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The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has offered Sri Lanka Cricket a chance to play a day-night Test on their tour to the United Arab Emirates in winter. Two of three Tests on the tour are scheduled in Dubai and Abu Dhabi and these could be potential venues to host the day-night Test.The ICC last year approved the idea of day-night Test matches but left it to member boards to decide on the hours of play and the colour of the ball to be used. No board so far has considered playing day-night Tests, but the PCB has shown interest in trying out the format. The board has organised day-night first-class matches and a few MCC fixtures in Abu Dhabi have also been played under lights.”We have offered to play a Test match under lights,” Nadeem Sarwar, the PCB spokesman, told ESPNcricinfo. “We are keen to experiment with day-night Test cricket as we believe that this would help in reviving interest in the format. The major aspect in our discussion is the correspondence on the colour and brand of the ball. The venues are definitely ideal and there is no dew factor involved in December and January.”Sri Lanka have not conducted any trials for day-night first-class or Test cricket, but appear positively disposed to the prospect of being a part of the first floodlit Test.* Sri Lanka Cricket president Jayantha Dharmadasa said SLC had not yet discussed the subject at length, but suggested that unless major objections arose in talks, Sri Lanka would agree to play the match under lights.”We shouldn’t say no if the only reason is that it doesn’t suit us,” Dharmadasa said. “In the past we’ve had 50-over cricket come into the game, then Twenty20s. In the future it will be day-night Tests. It would be a good thing for us to be part of the first day-night Test. People will be looking at it. I’ve still got to talk to the cricket committee, the selectors, and the cricketers, so we’ll see what comes out of those meetings.”Sarwar said that a day-night Test could attract spectators and broadcasters. “Preliminary enquiries have revealed that there is an interest amongst sponsors and broadcasters in day-night Test cricket as it could add commercial momentum,” Sarwar added. “We also anticipate greater spectator interest compared to an all-day Test match. PCB has conducted trials of day-night, domestic first-class matches and, for us, this will be an exciting experiment, subject, of course, to agreement by Sri Lanka Cricket Board.”Pakistan will host Sri Lanka in the UAE between December 2013 and January 2014 for a bilateral series that includes three Tests, five ODIs and two Twenty20s. The series, the second bilateral contest between Pakistan and Sri Lanka in the UAE, will be played in Dubai, Sharjah and Abu Dhabi. The first Test has been scheduled for December 31 in Dubai, while Abu Dhabi and Sharjah will host the second and third Tests, from January 8 and January 16.*07.15GMT, August 15: This article has been updated with the SLC’s response

Match facts

September 3-7, 2013
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)Can Zimbabwe put recent off-field disappointments behind them and spring another surprise on Pakistan?•Associated Press

Big Picture

Seven years ago, Pakistan were part of the first ever forfeited Test. This morning they were on the brink of being part of the first forfeited Test series, with the Zimbabwe players considering a boycott over unpaid salaries. Fortunately, the worst-case scenario has been avoided: Zimbabwe confirmed on Monday afternoon that they will take the field in Harare, with Zimbabwe Cricket saying it is working on clearing its dues before the second Test, which begins in Bulawayo on September 10.If the money is not transferred before then and the players stand their ground in Bulawayo, there will be a bonus of sorts: Zimbabwe will qualify for the ICC’s Test rankings after the Harare Test, having finally played the requisite number of games for the first time since their return to Test cricket in August 2011 after more than five years of self-imposed exile. And, irrespective of the series scoreline, they’ll return in some style, straightaway leapfrogging Bangladesh to No. 9.That said, Zimbabwe’s troubles are likely to spill over onto the field. In Pakistan they face an opponent whose batsmen are best suited to the gentle pace of the long format and bowlers include potent pacers and arguably the best spinner in world cricket today. The hosts, on the other hand, come into the series with – in their coach’s words – a concern about “how are we going to get 20 wickets” and an unsettled opening combination. In the preceding limited-overs games, their fielding was a shambles too. Add to that the question of morale following recent events, and you see just how high the odds are stacked against them.Pakistan last played a Test match in February. In that series, against South Africa, they were blanked 0-3. Before that, they lost a series to Sri Lanka. They’ll know this is their best chance to begin to correct their record of the past year, and if they do pull off a 2-0 win they’ll gain two ranking points, widening the gap between themselves at No. 4 and Australia at 5. They’ll be quietly confident of doing just that, with the shock loss in the first ODI a fast-fading memory given the two easy victories they registered thereafter. They had few problems cruising to a seven-wicket win the last time their Test side was in Zimbabwe, in September 2011.Both sides have availability issues leading up to this match. The in-form Mohammad Hafeez had strained a hamstring in the third ODI and, though the injury is not serious, is a doubtful starter. Brendan Taylor’s participation would depend on when his child is born – his partner went into labour on Monday.

Form guide

Pakistan LLLDD (last five matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LWLLL

Players to watch

Tino Mawoyo is back in contention after recovering from a groin injury that kept him out for five months. In their last four Tests, Zimbabwe have tried several opening combinations, with Vusi Sibanda, Timycen Maruma, Hamilton Masakadza, Regis Chakabva and Mawoyo all trying out. Still, they’ve managed only one score above forty, and no half-century stand. In Harare, Mawoyo is very likely to feature as opener, given his relative success against Pakistan – in 2011 he scored a gritty, unbeaten 163 against them to become only the third Zimbabwe player to carry his bat. That’s exactly the kind of fight Zimbabwe will be looking for in Harare.It goes without saying that Zimbabwe will be challenged by Pakistan’s spinners. However, with the conditions expected to offer the pacers a little bit of help in the mornings, Junaid Khan‘s swing could be just as lethal as Saeed Ajmal’s doosra. He had missed the second and third Tests of the South Africa series with a skin ailment, and will be keen to get back to the long format and improve on his promising start in Tests: he has 29 wickets in nine matches at 28.17, made all the more impressive by the fact that a chunk of his matches have come on the unresponsive UAE tracks.

Team news

Pakistan will take a call on Hafeez only on the morning of the match. It is very likely that he will be ready but if he doesn’t play, Azhar Ali and the recalled Khurram Manzoor – who was brought into the squad after Imran Farhat opted out for personal reasons – are likely to open. Wahab Riaz, who was also recalled for this series, will probably partner Junaid with the new ball.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Khurram Manzoor, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Abdur RehmanAs has been the case all through this tour, Zimbabwe named their squad late on the eve of the first match. Their 16-man squad had a few key figures missing from the Tests against Bangladesh, with Ray Price having retired, Kyle Jarvis having moved to England and Graeme Cremer having made himself unavailable due to the money issue. Sean Williams was named, even though it was understood earlier in the day that he would not play until paid.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Tino Mawoyo, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9 Brian Vitori, 10 Shingi Masakadza, 11 Tendai Chatara

Pitch and conditions

The pitch at the Harare Sports Club is expected to be not as dry as usual, and Zimbabwe will be thankful for that given the quality of Pakistan’s spinners. The ball should swing around a bit in the mornings, but other than that the batsmen aren’t likely to be tested much.If the weather forecast is correct, and it is indeed cloudy on Tuesday, the captain winning the toss would want to bowl as the following four days are expected to be sunny.

Stats and trivia

• Pakistan have lost an away Test to Zimbabwe only once in eight matches – that defeat came in the maiden Test between the two in Harare, in 1995. Overall, Pakistan have lost only twice in 16 games to Zimbabwe
• Zimbabwe have played four Tests this year, but Brendan Taylor is the only batsman to aggregate more than 200 runs for them. With 391 runs at 55.85, he has the sixth-best average among batsmen who’ve played at least four Tests this year

Quotes

“I think the big thing is the confidence and self-belief. If we had had a poor series, and we didn’t have this belief, I’d be very worried about this Test series. But I think the guys know that they can go out there and score runs against Pakistan.”
“The biggest lesson we have learnt is: don’t take any opposition lightly, especially Zimbabwe.”

Simon Taufel will lead an eight-day training workshop for top umpires in Sri Lanka, beginning on October 14, Sri Lanka Cricket has announced. The programme aims to enhance the skills and knowledge of the best umpires in the country, and mark out a path to the elite panel.”All Level I and Level II umpires, including the Lankan ICC Elite Panel which comprises Kumar Dharmasena, Ranmore Martinez, Ruchira Palliyaguruge and Ravindra Wimalasiri along with the emerging panel of umpires are scheduled to attend this workshop. At present there are 30 Level I and II umpires in Sri Lanka,” acting head of cricket operation Carlton Bernadus said.Taufel is scheduled to speak on the expectations of an elite umpire as well as on nutrition, conditions and pressure. Dharmasena will also give a speech entitled ‘My way to the top of the elite panel’.The umpires will also be drilled on the new playing conditions that have come into effect on October 1. Local match referees will also attend a workshop during this time.

ScorecardFile photo: Stiaan van Zyl added 136 for the third wicket with Yaseen Vallie•Bangladesh Cricket Board

A century from Stiaan van Zyl, and his 136-run third-wicket stand with Yaseen Vallie helped Cape Cobras to a 26-run win over Knights in Cape Town. The win helped Cape Cobras retain their one-point lead over Dolphins at the top of the table and strengthened their chances of a top-three finish and a place in the play-offs.Van Zyl, who had struck 52 in the previous game against Lions, smashed 12 fours during his 144-ball 113, and was well-supported at the other end by Vallie, who contributed 58 off 91 balls. Vallie was bowled in the 46th over with the score at 211 for 3, but Justin Ontong, coming in at No.5, blasted four fours and a six as he raced to 24 off just 7 balls, to take Cobras to 262 for 5 in their 50 overs.Cobras began their defence strongly as well, as Justin Kemp and Shaheen Khan struck regularly to leave Knights precariously placed at 115 for 8.Restricting Knights to 209 or lesser would’ve earned Cobras a bonus point, but Dillon du Preez and Quinton Friend, resisted adding 108 for the ninth wicket. The last time the pair put on a substantial stand, against Dolphins on Wednesday, they won the game for Knights. However, they couldn’t replicate that success in this game. Du Preez was removed in the 45th over, and Shaheen bowled Friend out in the 46th to bundle the Knights out for 236.
ScorecardA 118-run contribution for the fourth wicket between Vaughn van Jaarsveld and Cody Chetty helped Dolphins chase down 237 against Titans, with seven balls remaining, to seal a five-wicket win and take them closer to the play-offs.The Dolphins opener Morne van Wyk had given the team a good start, powering his way to a 45-ball 47 with seven fours and a six. Titans fought back with three quick wickets to leave Dolphins at 65 for 3 in the 15th over, but Van Jaarsveld and Chetty counterattacked, adding 118 in 24.3 overs. Van Jaarsveld eventually departed in the 39th over for 65 off 73 balls, including six fours and a six. With 49 needed off the last 10 overs, Dolphins were comfortable but Chetty’s wicket in the 41st over brought Titans back.Khaya Zondo and Daryn Smith, however, eased the nerves, as their 49-run contribution for the sixth wicket took Dolphins home.Titans’ innings, was earlier propelled by a 60-ball 54 from Mangaliso Mosehle, after the captain Henry Davids and Farhaan Behardien had chipped in with 44 apiece.The defeat was a big blow for Titans, as it pushed them out of the top three. Titans, who are nine points behind Warriors, will have to win all three of their remaining games now to stand a chance of qualifying for the play-offs.The game between Warriors and Lions was abandoned without a ball being bowled, due to rain. Warriors, however, are well on course for a top-three finish. They are currently third on 20 points from seven games, behind Cape Cobras and Dolphins, but with an extra game in hand. The top team in the qualifies for the final, while the second and third-placed teams will play a semi-fina.

The ICC has confirmed that Real-time Snicko technology will be be used in conjunction with Hot Spot to detect edges as part of the DRS for the upcoming Ashes series.In October, it appeared that Channel Nine had cut Hot Spot from its list of tools for this summer’s coverage but the network’s executive producer of cricket, Brad McNamara, confirmed that Hot Spot and Real-time Snicko will be available after a deal was reached with BBG Sports, which provides the technologies.*Cricket Australia and the ECB have both agreed to the use of the products and the ICC will treat the Ashes as a further, full-scale trial for the new Real-time Snicko technology before determining if it will be rolled out further. It was previously tested on the sidelines of the previous Ashes series in England.Under the existing DRS, Snicko cannot be used as the process of matching the audio with the vision is too time-consuming, but the new Real-time Snicko reportedly makes the process almost instantaneous, giving the third umpire an extra tool to make his decision.”The ICC has been monitoring the development of RTS for the past 12 months, including its use in more than 50 days of cricket coverage during the English summer,” the ICC’s general manager Geoff Allardice said.”We were happy to support the initiative of CA and the ECB because we believe it can improve the DRS by getting more decisions correct involving faint edges, to help the umpires make those decisions faster, and to help spectators and viewers better understand those decisions.”McNamara earlier told the : “We had a difficult negotiation with BBG Sports but thankfully we’ve come together. We’re thrilled to have Hot Spot continue as part of the coverage.”We’re all about the best technology in the world. We feel that is among it and are looking forward to adding to that with Real-time Snicko, which we think will add to the viewers’ experience and also hopefully help in the decision-making process for umpires. It will change the DRS. Hopefully you won’t get the mistakes.”Hot Spot was particularly controversial during this year’s Ashes in England, when it appeared not to detect a number of thin edges and the TV umpires at times used evidence from stump microphones instead. Australia’s captain Michael Clarke wrote in his newly-released book that he would prefer Hot Spot not be used until it was more reliable.”My opinion is that if the technology isn’t perfect, it shouldn’t be used at all,” Clarke wrote. “The inventor and owner of Hot Spot [Warren Brennan] came out and admitted it doesn’t pick up all nicks. Ok, that’s fine: Hot Spot should not be used until it is more reliable. Once the technology has been tested and is shown to be correct, then the ICC should rule that every team has to use it. We should have the same rule for everyone.”The other major change to the DRS for this summer’s Ashes will be the introduction of extra reviews, after the ICC announced it would trial a system of topping up a team’s reviews to two after 80 overs in an innings. Irrespective of whether a team has used none, one or both of its reviews, its available review tally will be set to two after the 80-over mark.*1.20pm GMT, November 19: this story was updated to reflect confirmation from ICC

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsQuinton de Kock powered South Africa’s speedy start•Associated Press

After six weeks of tussling in the Arabian Desert, the South African and Pakistan teams would have been grateful for the freshness of rain. Just not on match day. South African skies burst to interrupt what seemed set to be the most competitive Twenty20 match between these two sides in the recent past and the hosts won by four runs, according to the Duckworth-Lewis method.The host batsmen began like the fierce downpour which swept across the ground forty minutes before the scheduled start of play, but Pakistan pulled them back to little more than a drizzle. In reply, Pakistan built themselves up to a position from which they could have produced a storm themselves. But the real thing intervened before any of that was possible to deny the sizeable Wanderers crowd a potentially thrilling finish.After being sent in, Hashim Amla and Quinton de Kock powered their way to 69 runs off the first seven overs, making Pakistan’s decision to field first look questionable. Their seamers, including the experienced Sohail Tanvir – who has played regularly at this ground for the Lions – to the relatively new Anwar Ali, and even Junaid Khan, could not adapt to conditions. The bowlers sprayed the ball wide and their lengths were too full.De Kock and Amla put on a fireworks display of aggressive shots in response. Amla spanked the ball through the covers, de Kock used his wrists to smoke the ball through the leg side. Runs rained from their bats even as debutant Bilawal Bhatti showed the first threat, inducing an outside-edge from de Kock, which scooted to the third-man boundary.Pakistan had opted to leave out Saeed Ajmal, a choice which appeared to be wrong until Mohammad Hafeez brought himself on and enjoyed immediate success. Amla was bowled when he came forward to drive. De Kock followed him in Hafeez’s next over, when he mis-hit a ball to long-on and Tanvir took a well-judged catch on the boundary.Soon Shahid Afridi had Henry Davids cramped for room, prodding awkwardly only to be bowled, and Pakistan had taken three wickets for 15 runs. Afridi, bowling quicker than usual, did not concede a boundary in his spell. In the eight-over period in which Afridi and Hafeez bowled, the pair gave away only 32 runs.Pakistan’s main concern was the rest of the bowling. Bhatti’s debut got better when he was brought back on and he bowled a back-of-a-length ball to dismiss JP Duminy for his first international wicket. Duminy pulled off the front foot but got it only as far as midwicket where Hafeez took the catch falling forward.David Miller countered that length better, sending Bhatti over the scoreboard for the only six of the innings and ensured South Africa finished fairly strongly. They scored 46 runs off the last five overs but Pakistan would still have been satisfied with their efforts. From 9.8 runs an over in the first seven, Pakistan allowed a rate of 6.46 through the next 13 and had a realistic chance at a successful chase.Pakistan’s reply began fortuitously, with five wides from Lonwabo Tsotsobe but soon settled. Ahmed Shehzad started in a manner befitting his ranking as the leading T20 run-getter this year, flicking Dale Steyn down to fine leg and cracking the bowler over point. He grew over-confident when he tried to run the ball behind point but was foxed by extra bounce from Tsotsobe and played on.Mohammad Hafeez negotiated a Dale Steyn over which ended with the Pakistan captain timing a full ball past mid-on. Nasir Jamshed seemed to settle in the same way, when he pulled Morne Morkel in front of square, but was surprised by the extra bounce and played a couple of nervy edges which went for four.His stay at the crease ended when he pushed at Duminy’s third ball and the offspinner stretched full length to take the return catch. Pakistan promoted Umar Akmal to No.4 but he was at the crease for just 10 balls before the heavens opened to leave Pakistan wondering what could have been.

ScorecardFile photo – Yuvraj Singh was ruled lbw for a duck•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Delhi captain Gautam Gambhir and his players are slowly turning Roshanara Club ground into a fortress. They bundled out Punjab for a lowly 74, setting up the possibility of another outright win that could enable them to qualify for the quarter-finals.Gambhir has been pretty bullish about his intentions of extracting the maximum from Delhi’s home matches and didn’t mind taking on the Delhi & District Cricket Association administration recently. His bowlers led by veteran Ashish Nehra took it upon themselves to ensure their captain was vindicated as Punjab were reduced to 35 for 9, before Manpreet Gony’s cameo of 29 helped them get past 70.At stumps, Delhi were 46 for 2 with Unmukt Chand batting on 21 after Gambhir and Vaibhav Rawal were dismissed cheaply. Only 42.4 overs were possible on the day due to bad light that led to three stoppages after the match started 90 minutes late.Nehra, who took 4 for 31, wreaked havoc on a pitch that was less green than the one against Vidarbha in the previous round but overcast conditions and strong wind made it improbable for the Punjab batsmen to put up any sort of resistance.Vidarbha and Punjab’s back-to-back performances (88 and 74) in slightly bowler-friendly conditions spoke about the inadequacies of technique while facing swinging deliveries at high speed. Most of the batsmen were dismissed hanging their bats at moving balls that were taken in the slip cordon or by the wicketkeeper.Sumit Narwal started it in the third over when Jiwanjot Singh fished at an away-going delivery and edged to Rawal at third slip. Nehra then got into the act with a lovely outswinger to the left-hander Uday Kaul, who nicked to Rahul Yadav behind the stumps.Surprisingly, it was seamer Sandeep Sharma who was sent in at No 4 ahead of Yuvraj Singh. The move defied logic. How a tailender could survive on a helpful pitch where the top order was finding it difficult was unfathomable. Sandeep’s promotion only showed Punjab’s negative mindset.Sandeep was there for 24 minutes, defending 13 deliveries to make 1. Gambhir, sensing that there was no footwork, introduced Rajat Bhatia in place of Nehra to draw Sandeep forward. The result was a simple catch to Parvinder Awana at mid-on.Yuvraj arrived and was gone in three balls, trying a forward-defensive prod off Bhatia and adjudged leg-before. Yuvraj was very unhappy as he stood his ground and then indicated to the umpire that the ball had hit the bat first.At 18 for 4, Manan Vohra and Mandeep Singh tried to do some repair work and took the score to 32 before bad light stopped play. Once play resumed, Vohra played an irresponsible pull off an Awana delivery that rose up from back of a length. The skier was taken by the bowler himself.It became 32 for six when keeper Yadav pulled off an absolute stunner, diving in front of first slip to take a one-handed catch to remove Gurkeerat Singh for a duck off Awana.Before one realized, 32 for 6 became 35 for 9 as Nehra got three more. Mandeep played on to a delivery that came in after pitching while Jaskaran Singh missed the line to be bowled. Gitansh Khera was nicely set up by Nehra, who first bowled a sharp bouncer that pegged the batsman back and then bowled a full outswinger that was nicked to Yadav.Gony threw his bat around to take Punjab to 74 but the damage had been done. “There is no excuse for scoring 74 runs even though we knew that conditions are difficult for batting,” Punjab coach Bhupinder Singh snr said. “This is a result-oriented track where we should have batted better. I believe there is still hope for a comeback and I am hoping that my bowlers use the morning conditions well tomorrow.”

ScorecardMaharashtra remained on course to finishing on top of Group C unbeaten, after the left-arm spinner Akshay Darekar picked up six wickets to dismiss Assam for 152 and helped the visitors secure a first-innings lead of 209 in Guwhati.Assam’s top-order all made starts, but apart from Niraj Patel who top-scored with 40, none of the batsmen scored more than 20. Darekar finished with 6 for 53- his seventh five-wicket haul in first-class cricket- while Shrikant Mundhe notched three scalps to bowl Assam out in 71.2 overs. Maharashtra batted out the final eight overs of the day without losing a wicket, and finished at 16 for 0 with a lead of 225. They had earlier managed 361 in their first essay with the bat, adding just 18 to their overnight score of 343 for 8.
ScorecardFifties from the captain Swapnil Asnodkar and Amit Yadav helped Goa take a first-innings lead against Andhra in Porvorim. Asnodkar struck 10 fours during his 80, but was bowled by Padikalva Vijaykumar in the 46th over. Ravikant Shukla and Darshan Misal chipped in with handy contributions down the order, before Yadav’s 51 took Goa to 267.Bodavarapu Sudhakar was the pick of Andhra’s bowlers, finishing with 3 for 42, while Kakani Harish, Shaik Basha and Vijaykumar picked up two wickets apiece.The day was to get worse for the visitors, as they lost three early wickets in the second innings to head into day three at 32 for 3 needing another 87 runs to avoid an innings defeat.
ScorecardPadmanabhan Prasanth’s maiden first-class hundred helped Kerala secure a first-innings lead against Hyderabad. By close of play on the second day, Hyderabad had wiped out 46 of the 73-run lead for the loss of one wicket.Prasanth’s hundred and his 151-run eighth-wicket stand with Robert Fernandez helped Kerala recover from 94 for 7 after a few quick wickets hurt the visitors on the second morning. His 106 came off 197 balls and included 12 fours and two sixes, and he got good support from Fernandez, who was out for 78 off 199 balls. Once their stand was broken, however, the Kerala innings came to a swift end at 264.In reply, Hyderabad lost opener Akshath Reddy off the second ball of the innings, but recovered through a 46-run stand between Hanuma Vihari and Bavanaka Sandeep.
ScorecardSamiullah Beigh’s five-for helped Jammu & Kashmir restrict Tripura to 280 in Agartala, before a fifty from Adil Rishi helped J&K stabilise.Tripura, who began the day at a commanding 176 for 3 lost quick wickets early on, including the wicket of top-scorer Yogesh Takawale for 83. The hosts were struggling at 225 for 8 before a fighting fifty from Abhijit Dey lifted them past 250.In reply, J&K openers put together a fifty-run stand but regular strikes thereon put them on the backfoot. Opener Adil Rishi’s unbeaten fifty anchored the innings but J&K still trail Tripura by 163 runs.

South Africa’s quicks at Centurion

• Dale Steyn, 6 Tests, 36 wickets at 17.61

• Morne Morkel, 4 Tests, 17 wickets at 23.41

• Vernon Philander, 2 Tests, 12 wickets at 13.66

As Australia’s touring party wrestled with the changes to be forced by Shane Watson’s absence from the Test team, they also had cause to glance furtively at another obstacle looming in the distance. To win a three-match series, a strong result in the first encounter is close to non-negotiable, and over two decades the task of doing so against South Africa at SuperSport Park has proven near enough to impossible.In 18 Tests since its debut in a draw with England in 1995, Centurion has witnessed 14 victories for the hosts, three draws and only one defeat, to Nasser Hussain’s tourists in 2000. That this lone loss was a result contrived by Hansie Cronje for reasons other than “making a game of it” says much for how strong South Africa’s hold has been, bearing comparison with Australia’s supreme record at the Gabba over the same period.Much like Brisbane’s tendency to catch under-prepared touring teams on a surface offering pace, bounce and movement to Australia’s fast men, Centurion has been characterised by the dominance of South Africa’s quicks in the rarefied air of the Highveld. Dale Steyn, Morne Morkel and Vernon Philander would not choose to bowl anywhere else.There are few happy memories for Australia, either. The one Test match they have played at the ground was a dead rubber in 1997, after Mark Taylor’s team had won by a wide margin in Johannesburg and a breathlessly narrow one in Port Elizabeth. Allan Donald and Brett Schulz dominated, Australia’s batsmen wilted, and Ian Healy was suspended for throwing his bat in reaction to a questionable caught behind dismissal.On a tour where Michael Clarke’s team has already coped with plenty of adversity, whether it be through injury or poor weather, the challenge of overturning the hosts on their happiest of hunting grounds will be a tall one. The opening batsman Chris Rogers, likely to bear the brunt of South Africa’s pace barrage, has taken note of the ground’s history, but also of his team’s buoyant mood.”We haven’t really focused on that particular arena, but we’ve spoken about other things and we’ve still got a couple of meetings to go. So I’m sure we’ll talk about that,” he said. “I’ve heard these things as well, it will be a big challenge no doubt but one that I think we are ready for.”Something we’ve really spoken about this whole trip so far – we’ve been flooded out of one place and conditions have been a bit difficult in others. But we’ve kept talking about how we’ve got to make the most of every opportunity and I think we are. And we’re still enjoying it, the guys are still having a laugh and having fun so I think that’s going to count.”Any residual feelings of comfort left by his strong conclusion to the Ashes have been kicked out of Rogers by a succession of white-knuckle net sessions. His chest guard has received a considerable pummelling, and first ball in centre-wicket practice at the Wanderers on Saturday a Mitchell Johnson throat ball singed the grille of his helmet.”That was tough, hopefully it doesn’t come any tougher than that, because if it does I’m in trouble,” Rogers said with a rueful grin. “But it was a good challenge and sometimes you get a bit worried that one’s going to kick at you or something like that, but that’s part of the challenge as well, and then you can be happy for the rest of the session.”I know their attack is going to come hard as well, so I’m expecting plenty of short balls and good pace and good swing as well. There’s been some late swing and that’s going to make it interesting. I think both batting sides are going to have their work cut out for them but that’s part and parcel of Test cricket. Whoever bats the best is going to be in line to win this Test.”To this end the loss of Watson, a batsman capable of dominating the best attacks when he does not allow his front pad to become too prominent, will be felt most keenly. He had been slated to move down the order to No. 6, and his likely replacement would appear to be Phillip Hughes. The inclusion of Hughes and the No. 3-elect Alex Doolan will make for a batting line-up markedly different from the one that stuttered against England.Moises Henriques and a fresh-off-the-plane Shaun Marsh are the other options for Darren Lehmann and John Inverarity to consider, but neither has been exposed to the best of Australia’s bowling in training quite so much as Doolan or Hughes. It would be a considerable departure from early tour planning were either to play, but then Watson has already forced one by his unavailability.”That throws a bit of a spanner in the works for us, he’s been an important player in our side of late, so that’s going to cause a few changes but we have to adapt,” Rogers said. “Obviously his batting is important to us, but then he can give us a few overs and he catches them at first slip. So that means he’s an integral part of our side.”These things happen and you have to move on quickly, so bad luck to Shane, but whoever comes in hopefully they can do a good job. I think we have good momentum, there’s a good feeling among the group and that’s going to be important going into this Test. The loss of Shane is going to hurt but I still think there’s enough quality in the rest of the side to really perform in this first Test.”

Canterbury prevailed by 64 runs in a rain-hit affair against Central Districts at Pukekura Park. Having lost the toss, Canterbury were led by Rob Nicol, who scored 73 off 71 balls. Andrew Ellis provided the acceleration in a match that was curtailed to 30 overs, smashing 41 off 25 balls to lead his team to 216 for 8. Tarun Nethula, who had figures of 6-0-32-0, was the only Central Districts bowler to go for less than a run a ball.Facing an asking rate of more than seven an over, Central Districts had got to 84 for 3 in the 15th over, before the slump began. They lost seven wickets for 68 runs and were dismissed for 152 in 26.3 overs. Ellis impressed with the ball as well, taking 3 for 21 in 4.3 overs. The victory took Canterbury to second place in the Ford Trophy points table.Northern Districts‘ lead at the top of the league was cut to one point after their three-wicket defeat to Wellington at Seddon Park. The teams had contrasting innings and in the end collective effort prevailed over individual excellence. Daniel Flynn scored a century at the top of the order for Northern Districts after choosing to bat, but his 122 of 121 balls was the only significant contribution. None of the other top six batsmen made it to double figures, and Scott Kuggeleijn’s 39 at No. 7 was the only other useful score. Despite Flynn’s fast hundred, Northern Districts were kept to 215 for 8 in 50 overs. The Wellington spinners Luke Woodcock and Jeetan Patel finished with excellent figures of 10-2-17-3 and 10-2-16-2 respectively.Wellington lost Stephen Murdoch for a duck in the chase but their next five batsmen made solid scores. Michael Pollard top scored with 53, and James Franklin made 49, and with supporting roles from the rest of the top and middle order, Wellington were rarely threatened. Kuggeleijn and Sodhi took three wickets each but could not prevent Wellington from winning with 16 balls to spare.Hamish Rutherford’s hundred and Jesse Ryder’s powerful half-century led Otago to a 43-run win under the D/L method against Auckland in Invercargill. Auckland suffered after putting Otago in because their openers Aaron Redmond and Rutherford added 165 in 31.1 overs. Redmond made 87 off 100 balls. Michael Bracewell fell cheaply but Ryder put on 75 for the third wicket with Rutherford, who was eventually dismissed for 108 off 116 balls. Ryder finished with 78 off 45, and led Otago to 332 for 6 in 50 overs.Auckland were 17 for 0 in the chase when rain interrupted the match and forced the target to be revised to 279 in 39 overs. Wickets fell at regular intervals after the resumption and Auckland were sinking fast at 116 for 6 in the 24th over. Sam Wells, who finished with 8-0-41-5, was responsible for most of the damage. Donovan Grobbelaar scored a half-century to prop up Auckland, but Otago dismissed them for 235 in 39 overs.