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Afghanistan rode on a remarkable performance by Karim Janat to surge to a series-levelling 41-run win against West Indies in the second T20I on Saturday.The 21-year-old Janat, brother of Asghar Afghan, came into the XI for his first match on tour. He replaced left-arm quick Fareed Ahmad, and walked into his 20th T20I with middling stats. With the bat, he had averaged 13 at just over a run a ball. His bowling average was a none-too-hot 31.66 and his economy rate an expensive 8.76. The Janat who turned up at the Ekana Stadium in Lucknow on Saturday bore no resemblance to the man with those numbers. Sent in at No. 3, he hit a freewheeling 26 off 18, his highest T20I score. But it was with the ball that he really tore through, taking Afghanistan’s second-best ever T20I figures with 5 for 11 in four overs.Afghanistan had made what seemed to be a below-par 147 for 7, but thanks to Janat, all West Indies could limp to was 106 for 8, leaving everything to play for in the series decider on Sunday.Afghanistan’s brisk start
Hazratullah Zazai shed the inhibitions that had made him tentative in the first T20I, going for his shots from the start, and got underway with a first-ball six flicked disdainfully over square leg. Zazai looted 16 runs off the opening over bowled by Jason Holder, getting Afghanistan off to a flying start. Both openers fell to Kesrick Williams in the fifth over, robbing Afghanistan of momentum. But Janat, batting at No.3 for the first time in T20Is, kept the run-rate going with some bold strokeplay. He didn’t always connect cleanly, but he went for his shots, which proved to be a street-smart ploy on this particular pitch. He was out to an iffy decision, the ball looking like it would go down leg, but that was a minor blip in a dream day.West Indies mix up the pace
Afghanistan were 41 without loss in four overs. In the next 16 overs, they could get only 106 for 7. The pitch for the second T20I didn’t have as much grass as the adjacent one that had been used for the first match. The first T20I had already shown the value of taking the pace off the ball, and in this game, on a slower surface, it was an even more effective tactic. West Indies sussed that well. Led by Williams, ably supported by Holder (who gave up only seven runs in his last three overs), Keemo Paul and Kieron Pollard, they strangled Afghanistan in the middle. Forced to create their own power with no pace on offer from pitch or bowlers, the batsmen succumbed. Gulbadin Naib’s enterprising 24 off 18 from No. 8 gave them some impetus at the very end, and allowed for a total that could give the bowlers something to defend. In the middle though, from overs 5 to 16, Afghanistan were tied down. The bowlers employed a variety of cutters, back-of-the-hand slower balls, and mixed them up with the rare bouncer or full-pace delivery, to keep the batsmen wrong-footed.Janat destroys West Indies
West Indies began their chase cautiously, but given that the target wasn’t too steep and they had firepower in their batting, they could afford to do that. Where the ploy began backfiring was with the batsmen getting dismissed after having eaten up balls. They had stayed at the crease for a while, without gaining any fluency, and as they played out overs the required rate climbed, forcing them to look for big shots. They couldn’t pull that off on this pitch, against a canny bowler like Janat.Janat began by trapping Shimron Hetmyer lbw, beaten by a pacier one on the sweep. Evin Lewis, the game-changer in the first T20I, seemed to never find the middle of the bat, and was undone by the need to break free of the shackles. Janat continued to mix it up against an increasingly edgy Lewis, until he swatted a top-edge to long-on. Two balls later, Janat got one go across Sherfane Rutherford, who drove loosely with feet planted, as the ball hit the perfect length and moved the perfect amount to kiss the edge. It was his next strike that really broke West Indies’ back, and hopes, as Janat got one to jag wickedly into Pollard and caught him on the crease, weight neither forward nor back, but pad very much in line with the stumps.Janat completed his five-for when he came back in the 18th over with the match all but in the bag, but it was his three-over spell in the middle that dismantled West Indies. Before he came on, they were at a steady, if slowish, 34 for 1 in seven overs. When he had completed his spell, the score read 55 for 5 in 12 overs.At the toss, captain Rashid Khan had explained his decision to bat first as “trying something different”. It was a somewhat surprising decision given dew was expected, and the history of T20 cricket, where the dynamics of utilising resources seem much more efficient when you know how many runs you have to get. The move worked, but the “different” thing that Afghanistan did with maximum impact was bringing Janat into their XI.

	Adil Rashid may battle Graeme Swann for a spot in the England Lions starting line-up © Getty Images

Match facts

Thursday, May 8 2008
Start time 11.00 (local), 10.00 (GMT)

The Big Picture

This is the final chance for New Zealand to fine-tune their preparations ahead of the first Test and also a last opportunity for England’s fringe players to give the selectors a headache ahead of the squad announcement on Sunday. It should prove a tough assignment for the visitors with a strong Lions team including eight players with international experience. New Zealand managed a win against Essex, but they were rescued by their bowlers after two batting displays – James Marshall apart – that didn’t bode well ahead of Lord’s. Kyle Mills, at No. 8 in the second innings, was the only other player to pass fifty and they are also without Daniel Vettori, who has a finger injury. The Lions are led by Robert Key, who already has an unbeaten 178 against New Zealand in the tour, while Matthew Hoggard is hoping to push for a Test recall with more wickets after a promising start to the season for Yorkshire.

Team news

England Lions: The decision could come down to whether both spinners, Adil Rashid and Graeme Swann, make the final XI. If the spell of warmer weather pushes the selectors that way then one of the four frontline quicks will probably miss out.Squad: Robert Key (Kent, capt), Ravinder Bopara (Essex), Michael Carberry (Hampshire), Matthew Hoggard (Yorkshire), Steven Kirby (Gloucestershire), Matt Prior (Sussex, wk), Graham Onions (Durham), Adil Rashid (Yorkshire), Owais Shah (Middlesex), Graeme Swann (Nottinghamshire), Chris Tremlett (Hampshire), Luke Wright (Sussex)Player to watch: Ravi Bopara has been one of the form batsmen early season and added 66 to his impressive tally against New Zealand and Chelmsford last week. He said he was frustrated to miss out on three figures, so this is another chance for him to put pressure on England’s current batting line-up.New Zealanders: The visitors have already named their XI, which shows how they will probably line-up at Lord’s except for Vettori, who misses this match after splitting his finger at Chelmsford and the rested Mills. Vettori is hopeful of being fit for the Test, although a lack of bowling will be an issue, and Jeetan Patel is the back-up spinner. Daniel Flynn, the left hander, seems set for a Test debut after being given another chance in the middle order as does Aaron Redmond in the opening position.Team: 1 Jamie How, 2 Aaron Redmond, 3 James Marshall, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Brendon McCullum (capt, wk), 6 Daniel Flynn, 7 Jacob Oram, 8 Tim Southee, 9 Jeetan Patel, 10 Iain O’Brien, 11 Chris MartinPlayer to watch: Tim Southee made an impressive start to his Test career with a five-wicket haul on debut in Napier. He has suffered some back problems in the early stages of this tour, but has now been given the all clear to resume. Barring any later reaction he is set to be part of the pace attack at Lord’s and a good performance against the Lions will be a timely confidence boost.

Quotes

“I’m having the stitches taken out on Saturday or Sunday and I’ll know a little bit more then. I’m confident, but I’ve never dealt with this before and it’s in the worst possible spot.”
“It’s always good to play a touring side in this part of the year, especially going into the first Test because you’ve got a great stage to stake your own claims personally and you can also do a little bit for England.”
Robert Key looks forward to the chance of making a few points over the next four days

The beleaguered Kenyan Cricket Association might have won a 21-day suspension of the government’s decision to replace its existing board with an interim committee, but opponents are confident it is unlikely to prevent wholesale changes in the long run.Sharad Ghai, the KCA’s chairman, and his executive were ousted last Friday on the orders of Ochillo Ayacko, Kenya’s sports minister, but the KCA went to court on Tuesday and obtained a stay of the suspension pending a judicial process appeal. That angered many who have been trying to get the board ousted, and some even took to the streets of Nairobi yesterday to protest.Cricinfo has learned that Ghai is growing more isolated by the day and that it appears that only a few hardcore board members remain loyal. Others have resigned or are working with the government as it investigates allegations that millions of dollars have gone missing from within the KCA.It is believed that investigations centre on the LG Trophy in 1999, where more than two million dollars is unaccounted for, and the ICC Champions Trophy the following year. Both events were hosted by Kenya, and audited accounts have not been produced nor have satisfactory explanations been given for large holes in the accounts relating to television rights, ticket sales and perimeter advertising. In addition, the ICC is thought to be increasingly concerned as to how money it has paid to the KCA has been distributed.Ghai only became chairman this year, having filled the role of fixtures secretary since 1997, the last time the KCA held elections, but is generally acknowledged to be the driving force behind the board. If allegations of mismanagement are shown to be true then it could prove embarrassing for Jimmy Rayani – he was chairman of the KCA for most of this period and is now a member of the ICC’s executive board.The court’s ruling yesterday has briefly halted the operations of the interim committee, but it is thought that when Ayacko returns to Kenya later today the situation will move forward.The KCA continued to mount a counter-offensive, and yesterday it sacked Sammy Obingo, its general manager, who was only appointed in May. Anil Sarkar, the KCA secretary, told reporters that Obingo could not work for the board and be a member of the interim committee. Cricinfo also learned that Obingo had been accused by the board of passing confidential information to the government and the ICC.The interim committee did obtain access to the KCA offices at the Ruaraka Sports Club on Monday, although it has since vacated the premises as a result of the court order.The KCA’s sudden burst of activity is in direct contrast to its behaviour in recent months, when it has been almost anonymous. Its league and cup competitions never took place, the board’s website has not been updated since July, and media requests have almost all gone unanswered.In 2002 the KCA executive used the courts to ward off similar action by the government, but this time the pressure on the authorities to act is far greater, while the support for the board is ebbing rapidly.

Steve Harmison’s injury is a blessing in disguise for England, who get a chance to try out some of their youngsters © Getty Images

Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMAEngland begin their third Test against Sri Lanka at Trent Bridge with one eye on the long term: they’ve opted to be cautious with Steve Harmison, not playing him till he gets more match practice, and Monty Panesar is under observation for his fielding, which could be a liability in the Ashes later this year. Cricinfo’s UK editor, Andrew Miller, chats with Amit Varma about this Test, and where England are in their development curve right now. Listen in.Download MP3 (right click and select “save target as”)
Streaming Audio: Real :: WMA

Glenn McGrath is a long way behind Shane Warne’s wicket-taking record but he is nearing the legspinner in the unenviable race for the most Test ducks.While he has successfully recovered from an ankle injury and is bowling as well as ever, McGrath completed his 28th zero in the first innings at Bangalore, when he was lbw to Harbhajan Singh. He is now one behind Warne, the Australian record holder, who shares the achievement with 2358 runs from 113 Tests. Courtney Walsh holds the world mark for his 43 noughts in 132 games.McGrath avoided drawing level with Warne in the second innings at Bangalore with a 12-minute, 11-ball unconquered innings of 3. His finest batting moment came when he made 39 against the West Indies at Port of Spain in 1999, but after 98 Tests he now risks finishing his career with more wickets than runs.McGrath currently has 446 victims against 453 runs, and will be determined to increase both tallies when the second Test against India starts on Thursday.

Jason Gillespie: bowled the right length

Marvan Atapattu blamed his batsmen after Sri Lanka had slumped to a five-wicket defeat against Australia in the third ODI in Colombo. “It all went wrong at the start,” he admitted. “We should have ended up with 30 or 40 more runs on a good batting track.”It was a great innings by Mahela [Jayawardene] and the lower orderbatsmen to get us to 226 at the end, and then [Chaminda] Vaas gave us a great start with those early wickets. At that moment we had a sniff but Martyn and Ponting then batted superbly. When the ball got soft and started turning at the end we also had another chance as the run-rate crept up to 6.5 per over. If only we had grabbed a couple more wickets.”Atapattu also noted that the Australians had played Muttiah Muralitharan with a lot of confidence, but argued that the wicket had not turned like a normal Premadasa pitch. “The next match is obviously crucial if we are going to stay in the series,” he said, “and we will try to win that.”Australia’s captain, Ricky Ponting, was extremely pleased with his side’s victory. “We bowled the right lengths and had them under pressure,” he said. “When you dare bowling like that it can look like there is more happening in the wicket than there actually is. I think it was a pretty good wicket and I think we would have got a few more than 227 if we had batted on it first.”I don’t think Murali is bowling that badly,” he added. “I just think we are playing him pretty well. Our approach to him has been spot-on so far. No wickets for 90-odd runs in the last couple of games has been a great result for us. Most of our batsmen are picking him and playing him pretty well and hopefully we can do that again on Friday.”Ponting was full of praise for Andrew Symonds after he had steered Australia to the win. “He is playing beautifully and it is exciting to think that he could be in the Test line-up. He plays the spinners well and if they bowl a bad ball he is going to hit it. To have someone like him around is good for the team.”

POTCHEFSTROOM, South Africa, Feb 3 AAP – Steve Waugh’s absence is regrettable.He’s left the team without a motto.What is Ricky Ponting doing?Australia always had a motto when Waugh was captain.Most times, anyway. They were great.He came up with ‘No Regrets’ for the 1999 World Cup.Other expeditions were filed under catchy little phrases like ‘Never Satisfied’.Waugh spent an entire Ashes series mumbling “never satisfied, lads” from gully.And now?Nothing.A rumour spread this morning about the use of ‘No Excuses’.Perfect, perfect. Nods of approval everywhere.But then it was revealed ‘No Excuses’ was not the motto for this tour and even more alarmingly, there was to be no motto at all.Tragic.Australia needs a motto and it’s not too late to get one.The first game is still a week away.’No Excuses’ really would be would be perfect, reflecting the players’ belief that all things being equal, they should win this tournament.If they lose, they will have no-one to blame but themselves.No excuses.Going through unbeaten is not beyond the realms of possibility.They have wicket-taking and economical bowlers, run-hungry batsmen capable of dominating or dabbing, fieldsmen happy to throw themselves all over the place, a spinner who is out of this world, an aura of invincibility and an aggressive, progressive leader.Even if he can’t find a motto.South Africa has jumped on the motto bandwagon, adopting one that sounds vaguely familiar: `No Regrets’.Waugh should have put it under copyright.Surely the hosts could have been more imaginative.”Don’t Choke’ would have been good.Other nations are believed to be considering the following:India – No Quicks.Zimbabwe – No Matches.England – No Hope.New Zealand – Please, No.Sri Lanka – No Ball.

Ben Smith’s maiden CricInfo Championship century of the summer helped put Leicestershire in command on the opening day of their clash with Kent in Canterbury.Batting first on a sublime pitch, Leicestershire and Smith in particular took advantage of unusually short St Lawrence boundaries and some mediocre Kent bowling to post 296 for four come the close.Prodigal son Trevor Ward, the former Kent opener who graced Canterbury for 14 years before his switch to the East Midland two years ago, suffered a disappointing return when he went to the second ball of the day.Pushing forward to a lifting leg-cutter he edged to Paul Nixon to become the first of three victims for Martin Saggers.That bought together Iain Sutcliffe and Smith for a second wicket stand worth 190 in 75 overs – a new record for the Foxes against Kent beating Laurie Potter and James Whitaker’s 176 in Folkestone back in 1989.Smith scored his ton in 246 minutes and with 13 fours and Sutcliffe reached his half-century from the next delivery from 184-balls and with six boundaries.Their stand came to an end three balls after tea when Smith aimed to drive at Saggers but lifted the ball enough for Matthew Walker to claim the catch at cover.Sutcliffe’s vigil ended when he risked a single to Min Patel at cover, only to be sent back by Daniel Marsh and lose the race to re-gain his ground when Nixon whipped off the bails.Marsh made amends, however, lifting the tempo and the spirit of the innings with a chirpy 72 with 12 fours before falling in the final over of the day after being undone by the extra bounce of the new ball.

It would appear to be a fair statement to make that West Ham United endured something of a nightmare in the January transfer window.

Indeed, despite David Moyes making it abundantly clear that he had money to spend in the winter market, as well as the 58-year-old having identified three positions in his first-team squad that he felt required reinforcements, the Scot went into February with exactly the same group as players he had at his disposal in December.

However, this was not through the lack of trying – on the face of it, at least – with the Hammers reportedly seeing bids rejected for Benfica centre-forward Darwin Nunez, Leeds United duo Kalvin Phillips and Raphinha and Atalanta hitman Duvan Zapata.

Furthermore, in comments made towards the end of February, Moyes also revealed that West Ham came extremely close to landing Luis Diaz in the January window – only for Liverpool to beat the Irons to the £37m signing of the 25-year-old winger.

Speaking about his interest in the Colombia international, the 58-year-old said: “We were quite far down the line to sign him from Porto. My understanding was Liverpool were going to come in for him in the summer, and I was going to try to get him in January.

“I don’t know if us trying to get him in January affected Liverpool’s decision but he’s a really good player. I really hoped that he was going to choose West Ham. We didn’t get him in but our ambition to sign the best players to improve West Ham is good.”

Moyes had a nightmare on Diaz

Considering just how impressive Diaz has been since his January switch to Liverpool, the fact that West Ham appeared to be extremely close to sealing a deal for the winger is sure to come as disappointing news to the London Stadium faithful.

Indeed, over his six Premier League appearances for Jurgen Klopp’s side so far this season, the £58.5m-rated forward has been in electric form, having already scored two goals and created one big chance for his teammates, as well as taking an average of 3.2 shots and making 1.8 key passes per game.

These returns have seen the player who Andy Robertson dubbed both a “special” and “unplayable” talent average a quite extraordinary SofaScore match rating of 7.18, ranking him as Liverpool’s eighth-best player in the top flight of English football.

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As such, it is clear for all to see that the €67k-per-week (£56k-per-week) sensation would have made a fantastic addition to West Ham’s current attacking arsenal – leading us to believe that missing out on the 25-year-old’s signing this winter has proven to be a nightmare for Moyes and his side.

AND in other news: DM can land the next Bowen as WHU plot bid for “special” 20 y/o “destined for the top”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

	Damien Martyn’s 60 wasn’t enough as India XI completed a ten-run win over World XI © ICL

The ICL India XI may have not reached a target they would have expected after a solid start, but a superb spell of bowling (4-1-10-1) from Syed Mohammed left ICL World XI with a stiff task during their chase, and despite Damien Martyn’s 60, it was India XI that prevailed to clinch the title.India XI, looking for their fourth successive win, decided to bat at the toss. The going was slow, with Johan van der Wath bowling a maiden first up and Daryl Tuffey conceding only one in his opening over. However, from then on, G Vignesh and Ibrahim Khaleel picked up steam as they put on an opening stand of 76.Khaleel, who was later declared the Player of the Series, fell for a run-a-ball 34. Vignesh, dropped early in his innings, was the more aggressive of the openers, and was severe on Andrew Hall, hitting a six and two fours off the South African. Vignesh survived a stumping chance off Upul Chandana on 38, and brought up his fifty as India XI went past the 100-mark, before he fell to the same bowler for 57.However, World XI fought back well in the latter half of the India XI innings, with Russel Arnold conceding only six runs off his two overs. At 104 for 2 after 13 overs, India XI looked poised for a score over 160, but the last seven overs only fetched 44 runs as they were restricted to 148. Hall and Chandana finished with two wickets apiece.Matthew Elliott perished early during World XI’s reply, but Martyn and Vincent kept the runs ticking over and after eight overs, they were at 61 for 1. Mohammed then came into the attack, and his first two overs went for only one run each. Martyn had till then dominated the scoring, and Vincent had begun to gather momentum, hitting a six followed by a four off T Kumaran and Ali Murtaza. However, Mohammed had him stumped in his second over.The runs from then onwards came at less than the required-rate for World XI, and the pressure got to the batsmen, with captain Chris Cairns and Martyn dismissed by run-outs. Despite the best efforts from the rest, the target remained unconquerable; a ten-run win capped a four-match unbeaten streak that helped India XI conquer the title. Vignesh won the match prize, with two wickets to add to his fifty.