does get another opportunity it could be another short stay in the team but there remains plenty of time for him to forge the long Test career fully expected of him.

Team news

There remains a chance England could rest Stuart Broad along with Anderson, but if that is not the case it becomes a straight decision between Finn and Onions for the bowling slot. Finn is the next man in line, but Onions’ county form – where he has recently taken 11 in a match against Lancashire – makes a compelling case.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 Jonny Bairstow, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 Steven FinnWest Indies will need to ponder a few changes. Narine is favoured to replace Shane Shillingford (despite being Roach’s replacement in the squad) while either Tino Best or Fidel Edwards will partner Ravi Rampaul. The top order will need a shuffle, too. Kirk Edwards, for his own well-being, needs to step away from the spotlight. Narsingh Deonarine is likely to bat No. 6.West Indies (probable) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 6 Narsingh Deonarine, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Darren Sammy (capt), 9 Tino Best, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Sunil Narine

Pitch and conditions

The forecast, sadly, is not good for large portions of the Test. Thursday appears especially dicey with heavy rain forecast (which also arrived to impact the practice days) so it could be a frustrating experience. Pitches at Edgbaston produce excellent Test cricket and if the cloud cover stays around the pace bowlers will find particular encouragement.

Stats and trivia

• The two teams have met eight times at Edgbaston with West Indies winning four and England two. The last meeting was in 2004 when England won by 256 runs.
• There will be two survivors from the 2004 match – Andrew Strauss and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – although James Anderson was also part of England’s attack.
• Strauss needs 87 runs to reach 7000 in Test cricket

Quotes

“This was one of those occasions where an opportunity presented itself and we all think it’s prudent that we take the opportunity with Jimmy and hopefully that will allow him to be fresh for the rest of the summer and beyond.”

Friends Life t20 quarter-finals draw

• Nottinghamshire v Hampshire

• Somerset v Essex

• Sussex v Gloucestershire

• Yorkshire v Worcestershire

Yorkshire or Worcestershire will make a first appearance at T20 finals day after the two teams were drawn against each other in the last eight of the Friends Life t20. Worcestershire, who qualified from the Midlands/Wales/West Group despite losing to Somerset, will travel to Headingley on either July 24 or 25, after Yorkshire secured top spot in the North Group. Neither side has previously reached the last four in nine seasons of domestic T20.The final round of group games saw several issues still to be decided, particularly in the Midlands/Wales/West Group, where four teams remained in contention for a quarter-final spot. In the end, Warwickshire’s defeat at home to Glamorgan cost them dear, as Gloucestershire grabbed second place with victory in a rain-ruined game at Wantage Road and Worcestershire’s net run-rate secured them third.Essex secured the other wildcard spot, as one of the two best third-placed sides, and a quarter-final at Somerset, despite not seeing a ball bowled in their game against Hampshire. Rain overnight in Southampton had left the pitch in a soggy, sorry state and the match was eventually abandoned at around 5pm. The point gained by Essex meant Durham had to beat Lancashire in the North Group and secure a turnaround in their net run-rate to progress – but they lost two wickets in the final over, needing six to win, as the match was tied.The West End washout denied Hampshire the chance of securing a home draw as the second-placed side with the best record – that reward went to their quarter-final opponents, Nottinghamshire, who crushed the deposed champions, Leicestershire, to amass 14 points in the North Group. Sussex suffered their first defeat of the tournament, at home to Surrey, but had already won the South Group and will therefore take on Gloucestershire at Hove. Finals day will take place at Cardiff on August 25.