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Anya Shrubsole, the 16-year old Somerset medium-fast bowler who made her international debut this summer against South Africa, has been given the Most Promising Young Women’s Cricketer Award by The Cricket Society.”I feel honoured to have won this award,” Shrubsole said. “It is an exciting time for me and the England team with the forthcoming Women’s World Cup in March in Australia. I hope that I can keep performing as I have and help bring the World Cup back to England.”The Most Promising Young Women’s Cricketer Award was first presented in 2003 to Katherine Docherty. Since then the winners have been Katherine Brunt, Sarah Taylor, Sophie Le Marchand and Katie Cross.

Kenya’s proposed series against Zimbabwe before Christmas has been scrapped after Zimbabwe Cricket said they could not fit it in due to a tight schedule. Zimbabwe, though, have no international matches until January.”[The] Zimbabwe board communicated last week saying they have a tight schedule hence difficult to host Kenya for the intended three ODIs in Bulawayo,” Cricket Kenya (CK) chief executive, Tom Tikolo, told the . “Late January is also a good date since from there we will head to South Africa to prepare for the World Cup [qualifiers].”Both countries are keen to play more but neither is seen as an attractive opposition by most major teams. Despite this, they have not met in a bilateral series for almost three years, largely because the Zimbabwe board has shown a marked reluctance to agree to games. Critics of ZC claim that it fears being defeated by the Kenyans would increase the pressure on the board.The last time they met, in January 2006, the series, which was played in Zimbabwe, was drawn 2-2. Kenya won when they faced each other in Nairobi last month .Zimbabwe recently completed a five-match ODI series against Sri Lanka, which they lost 5-0, and their next international fixture currently on the calendar is the opening match of a tri-nation tournament, against Bangladesh, in Dhaka on January 10.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Saurashtra’s third attempt at making it to the Ranji final is likely to end in disappointment despite a valiant effort from Shitanshu Kotak, who fell in the penultimate over of the day to hand Mumbai control of the game.Kotak hit a 211-ball 89 but it is unlikely to prove important in the course of a game dominated by Wasim Jaffer’s triple-hundred and Sachin Tendulkar’s century. All but batted out of the game, Saurashtra’s hopes rested on a substantial partnership between Cheteshwar Pujara and Kotak, batsmen who have the ability to score and dig in for the haul.But Pujara, who was pretty solid during his innings, fell an over before lunch, which transferred the pressure entirely to Kotak. Jaydev Shah, who came in after Ravindra Jadeja’s exit, hung on till the stumps but looked scratchy throughout. Zaheer got him to inside-edge on to his pads in successive balls, Powar cramped him for room with an offbreak that turned more than Shah expected and Ajit Agarkar beat him repeatedly on the length deliveries. He also survived a stumping chance and edged a delivery to keeper that was called no-ball.Kotak, on the other hand, dealt with reverse-swing skilfully. He took care not to put his front leg in the way, waiting for the ball to come to him. And he dealt well with the occasional bumper barrage from the seamers. He gave only one chance during his stay, when he pushed a slower one back to the bowler Abhishek Nayar, who dropped it.If Saurashtra manage to hang on tomorrow without getting the first-innings lead, they will go through to the final based on their higher net run-rate, calculated till quarter-final. However, with Kotak’s fall, it’s an unlikely scenario.

Day-night Test matches have been given the support of the ICC’s chief executive, Haroon Lorgat, but a five-day game under lights will only take place once a suitable ball has been developed.”The lack of crowd attendance at many grounds around the globe is a cause for concern,” Lorgat said at a Sydney press conference to mark the 100th anniversary of the ICC’s founding. “In that was the possibility of exploring day-night cricket because there is no doubt James Sutherland [chief executive of Cricket Australia] has put that on the table.”Last month Sutherland said that playing under lights “might be the only way that Test cricket stays alive”, with attendances reportedly in decline in the face of Twenty20’s growing popularity. The biggest problem, for players and public alike, is replicating the visibility of a red ball at night while retaining its colour and characterisitcs. In one-day and Twenty20 cricket, a white ball is used which contrasts well against the coloured clothing, sightscreens and the night sky.But it discolours easily and behaves differently than the red ball. As one scientist told Cricinfo in April, “the optimum would be to have one ball, of course, which behaved in the right way [for all cricket]”, but this is easier said than done.At the start of England’s 2008 domestic season, the MCC trialled the use of a pink ball with some success, and last November Cricket Australia were given assurance by the country’s government scientists that a suitable replacement for red balls would be possible.Despite the concerns over the future of Test cricket, Australia is one of the few countries – England being the second – where attendance (and television audience) remains strong. David Morgan, the ICC president, spoke more optimistically. “If you ask the cricketers what they believe to be the apex of the game, those who play say it’s Test cricket,” he said. “I understand that TV ratings for Test cricket are very good.”

Mumbai 402 and 130 for 0 (Jaffer 74*, Samant 53*) lead Uttar Pradesh 245 (Shukla 99, Zaheer 7-54) by 287 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

A devastating Zaheer Khan was too much for Uttar Pradesh’s batsmen and his second five-for in back-to-back Ranji Trophy finals took Mumbai within striking distance of a 38th title. Zaheer was the one big difference between Mumbai and Bengal two years ago, and he proved to be the same with UP. He didn’t stop at five this time, taking two more wickets to finish the job emphatically, and helped Mumbai to a 157-run lead.Umpiring continued to be the focus too. Shivakant Shukla, who resisted for 393 minutes and 99 runs, ended up on the wrong side of a marginal lbw decision, and that dismissal started UP’s slide. Wasim Jaffer and Vinayak Samant helped themselves to fifties against a lacklustre UP in the second innings to put it almost beyond them.It was almost unfair to unleash a superlative Zaheer on the domestic batsmen. He has played only three Ranji matches for Mumbai so far – he started his career with Baroda, and has rarely found time off from his international commitments since shifting to Mumbai. The first, when he took nine in the match against Bengal, brought them the 37th title. He was off colour in the second, in the semi-final this year, but has come back strongly with his best performance in the Ranji Trophy.In his second spell with the second new ball today, Zaheer took five wickets for 20 runs, and UP went from 214 for 4 to 245 all out. He started the day with perhaps the highlight of the match: a spell of immaculate reverse-swing bowling, although he went wicketless because Parvinder Singh handled him admirably. That seven-over spell from Zaheer was a fierce interrogation that would have tested any Test batsman.From round the stumps, and wide of the crease, Zaheer angled the ball in, and continuously got it to move away. He got Mohammad Kaif with a similar delivery yesterday, but Parvinder learned the lesson. He played as late as possible, kept the bat close to the body, and even took a blow on the forearm. There was no show of pain at that moment, and he went back to tackling Zaheer. Parvinder took 32 deliveries to get off the mark, but clearly he was not anxious about reaching that milestone, unlike Suresh Raina yesterday who ran himself out first ball.Parvinder lost that intense concentration half an hour before lunch to let Mumbai sneak back. His first error proved to be his last, as he chased a juicy wide delivery from Abhishek Nayar. Along with a fortuitous Shukla, he had frustrated Mumbai for 126 minutes, but those minutes translated into only 55 runs for the partnership. Nayar, a modest medium-pacer at best, has this happy knack of getting match-turning breakthroughs. He did that again here.After his 821-minute epic in the semi-final, Shukla had said he could bat on for three-four more days. It seemed the case, especially given the two dropped chances and various edges falling either short of fielders or in the gaps. But Shukla stayed patient, unhurried in his strokeplay and body language.Zaheer got him to edge one though gully, before Dhawal Kulkarni got back-to-back edges off him. After surviving the second of those outside-edges, Shukla walked away from the stumps and admonished himself, keen to make the most of those chances. But four overs later, Ajit Agarkar beat him outside the off stump twice. And then he tried to cut Sairaj Bahutule, and expertly bisected first and second slip with an edge. Neither Jaffer, blind-sided by Samant’s gloves, nor Ajinkya Rahane, at second slip, went for it. Shukla was 68 then.Shukla’s innings was similar to Rohit Sharma’s, though he wasn’t as quick, Two catches went unclaimed, he looked loose outside off, and in-between he hit a few attractive boundaries to reach 99. Along with Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Shukla added 68 for the fifth wicket in quick time. Bhuvneshwar played an odd cameo – characterised by being beaten outside off comprehensively at one time, and driving the next ball for a crisp boundary.With more than 20 hours gone between dismissals for Shukla, it would have taken a special delivery to get him. Zaheer produced just that: a sharp inswinger, catching him in front of stumps. But Shukla was hit on the flap of the front pad, and height was a question. It was a touch-and-go decision, but one that went against UP again. Zaheer just proved too good against the other batsmen, who lacked application.So crushing was Zaheer’s effort that a dejected UP took the field with two days and a session to go still. Gone was the fizz their bowlers had in the first innings, and the resilience that has been their trademark all season. Jaffer and Samant found it easy, and did exactly what was required to start the home stretch towards yet another title.

Group A

Water and Power Development Authority conceded the first-innings lead against Pakistan Customs in Sialkot, but dismissed the hosts cheaply in the second innings to end the penultimate day in sight of victory. Jahangir Mirza added 28 to his overnight 107 to help WAPDA, resuming on 212 for 9, restrict Pakistan Customs’ advantage to 59. Naved-ul-Hasan and Kashif Raza each took three wickets as Pakistan Customs were dismissed for 144 in 50.1 overs. Opener Rameez Raja made 41, and only three other batsmen made it to double figures. Bilal Shafayat, the Pakistan Customs captain, was absent hurt. Pursuing 204, WAPDA lost Ahmed Said cheaply, but Mirza and Salman Akbar guided them to 59 for 1 at stumps.Habib Bank Limited did well to take the remaining eight wickets in Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited‘s second innings for 118 runs, but chasing 462, they slipped to a precarious 135 for 4 at close on the third day in Sheikhupura. ZTBL captain Abdul Razzaq scored 74 to back up his five wickets on the second day, but the last five wickets fell for 43 runs as they were dismissed for 256. Left-arm spinner Mohammad Aslam took 4 for 61 off 25.5 overs. At stumps, HBL still needed 327 for an improbable win.Karachi Whites secured a 117-run first-innings lead on the third day against Lahore Shalimar in Muridke. Lahore, who finished day two at 60 for 2 in reply to Karachi’s 501 for 7 declared, were dismissed for 384. Mohammad Asim top scored with 64, while Suleman Khan and Asif Raza also managed half-centuries, and Mohammad Saeed missed out with 49. Tanvir Ahmed and Faraz Ahmed took three wickets apiece for Karachi, with Mohammad Sami and Khalid Mahmood striking twice. Karachi’s openers played out five overs till stumps.In the clash of the leaders in Rawalpindi, Khan Research Laboratories gained the first-innings against National Bank of Pakistan. KRL captain Mohammad Wasim, overnight on 25, made 49 and No. 10 Jaffar Nazir contributed 26 to help their team push from 168 for 7 to 237, a lead of 53. Sixteen-year old Mohammed Aamer added two wickets to finish with 6 for 95 – he now has 48 for the tournament at 13.60 apiece. However, what could have proved costly for NBP were the 19 no-balls from their new-ball operators: Aamer bowled nine, and Wahab Riaz the rest – he bowled three wides as well. NBP opener Nasir Jamshed, overlooked for the first Test against Sri Lanka, then made 107 off 105 balls as his side reached 292 for 3 in their second innings. Umar Amin scored 85, while Naumanullah and captain Qaiser Abbas stayed unbeaten on 48 and 33. Sohail Tanvir took 2 for 83 in his 20 overs.In another see-saw contest, Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited gained the first-innings lead against Pakistan International Airlines in Faisalabad, but closed the day with an advantage of 264 and two second-innings wickets in hand. Beginning at 166 for 6, PIA did well to reach 223, with wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed adding 32 to his 56. However, defending champions SNGPL came up with a lacklustre performance in their second innings. The batsmen failed to convert their starts to bigger scores, and they were at 162 for 8 at close, with wicketkeeper Adnan Akmal unbeaten on 32. PIA’s Najaf Shah took 4 for 44.

Group B

An interesting finish is on the cards in Mirpur Khas, with Hyderabad at 148 for 5 chasing 274 against Quetta. Starting the day at 179 for 4 in their second innings – a lead of 93 – Quetta doubled their total, finishing with 359. Jalat Khan, overnight on 92, scored his second first-class ton: a career-high 170. Sanaullah Khan and No. 10 Gauhar Faiz made useful 30s. Nasim Khan, the Quetta captain, was unable to bat. Faiz then struck twice, and his new-ball partner Nazar Hussain took three wickets to leave Hyderabad reeling at 56 for 5. However, an unbeaten 63 from Lal Kumar, supported by Hanif Malik’s 25 not out, kept Hyderabad’s chances of a win alive.Faisalabad‘s first-innings lead was kept to 120 thanks to Jamaluddin’s unbeaten 102, but Peshawar could face the prospect of trying to battle for a draw on the final day after the hosts raced to 220 for 4 in their second innings in Sargodha. Overnight on 137 for 6, Jamaluddin, resuming on 28, held anchor at one end and strung together partnerships with the lower order. Hidayatullah Khan, the other overnight batsman, made 37 and captain Nauman Habib made 26. Left-arm spinner Saadat Munir picked the final two wickets to finish with 4 for 57 in the innings. Opener Qaiser Iqbal then scored 69, and Usman Arshad finished on 87 not out as Faisalabad added 220 in 55 overs.Karachi Blues need six more wickets to complete a win against Multan after 15 wickets fell on the third day in Karachi. Multan, who began the day at 147 for 8 in their first innings, scored 185: a first-innings deficit of 141. However, they fought back strongly. Left-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar scalped 5 for 69, and two others snared two wickets apiece, as Karachi Blues managed only 194 for 9 declared in 54.3 overs. However, set 336 to win, Multan closed the day struggling at 44 for 4. Opening bowler Tabish Khan took 3 for 14 in his eight overs, while Adnan Kaleem removed opener Taimur Ahmed for 25.Overnight batsmen Raza Ali and Sohail Ahmed both got their centuries as Lahore Ravi scored 437 in their first innings against Abbottabad at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Abbottabad, trailing by 150 on the first innings, ended the day at 73 for 2, with Adnan Raees unbeaten on 36. Resuming on 193 for 2, Lahore lost Raza, who made 111, on 237. Sohail then combined with Ashraf Ali (53) for a 87-run stand. No. 10 Usman Malik scored a quickfire 42 not out. Abbottabad conceded 40 extras as well, with 10 wides, 15 no-balls and five penalty runs.At Diamond Club Ground, hosts Islamabad took the first-innings lead against Sialkot. Resuming on 6 for 0 in reply to Sialkot’s 268 after no play was possible on the second day, Islamabad reached 354 for 9 thanks to Ashar Zaidi’s 124, and half-centuries from opener Raheel Majeed and No. 8 Imad Wasim. Naved Arif and Nayyer Abbas took three wickets apiece. With two innings still to go and one day left, the game seems headed for a draw.

Even the bookies cannot split the teams. In a repeat of the 1993 final at Lord’s, England will face New Zealand at North Sydney Oval on Sunday in a match holding much promise. England were victorious in the original match-up, with their second title, but New Zealand have since etched their names on the trophy with a win in 2000.Neither side have won the World Cup away from home – but one of them is now guaranteed to do so here in Australia. And, if they both play to their potential, this could be the most exciting final yet and, naturally, a great advertisement for the game when the world is watching.The tournament’s most dominant teams, the sides each lost one match en route to the final, with England triumphing in the head-to-head. Having looked utterly unstoppable, however, England then came up against a fierce Australia, baying for any blood after being shut out in the cold.England had already qualified, but it was the end of their 17-win streak, and there was a worrying batting collapse to boot. Still, their captain Charlotte Edwards has brushed off such concerns as “hopefully a minor blip.” Speaking at the press conference at the SCG on Saturday, she said: “We’re all really looking forward to it. We’re all ready.”New Zealand, meanwhile, started their campaign with some batting wobbles, but have stabilised in recent matches. They are easily capable of taking the title, which would be a second for Haidee Tiffen, the only survivor from the successful home campaign of 2000, who draws comparison with her current side. “Whilst the teams are different, certainly the passion, dedication, commitment and pride for our country is evident in both teams,” Tiffen said. “The one thing I will be telling the girls is to enjoy it.”This tournament has thrown up surprises and challenges, though, and so it is impossible to say which of these tight-knit units has the advantage. Both sides have strong batting line-ups, and they field and bowl well – and both are up for the cup.Tiffen said it was about self belief. “It’s about sticking to your role within the team. England have got three or four top-class batsmen that are really in good form at the moment. We need to take our opportunities and try to get them out early. It’s about being consistent in all areas of the game.”We need to stick to our gameplans and we’re a team that bats right down and we need to make sure that we’re using our resources wisely and giving ourselves the best opportunity to win the match. We’ve got attacking batters that can put the ball in all areas of the ground and we’d be stupid not to use that.”Gary Stead, the New Zealand coach, said his side would “go hard” at England. “We are going to try to smash them off the ground early in the game,” he had already promised – or threatened, depending on whose side you’re on.For her part, Edwards was guarded. “Tomorrow’s game is about who deals with the pressure the best out of the two teams and whose key performers perform,” she said. “There are two good teams who are very evenly matched and who’s going to play the best cricket on the day is going to win the game.”The world’s No. 1 batsman Claire Taylor has impressed all who have seen her and has continued her exciting form in this tournament, too. New Zealand will certainly look to target her, Sarah Taylor and Edwards. With the ball, fast bowlers Katherine Brunt and Isa Guha, the world’s No 1 bowler, are of note along with spinner Holly Colvin. Jenny Gunn is their star allrounder.Tiffen is the form batsman for New Zealand. Averaging a fraction under 50 in the tournament and struck a timely maiden ODI hundred in the final group game against Pakistan. But for sheer excitement, look no further than Suzie Bates, who her own captain describes as “a freak”.If ever this is England’s time to win their third World Cup, it’s now. They have won the last 17 of 18 matches on the spin. Their well-honed and hungry team is that classic cocktail named Youth and Experience, mixed to perfection with a generous dash of confidence. They aim to stir, not be shaken – and to be the first England side, men or women, to put their country’s name on an ICC trophy.Then again, it’s also New Zealand’s time. They have a similar make-up to England and had one of their best chances to wrest back the Rose Bowl prior to tour, continuing the good run into the trophy. They play their best when aggressive which can mean higher risks but when it comes off, it does in style, as with Suzie Bates’ breathtaking 168 in their final Super Six match against Pakistan.These warrior-like cricketers will be keen for a successful hunt with prime spoils up for grabs but a buoyant England are just as capable of going in for the kill.

Andy Moles, New Zealand’s coach, has vowed that in Napier India will face “a lot sterner examination than they did in the first Test match”. He admitted they were dejected last night, but they have a proud and honest unit, which will look forward to “give a better account of themselves”.”Yeah we were dejected yesterday but we have analysed that, we have learnt from that, we have cut it off, and now it’s gone, and we are looking forward to next challenge,” Moles said.The morning after the Hamilton Test showed the victors and the defeated in different moods. India have opted for two rest days, their players went out for a bit, were relaxed, and headed off to Auckland. The New Zealand players, though, went out for the optional nets, most of them hit the gym, and were determined to put behind them the performance where “none of the players could say they had a good game”.”We have six or seven guys practising today,” Moles said. “One of the guys [James Franklin] is continuing even after everyone else has left. One thing about this group that is really impressive is their will to win and their will to get better. From my coaching position it’s fantastic. The ideal thing is that we are lucky to have such a good captain. We saw in this game that he led from the front, with the bat, his communication around the team, and the way he puts things across the team is good.”Moles hinted at a few changes in the squad, but more out of fitness reasons than a knee-jerk reaction to the comprehensive defeat. “Jeet [Patel] will come back; he is doing well in his game. I think he scored 44 today to go with his five-for [for Wellington in the State Championship],” Moles said. “We will obviously need cover for Flynny [Daniel Flynn] – he has got a bruised left hand, and also for Iain O’Brien who has got a bit of a side strain. We hope he will be all right. There will be one or two extra people around in our preparation and then Dan [Daniel Vettori] and I will look at the wicket and make the right selection.Moles said he did not feel there was need for wholesale changes in the side despite the four-day loss. “That’s [a knee-jerk reaction] dangerous, isn’t it? We are not making any excuses. We underperformed. But the players who were selected a week ago were deemed to be the best players in the country to take part in this Test. For continuity in the side and growth of the team, I think we don’t need too many changes.”Apart from Patel, Jacob Oram, who had made himself unavailable, not being sure of his fitness, has put in favourable results in his domestic game, bowling 15 overs against Canterbury in New Plymouth. Moles hinted that Oram could come into the equation too.Apart from the bowling, the top-order batting has been a major issue for New Zealand, and Moles stressed on the basics. “We know we didn’t do the basics well enough,” Moles said. “That’s a good point to start off from. We just didn’t bat long enough in pairs, we didn’t bowl well enough in pairs. Something we pride ourselves in is our fielding, but we were disappointed in that too.Moles wanted his players to play long periods against Harbhajan Singh. “I’ll say when we were not losing wickets against him, when we kept playing 10-12 overs against him, we saw it was possible to play against him, and put him away from his original game plan. We have to make sure he has to bowl plenty of balls before he gets success.Andy Moles: “We have to make sure he [Harbhajan Singh] has to bowl plenty of balls before he gets success•Getty Images

“It’s all about shot selection. You need to get the tempo of your innings right according to the state of the game. If you are playing on a flat wicket and you are racing away and the opposition isn’t bowling too well, obviously the tempo changes as to what we had in first innings here where we needed a different types of innings. Test cricket is all about adapting to the game that’s unfolding and our players have got to realise the type of innings that are needed. Over the game we need to score at least 700 runs against this Indian team, and it’s easier to score them in the first innings than the last.”But Moles didn’t doubt the skills of his inexperienced batting line-up. “We got a very inexperienced line-up, we have mentally strong players, when they have success they will learn,” he said. “At the moment they are learning from the failures.”

Mohammad Yousuf and a few other Pakistan players may be heading towards a tricky legal wrangle with the ICL after reports have emerged that they are planning to end their association with the unauthorised Twenty20 league and return to international cricket.Yousuf, Abdul Razzaq, Imran Farhat, Imran Nazir, Mohammad Sami and Naved-ul-Hasan are the players who might walk away from the ICL, the reported. The Pakistan establishment, led by Younis Khan, the captain, is keen that Yousuf, in particular, returns to the national team as early as next month for the one-day series against Australia starting on April 22 in Abu Dhabi, the report said.Yousuf had rejoined the ICL last year after developing serious differences with Shoaib Malik, the then Pakistan captain. But the situation appears to have changed after Younis, known to be close to Yousuf, became Pakistan captain this year. The quoted sources as saying that “the breakthrough was achieved following a series of meetings between Yousuf and Younis”.When contacted by Cricinfo, ICL officials said they have had no contact with Yousuf in this regard but added their contract with the Pakistan batsman enables him to play for the national team. The problem, of course, arises if Yousuf and the other players insist on cutting all ties with ICL, which is what the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has insisted on if they are to be considered again for the national team. In such a situation, the ICL might take the legal route, officials suggested, particularly because Lahore Badshahs, the ICL team for which these cricketers play, is one of the main attractions of the league.Another reason why the Pakistan players are said to be considering such a move is that the ICL has suspended its March-April tournament and is looking at restarting their international programme only in October. The ICL took this step in February due to the deepening economic recession and the Pakistan government’s refusal to let any player from that country play in India following the Mumbai terror attacks.The players fear that the current freeze in political ties between India and Pakistan would prevent them from playing in India in the near future.The report also claimed that if the Pakistan players part ways with the ICL, they could be immediately included in the national team for the one-day series against Australia – the squad is expected to be named early in April.Yousuf, in particular, has had a troubled relationship with the ICL after initially signing a three-year-contract with the league and then trying to pull out in favour of the IPL. However, he was not picked up by any IPL team and returned to the ICL on a fresh contract after both sides agreed to call off a legal case that had been lodged on the issue. “It’s a personal call that he has to take now,” an ICL official said.Players associated with the ICL have been barred from all official cricket in most countries, especially in India where the BCCI has adopted a hard-line stance against the private venture, and the league’s request for recognition is still pending with the ICC.

Following the latest Rajasthan Royals’ batting collapse, Shane Warne has called on his top order to take more responsibility if the team is to defend their title of IPL champions. Chasing a target of 140 set by Kings XI Punjab, Rajasthan slumped to 27 for 4 inside five overs and then lost two more before the ninth over, eventually losing by 27 runs.”Our bowling and fielding were very good … maybe they [Punjab] got 10-15 extra. Chasing 140, we should have done that but unfortunately our top order failed,” Warne said. “They bowled well but we just didn’t get our combination right as yet. Guys at the top are not doing the job, we have to look at that, the bowlers and fielders are doing their job.”Rajasthan have been struggling to cope with the absence of their Shane Watson and Graeme Smith’s form has been poor so far. As a result, their batting collapsed in the first game against Bangalore and they relied on their middle order to prop them up to a defendable total against Kolkata.”The batting is not fine and guys have to take the responsibility and show how important the competition is for them, so hopefully we will get it right in the next game,” said Warne. “This pitch has a history and so it would have been better batting first but then 140 is chaseable, if we could have batted first five or six overs well we should have been being there. We have been playing in the first half but we have not been batting well in the first five or six overs. If we can do that we would surely be a tough force in the competition.”Warne himself scored 34 from 33 balls, the second highest score of a dismal innings, but by the time he came to the middle the match was all but over for Rajasthan.Yuvraj Singh was a pleased man after Punjab won their second game and singled out Kumar Sangakkara and Irfan Pathan for their crucial partnership that smoothed over the loss of four wickets. “After losing early wickets, Sangakkara and Irfan Pathan batted well and got us to a decent total,” he said. “We needed a good partnership and after 10 overs we discussed how we have to go till the 20 overs and we defended it nicely by good bowling in the end.”Sangakkara, Man of the Match for his 60, praised Irfan for his 33-ball 39, an effort that really changed the tempo of Punjab’s innings. “He did most of the batting for us and I just made sure that we batted till the end,” said Sangakkara. “I kept batting positive and then Irfan came and got the momentum back into our side.”We have to make sure that we execute our game plan much better. There have been some run-outs so we have a little homework to do and hopefully we would keep the momentum going.”