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India began the Super Sixes stage of the Women’s World Cup Qualifier with a comfortable 49-run win against South Africa in Colombo. Mithali Raj and Mona Meshram struck fifties to propel India’s score to 205. In reply, South Africa were bowled out for 156 as fast bowler Shikha Pandey and left-arm spinner Ekta Bisht combined for seven wickets.After India were inserted, opener Deepti Sharma was dismissed in the 12th over for 9 off 38 balls. Meshram and Raj then shared a 96-run stand to set a platform for the end overs. South Africa ensured they kept India in control by picking up regular wickets. India managed to score just 93 runs in the final 20 overs. South Africa were quickly reduced to 8 for 2 in the fifth over, and were always behind the asking rate thereon. Trisha Chetty top-scored with an 81-ball 52. Pandey returned figures of 4 for 34.Eshani Lokusuriyage’s 65 and contributions from the top order ensured Sri Lanka cruised past the target of 213 against Pakistan with five wickets in hand and 14 balls to spare. Nipuni Hansika (37) and Chamari Atapattu (35) set the tone with a 75-run opening stand, before Pakistan hit back with three wickets in the space of eight overs. Prasadani Weerakkody struck 45 off 71 balls and shared an 88-run partnership with Lokusuriyage.Pakistan were helped along to 212 with fifties from Nahida Khan (64) and Javeria Khan (63). The pair shared a 119-run stand off 171 balls. Pakistan, too, lost a cluster of wickets in the end overs, stalling the momentum from the innings. Inoka Ranaweera and Chamari Polgampola added two wickets apiece.File photo – Sharmin Akhter struck five fours during her fifty•IDI/Getty Images

Bangladesh Women skittled Ireland Women for 144 and cruised to a seven-wicket win in their first Super Six match at the Colombo Cricket Ground.Jahanara Alam led the way with figures of 3 for 21 after Bangladesh inserted Ireland. She removed Cecelia Joyce and Kim Garth in successive overs to reduce Ireland to 15 for 2 inside nine overs. Panna Ghosh, Rumana Ahmed, Khadija Tul Kubra proceeded to make further inroads into the Ireland line-up. Salma Khatun was also among the wickets as Ireland were bowled out in 47.1 overs. Their major source of resistance came from Clare Shillington and captain Laura Delany, who struck 37 each. Apart from them, only Isobel Joyce passed 20.The Sharmins – Sultana and Akhter – gave Bangladesh a solid start in their chase with a 40-run partnership. The stand ended when Gaby Lewis got rid of Sultana for 22 at the end of the 15th over. Sanjida Islam then fell cheaply, but Akhter ate into target with a half-century before exiting in the 30th over. Fargana Hoque and Rumana eventually sealed the win in the 40th over with an unbroken 39-run stand.

Not only is David Warner intent on captaining Australia at every opportunity, the opening batsman has also flagged the possibility of a career in politics once he retires.Warner has been known to interact a little more often with political leaders than most members of the Australian side, famously fronting then Prime Minister Tony Abbott to commit federal government funding for the redevelopment of Heffron Park, near his childhood home in public housing in Matraville.Now, following his influential public role in the 2017 pay dispute between Cricket Australia and the Australian Cricketers Association, Warner has said he is interested in looking towards making a difference in politics following his playing days.”After cricket, I wouldn’t mind doing something,” Warner told . “One thing that has been embedded in me since a young age is that I grew up in a housing commission. As a kid, I had to do everything at home with my brother just because my parents worked all the time. So whether it was dishes, ironing – all the normal things you do at home. Once I was able to go and work, I went and worked because we needed that money coming in to pay the bills. Me and my brother both paid a bit of rent when we were younger and I just liked looking out for anyone who was close to me.”During the dispute, it was a tough situation, you had your employers who were going up against our union and the players. So, I thought I needed to have a stance somewhere because at the end of the day, I want to play cricket for my country but for us to get a result or something in the middle – a happy medium – we had to fight for that. I am a believer in what I believe in. So, that was our belief, to get what we wanted. I sit back now and go, ‘I probably regret how the situation was played out in the media.’ And we do as players.”But, if you believe in something you are going to have to fight for it and I wasn’t going to stand down because we needed someone out there to speak about it. You can sit back and do what you like but you don’t get anywhere unless someone speaks up and does something.”Warner’s brand of cricketing leadership was on display during the recent T20 triangular series won by Australia over New Zealand and England. He said that his desire to lead the national team wherever possible would fuel him to take part in every T20 series when the full-time captain, Steven Smith, is rested.”I just like having responsibility and if there is anything that I can do to help anyone, whether it is here at the cricket or even if it is down at the beach or something,” Warner said. “If it is something that I can help with and someone needs help, then it is something I’ll be hand up for. That’s just the person that I am. And obviously standing in for Steve there are big shoes to fill. He needs his rest.”Playing all three forms for Steve is like playing six or seven different forms with having the responsibility of being captain of all three forms. So, he definitely needs his break from time to time and I am obviously going to put my hand up as a senior player to do that role.”I feel it is important we do have a senior player playing in all three formats, or one of us staying back and playing the T20 format, because you need to keep your core team values and how we are as an Australian unit. You need to have that experience there too for the guys who are coming through.”

As he prepares for his third Test in Cape Town, Nathan Lyon cannot have more conflicting memories of any other venue in the game.In 2011, he was playing the fourth match of his career when he top-scored at No. 11, amid Australia’s razing for 47 on an incomprehensible second day. In 2014, he had a ringside seat to Michael Clarke’s battering by Morne Morkel, David Warner’s twin centuries and Ryan Harris’ heroics in the final half-hour to secure the match and series for Australia.This time around, the Australians are seeking to forge ahead in another seesaw encounter with South Africa, and Lyon is hopeful Steven Smith’s team will be able to emulate the feats of four years ago, rather than the ignominy of three years prior.”It was one of the most exciting Test series, especially coming off the Ashes and the way we played at Centurion and then them bouncing back at PE,” Lyon said. “To come here and the way it planned out with Ryan Harris basically bowling with one leg and bowling Morne with about two overs to go was exceptional.”They are the type of moments that you sit here and look back on your career and weigh them up as some of the best games you’ve been part of. They’re the ones you want to play, they’re the ones you do pre-season for, where you win on the last day, last hour and to see Ryno (Harris) do that after Pup (Clarke) scored his brilliant 100 and I think Davey (Warner) scored one [in each innings] as well, they’re the type of games and series you want to be a part of and games you want to put your hand up and be a part of.”From the vantage point of 2018, it is difficult to picture exactly how young in the game Lyon truly was in 2011, for he was not only in his second Test series but less than a year into his first-class career, having been plucked from the Adelaide Oval ground staff to be part of South Australia’s Twenty20 squad, and from there playing in the Sheffield Shield and then with Australia A.The whirlwind was rather reflected in the tumble of 23 wickets on day two of the Test, including the eye-popping scoreline of 21 for 9 in Australia’s second innings when Lyon walked to the middle. “You’ve got to be pretty good to top-score for your country,” he quipped. “I’ve been on both ends of the spectrum, obviously when you get bowled out for 47 it is not the best feeling, but we came back a couple of years later to win the way we did was exceptional.”It happened pretty quick to be honest, I think I walked out to bat when we were 9 for 21 in the 11th over, I’m not usually padded up in the 11th over or trying to pad up in the ninth. It was a little bit different. It’s another story in my career, some days you have your day out and big Vernon Philander did that day.”Nathan Lyon top-scored with 14 as Australia collapsed for 47•AFP

Usman Khawaja, another member of that squad, recalled the panic of the moment, even as it related to fetching batting gloves for members of the playing XI. “I remember that when we got South Africa out in that first innings and went to bat in that second innings, it was Pat Cummins and Trent Copeland who were doing 12th with me,” he told . “And I just said ‘boys, I did my gym session earlier in the day, go do your gym session now, I’ll take care of this, we’re batting. This’ll be easy.'”At Cape Town, the Twelfthy sits right down the bottom and there are about 70 stairs to climb. Every time there was a wicket I would run up those stairs. A couple of times I ran up the stairs to get someone’s gloves and by the time that I got up there they were out so I had to put the stuff back down and grab the other kit. It really was unbelievable.”It is always a good reminder to myself and I think to anyone that the game is never won and you can never get too far ahead of yourself. Even in my head I thought that we had a lead of about 200 and even if we got 150 that is game over; it is very hard to chase 350 in the last innings. And we were obviously 9 for 21. You never get ahead of yourself in this game and that very much reminded me of that.”This week, Lyon will be hoping to play a part in generating a similar tumble of South Africa wickets, in a series where he has oscillated between rapid breakthroughs – Dean Elgar and Hashim Amla in his first over of the series, Elgar and AB de Villiers in the second innings at Port Elizabeth – and longer, more barren spells.”I don’t know what he’s trying to do hitting me through square leg twice,” Lyon joked about his two caught-and-bowled dismissals of Elgar. “But it’s another good challenge you always have with different cricketers around the world. I bowled five balls and got him out twice but I also bowled 20 overs in the first innings and couldn’t get him out once, so it’s a challenging one but it’s a good challenge, it’s Test cricket.”You’re bowling to the best batters in the world so it’s a great challenge whether left-hander or right-hander. I’ve enjoyed it because it’s different conditions to what we’re used to at home, we know they play some really good cricket, they beat us at home last time, their unit’s a strong side. I’ve enjoyed the challenge, if I challenge myself against the best players in the world I’m doing my job and pretty happy with it. So to come up against the likes of AB and Faf [du Plessis] and these guys and Hashim it’s the challenge you want.”Undistracted by the Kagiso Rabada saga, Lyon said the Australian bowlers had taken some heart from the way they troubled the South Africa top order in their chase for a meagre 101 to win at St George’s Park. “If I’m being honest, if you give us another 100 runs it’s game on,” he said. “I know the bowling unit took a little bit out of that last innings. I know I took a little bit out of it.”There are a couple of little things that we can hopefully put into play for a certain number of their top-order batsmen. PE was pretty disappointing but I think we played about 40%, if I’m being honest, and we got pretty close to them. The way I’m looking at it, if we play to our full strength, it should be a good result.”More 2014 than 2011.

Adam Voges has indicated that his days as an international cricketer are over. A day before he is scheduled to lead the Prime Minister’s XI against the visiting Sri Lankans in Canberra, Voges said it would be his last game against an international team.”This will be it for me,” Voges said. “I’m certainly looking forward to getting out there and playing this game. I’ve had an amazing couple of years with Australia with the Test team and I’ve loved every minute of it.”I see this as a last opportunity to play against an international team and I’m certainly looking forward to that.”Voges, 37, has not played a Test match since suffering a concussion during Western Australia’s Sheffield Shield match against Tasmania in November. Having failed in the first two Tests against South Africa, this game served as a chance to score runs and keep himself in the reckoning for the third Test. Peter Handscomb took Voges’ spot at No. 5, scored a half-century on Test debut, and has established himself as a first-choice member of Australia’s line-up.Voges, who won his Baggy Green in 2015, aged 35, became the oldest debut centurion when he scored an unbeaten 130 against West Indies in Dominica. He struggled through the Ashes tour of England that followed but kept his place in the side and went on to enjoy a storming 2015-16 season that fetched him a century against New Zealand at the WACA, an unbeaten 269 against West Indies in Hobart and another double-hundred in Wellington.His batting average, after the tour of New Zealand, stood at 95.50 after 15 Tests. It fell to 61.87 after sub-par series against Sri Lanka away and South Africa at home, but he ends his career, nonetheless, with the second-highest average – behind only Don Bradman – among all batsmen with a minimum of 20 Tests.Voges’ stint in the Test side was the second half of a two-part international career. Between February 2007 and November 2013, he played 38 limited-overs games, scoring 870 ODI runs at 45.78 and 139 T20I runs at 46.33.

Stuart Meaker took two wickets in two balls•Getty Images

A bank holiday crowd filed into the Kia Oval and sunned themselves for 93 overs. Many hit the stronger drinks before midday, safe in the knowledge that only a four-day working week stood before them. All bar a few perambulated during lunch or tea, taking in their historic surroundings. And typically, no one – Surrey or Middlesex fan – left happy.The home fans, satisfied that Middlesex had been bowled out in just over a couple of sessions, were dismayed by losing both their openers by the close. Those who ventured from north London, spiritually if not geographically, felt their experienced batting card should have done a lot better in such favourable conditions.Cricket isn’t played on paper – how amusing would it be if it was? – but when the respective teams were revealed after Middlesex won the toss and elected to bat, it seemed that they held all the aces. The visitors welcomed back Toby-Roland Jones to their ranks after 14 wickets in three Tests for England that has all but assured him of a place in this winter’s Ashes squad.The opportunity to go straight into a game rather than simmer on the sidelines and carry the drinks as Chris Woakes played ahead of him is one he duly took. Two wickets in the dregs of the opening day – debutant Ryan Patel caught superbly by Sam Robson at bat-pad and Rory Burns edging a beauty that nipped away from the left-hander, through to John Simpson – may have tilted the game back to Middlesex. For most of the day, however, a depleted Surrey were on top.Without Tom Curran, whose back is feeling the effects of 237 Championship overs in 11 innings this summer (not to mention his white ball lot), Aaron Finch, who injured his calf in Friday’s T20 Blast quarter-final defeat to Birmingham Bears, and with Mark Stoneman away with England, Surrey were pushed to hand debuts to Patel and Ollie Pope. Yet, with four 19-year-olds in their XI, it was their maturity in the field that allowed them to dismiss Middlesex for 247, with the sun out and a pitch that allowed batsmen to play their shots.Robson did just that. One of the many casualties in England’s haphazard pursuit of an opening partner for Alastair Cook, Robson has been one of the few to return to county cricket and continue on, seemingly unscarred by the experience. Whether that is totally the case, only Robson can tell you, but his game has taken on a free-flowing quality that has not impinged on the resilience that saw him earn his debut call-up. Without wishing to sound churlish – he is much easier on the eye.His third half-century of the season, from 107 balls with eight fours, felt like it would develop into his third century. By that point, Surrey had removed Nick Compton and Stevie Eskinazi during a morning session in which Gareth Batty cycled through six bowlers as both sides tried to get a measure of each other. Then, with Middlesex steady on 131 for 2, Stuart Meaker happened.Bowling as quick as he has done this season, Meaker used the end of the 44th over sear one late into the shin Robson’s off stump before bruising the top of it with his very next delivery, to Paul Stirling. The hat-trick ball, at the start of the 46th, was kept out by John Simpson, who then edged the final ball of the over through a recently vacated third slip.That Meaker was able to concentrate on being the X-Factor bowler, when he might have been required to do some donkey work in the absence of Tom Curran, spoke volumes of those around him. Rikki Clarke’s two wickets – Adam Voges trapped lbw for 40 and James Franklin caught in the cordon – came in frugal spells, eventually seeing him go at an economy rate of under two across 16 overs.Patel’s right-arm seam, usually a sideshow to his classy left-handed batting, only gave away 22 from 11 overs, while the even share of four wickets from 28 overs between offspinners Gareth Batty and Amar Virdi came for just 40 and 38 runs, respectively. Backed up by some solid fielding, such as Scott Borthwick taking two excellent catches at second slip, Surrey could well have called this day their own, even if the last three Middlesex wickets added 84 runs.How things changed when boos scored the final over of the day, with Meaker and Borthwick refusing to run when edges flew past second slip and then through the keeper as Ollie Rayner got his favourite county surface to talk dirty to him. “That’s four runs we could have had,” raged a Surrey fan in the lower deck of the OCS stand. Surrey closed on 26 for 2, Meaker slightly bemused that the crowds who had early roared for him were now wailing against him for doing his job. It summed up an absorbing if slightly baffling day’s play.

ScorecardCraig Miles got among the wickets when he removed Joe Weatherley•PA Photos

Liam Norwell led a determined Gloucestershire bowling display in Canterbury where Kent were dismissed for 298 on the opening day of the Specsavers County Championship season.The 25-year-old paceman bagged 3 for 46, while Chris Liddle, Craig Miles and Graeme van Buuren snaffled two apiece as Kent succumbed inside 89 overs on a green-tinted pitch that offered the visiting seamers some assistance throughout the day.Batting first after an uncontested toss, Kent had 25 on the board within half an hour before Daniel Bell-Drummond became their first casualty of the Division Two campaign. Prodding forward to a fine Norwell leg-cutter, the England Lions opener was caught low down at third slip by George Hankins to go for 11.At the other end, Joe Weatherley, who has joined Kent on a long-term loan from Hampshire, looked assured and confident on his club debut. Getting off the mark with a rasping square cut, the wiry right-hander then straight drove left-armer David Payne for another eye-catching boundary.Gloucestershire made a double bowling change before noon – introducing Liddle and Miles – but Kent trundled to 50 in the 18th over of the day and, by the 26th over, Weatherley and Joe Denly had posted their half-century stand.Weatherley’s stay ended soon after for 36 and to the second delivery of a new spell by Miles. In looking to shoulder arms to a good length leg-cutter, Weatherley inadvertently allowed the ball to brush the face of his bat to offer keeper Phil Mustard the simplest of chances.Gloucestershire’s bowlers strengthened their hand in mid-session, taking four more wickets for 129 runs as Kent’s batsmen failed to cash in on decent starts.Denly continued Kent’s profligate trend. Driving imperiously, he cantered to a 96-ball fifty with nine fours but, with 62 to his name he chased a wide one from Norwell to edge to slip and bring an end to a bright third-wicket stand with Sam Northeast that added 58 inside 13 overs.Without addition to the total, Northeast (22) pushed at one from Liddle that nibbled away off the seam and feathered the outside edge to present Chris Dent with a sharp chance at second slip that made it 134 for 4.Will Gidman raised Kent’s 150 with a square drive that rattled the boundary boards but, with his score on 10, the left-hander pushed firm-handed at another beauty to edge to slip and give Norwell a deserved third wicket.Darren Stevens lifted the run rate with a straight six off Jack Taylor that bisected the Cowdrey and Woolley stands as he posted a 51-ball fifty with seven fours to go with his maximum. But, in attempting to clip his next ball through midwicket, Stevens miscued to square leg to be caught by Cameron Bancroft off the bowling of Van Buuren and leave the hosts six wickets down.Soon after the resumption Adam Rouse (13) fenced at a lifting away-swinger from Miles to edge to Mustard, then, after a couple of lusty blows, Matt Coles (11) holed out to deep midwicket to gift Van Buuren a second scalp.James Tredwell and James Harris, the Middlesex seamer and Kent’s second debutant loanee of the day, took the home score beyond 250 until the second new ball accounted for Tredwell (26) who was caught behind off a full-length away-swinger from Payne.Harris and last man Mitch Claydon continued to go for their shots but Claydon spooned to mid-wicket to give Liddle a second wicket and leave Harris unbeaten on 33.In the five overs through to stumps, Gloucestershire’s Bancroft played inside a Stevens away-swinger to lose off stump as the visitors reached 9 for 1 to trail by 289 going into the second day.

When Sunil Narine was introduced in the fifth over of Sunday’s game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, David Warner was busy razing the visitors. If anyone thought Narine’s arrival would herald a period of watchfulness from Warner, he dismissed such thoughts first ball, switch-hitting a six over short third man to register a fifty off 20 balls, halfway to what would become the fifth-fastest hundred in IPL cricket. After Sunrisers completed their 48-run thumping of KKR, Warner said his assault was planned.”It was great that I went out there and had a clear game plan,” Warner said at the post-match press conference. “I just said to the guys ‘commit to your shots’.”Speaking to the IPL website later, he elaborated on this plan to apply pressure on KKR, especially their spinners. “When you got a quality spin-bowling unit bowling against you, you always have to have a game plan. I try and take that risk out by backing my strengths. The reverse-sweep is one of my strengths.”I thought, tonight, I had to have that clear plan while playing and I did. I wanted to try and mix it up by coming down the wicket and putting a bit more pressure on them. I tried to make them bowl faster into the wicket. They bowled faster on a few occasions and didn’t at times. But that is the kind of game plan you’ve got to have.”Warner finished with 78 runs off 30 balls against the spinners, and Sunrisers’ opening stand amounted to 139 in 12.4 overs. However, Warner’s partner Shikhar Dhawan accounted for just 29 off those, off 30 balls. Warner said that was the kind of batting required of Dhawan at that stage.”I have to make a special mention of Shikhar Dhawan – the role that he played tonight,” Warner said. “I had to play that role [at the start of] last game when he was going all guns blazing. And Kane Williamson is unbelievable, he just comes and knocks it and gets a 40. It just sums it up for us.”Warner also praised 23-year-old fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who made the first breakthrough for Sunrisers in their defence of 209, and then claimed a well-set and threatening Robin Uthappa. “Siraj is learning on the go and that is what we expect. It is fantastic. That is the quality of this Sunrisers unit. We are not harsh critics, but we allow the guys to get chances, and the way he has come out and taken his chances is fantastic.”And it is great to have Bhuvneshwar Kumar there always talking to him. An experienced bowler like Bhuvi is of great help.”

Offspinner Jalaj Saxena claimed all six wickets to fall in Rajasthan‘s first innings, putting Kerala in command in Thiruvananthapuram. It was Saxena’s third conseuctive five-wicket haul in Thiruvananthapuram, having also taken 11 wickets in the opener against Jharkhand. Rajasthan finished the second day struggling at 134 for 6 in response to Kerala’s first-innings total of 335. Rajasthan’s situation may have been a lot worse without Dishant Yagnik’s 62.With Kerala resuming on 232 for 3, Rajasthan took the remaining seven wickets for 103 runs, thanks primarily to left-arm spinner Mahipal Lomror’s 4 for 51. Sachin Baby added 40 runs to his overnight score of 38.Patient fifties from Priyank Panchal and Manpreet Juneja helped Gujarat take the first-innings lead against Jammu & Kashmir in Surat. Gujarat ended the second day ahead by 15 runs with six wickets in hand. Resuming on 15 for no loss, Samit Gohel (37) and Panchal (61) added 56 runs in 21.1 overs, before left-arm spinner Aamir Aziz had Gohel caught behind.Panchal and Parthiv Patel then added a 45-run, second-wicket stand, but both fell in quick succession to legspinner Manik Gupta. Juneja and Rujul Bhatt (34) then put Gujarat on top with a 103-run partnership in 39 overs. Juneja ended the day unbeaten on 66 off 148 balls.Ishank Jaggi’s 17th first-class resurrected Jharkhand from 60 for 4 and put them in a position for an outright win against Haryana in Ranchi. Jaggi, who struck 14 fours and a six, in his unbeaten 127 was ably assisted by Ishan Kishan’s 155-ball 83. The pair added 190 runs to ensure Jharkhand secured a first-innings lead of 103 with four wickets in hand.Medium-pacers Ajit Chahal and Ashish Hooda left Jharkhand’s top order in tatters with four wickets in the space of 24 runs in the morning session. Haryana next tasted success towards the end of the day, when Kishan was caught and bowled by Ashok Sandhu.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details (Viewers in the Indian subcontinent can watch highlights of the Test here)The entire third day of the Newlands Test was lost to rain, although there might not have been too many people complaining as a result considering Cape Town is in the middle of a severe drought. The showers began on Saturday night and returned in full force in the morning. There were a brief few moments after lunch when it seemed like play could have been possible, but even as the groundsmen were preparing to peel the covers off, the weather turned.Days four and five will now feature 98 overs each, but play will begin at the usual time of 1030 local. At present, South Africa are 65 for 2 – leading India by 142 runs – with Hashim Amla on 4 and nightwatchman Kagiso Rabada on 2 at the crease.

ScorecardWesley Madhevere took three wickets and struck an unbeaten half-century•ICC/Getty Images

Namibia’s decision to bat backfired on them to such an extent that they began their innings losing two wickets in two overs and then were bowled out for 113. With the score on 4 for 46 in the 13th over, and Eben van Wyk gone for 24 – it would become the highest score of the innings – they shifted focus towards lasting the full 50 overs. Zimbabwe didn’t mind. They used eight bowlers, and all of them conceded less than 4.5 runs per over. Nkosilathi Nungu, Dion Myers and Wesley Madhevere picked up two wickets each.The chase began in exciting fashion with opener Gregory Dollar and No. 3 Myers falling before the score reached double-digits. But Madhevere put an end to the mini-slide, hitting 47 off 38 balls, with seven fours, and Zimbabwe got to their target with seven wickets and 183 balls to spare.