Report

	RP Singh took 4 for 68 as Australia crashed to 212 in their first innings © AFP

It's been more than four years since Australia lost a home Test and coming into this match they were prohibitive favourites to record a 17th successive victory. But after a dramatic day when 15 wickets fell, 10 of them Australian, India can dare to dream of victory at a venue where Australia haven't lost since Curtly Ambrose, Courtney Walsh and Ian Bishop ran through them in 1997.

Each of India's four bowlers did their part, with Anil Kumble taking his 600th wicket along the way. The real damage though was done by a young and largely inexperienced pace attack. Irfan Pathan provided the early blows, Ishant Sharma chipped away at the middle and RP Singh then brought the house down as Australia folded in just 50 overs.

Chris Rogers, who had helped end India's first innings with a stunning catch to send back Kumble, came out to raucous cheers, but the feel-good atmosphere around the ground after a crisp square-drive was quickly punctured when he played across one from Pathan to be struck on the front pad. It was a marginal decision at best, but once again Asad Rauf gave the benefit of doubt to the bowler.

Tanmay Srivastava, who cut short his under-19 tour of South Africa to play the Ranji final, chose the occasion to script his maiden first-class hundred and pushed Uttar Pradesh to 292 for 7 by close of play on the opening day at the Wankhede Stadium. Ravikant Shukla, dropped when on 13, made an unbeaten 80 but Delhi clawed back into the game with late wickets to justify their decision to bowl first and, with the wicket promising to be at its best for batting over the next two days, will reckon they have a slight edge.

As the curator promised, the track was firm and offered some movement and good carry in the initial hour, and there were a few plays and misses by the batsmen.

Fast bowlers Samiullah Khan and Sohail Khan left the Zimbabweans staring at defeat; the tourists finished the third day at 111 for 6, requiring another 159 to avoid an innings defeat after the home team declared at 479 for 6.

Samiullah inflicted the damage early on: Vusi Sibanda (23) and Brendan Taylor (4) fell leg-before to inswingers. Bowling with much pace and aggression at the other end, Sohail remained luckless in his initial overs. Several plays-and-misses mixed with leg-before shouts that had summed up his first-innings effort proved to be the case this time as well.

As the temperature soared in the afternoon, Sachin Tendulkar appeared on course to replicate his achievement as an 18-year-old, when he made centuries in Sydney and Perth. But a poor decision from Asad Rauf, and three poor strokes from the Indian batsmen redressed the balance as Australia fought back tigerishly in the final session.

Tendulkar departed for 71, and Rahul Dravid fell seven short of a century, leaving MS Dhoni and the tail with the task of propelling India to a sizeable total on a pitch that was nowhere near as fearsome as it had been hyped to be. Despite play being extended by half an hour, Australia still finished six overs short, a deplorable state of affairs that the match referee will surely investigate.

Nasir Jamshed scored an entertaining 182 to help Patron's XI gain a 152-run lead at the close of day two against the Zimbabweans in Karachi.

Jamshed's 240-ball knock rounded off a disappointing day for the tourists, who failed to impress with the ball and dropped crucial chances. Hitting 16 fours and seven sixes - most of which landed in the region between midwicket and long on - Jamshed shred a poor Zimbabwean attack to pieces. He made his intentions clear right from the start as Elton Chigumbura was guided to third man for a boundary in the first over followed by a straight-driven four off Christopher Mpofu in the following over.

While Khalid Latif and Afaq Raheem - who shared a 204-run partnership with Jamshed - adopted a sedate approach, Jamshed mixed aggression with defence. After five consecutive maidens were bowled in the first hour, he smashed Chigumbura down the ground followed by a pull to midwicket boundary. Jamshed was particularly severe on Ray Price, the left-arm spinner, who he lofted him over midwicket for a four before smashing two consecutive sixes in his following over, with the latter taking him to 97.

Barbados 531 (Hinds 108, Morris 70, Holder 58, Benn 58*) beat Guyana 185 and 289 (Sarwan 82, Benn 4-96) by an innings and 57 runs
Scorecard
Suleiman Benn and Dwayne Smith shared seven wickets between them to help Barbados to a comprehensive innings-and-57-run victory against Guyana at the Kensington Oval. Captain Ramnaresh Sarwan found form with a half-century and his 87-run partnership with Assad Fudadin defied Barbados till lunch, but it wasn't enough to make Barbados bat again.

The overnight pair of Sarwan and Leon Johnson buckled down and took the overnight score of 85 for 3 to 122 before Benn dismissed Johnson. Sarwan survived a very confident appeal for a catch on 36 off Kemar Roach and proceeded to his half-century. Fudadin, who provided solid support to Sarwan in his 33, fell shortly after lunch, caught by wicketkeeper Carlo Morris after the ball rebounded off Jason Haynes at short leg. Benn returned to dismiss Sarwan for 82, caught at forward short-leg while Smith cleaned up the lower order to finish with figures of 3 for 66. Benn, who bowled 36 overs, ended with 4 for 96. The defeat left Guyana at the bottom of the table with the Combined Campuses & Colleges and Windward Islands.

The Cobras' second innings of 358 for 5, built on Duminy's elegant 115 and 96 from Henry Davids (the competition's leading run-scorer), was all the more impressive after were skittled for just 80 in their first innings.

The Cobras won the toss and sent the Lions in to bat first on a saucy pitch, thanks to a cold front that had swathed neighbouring Gauteng in rain for three days. After an opening stand of fifty between Blake Snijman and Alviro Petersen, Monde Zondeki made excellent use of the conditions, swinging the ball wildly to take 5 for 55 - his fifth five-for of the tournament - and the Lions were bowled out for 181.

Rain was the ultimate winner in the Inter-Provincial Limited-Overs Tournament final between Kandurata and Wayamba which ended in a no result with only 35.3 overs being bowled in the entire match. The teams were declared joint champions and picked up prize money worth Rs 1.7 million (US$15,700) each.

The weather has not been at its best for the past fortnight and Sri Lanka Cricket, who organised the tournament, were keeping their fingers crossed that it would clear away on Sunday and allow a full day's play at the SSC. However it was not to be. Heavy rain on the previous night left the pitch and the outfield with a great deal of moisture which pushed back the start by one-and-a-half hours.

The Patron's XI openers put on an unbroken 65-run partnership after their legspinners grabbed seven wickets to bowl out the Zimbabweans for 209 on the opening day of the tour match in Karachi.

Opting to bat, the Zimbabweans failed to capitalise on a 62-run third-wicket partnership and lost their last six wickets for only 27 runs. After Hamilton Masakadza, their stand-in captain in place of the injured Prosper Utseya, fell on the seventh ball of the innings, the Zimbabweans were carried past 50 by Brendan Taylor and Vusi Sibanda. While defensive play was the order of the morning, Taylor made it a point to latch onto anything wide of off stump. Cutting an impressive Sohail Khan to bring up his first boundary, Taylor then creamed Kamran Hussain through extra cover to ease off some pressure.

Guyana 185 and 85 for 3 trail Barbados 531 (Hinds 108, Morris 70, Holder 58, Benn 58*) by 261 runs
Scorecard
Title-holders Barbados put themselves in a great position to whip Guyana, first totalling 531 - their highest total of in six seasons - and then reducing the opposition to 85 for 3 in their second innings when fading light ended play seven early on the third day of their second round match at Kensington Oval. Resuming on 256 for 3 Ryan Hinds perished in the second over of the day, for 108, but wicketkeeper Carlo Morris' maiden first-class half-century, on his 28th birthday, and some positive, attacking batting from Sulieman Benn and Alcindo Holder lifted Barbados. Morris slammed a run-a-ball 70, Holder and Benn also helped themselves to scores of 58 apiece and Shamarh Brooks, set to captain West Indies Under-19 in this year's ICC Youth World Cup in Malaysia next month, made 39. Holder and Brooks added 86 for the fifth wicket, in contrasting styles, before Morris and Benn put on 91 for the seventh. Kemar Roach, the fast bowler, had Guyana in early trouble wen he nipped out openers Travis Dowlin and Royston Crandon in his first two overs. Leon Johnson, the former West Indies yout captain, and fellow left-hander Narsingh Deonarine consolidated with a stand of 75 before Deonarine fell to Benn's left-arm spin. Johnson, unbeaten on 21 from 101 balls, and Ramnaresh Sarwan have plenty to do on day four.

Windward Islands 134 and 183 for 6 (Fletcher 57) need another 106 runs to beat Leeward Islands 201 and 221 (Banks 57)
Scorecard
Leeward Islands swung themselves back into the game with the crucial wicket of Andre Fletcher and left themselves four wickets away from victory at Queen's Park. Set 289 to win, Windward Islands collapsed to 186 for 6 at stumps on day three. Fletcher played some aggressive shots in his 57 but his dismissal, in the final hour of play, triggered a slide that saw the home team drop from 164 for 3 to 167 for six. Earlier, disciplined bowling from captain Deighton Butler and offspinner Liam Sebastien revived the Windwards' fortunes as the visitors' last five wickets tumbled for a mere 42 runs. Leewards resumed on 179 for 5 but Butler's 4 for 50 and Sebastien's 3 for 62 cut them to 221. Omari Banks, the captain, made 57, the highest score of the innings.