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Yorkshire 348 for 3 (Bean 164, Lyth 129) vs Gloucestershire Adam Lyth continued his Scarborough love affair with a fourth Vitality County Championship hundred on his home ground as he and opening partner Fin Bean shared 307 to ensure Yorkshire dominated day one against Gloucestershire.Lyth, 36, is seemingly getting better with age, the former England opener also scoring his fourth hundred of the ongoing campaign. He was helped along by fellow centurion Bean as Yorkshire closed on 348 for 3 from 96 overs.Lyth, from the nearby Whitby, learnt his cricket on this ground and walked off with 129 from 243 balls to his name. Bean bettered him with 164 off 250 with six leg-side sixes included.Lyth’s quartet of Championship centuries here – where he has also scored two in List A cricket – now includes one in each of the last three seasons.Gloucestershire’s decision to bowl first upon winning the toss will surely be questioned. Their captain, Graeme van Buuren, struck late in the day alongside seamers Ajeet Singh Dale and Beau Webster. However, in fairness, when the toss was made there was a decent amount of cloud cover which quickly burnt off.There wasn’t as much pace in this North Marine Road pitch as there usually is, and Lyth and fellow left-hander Bean advanced serenely against a visiting attack who failed to build any pressure.New ball seamer Dom Goodman was the pick of their bowlers with nought for 29 from 17 overs.Gloucestershire created very few chances during a morning session which concluded with Yorkshire at 106 without loss. Lyth was on 64, while he and Bean had swept sixes off Ed Middleton’s leg-spin.Lyth had to fend one short ball from Singh Dale away from the end of his nose, but the extra bounce on offer was from a spongy surface rather than one that was hard and fast.Lyth and Bean weren’t really threatened through the afternoon and into the evening – the two openers bettering the 180 they shared in the second innings of the second round draw at Bristol in mid-April.Lyth led the way in the morning, but Bean was the dominant player in the afternoon and evening.Bean swept his second and third sixes off Middleton and off-spinner Ollie Price after reaching his fifty in the early stages of the afternoon and both men had eyes on centuries.Lyth was first to that milestone, off 179 balls, when he drove Middleton for four to take the score to 206 without loss in the 59th over.It has been well-documented that Yorkshire Cricket has gone through the mill over the last few years, with not a great deal to sing from the rooftops about.However, one major positive has been the opening partnership forged between these two players against the red ball.They shared four century partnerships in last year’s Championship and have now added two more this year – both against Gloucestershire. It has certainly been the Master and the Apprentice, with fellow left-hander Bean – 22-years-old – only in his second full season of first-team cricket.When Bean reached his century, off 184 balls, in the closing stages of the afternoon, Yorkshire had 216 on the board.After tea, they bettered the 246 shared between Messrs Hobbs and Sutcliffe for the HDG Leveson-Gower’s XI against the touring New Zealanders in September 1931 – the previous highest opening partnership on this ground in first-class cricket.All of Bean’s half a dozen sixes came over midwicket or long-on against spin.Lyth offered a tough low catch to a diving Cameron Bancroft in the gully off fellow Australian Webster, though neither opener were able to see the day out, Bean caught at point off van Buuren’s left-arm spin at 307 for 1 in the 81st over. It was Yorkshire’s first triple century opening partnership for 10 years.Lyth was then bowled by Singh Dale with a further 15 added to the total before Webster had James Wharton caught behind.

England’s Test players are being lined up to play in the ILT20 and the SA20 at the start of 2025, after missing the second seasons of both leagues due to their tour to India. Joe Root was unveiled as a new signing by Paarl Royals on Friday, and ESPNcricinfo understands that franchises have expressed interest in several other Test players.The reported on Friday that Ben Stokes, who has not played a limited-overs international since the 50-over World Cup, has been offered a substantial contract to play for MI Cape Town. Stokes skipped the T20 World Cup to ensure he was fit to bowl in Test cricket this summer and has not publicly addressed his England future as a white-ball player since.Rob Key, England’s managing director, admitted last year that a lucrative offer made to Mark Wood by Dubai Capitals prompted his decision to give players multi-year central contracts, and players and their representatives may look to use similar offers as leverage. Stokes’ England contract is due to expire at the end of September after he turned down a three-year deal last year.While England are due to play both T20I and ODI series in India at the start of next year, both of their winter Test tours – to Pakistan in October and New Zealand in December – will be over before Christmas. It means that players who are not involved in those limited-overs squads will be available to play full seasons at the ILT20 or SA20.Like Stokes, it is unclear whether Root is in England’s plans for next year’s Champions Trophy in Pakistan, but he has not played a T20 international since 2019. He should therefore be available to Paarl for the vast majority of the SA20 even if he is picked for the three-match ODI series in India, which starts on February 6.The two leagues in the UAE and South Africa have backing from Indian investors and have transformed the franchise landscape in the past two years by offering lucrative salaries to overseas players during the southern-hemisphere summer. Both are due to run from the second week of January until early February in 2025.Jamie Smith, who made his Test debut last week, has already been retained by Gulf Giants in the ILT20 and was the subject of interest from Pretoria Capitals in the SA20. Like Zak Crawley, Ben Duckett and Ollie Pope, Smith also has ambitions to secure a place in England’s white-ball set-up but will be able to fall back on a month of franchise cricket if he fails to do so.Root had played for Rajasthan Royals – the IPL franchise who bought the Paarl franchise two years ago – in the 2023 IPL. Their global director of cricket Kumar Sangakkara said in a press release on Friday that they would use “his experience, his personality, his brains and also his performances on the field” during the SA20, after reaching the Eliminator in 2024.”We all know what a phenomenal player Joe Root is, and to have him back at the Royals is a great feeling,” Sangakkara said. “He has been a great contributor to all the teams he has represented over the years, and has also proven to be a valuable all-rounder with his bowling and fielding attributes.”

Fast bowler Naseem Shah has returned to the Pakistan Test squad after more than a year out, as selectors announced a 17-member squad for the two-Test home series against Bangladesh. The Tests will be Pakistan’s first since a series loss in Australia at the start of the year and sees four changes from that touring squad. Shan Masood continues as captain with Saud Shakeel promoted to vice-captain for the Tests. The selectors have called up Kamran Ghulam, fast bowler Mohammad Ali and batter Muhammad Hurraira after a combination of consistent domestic performances as well as for the Pakistan Shaheens side on a recent tour of Australia.Shakeel takes over as deputy from Shaheen Shah Afridi as “part of the selectors’ strategic decision” to manage Afridi’s workload across one of Pakistan’s busiest seasons in recent years. Between the end of August and start of April next year, Pakistan is scheduled to play nine Tests, 14 T20Is and, at least, 17 ODIs.Aamer Jamal, the find of that Australia tour where he took 18 wickets and averaged nearly 30 with the bat, has been named in the squad subject to fitness. Jamal had to cut short his county stint last month with Warwickshire after a back injury. At the time, Jamal posted on X (formerly Twitter) that he was fully fit.In all, it is a significantly different squad than from Pakistan’s last Test assignment, with seven changes in all. The biggest omission is arguably Imam-ul-Haq, who had been a fixture in Pakistan’s Test XI since the start of 2022. He was dropped in Australia for the final Test in Sydney, replaced by Saim Ayub. Faheem Ashraf and Mohammad Nawaz also miss out, cementing Jamal’s role as the allrounder in the line-up. Spinners Noman Ali and Sajid Khan have also been dropped, Pakistan signalling their intentions of how they expect to play this series with only one specialist spinner in Abrar Ahmed. Hasan Ali and Mohammad Wasim, who both toured Australia, are out with injuries.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Pakistan will not fret unduly about those, however, given they can finally welcome back Naseem to the Test side. He last played a Test just over a year ago, starring with six wickets in an innings triumph in Colombo. But a shoulder injury in the Asia Cup soon after meant he missed the ODI World Cup in India and the tour to Australia. He has since played plenty of white-ball cricket but Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s new red-ball head coach, will savour the opportunity to unleash Naseem and Afridi together again.Ghulam, meanwhile, has hovered close to selection, without breaking through to the Test side. He was part of the squad for the home Tests against New Zealand in 2022-23. He has made his case stronger this time by amassing 1025 runs in 11 first-class matches in the 2023-24 season and also scoring 100 not out and 48 in three innings against Bangladesh A in Darwin last month. Mohammad Ali, a first recall since his debut against England in December 2022, is one of five specialist fast bowlers in the squad.He took 47 wickets in 14 first-class matches in the last season and against Bangladesh A in Darwin last month, as part of Pakistan Shaheens, he took nine wickets, including 6 for 63 in the second innings of the second match.Hurraira, 22, is expected to open alongside Abdullah Shafique and ahead of Saim, who debuted in Sydney. Hurraira has been in irrepresible form recently, including a sparkling double hundred against Bangladesh A last month for the Shaheens. He is already averaging 56.24 in his first-class career and has scored nearly 2000 runs over the last two first-class seasons. He was part of the Test squad for the Sri Lanka tour in July 2023 but didn’t get a game when Pakistan won the series 2-0.The Pakistan squad will start training in a camp from August 11 in Rawalpindi under Gillespie and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood, while the Bangladesh side will arrive in Islamabad on August 17. The two Tests, part of the World Test Championship, will be played from August 21 to 25 in Rawalpindi and August 30 to September 3 in Karachi.

Squad and revised dates for Pakistan Shaheen series

The selectors also named a Pakistan Shaheen squad for the first four-day game against Bangladesh A, for which revised dates were announced hours later.*Given the political unrest and turmoil in Bangladesh, the BCB had to postpone their A team’s departure for Pakistan initially by 48 hours. On Wednesday afternoon, a PCB statement said: “The Bangladesh ‘A’ men’s cricket team will arrive in Islamabad on Saturday, 10 August, for two four-day and three 50-over matches against Pakistan Shaheens. The matches will be played at the Islamabad Club.”The series was originally scheduled to begin on August 10. The first four-dayer will now begin on August 13, and the second on August 20, followed by the one-dayers on August 26, 28 and 30.Shakeel will lead the Pakistan A side in the series. The squad includes Naseem, Ghulam, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Hurraira, Saim Ayub and Sarfaraz Ahmed among others. The Shaheens will start training on Wednesday under head coach Umar Gul. Gillespie and Mahmood will assist Gul before moving to the national side’s camp.Once the first four-day game is over, the eight Test probables will join the main Test squad and the selectors will name their replacements in the Shaheens squad for the remaining matches.

Pakistan Test squad for Bangladesh series

Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel (vice-capt), Aamer Jamal (subject to fitness), Abdullah Shafique, Abrar Ahmed, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Muhammad Hurraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Agha Salman, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Shaheen Shah Afridi

Pakistan Shaheen squad for the first game against Bangladesh A

Saud Shakeel (capt), Kamran Ghulam, Mehran Mumtaz, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Rameez Jnr, Mohammad Huraira, Naseem Shah, Saad Baig (wk), Saad Khan, Saim Ayub, Sameen Gul, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Umar Amin

The first day of a Vitality County Championship meeting at Trent Bridge between two sides still stalked by relegation was played by both with one ear cocked for developments 85 miles west, beside the Severn. Over in Worcester, Lancashire will escape if they can take 15 more points than Nottinghamshire can muster in this match, or 20 more than Warwickshire.With only 15.2 overs possible in all, Warwickshire made the better of what progress there was by the Trent, after a 1.10pm start and a long frustrating wait without cricket shortly after. At the close Nottinhamshire, put in, were 33 for 2.In difficult conditions throughout, the damage might even have been worse and they will have greeted the premature close with much relief. Warwickshire’s two new-ball bowlers, Olly Hannon-Dalby and Ed Barnard shared the spoils, such as they were, on a day tasting truly of autumn.Finding repeated movement off a pitch subject to endless rain over the last week, Warwickshire, winning a good toss, struck in the sixth over when Barnard nipped one back to hit Haseeb Hameed’s off stump.Out for 7, the captain was replaced by Freddie McCann but he had faced only 15 balls before bad light proved the prelude to a heavy shower, with lightning flashing to the south. In 44 minutes’ play up to the stoppage, Nottinghamshire moved shakily to 27 for 1.Off the field, they soon learned that Lancashire had won a late toss in their own game, bowled and claimed both openers in the first four overs. And the pressure, on Notts especially, steadily intensified as Lancashire continued to bag wickets.By the time the umpires could make their second inspection of the afternoon at 3.45pm, Lancashire had already claimed seven in Worcester and were looking set for the full three bowling points when Nottinghamshire resumed 30 minutes later.Alas this proved to be for one ball only, duly left by Ben Slater, before bad light again intervened. Thankfully, brighter conditions allowed a re-start twelve minutes later, four slips being immediately posted for McCann.It was Slater, however, who went to a fine, sharp catch by Will Rhodes at first slip to give Hannon-Dalby his 49th wicket of the summer and leave him as the third most-successful first-division seamer this season. Two balls later, though, the umpires again decreed bad light and rain followed once more at 4.47pm.In these conditions, it is already looking a tall ask for Nottinghamshire to reach 300 and claim two batting points. Should Lancashire take only the three bowling points against Worcestershire but still go on to win it would leave Nottinghamshire having at least to draw to cheat the drop.If Lancashire do only manage 19 points, safety would be assured for Warwickshire. But the forecast is far better for Friday and Saturday and there is a long way yet to travel in both the key games before final fates became clear.

India 376 (Ashwin 113, Jadeja 86, Mahmud 5-83) and 287 for 4 dec (Gill 119*, Pant 109, Mehidy 2-103) beat Bangladesh 149 (Shakib 32, Bumrah 4-50, Jadeja 2-19) and 234 (Shanto 82, Ashwin 6-88, Jadeja 3-58) by 280 runsR Ashwin completed his fourth double of a hundred and a five-for in the same Test – and his second in successive Tests at Chepauk – to take India to a 1-0 series lead against Bangladesh on the fourth morning in Chennai. Bangladesh captain Najmul Hossain Shanto kept the probing bowling at bay, spending a wicketless first hour with Shakib Al Hasan.But Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja broke down the resistance in the second hour. Ashwin’s 37th five-wicket haul took him level with the great Shane Warne, behind only Muthiah Muralidaran’s 67.India started the day needing six wickets to win, but were denied at the start. The first hour, although wicketless, featured testing spells from Mohammed Siraj and Jasprit Bumrah. Siraj, in particular, bowled through the hour, kept going past Shanto’s bat, and tried to engage him in verbals, but Shanto kept resisting him. Shakib wore a blow on his fingers, but managed to keep Shanto company.

India retain same squad for second Test

After the win in Chennai, India confirmed that the same 16-man squad would be retained for the second Test against Bangladesh in Kanpur. The game begins on September 27. The squad members that didn’t play a part in the first Test were Sarfaraz Khan, Dhruv Jurel, Axar Patel, Kuldeep Yadav and Yash Dayal.

Just after drinks, though, Chennai boy Ashwin and Chennai Super King Jadeja got together in a reminder of how their batting partnership on day one took the game away from Bangladesh. In his first over, Ashwin’s drift made Shakib play down the wrong line for Yashasvi Jaiswal to take another sharp catch at short leg. This wicket took him past Courtney Walsh’s 519 to No. 8 on the all-time wicket-takers’ table.Jadeja’s quick pace and turn soon drew an edge from Litton Das for an easier catch at first slip. Playing at home, Ashwin then received a gift from Mehidy Hasan Miraz, who decided to take the long-on fielder on, and ended up offering Jadeja a simple catch – fitting that Ashwin’s five-wicket haul was completed with a Jadeja catch.Trying to farm the strike, Shanto decided to have a go at Jadeja last ball of an over, but the wily spinner bowled wide to draw a wicket-taking thick edge. It was only a matter of time after that. A minor detail was that what could have been Ashwin’s seventh wicket – not given and not reviewed – ended up becoming Jadeja’s third in the next over.

Kamran Ghulam has never made any attempt to hide his desperation. All he wanted to do was play international cricket, and he would wait as long as it took. On Tuesday, 11 years on from his first-class debut, as he sat in front of the media after becoming the 13th Pakistani to score a hundred on Test debut, it is that burning desire he repeatedly recalled.”I’d been waiting for my chance a long time but I never gave up,” Ghulam, 29, said. “I had been waiting for my chance. That’s all I thought about. I kept being selected and then omitted from squads, and all I used to think about was how to take the chance I’d been given.”That thinking has paid off well. Ghulam came into the side under huge pressure as he replaced Babar Azam. The stakes were further raised by the situation he walke out to – Pakistan were 19 for 2, having lost Shan Masood and Abdullah Shafique cheaply as the England spinners threatened to run riot.”When I came to the wicket we’d lost two wickets. But I wanted to play with a positive mind like I do in first-class cricket. That was at the back of my mind, and I wanted to play my natural game.”And Ghulam’s domestic oeuvre is particularly hefty. Only 12 players have scored more runs in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy since he made his debut in 2013, with his average, a smidge under 50, placing him behind only Fawad Alam, Saud Shakeel and Usman Salahuddin.It was what he drew on as he negotiated a tricky opening session, banking his aggressive shots before lunch, and setting the platform for a 149-run partnership with Saim Ayub that gently eased England’s grip on the game. He hung around when Ayub fell, building up another 65-run stand with Mohammad Rizwan, one in which he brought up his century with a slap over midwicket off Joe Root. By the time he fell, missing a drive off Shoaib Bashir who cleaned him up, he’d scored 118: his 17th first-class hundred.”I’ve scored a lot of first-class runs,” Ghulam said. “I didn’t care about the venue or the team, I just needed to make my debut. I knew I had a lot of hard work behind me, and thankfully that work has paid off for me.”He also acknowledged the circumstances in which he’d made his debut, paying tribute to the man he replaced in the side. “Babar is a very good player and at the back of my mind I was thinking he’s a legend, a very good player. But I thought I’d give 110% and play with a positive mindset. I knew I had to take my opportunity.””And,” he says in his vulnerable, soft spoken tone with characteristic understatement, “when it came, I did well.”

New Zealand Cricket has elected former allrounder and national selector Dion Nash to its board.Nash fills the vacancy left by Martin Snedden, who had to step down by rotation following a lengthy service to the game as a player, chief executive, board member, chair of the board and ICC director.”It’s good to have someone with Dion’s cricket and business experience coming onto the board at a time when Martin is stepping down,” NZC chair Diana Pukepatu-Lyndon said. “Dion has a strong interest in not just the playing of the game but [also] the business of the game, and that should help stand us in good stead.”Nash played 32 Tests and 81 ODIs from 1992 to 2002, and was part of New Zealand’s title-winning squad in the 2000 ICC KnockOut, which was later rebranded as the Champions Trophy. In just his fifth Test, he scored a half-century and grabbed ten wickets at Lord’s.When regular captain Stephen Fleming was injured in early 1999, Nash stepped in as skipper for seven ODIs and three Tests. After retirement, he was appointed as selector for the men’s team in 2005, before going on to make a career in business.

Vidarbha complete stunning come-from-behind win

Vidarbha overturned a 100-run deficit to clinch a stunning 221-run win over Rajasthan in Jaipur to assure themselves of a knockouts berth from Group B. Their fifth outright win in six games was set up by Akshay Wadkar, the captain, who struck a combative second-innings century after they’d been effectively reduced to 44 for 5.Wadkar was assisted by Yash Rathod, who made 98, and fast bowler Nachiket Bhute who made 87 from No. 10. The eighth-wicket stand between Wadkar and Bhute was worth 172. Rajasthan never got going in their target of 329; they were bowled out for 107.Left-arm spinner Harsh Dubey picked up 5 for 51 – his fifth five-for this season. Dubey now sits on top of the wicket charts for the season – he has 42 wickets in 12 innings at an average of 14.55. Jammu & Kashmir’s Auqib Nabi comes next with 38 wickets.Related

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Sai Kishore and Ajith Ram take TN to doorstep of knockouts

His participation in the first half of the Ranji season was hampered due to a thumb injury, but R Sai Kishore, the captain, made an impact in his just third game, his match haul of eight wickets helping Tamil Nadu beat Chandigarh in Salem. Sai Kishore profited from having an equally aggressive bowler wheel away from the other end – fellow left-arm spinner S Ajith Ram too picked up four wickets in the second innings, and a match haul of nine wickets.Before the spin twins left their mark on the final day, Tamil Nadu were set up by Vijay Shankar’s 150 that helped them set Chandigarh a target of 403. The win took TN to the top of Group D; a draw in their next game against Jharkhand should see them through to the knockouts. Chandigarh and Saurashtra are the other two teams in the running for a knockouts berth from the group.File photo: Akshay Wadkar scored a second-innings ton to send Vidarbha on their way to victory against Rajasthan•PTI

Kerala show incredible fight to salvage draw

A miniscule lead of just seven runs proved massive in the end as Kerala defied conditions and MP’s bowling attack to secure a draw that gave them three crucial points. This put them in a three-way race with Karnataka and Haryana for the knockouts from Group C. Kerala are currently second with 21 points, while Karnataka are on 19. Haryana top the pool with 26 points.Kerala were set a 363 target to win, but more importantly, needed to bat out at least 100 overs to secure a draw. Those hopes appeared crushed when they stumbled to 47 for 5 by lunch on the final day. But a stunning lower-order rearguard helped them script a miracle. This effort was led by Mohammad Azharuddeen and Aditya Sarwate, who made 68 and 80 respectively.Kerala’s ninth-wicket pair of B Aparajith and MD Nideesh batted out over an hour and 13.4 overs under fading light to secure a draw from the jaws of defeat. MP threw everything they had at Kerala, with Kuldeep Sen picking up 3 for 64, while left-arm spinner Kumar Kartikeya wheeled away for 37 overs for his three wickets.

Baroda stumble as Mukesh Choudhary picks up maiden five-for

Baroda’s position at the top of Group A received a jolt as their defeat to Maharashtra left them in slightly troubled waters. This result coincided with Jammu & Kashmir’s upset of Mumbai that took them to the top of the table. Baroda now play J&K in what is effectively a must-win for them to keep their knockouts hopes alive, considering Mumbai, who are in third position, have a relatively easier draw as they play Meghalaya.Baroda’s defeat will rankle as they couldn’t bat out a little more than two sessions to secure a draw. Maharashtra batted big to extend their second innings well into the final day, when they declared on 464 for 7 to set Baroda a target of 617. Baroda lasted just 36 overs and were bowled out for 177 with left-arm seamer Mukesh Choudhary picking up 5 for 76.

Ireland were made to feel at home in Bulawayo, albeit in a slightly devious sense as rain washed out large chunks before bad light ended day four. But by taking four wickets in the 53 overs spread across two sessions, the visitors will come out as favourites on the final day. However, the grim forecast for day five could deny Ireland a win.Hope isn’t lost completely for Zimbabwe, even though they need another 109 with three wickets in hand. Wessly Madhevere, their top scorer, is unbeaten on 61. And as they showed in the first innings, their lower order can make handy contributions.Matthew Humphreys, the left-arm spinner, bowled unchanged for 18 overs – separated by a short rain break in the middle – that yielded 4 for 37. With the pitch assisting spin, he is likely to play an important role tomorrow as well if the weather permits.Sunday was a stop-start day as bad weather delayed the start by 15 minutes. Barry McCarthy needed six balls to make a mess of nightwatcher Trevor Gwandu’s stumps with a full delivery that deviated past the outside edge.Brian Bennett survived a close lbw shout against Mark Adair in the second over of the day. Madhevere’s tactic of shuffling across the line induced a leading edge but it fell safely to Adair’s left.Adair and McCarthy bowled nine of the 12 overs that were possible before the rain halted play for nearly three hours.Zimbabwe resumed from 71 for 4 after the break and Madhevere survived a tough chance off Craig Young in the first one post-resumption and copped a bouncer on the helmet a little later. Meanwhile had a more serene stay before edging Humphreys behind as the spinner began his long spell.Johnathan Campbell was scratchy at the start against spin and survived two near-chop-ons in his first 30 balls, off which he made six. He picked up two fours and two threes on the off side before rain created a small stoppage with Zimbabwe on 146 for 5.Humphreys and Andy McBrine enjoyed the turn offered by the pitch so much that Andy Balbirnie persisted with them despite the thick cloud cover. The decision was rewarded after the break as Humphreys took a sharp return catch to dismiss Campbell and end the 56-run sixth-wicket stand.Humphreys later dismissed Nyasha Mayavo, Paul Stirling at slip grabbing the rebound off Tucker’s gloves.In the meantime, Madhevere reached his maiden Test fifty. He and Newman Nyamhuri took Zimbabwe close to 200 when bad light forced stumps 12 minutes before the scheduled time.

South Africa
If South Africa beat England, they will qualify for the semi-finals, and could take top spot even if Australia beat Afghanistan, as long as their net run-rate tops Australia’s. However, a defeat to England could knock them out if England and Australia both beat Afghanistan.For South Africa to stay in contention with three points, Afghanistan will have to win at least one match. If they beat England and lose to Australia, then Australia and South Africa will qualify; if Afghanistan beat Australia and lose to England, then South Africa and Australia will be fighting for second place; if Afghanistan win both matches, then Afghanistan will top the group, and second place will again come down to the NRR between Australia and South Africa.Related

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Australia
Australia will be through with five points if they beat Afghanistan on Friday. If they lose, their qualification chances will depend on the two remaining England games. If England win both games and Australia lose theirs, then either Australia or South Africa will finish second in the group, depending on NRR.Thanks to their 107-run win against Afghanistan, South Africa are currently sitting pretty on the NRR front. Even if Australia lose to Afghanistan by just one run chasing 301, South Africa will have to lose to England by at least 87 runs chasing the same target for Australia to sneak ahead on NRR.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

England
England need to win both their remaining games to qualify; a defeat against either Afghanistan or South Africa will knock them out. Given that the weather forecast looks fine for both their matches – though Lahore is expected to be overcast for their Afghanistan contest – sharing points in either of them looks highly unlikely.Afghanistan
Like England, Afghanistan need two wins to be sure of qualification. If they beat England and their match against Australia is washed out – there is forecast for some rain in Lahore on Friday – then they will finish on three points. In that case, they can qualify only if England beat South Africa, and if Afghanistan trump South Africa on NRR.