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Group AAfghanistan maintained their unbeaten run in the tournament with a 34-run defeat of Nepal at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in the UAE. Afghanistan lost opener Shabir Noori in the first over but Karim Sadiq and Mohammad Shahzad both made 52 and captain Nawroz Mangal chipped in with 27 to take them 157 for 6. Pradeep Airee was caught behind of the first ball of Nepal’s innings before Anil Mandal and Sharad Vesawkar steadied the ship. However, in doing so Nepal fell too far behind the the asking rate, and could only manage 123 for 6.Netherlands secured an important seven-wicket victory against Denmark at the ICC Global Cricket Academy to keep themselves in touch with the top of Group A. Their disciplined bowling display restricted Denmark to 117 for 9 with captain Peter Borren taking 3 for 14. At the start of the chase Michael Swart was run out without facing a ball, but Stephen Myburgh led the reply. Myburgh and Wesley Barresi completed the victory with an unbeaten stand of 58 which was dominated by Barresi who hit 45 off 30 balls while Myburgh eased to 55.Canada overwhelmed Bermuda by 72 runs to move second in the group. Twenty-year-old Ruvindu Gunasekera hit 83 off 48 balls – his first Twenty20 half-century – to launch Canada towards their total of 175 for 6. Tyson Gorden ensured the innings finished with a flourish with a brisk 39. Two Bermuda bowlers, Dion Stovell and Rodney Trott, bowled their combined eight overs for figures of 4 for 29 but the others couldn’t offer support. Lionel Cann offered Bermuda some early hope in the chase, however when he fell for 33 things fell away as Rizwan Cheema took 3 for 16.Late cameos from Geraint Jones and VV Morea lifted Papua New Guinea to a four-wicket victory over Hong Kong with one ball to spare at the Dubai International Cricket Stadium. Hong Kong’s total of 131 for 9 was built around Jamie Atkinson’s 52, but there was little support from anyone else as Babar Hayat led the rest with 21. Chris Amini was by far the best of PNG’s bowlers, taking 2 for 15 from his four overs. PNG got off to a steady start, led by Tony Ura, who made 46, but a middle order collapse appeared to have swung the game in Hong Kong’s favour. With 28 needed from two overs, Morea smashed Irfan Ahmad for three fours in the 19th over and Jones smashed Aizaz Khan for six off the first ball of the final over. Jones fell one ball later, but Khan crucially overstepped two balls later and Morea capitalised with another four to leave PNG needed one run from three deliveries. Morea took a single of the penultimate ball too give his team what had looked like an unlikely win a few minutes earlier.Group BCalum MacLeod made the second hundred of the World Twenty20 Qualifiers to lead Scotland to a thumping 52-run victory over Oman at the Sharjah Cricket Stadium in Dubai. MacLeod and Richie Berrington justified Scotland’s decision to bat first by adding 104 for the first wicket. Berrington eventually fell for 30 and three quicxk wickets followed as Scotland stuttured from 104 for no loss to 119 for 4, but MacLeod was undaunted, bringing up his hundred in the 20th over with a six over wide long on. His unbeaten 104 took 76 deliveries and contained six fours and four sixes as Scotland finished with 158 for 5. Oman lost three wickets in the first four overs and were unable to recover, and it took No.8 Amar Ali’s 25 to get them to three figures. Majid Haq was the pick of the bowlers for Scotland, taking 3 for 12 in 3.4 overs.Namibia kept their winning streak alive by pipping Uganda by four runs at the Sheikh Zayed Stadium, in Abu Dhabi. Having beaten both Ireland and Scotland, Namibia have established themselves as the surprise leaders of Group B but they were almost undone by a determined Ugandan side. With three overs to go, Uganda needed just 23 runs to win and had four wickets in hand. But Christi Vijoen and Louis van der Westhuizen allowed just nine runs between them in the 18th and 19th overs and the batsmen were unable to get Viljoen away in the final over, managing just one four amidst five singles to give Namibia their fourth straight win. It was Raymond van Schoor who set the table for Netherlands total of 140. He made 60 from 62 balls, before falling victim to Charles Waiswa(3-29) with four balls to go in the innings. Opener Arthur Kyobe led Uganda’s reply with 38.Alex Obanda powered Kenya to a seven-wicket win against Italy although they are still struggling to stay in touch in the tournament. Obanda cracked 79 from 47 balls with 60 of his runs coming in the boundaries to ensure Kenya eased across the line with 13 deliveries to spare. He shared an opening stand of 123 with Duncan Allan who remained unbeaten on 41. Italy had earlier posted a competitive total thanks to Gareth Berg, the Middlesex allrounder, who batted through the innings for his 60.Boyd Rankin’s outstanding figures of 4 for 9 propelled Ireland to victory against USA. Read the full report here.

Middlesex have announced that Neil Dexter will temporarily step down as captain of the Championship side to concentrate on regaining form with the bat. He will be replaced by Chris Rogers, though Dexter will continue to lead Middlesex in one-day cricket and the situation will be “kept under regular review”, the club have said.Middlesex have won one and lost one after their first two games back in Division One of the Championship. Dexter, who led the team to promotion from Division Two last season, has scored 15 runs in four innings, though he did take three wickets as his side secured a dramatic victory over London rivals Surrey in their second match.It is understood that South Africa-born Dexter did not have much opportunity for pre-season net practice after the death of his brother around Christmas time led to an extended return home, and has asked for his responsibilities to be reduced in the short term.Angus Fraser, Middlesex’s director of cricket, said: “Once again I applaud Neil for his selfless and honest behaviour. I selected Neil as Middlesex CCC captain in 2010 because of the standards and values he holds, and he never lets you down. Neil’s captaincy during the thrilling three-run victory over Surrey was outstanding. It played a major role in turning potential sorrow in to delight.”He is, however, not happy with his current form with the bat and believes extra time spent concentrating on this part of his game will help return him to his best quickest, which is what we all want. Once Neil’s form returns, as it inevitably will, and he is happy with where he is at the captaincy will return to him.”A batting allrounder who has also played for Kent and Essex, Dexter was appointed Middlesex’s captain after the resignation of Shaun Udal in June 2010. He scored 907 Championship runs at 47.73 that season, but in 2011 he managed just 470 at 26.11 as Middlesex secured the Division Two title.Middlesex’s next Championship fixture, against Durham at Lord’s, is due to start tomorrow, with Dexter expected to retain his place in the middle order. Rogers, who played one Test for Australia in 2008, was previously captain at Derbyshire before moving to Middlesex as their overseas player for the start of the 2011 season.Edited by Alan Gardner

Ijaz Butt, the former PCB chairman, has said that BCCI president and IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla has assured him that the Pakistan players will be readmitted into the IPL. Butt had met Shukla and former BCCI president Sharad Pawar last week in Delhi, in a meeting sanctioned by the PCB.Butt had then briefed current Pakistan board chief Zaka Ashraf about the discussions at the Delhi meeting, as well as on all the past communications he had had with the BCCI during his three-year tenure as board chief that ended last October. The briefing was organised in view of Zaka Ashraf travelling to India on Saturday, for the IPL final in Chennai on Sunday.”With the consent of the incumbent PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf, I met Rajiv Shukla and Sharad Pawar, and discussed the progress on the Indo-Pak cricketing relations,” Butt told the . “In Delhi, Rajiv Shukla assured me that Pakistani players will be allowed to play in the next [2013] IPL edition.”During Butt’s tenure, the relationship between Pakistan and India hit a low following the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks. Following those attacks, bilateral ties between the neighbours were severed, and Pakistan players have not been a part of the IPL since. Also, a team from Pakistan was not invited to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 (CLT20). Earlier this month, progress was made on last point, with the BCCI – the CLT20’s largest stakeholder – saying it would inform the tournament’s governing council that it had no objection to a team from Pakistan participating. Later, Ashraf was invited to watch the IPL final by the BCCI.”Both Rajiv and Pawar are my very good friends, and we are on good terms for a long time,” Butt told ESPNcricinfo. “I, during my tenure [as PCB chief], was for the resumption of dialogues with the BCCI. There were some differences though, which I don’t want to share or comment on, but in the end I had to try to have good relations with everyone.”I have had a good meeting with Zaka during which we discussed a lot of aspects, and I have updated him on my talk with the BCCI officials. From what I can see, there is improvement at the government level and both countries are coming closer. So now it’s up to both boards, they should engage in healthy dialogues to revive bilateral ties.”Ashraf before flying to India, spoke to the media, said he is hopeful of a fruitful visit. “Their invitation [to the IPL final] is a strong clue that both countries are moving towards having good relations,” Ashraf told reporters at the Lahore airport. “This is rare, in the past no such invitation was extended. So I am hopeful that I will have a good meeting with the BCCI officials on the sidelines of the IPL final regarding the revival of bilateral ties.”

ScorecardReeza Hendricks and Justin Ontong hit rapid half-centuries before South Africa A’s bowlers tore through the Sri Lanka A line-up to record a 161-run victory in the first match of their tri-series with Zimbabwe A.Wayne Parnell took 3 for 10 and Rory Kleinveldt 3 for 15 as Sri Lanka limped to 108 all out in 28.2 overs. It could have been worse for Sri Lanka, who were 61 for 8 before No. 10 Kanishka Alvitigala hit 27 from 29 balls – the top score of the innings – in a partnership of 38 for the ninth wicket. Dimuth Karunaratne, with 23, was the only member of the top six to reach double figures but when he became the first of two wickets in two balls from Parnell, Sri Lanka’s hopes disappeared.That they had been set 270 to win was largely down to a 152-run partnership in 23 overs between Hendricks and Ontong. They came together at 65 for 4, after Tharanga Lakshitha had removed South Africa’s openers, Dean Elgar and Richard Levi, and further strikes by Bhanuka Rajapaksa and Alvitigala. Lakshitha, who claimed 4 for 62, returned to remove Hendricks in the 42nd over but by then South Africa had done more than enough for victory.

South Africa have given the clearest indication yet that Jacques Kallis will form part of their World Twenty20 plans by resting him for the ODI series against England. Kallis has not played T20I cricket for South Africa since the 2010 World Twenty20, apart from a one-off game against India in his honour in March, but was named in a 30-man provisional squad for Sri Lanka last week.His place in the 15-man party for the five-match ODI series with England will be taken by the uncapped allrounder Dean Elgar. He was named in South Africa’s squad to face Sri Lanka in January, before torn knee ligaments prevented him from making an international debut.Imran Tahir, whose last ODI appearance came in the 2011 World Cup, is recalled, while the seamer Ryan McLaren, who played the last of his 10 ODIs in 2010, also returns after recovering from a side strain sustained while playing for South Africa A earlier in the month. Wayne Parnell remains in the squad despite allegedly testing positive for drugs after a rave party in Mumbai in May following his IPL commitments.”Dean has been in our plans for some time and might well have made his debut last year but for injury,” CSA selection convener, Andrew Hudson, said. “Imran is a genuine wicket-taking bowler and his selection enables us to explore our options in this area.”Ryan has just come off some exceptional form for the South Africa A side and the added depth he provides in the seam bowling department will allow us to rotate players if we feel the need arises.”Parnell, Faf du Plessis, Justin Ontong, Elgar and McLaren are due to travel to Ireland with South Africa A for two four-day matches and an unofficial ODI, before joining the rest of the squad in England. South Africa will name their squad for the Twenty20 international series against England, as well as the World Twenty20, in August.South Africa squad AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla (vice-capt), JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Imran Tahir, Ryan McLaren, Albie Morkel, Morne Morkel, Justin Ontong, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Graeme Smith, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe

England have had an “honest” discussion about their failings during the first Test against South Africa, but Ian Bell insists the team can still lay claim to the No.1 Test ranking despite the innings margin of defeat and the fact they managed to take just two wickets at The Oval.In the moments after the match finished on Monday Andrew Strauss said each player would be told to take a look at themselves after England suffered one of their most comprehensive losses of all time. That process began in The Oval changing rooms as South Africa headed back to their team hotel to celebrate a famous victory.”We’ve had a chat. That’s the one great thing about this team is we talk and there will be honesty,” Bell said. “We’re not going to say we were outplayed – we’re going to discuss why. Andy Flower will want everyone to scratch their minds and work out how they can improve. That’s why he is such a great coach.”The result meant England have now lost five of their nine Tests in 2012, starting with the whitewash against Pakistan in UAE before losing the opening Test against Sri Lanka in Galle. As is the case now, their No.1 ranking was on the line but they responded with an impressive victory in Colombo. The series win against West Indies was workmanlike rather than emphatic and this most recent outing has brought them crashing back down to earth.A series win for South Africa will see them move to No.1, although a drawn series would allow England to cling to their ranking a little longer. “You don’t just look at the last nine Test matches, you look over the last two or three years,” Bell said. “That’s why we’re ranked No.1. The points are monitored over a long period of time. It’s been a consistent effort over a long period but there’s no doubt when you see how South Africa played we’re going to have a real scrap on our hands.””I wouldn’t say that is a concern,” he added about the Test side’s inconsistent year. “But it proves to us that no matter where you are ranked you have to keep performing, training hard and doing the right things. Opposing teams see us a bit differently now. Maybe they turn up desperately wanting to beat us because we are ranked No.1 and we have to react to that. In a way, this match has forced our hand. In the next two Tests, we have to go out and fight for every single run and wicket and try to hold on to No.1.”There are a number of areas where England were exposed during the opening Test. The most notable from the scorecard was that South Africa compiled an astonishing 637 for 2 in 189 overs which finished with the partnership between Hashim Amla and Jacques Kallis unbroken on 377. It was a sobering experience for the England attack, which has remained a consistent part of their game even while the batting has faltered during the year.”Our attack has been so good for so long and, even on flat wickets in the sub-continent, they normally excel and take 20 wickets,” Bell said. “But for some reason it didn’t quite work in this game. Maybe that is credit to South Africa who really made it count when they got in. That’s again something we’ve normally done.”As Bell hinted, England’s batsmen did not come close to matching the South Africans’ longevity at the crease, even with Alastair Cook scoring an opening-day hundred. In both innings they carelessly lost wickets shortly before the second new ball was taken while the sweep shot came back to cost them dear as they tried to save the match.”The ball did a bit on that second morning but we can’t use that as an excuse,” Bell said. “We should have been good enough to get through that period. Despite losing four wickets on the fourth evening, we still believed we could save it. Myself and Matt Prior were very positive at lunch, we’ve done it before and believed we could get to tea. The new ball would go soft again after that, but Dale Steyn led their attack brilliantly and showed why he is No.1 in the world. He put in a spell when it really mattered.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Faf du Plessis made an impressive 78 on debut•Getty Images

Plenty of things went right for South Africa on the third day in Adelaide. Faf du Plessis made an impressive 78 on debut, Jacques Kallis shrugged off the pain of his injured hamstring to score a fighting fifty, and Rory Kleinveldt took three quick wickets late in the day to rattle Australia’s top order. But when stumps rolled around, one unavoidable fact remained: South Africa were going to need to complete the biggest Adelaide Oval chase in 110 years – and possibly of all time – to take a 1-0 lead in the series.Adelaide might be renowned as a batting paradise but the way the surface can break up on the fourth and fifth days can make run-scoring difficult. The biggest successful chase in Adelaide Oval Tests was 315, scored by Joe Darling’s Australians in 1902, and by stumps on Saturday, Michael Clarke’s side already led by 273. Clarke was at the crease on 9 and Michael Hussey was on 5, and the score had moved on to 5 for 111 thanks largely to a solid opening stand from David Warner and Ed Cowan.But if any team knows about hefty pursuits it is Graeme Smith’s outfit. Four years ago, they chased down 414 at the WACA, with only four wickets down, and six members of that side are also playing in Adelaide. They can also take heart from the fact that James Pattinson is almost certain not to bowl in the fourth innings after being sent for scans to assess pain that he felt in his left side early on the third day. Kallis can bat injured, but Pattinson won’t be much good with the ball.The Australians will hope for the same kind of bowling success that Kleinveldt and his colleagues enjoyed on the third afternoon. Cowan and Warner put on 77 for the opening wicket and Warner was enjoying the chance to thrash boundaries off Imran Tahir’s legspin when Kleinveldt ended the party. He drew a leading edge from Warner, who was caught at cover for 41, and two balls later Rob Quiney’s Test future was placed in serious jeopardy when he edged behind for a duck, an almost identical dismissal to the first innings.Kleinveldt also got rid of Cowan, who on 29 played on to leave Australia at 3 for 91 and Tahir relieved after he should have had Cowan earlier in the innings. Cowan had been caught at cover off a leading edge and Tahir celebrated what he thought was his first wicket of the game, but replays confirmed what the umpire suspected – he had over-stepped, an unforgivable error for a slow bowler, and Cowan was briefly reprieved.