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ScorecardCraig Kieswetter steadied Somerset before the rain returned•Getty Images

Craig Kieswetter has had a fine match, taking everything that came his way behind the stumps and playing an instrumental role with the bat to put Somerset in a position from which they are well placed to win.A wicketkeeper is only as good as his bowlers but Somerset’s impressive attack offered Kieswetter eight chances in the match and he snaffled the lot. His batting could also been crucial in a low-scoring match. In Somerset’s first innings, promoted up the order to No. 3 in the absence of Nick Compton and Alviro Petersen, he came in with 12 on the board and steadied the ship for the best part of 20 overs. When he walked to the crease for the second time, his side was in a healthier position but still had a lot to do in pursuit of the 235 set by Durham. By the time bad light brought the day’s play to an end he had 39 to his name. His approach was exactly what Somerset needed, watchful in conditions which still favoured the bowlers, but severe on anything loose, scoring five boundaries.Only 35 overs were bowled in the day and play didn’t get going until 1.40pm. After a gloomy morning, the improvement in the light was barely discernible but nobody, apart perhaps from the fielders on another bitter day, was complaining. Three hours later the light worsened and that was it again.It took Somerset half an hour and eight overs to take the last two Durham wickets. First to go was Phil Mustard who had batted splendidly on the previous evening, but was furious with himself when he was run out attempting a second. The fielding and throw by Jamie Overton were excellent but it was a waste. Overton, who turned 19 two days ago, was Marcus Trescothick’s choice to do the bowling from the River End, and he showed a youthful eagerness to pitch the ball short, especially when he was bowling to Graham Onions. That may not seem such a good idea if Overton finds himself facing Onions on Saturday.Last man Chris Rushworth put bat to ball and had the third highest score of the innings, but he nicked to Kieswetter to give Alfonso Thomas his fourth wicket of the innings.The importance of Marcus Trescothick’s batting to Somerset was clearly demonstrated by the jubilation with which the Durham players reacted to his dismissal for 6 in the first innings. When he went in for the second time he looked much more secure, defending solidly and driving beautifully straight and through the covers. It was a surprise, therefore, that when Ben Stokes replaced Onions he bowled him with his fifth ball. Earlier Onions had trapped Arul Suppiah on his crease with a delivery that nipped in and stayed a little low.Suppiah’s dismissal brought in Kieswetter and, if he can carry on tomorrow as he started this afternoon, Somerset may have the edge.

The Court of Arbitration for Sport has rejected the appeals of Salman Butt, the former Pakistan captain, and Mohammad Asif against the ICC bans they received in 2011 for their part in the spot-fixing scandal.After a six-day hearing in Doha in the second week of January 2011, an independent anti-corruption tribunal, headed by Michael Beloff QC had handed Butt a 10-year ban from all forms of cricket. Beloff stated that five years of that ban were suspended on condition that, throughout that period, Butt committed no further breach of the code and that he participate in anti-corruption education programmes under the supervisions of the PCB.Asif was given a seven-year ban, two years of which are suspended with the same conditions as Butt to perform anti-corruption programmes.Asif wanted the ICC ruling overturned while Butt wanted his banned reduced, but CAS did not find any evidence to support either claim. The appeal panel “was satisfied beyond reasonable doubt that Mr Asif was a party to the spot-fixing conspiracy.”A statement said: “The CAS Panel found that there was no evidence advanced by Mr Asif which clearly exculpated him and that his submissions did not break the chain of circumstantial evidence or in any way undermine the reasoning contained in the ICC’s Tribunal’s decision.”In regard to Butt, the CAS statement said: “The CAS panel was not persuaded that the sanction imposed by the ICC Tribunal was disproportionate, nor that any of the mitigating factors advanced by Mr Butt qualified as exceptional circumstances. “Although there were reports that Butt would continue to assess his options, his lawyer for the CAS hearing, Yasin Patel, said serving the remainder of the ban was all that was left for him although still hoped his client could return to cricket.”He will have to continue with the five -year ban and less than two-and-half-years is left at the moment. And I hope Salman Butt sees out that time and return back to cricket,” Patel told ESPNcricinfo. “Your natural reaction is of disappointment and Salman would be a Superman if he wasn’t being that way right now. But it is a time for him and his family to have a bit of time off, reflect on the decision and take it in.”Dave Richardson, the ICC chief executive, was pleased with the outcome. “The ICC notes and welcomes the decisions of the CAS as they vindicate and confirm the processes and procedures followed by the ICC over the past couple of years in respect of this important, sensitive and high-profile matter.”The decisions strengthen our resolve to always remain vigilant and keep the game clean at all cost, whilst continuing to educate the players about the threats and ways to combat the challenges faced by our sport.”Butt, Asif and Mohammad Amir had been found guilty at Southwark Crown Court in November 2011, on charges of conspiracy to cheat and conspiracy to accept corrupt payments over deliberate no-balls bowled during the Lord’s Test between Pakistan and England in August 2010.Amir, the third player to be caught in the sting, decided not to appeal against the five-year ICC ban against him. The ban does not permit the players to take part in any official match – international, domestic or club – until at least September 2015.All three players served time. Butt served seven months of a 30-month prison sentence, Asif was released from Canterbury Prison in Kent on June 3, 2012 after he served half of a year-long sentence while Amir spent three months in a young offenders’ institution after admitting his charge at a pre-trial hearing.

Matt Prior has said the ECB may be forced to reconsider its international schedule with a view to allowing England players more opportunity to appear in the IPL.Wicketkeeper Prior, a key member of England’s Test side, has warned that England players are becoming “frustrated” at the limitations imposed upon their participation in the league and has suggested the ECB may need to reflect on the idea of scheduling international games in May.As things stand, an uneasy compromise exists between the ECB and its contracted players. That compromise allows England players to appear in the IPL for around a month but renders them far less attractive to franchises. Prior was among the England players who went unsold in this year’s IPL auction. The 2013 IPL season runs from April 3 to May 26, but the ECB have insisted their players are back in England by May 5 in order to prepare for England’s international season, which begins on May 16 with a Test against New Zealand at Lord’s.Prior, while reiterating that his priority remained Test cricket, admitted the lure of the big money available to players in the IPL was hugely attractive and suggested that the scheduling of England games for May “may have to change” in the future.”If you ask any Englishman or Australian, ‘would you rather score a T20 hundred or an Ashes hundred?’ I know which one most people would go with,” Prior told the BBC. “But guys are going to start looking at it. I know for a fact that players want to play in the IPL. You can’t get away from the fact that there is an enormous amount of money at stake.”I’m employed by the ECB, so I do what the ECB says right now. If that’s when the Test matches are, then that’s when the Test matches are. My priority is playing Test cricket for England and when I am needed to play Test cricket for England I will play.”The IPL and these Twenty20 competitions are not going away. People love them and the players enjoy playing in them, so there are going to be more and more people getting frustrated at the lack of opportunity to play in the IPL. So things may have to change in time.”Prior’s comments do not account for the fact that even if the ECB rescheduled international games to ensure there was no clash with the IPL, the strength of the county game would be diluted by widespread departures, which might, in time, lead to a drop in the quality of the international side. That, in turn, could lead to a reduction in the worth of broadcast deals.Nottinghamshire have already refused to release their players for the 2013 IPL season, claiming the withdrawals would undermine their attempts to win domestic trophies during the English season. Prior, who was granted a lucrative benefit season by Sussex in 2012, is contracted to play for the club when his England commitments allow. As a beneficiary of a central contract, Prior is also well remunerated for other limitations in his availability.The IPL is not the only league likely to coincide with the English season in years to come. If the ECB sets a precedent by seeking to avoid a clash with the IPL, it would be hard to argue against a window for the Caribbean, Pakistan, Sri Lankan or American leagues.Prior might also reflect on the reasons behind England’s busy schedule. It is, in part at least, designed to meet the salary demands of international players as well as ensuring they have access to the best facilities and coaching. Any cut in the schedule would lead to subsequent cuts in the value of broadcast deals – which account for around 80% of the ECB’s income – and would reduce the funds available not just to the England team, but the first-class counties, grassroots cricket and the women’s game.

ScorecardAn all-round effort from Gokul Sharma helped Assam reach their first final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy, as they beat Kerala by five wickets in Visakhapatnam. They will play Delhi, who won their semi-final against Bengal, in the final on Sunday.Sharma took three middle-order wickets and scored an unbeaten half-century to steer Assam’s chase of 198. Tarjinder Singh, who scored a crucial 49, and seamer Pritam Das, who took three wickets, were the other main contributors to the landmark win.Kerala’s innings was built on two productive partnerships, 79 between VA Jagadeesh and Rohan Prem, and 72 for the sixth wicket between Jagadeesh and Gomez. Jagadeesh eventually scored 89, and Gomez scored a half-century, but for the most part, Assam’s bowlers kept chipping away at Kerala. After Sharma created the opening by taking early wickets, Das helped wrap up the tail. Seven batsmen scored in single digits.In reply, Assam were in early trouble, having been reduced to 28 for 3 in the eighth over by seamers Prasanth Parameswaran and Sandeep Warrier. But opener Pallavkumar Das and Tarjinder Singh steadied the innings with a 72-run stand. Sharma, with an unbeaten 52, and Jamaluddin Syed Mohammad, who scored an unbeaten 29, took Assam home in 46 overs. Sreesanth proved expensive for Kerala, as he gave away 56 runs in nine wicketless overs.
ScorecardDelhi beat Bengal by six wickets to advance to the final of the Vijay Hazare Trophy in the other semi-final.Bengal were put into bat and were in trouble, as seamers Sumit Narwal, Parvinder Awana and Pradeep Sangwan made early inroads to leave them struggling at 32 for 4. Manoj Tiwary and Laxmi Shukla attempted to stabilise the innings, putting on a 73-run stand for the fifth wicket. However, once Shukla was dismissed, Bengal were only able to add a further 51 runs as Delhi wrapped up the tail, to bowl them out in he 41st over. Tiwary top-scored with 87, while Delhi’s Varun Sood picked up 3 for 48.Despite losing opener Dhruv Shorey with the score at 16, Delhi strung together regular partnerships. Gautam Gambhir top-scored with 69 as he guided Delhi towards the 157-run target, and got the support of Unmukt Chand (22) and Rajat Bhatia (28).

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Jaydev Unadkat took 3 wickets for 52 runs, supporting the efforts of Vishal Joshi•Getty Images

The third day’s play between Saurashtra and Punjab in Khandheri was expected to give an indication of which way the Ranji Trophy semi-final would tilt. At the end of it, Saurashtra were favourites to qualify for their maiden final. The credit for that rested with offspinner Vishal Joshi and the medium-pace pair of Jaydev Unadkat and Siddharth Trivedi.While Joshi emerged as the most successful bowler of the match, Unadkat and Trivedi bowled spirited spells with the second new ball that swung the game in Saurashtra’s favour. Neither side had the advantage when Punjab, chasing 477, went in for the tea break on 246 for 3. Openers Ravi Inder Singh and Jiwanjot Singh had been dismissed after a 128-run stand, undone by Joshi’s offspin. Mandeep Singh fell to a freak dismissal when a forceful sweep off Joshi lodged itself in the armpit of Arpit Vasavada at forward short leg, as he was trying to duck.With 232 runs required to lake the lead, Taruwar Kohli and Uday Kaul were looking solid at the crease and Punjab would have wanted a repeat of the 264-run stand that the pair put on in last week’s quarter-final. However, it all changed with Kaul’s suicidal run out.With the second new ball in play after tea, Kaul played a defensive push off left-armer Unadkat. While Kohli was applauding him for being sensible, the ball passed the bowler and Kaul took off for a single. Trivedi ran in from mid-on, collected the ball and hit the stumps, and Kaul was left punching his head in disgust on his way back to the pavilion.Two balls later, Kohli, who had scored the season’s fifth triple century last week, had a rush of blood. He had gone past fifty with some sensible strokes but tried to pull a short one off Unadkat and the ball ballooned towards the slip cordon, where Shitanshu Kotak took an easy catch.Amitoze Singh and Bipul Sharma played tentative innings that ended in edges behind the stumps. When Siddharth Kaul nicked Unadkat to wicketkeeper Sagar Jogiyani, the Saurashtra team were set to secure a huge first-innings lead. In 13.4 overs, Punjab were reduced to 272 for 8 from 252 for 3, thanks in part to Saurashtra’s seamers, who bowled 20 overs unchanged with the new ball.Punjab captain Harbhajan Singh shielded the No. 10 Sandeep Sharma for more than half an hour before Joshi broke through Sharma’s defence. Sarabjit Ladda and Harbhajan played out the rest of the overs.Saurashtra were cautiously optimistic about the result. “I have seen the funny side of cricket too many times, so there is no reason to celebrate yet. We still have to play well for two more days,” their coach Debu Mitra said. But even Mitra was aware that if Saurashtra bat out the penultimate day after dismissing the last man early, they could start celebrating before the match ends.Punjab trail Saurashtra by 183 runs. Harbhajan Singh will first have to shield Ladda for as long as he can, as he tries to reduce the deficit. The Punjab bowlers will have to take their cue from Joshi on a pitch that is assisting spinners to give their team one last shot at making the final. They can draw hope from their match against Mumbai last month, when left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan took nine wickets for 23 runs.

ScorecardIn the normal order of things, Shikhar Dhawan is all flashing neon-light and Mithun Manhas the steady, constant beam. Not on Tuesday and not at the Roshanara, which is most certainly not a normal sort of Delhi Ranji venue either.Dhawan and Manhas, current and former captain, switched batting personalities on Tuesday and delivered for Delhi a seven-wicket victory over Maharashtra at the Roshanara Club Ground in their penultimate Ranji group game. Their third-wicket partnership of a run-a-ball 83 ensured that Delhi got past the target of 270 at a gallop, the match ending fifteen minutes before tea. The threat of slow over-rates and fading light was banished in a flourish of audacious and attractive strokemaking.Dhawan said later that he remembered his performance in a tight chase two seasons ago when Delhi were all out for 113, chasing 136 versus Railways. Dhawan wanted and was able to wipe that memory away. “Maybe today’s innings reminded me how much I have matured from those days,” he said. Dhawan’s was a very well-paced innings, sticking through the first session alongside fellow left-hander Mohit Sharma who fluctuated between reasonable aggression and hazardous ambition. What he did do was to get to 51 and put up 94 with Dhawan.In the morning, Delhi had asked for the heavy roller but when the ball began keeping low, Dhawan was watchful. He played the waiting game and turned the singles over, freeing his shoulders and hitting Srikanth Mundhe through extra cover for his first boundary, after 55 balls.Charging out to the medium-pacers and hitting them on either side of the wicket messed the bowlers’ lengths. By lunch, Dhawan was in cruise control. Dhawan was joined by Mohit at the loss of Unmukt Chand’s wicket in fourth over of the morning, Chand chopping the ball onto the stumps. From then on, Delhi’s next partnerships were 94, 83 and an unbeaten 91, Dhawan involved in all of them. His innings is another reminder that he has been one of the season’s most prolific openers, coming into the Ranji Trophy with 600 domestic runs already to his name. He has now added another 431.The launch pad for Delhi’s victory came after lunch when Manhas decided to turn his batting approach in this game upside down. On Sunday, he had batted for more than two and a half hours for 28 – all that grafting with so little to show for it. When he came to bat, his back was sore and he had in front of him two relatively inexperienced Maharashtra bowlers. “After the first innings, I thought I really should have played more shots,” he said.So Manhas played shots never expected from his otherwise sedate self, which the Maharashtra debutant Nikit Dhumal – and everyone watching – will always remember. His first six went over wide long-off, the second was a full-blooded upper cut and the third an even more fearsome hook. No wonder wise folk always say, beware the fury of the patient man. Manhas is Delhi’s top scorer this season, with 688 runs including two centuries and five fifties.In 15 overs after lunch, Delhi had scored 92 runs. Manhas said, “That played on them, you could see it. Maybe my sore back helped me to play with freedom.” It certainly helped sent a message to Maharashtra that their race was already run.Delhi have shot into third place in Group B with a total of 17 points, but have only one game left, like Baroda, who are tied with table- toppers Uttar Pradesh on 21. While UP and Baroda appear fairly secure at the top, the three other teams are also within theoretical distance of grabbing a spot in the knockouts – Odisha (16 points), Karnataka (14 points) and Tamil Nadu (13 points) – have two matches left.

The BCCI has chosen not to respond to the comments made by former selector Mohinder Amarnath in which he said that MS Dhoni’s sacking from the captaincy role after the tour of Australia was blocked by the BCCI president.”We don’t wish to respond to these allegations at this point when the team is due to play a Test,” Sanjay Jagdale, the BCCI secretary, told ESPNcricinfo. “But I want to say that the BCCI has full confidence in the captain and the coach and we are fully supportive of the team. “According to Amarnath, the selectors wanted to appoint a young captain after India’s Test losses in Australia, but N Srinivasan, the BCCI president, intervened to overrule the selector’s decision. There was massive speculation that Amarnath’s disagreements with the board were the reason his term as a selector ended abruptly when he was actually expected to be the new chairman of the selectors.However, Rajeev Shukla, the IPL chairman, denied any such events happened. “I will not go into what he [Amarnath] has said,” Shukla said. “I don’t think it is appropriate to give statements like this. Whatever one has to say, one can say while participating in the [selection] meeting. Making comments about it, I think, it is not appropriate as it creates some kind of perception in the minds of players and fans. Selectors are independent. They are not under any pressure.”

The left-armers Mitchell Starc and Mitchell Johnson could come into consideration for the Adelaide Test, despite Australia’s strong performance in the draw at the Gabba. The selectors must decide on the most effective attack for the Adelaide Test, which starts in eight days, with James Pattinson and Peter Siddle expected to lead the bowling group again having impressed at the Gabba.However, Ben Hilfenhaus appeared below his best, having had a lead-up dominated by short-form cricket, and should the left-armer Starc perform well in the ongoing Sheffield Shield match in Sydney, he will give the selectors another option. There is even a chance Mitchell Johnson, who troubled the South Africans in 2008-09, could come into calculations following some fiery spells for Western Australia over the past few weeks.On his return home to Perth, Australia’s coach Mickey Arthur went straight to the WACA ground to watch Johnson in action for the Warriors against South Australia. The inclusion of a left-armer, either Starc or Johnson, would also have the benefit of creating some rough footmarks that could make the offspinner Nathan Lyon a more dangerous weapon in Adelaide.”It’s a good question and certainly worth some consideration going in to Adelaide. With the rough that might be created it could be quite good,” Arthur said. “But Starcy is also on song at the moment, he’s swinging it nicely, he’s bowling with good pace. It’s another option for us and a nice one for us bearing in mind he’s a left-armer.”I was happy with the work that all our bowlers did [at the Gabba]. After day one I was really happy. I thought their speeds were definitely up, I thought our lines were a lot better, I thought we built a lot more pressure. I’m content with the way we went. Mitchell [Starc] is playing a Shield game at the moment. Let’s see how he goes in that one and it might give us another option come Adelaide.”One thing that is certain is that neither side will consider an all-pace attack in Adelaide. Lyon was the only specialist spinner who played at the Gabba and he was asked to do a huge amount of bowling – including a marathon 25-over spell across three sessions in South Africa’s first innings – and Arthur was pleased with the way Lyon continued to flight the ball and tempt the batsmen despite being attacked early.”Nathan bowled 50 overs in the game and it was probably clear that they were going to go quite hard at Nathan early on,” Arthur said. “They did that but he stuck to his guns. I thought his variation in his pace was good. I thought he built some pressure. I’m happy where Nathan is. He goes back to Adelaide, goes back to his home pitch and I’m comfortable that he’s in a good enough space for us.”Australia’s selectors must also decide on whether to risk the inclusion of the vice-captain Shane Watson, who missed the Gabba Test due to a calf injury. Watson will bowl for the first time on Friday and his chances of appearing at Adelaide Oval appear slim, unless he can convince the selectors and team management that he is capable of more than a few overs.”Watto has had two nets and he’s come through them very well,” Arthur said. “He did a bit of running [on Tuesday] and came through that well. He’s having a bowl on Friday and we’ll see late in the week or into next week exactly where Watto is. We’ll have to sit down and consider what we think is the best XI going in to the Adelaide Test and Shane would come in for a huge amount of consideration.”