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New Zealand fast bowler Tim Southee has been ruled out of the upcoming two-match T20I series against Sri Lanka after scans showed a bruise on the bone of his left foot.Southee had sustained the injury during the third ODI in Nelson, and was subsequently replaced in the ODI squad by Matt Henry. An NZC release confirmed that Henry would stand in for Southee even in the T20s.”Tim was feeling really fresh after coming back from a break for the first two ODIs, so it’s certainly disappointing for him that this has happened now,” Mike Hesson, New Zealand’s coach, said. “Tim’s obviously a key member of our team and been a strong performer for us in all three formats, so he’s a big loss.”We haven’t set a date for his return at this point, but will continue to monitor him and work to get him back to full fitness as quickly as possible.”Incidentally, that Nelson match was Southee’s first ODI since June, as he had been rested for the limited-overs tour to Africa in August. Southee suffered from an irritated disc in his back during the first Test against Australia in Brisbane, but regained his fitness to play the remaining two matches, in Perth and Adelaide.He was also rested for the first two ODIs of the Sri Lanka series, in Christchurch, and in his absence, Henry, Southee’s replacement, went on to take four-wicket hauls in both games.

Bhargav Bhatt’s four-for dismantled Tamil Nadu•Sivaraman Kitta

Baba Aparajith’s half-century was the sole innings of prominence for Tamil Nadu as they were dismantled for 176 by Andhra’s bowlers in Chennai. Bhargav Bhatt and Y Prithvi Raj shared seven wickets between them to run through TN’s batting line-up, while Bandaru Ayyappa and Shoaib Md Khan picked the rest.TN’s India players, M Vijay and R Ashwin, were both dismissed for single-digit scores, making 4 and 9 respectively. Vijay was the first wicket to fall, in the seventh over, and in the next over, Prithvi Raj dismissed Abhinav Mukund to leave the score at 15 for 2. Kaushik Gandhi and B Indrajith attempted to steady the innings with a 26-run partnership for the third wicket, but Bhatt thwarted them by dismissing Indrajith. Aparajith, meanwhile, anchored one end to take TN to 140, after which the tenth-wicket pair of Rahil Shah and Krishnamoorthy Vignesh helped lift them to 176.Andhra ended the day at 8 for no loss, with Prasanth Kumar (1*) and Srikar Bharat (7*) at the crease.A 199-run fifth-wicket partnership between Devendra Bundela and Shubham Sharma propelled Madhya Pradesh from 69 for 4 to a solid 268 for 5 against Baroda in Indore. Bundela was dismissed on 99 by seamer Atit Sheth off the last ball of the day.Madhya Pradesh were in the midst of a wobble after losing openers Waseem Ahmed (4) and Rajat Patidar (4) within the first ten overs, and slipped further when Naman Ojha (24) and Harpreet Singh (32) were dismissed before lunch. A middle-order charge from Bundela and Shubham made Baroda’s bowlers toil without reward until the end of the day, when 40-year old Bundela was caught by wicketkeeper Pinal Shah, thus missing out on his 27th first-class hundred.The first day’s play between Odisha and Tripura was washed out without a ball being bowled in Cuttack

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

Mornè Morkel, with a five-for in his second Test, and Dale Steyn were thedestroyers as Bangladesh were knocked over for 192 soon after tea on theopening day, but a stirring fightback inspired by Shahadat Hossain andMohammad Rafique left the match intriguing poised when play was called offwith eight overs still to be bowled. By then, South Africa had stumbled to76 for 4, with Ashwell Prince and Johan Botha holding fort on a pitch thatwas already showing signs of misbehaving.The key wicket, as is so often the case when South Africa play, was thatof Jacques Kallis. Having repeatedly exposed his stumps to the probing left-armspin of Rafique, he had no answer when one turned and kept appallinglylow. At one stage, with Hashim Amla and Kallis adding 35, it looked asthough South Africa had overcome the early Shahadat-induced wobble, butRafique accounted for Amla as well, trapping him plumb in front with onethat came in with the arm.Graeme Smith had inside-edged one on to his leg stump and Neil McKenzie, openingin place of the dropped Herschelle Gibbs, was rapped in front by one thatangled back in. Shahadat bowled an inspired spell, and could have hadKallis as well, but a muted appeal when the ball struck pad before batdidn’t quite convince the umpire.The batting debacle took the sheen off a superb bowling display from SouthAfrica’s callow pace bowlers. Steyn, so devastating during the homeseason, dealt the first blows. Spot on with his first ball of the match,the second looped back to his left after Tamim Iqbal had inside edged onto his pad. Steyn reacted smartly on his follow through to hold on.In his next over, more success, as Junaid Siddique hung his bat out at onethat slanted across him, and Mark Boucher dived across Smith at first slip tohold on to the catch. More uncomfortable moments followed, with Makhaya Ntini andSteyn testing the batsmen with short deliveries, but Shahriar Nafees gavethe crowd some solace with a crisp pull and square-drive off Steyn.Habibul Bashar pulled Ntini for a boundary, but looked out of sortsotherwise, and the introduction of Morkel sent him speedily in thedirection of the pavilion. Considering that he’s a former captain and themost senior batsman in the side, it was a wretched shot, a nothing waftoutside off stump, and McKenzie held a low chance in front of him at awide third slip.Stodgy defiance hasn’t been a characteristic of Bangladeshi batting inrecent times, and Mohammad Ashraful’s approach when he arrived at thecrease was indicative of a cavalier mindset. An edge for four got himgoing, and when Morkel then pitched too full, he clipped one effortlesslythrough midwicket for four.Ntini has seldom been a factor on subcontinent pitches, and Ashrafulcapitalised on his more predictable offerings with a superb square-driveand a meaty pull. At the other end, Nafees was alternately watchful andattacking before Morkel turned out to be too good for him.A full delivery was driven superbly through the covers, but the next ballangled across and deviated away. The hesitant push flew to Smith, andSouth Africa had four wickets for just 60. Ashraful continued undaunted,lacing a couple of lovely drives, but Botha’s introduction on the strokeof lunch proved a masterstroke.

Ashraful drove and cut for fours before impetuously whacking a lofteddelivery straight back to the bowler. That left Bangladesh in disarray at82 for 5, with Aftab Ahmad and Shakib Al Hasan having to shoulder thepost-lunch burden.They did so for well over an hour, with a combination of pluck and luck.Shakib started with a gorgeous straight drive off Ntini, and followed upwith two more crisp strokes through the off side. There were hints ofinexperience too, though, with an ill-judged paddle sweep off Botha barelymissing the stumps off the inside edge.Aftab had eschewed his normal flamboyance to knuckle down, but as thesession wore on, the frustration became palpable. Something had to give,and it did with Aftab playing an appalling shot to Botha after having gotto 44. Ntini took the catch at mid-off, and South Africa soon had muchmore to celebrate.His departure appeared to upset Shakib’s composure too, and when Morkelangled one across, he edged to a wide second slip where AB de Villiersheld on to a sharp chance. Rafique lasted just one ball, with SteveBucknor taking an age to raise the finger after a thick inside edge on tothe pad. Crucially though, Mashrafe Mortaza, with a breezy 29, andMushfiqur Rahim added 40 for the ninth wicket before Morkel and Steynreturned to scatter stumps.At that stage, it was very much South Africa’s day, but the 24 oversbefore stumps suggested that repeating their success in Pakistan lastOctober may not be so straightforward after all.

Logistical reasons have forced a switch in the dates for the two Standard Bank Pro20 semi-finals.Taking into consideration a Super 14 rugby match at Newlands, involving the Stormers on Saturday, which is the reserve day for the clash between Cape Cobras and the Titans, the match has been switched to Sunday. However, there is no change in the venue for the game. The other semi-final between the Dolphins and the Eagles at Kingsmead, Durban will be staged on Friday.Friday’s match will be a day-night encounter and will commence at 1800, and if it is forced into the reserve day on Saturday, it will be replayed at 1430. Sunday’s match in Cape Town is a day match and will begin at 1430 and if it goes to Monday, it will start at 1800.

Sam Konstas and Matthew Gilkes blasted half-centuries, before legspinner Shadab Khan ensured Brisbane Heat would not reprise another heroic chase, as Sydney Thunder clinched their first BBL win of the season.Chasing 194 appeared far less daunting for Heat compared to their astonishing BBL record chase of 258 runs against Scorchers just three nights prior. But Shadab spun a web around them in helpful Manuka Oval conditions to finish with 4-24 from 4 overs, as Heat fell well short of the target.After being sent in to bat, Thunder’s strong total of 193 for 4 was built around a 127-run partnership from openers Konstas and Gilkes. Konstas’ 45-ball 63 was marked by crisp drives through the off-side, while Gilkes went aerially and top-scored with 76 off 48.Entering with the grim tournament figures of 1 for 92 from 6.4 overs – having been removed from the attack due to dangerous bowling in his BBL debut – Shaheen Shah Afridi unleashed several trademark sizzling full deliveries in an improved performance. He finished with 1-35 from 4 overs.Shaheen Shah Afridi had his best night of the tournament so far•Getty Images

All eyes were on Heat’s chase, but they looked slightly weary after the surreal events of Friday night. Opener Jack Wildermuth, who emerged as a Heat hero after blasting 110 not out, struggled to back up and swung rustily, as seamer Nathan McAndrew bowled a maiden in the second over.Two deliveries after Colin Munro holed out tamely, Wildermuth’s stumps were rattled on 14, having missed a wrong’un from Shadab in a lovely piece of legspin.But Matt Renshaw was in imperious form as the momentum from his brutal century against Scorchers carried over. He had no trouble against Shadab, blasting a trio of boundaries in the seventh over before slog sweeping offspinner Chris Green into the crowd.Renshaw cruised to 43 before Shadab had the last laugh, when a wrong-un spun past an attempted reverse sweep and crashed the middle stump as Heat’s chase fizzled out.Related

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It was an important victory for Thunder after consecutive defeats, with both teams now sporting a record of one win and two losses in this edition.Shaheen troubled Konstas immediately with an lbw shout that was turned down. Shaheen’s initial two-over burst cost just 11 runs, but he lamented gifting a short and wide delivery to Konstas, who promptly dispatched a boundary through point.Taking over the captaincy in place of injured Nathan McSweeney, Xavier Bartlett paid the price for missing his lengths, with a ruthless Konstas smacking him through the off-side.Konstas and Gilkes batted cleverly, ensuring there were few dot balls, by finding the gaps and running hard between the wickets. Thunder made an impressive 37-0 in the powerplay as Bartlett deployed left-arm spinner Matthew Kuhnemann. Kuhnemann should be in the selection mix for the Boxing Day Ashes Test, with Nathan Lyon to miss the Test after suffering a hamstring injury.Shadab Khan took a four-for to stifle Heat’s chase•Getty Images

Kuhnemann bowled accurately, but Gilkes and Konstas smartly nudged him around to keep the scoreboard ticking over. The blossoming partnership started to frustrate Heat and they slumped further, when Gilkes – on 46 – was dropped by Wildermuth at long off on the last ball before the drinks break.The batters decided to put the foot down, with Konstas unfurling the reverse sweep to good effect – having botched an earlier attempt – before holing out to Wildermuth in the 14th over.Much like the previous two games, Shaheen struggled in the power surge, although he was initially unlucky when Gilkes inside edged past his stumps and to the boundary.Sam Billings swung a flustered Shaheen over the square leg boundary during an 18-run over, as Thunder eyed a total of 200. But their momentum stalled when Billings and David Warner – who came in at No.4, not opening for the second straight game – fell in consecutive overs.Shaheen’s mood lifted in the penultimate over, when he had Gilkes trapped lbw with a searing yorker overturned on review.

Guyana Cricket Board has made assurances that the pitch at the Providence Stadium will be ready for the first Test against Sri Lanka despite the warm-up match between the Sri Lankans and a Guyana President’s Select XI to be played at the same venue.The tour game, scheduled between March 17 and 19, was to be played at Bourda but heavy rain left the ground waterlogged and the board was forced to shift it to the Providence Stadium, which will host its first-ever Test on March 22.”After Bourda was under water for several days we consulted the West Indies Cricket Board about using the National Stadium [ Providence Stadium] for the warm-up match and we were told once we do not use the same pitch it would be fine and the pitch we are using [for the warm-up game] is two pitches away from the one we will be using for the Test match,” said Chetram Singh, the Guyana board president.Singh said groundsmen will work overtime to get the Test pitch ready in time. “We started the preparations for the Test match earlier than usual so we will ensure that the three day match will not disturb the Test pitch to a level of Test match readiness.”Ticket sales picked up on Friday after two days of little rain and much sunshine, according to Singh. “We’re hoping from Monday that the sales will pick up further with additional publicity and the cricket fever kicking in with the public knowing that the Sri Lankans are here.”The confusion we usually have at Bourda at the gates and so on, we don’t see that confusion at the [Providence] stadium. Parking facilities will be much better at the stadium because there is a huge parking space in front the stadium and because the stadium was constructed to specific ICC regulations the entire running of cricket at the stadium is going to be much easier.”

England were considering raising their grievances around the ‘Snicko’ technology used in Australia with the match referee on Wednesday night, after its supplier took “full responsibility” for an apparent error in process.Australia centurion Alex Carey had scored 72 when he flashed at the first ball of the 63rd over, bowled by Josh Tongue, and England’s fielders – including wicketkeeper Jamie Smith – immediately appealed for a caught-behind decision. Ahsan Raza, the standing umpire, gave Carey not out on-field, and England reviewed his decision almost immediately.There was a prominent spike shown on the Real-Time Snickometer technology used in Australia, but it appeared three or four frames before the ball passed Carey’s bottom edge. Chris Gaffaney, the TV umpire, said that the spike was “before the bat” and that the ball appeared to have “gone well under” the bat: “There’s a clear gap, no spike.”Related

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But Carey, who added a further 34 runs after his reprieve, suggested that he had hit it: “I thought there was a bit of a feather or some sort of noise when it passed the bat. It looked a bit funny on the replay, didn’t it, with the noise coming early? If I was given out, I think I would have reviewed it – probably not confidently though. It was a nice sound as it passed the bat, yeah.Carey said that he was “clearly not” a ‘walker’, and added: “Snicko obviously didn’t line up, did it? That’s just the way cricket goes sometimes, isn’t it? You have a bit of luck, and maybe it went my way today.”Warren Brennan, the founder of BBG Sports who provide the technology used in Tests in Australia, told : “Given that Alex Carey admitted he had hit the ball in question, the only conclusion that can be drawn from this is that the Snicko operator at the time must have selected the incorrect stump mic for audio processing.”In light of this, BBG Sports takes full responsibility for the error.”The ICC has two approved “sound-based edge detection technology” suppliers: Real-Time Snickometer (RTS), which is used in Australia, and UltraEdge, which is used in the rest of the world.Simon Taufel, the former umpire performance manager at the ICC and a repeat winner of the umpire of the year award, suggested on that the technology may have malfunctioned.”The confusing element here for everyone was that the spike occurred at least a couple of frames before the bat, which was just amazing,” Taufel said. “I have never seen a spike like this occur without the bat hitting something like a pad, or the ground, or the ball hitting the pad.”My gut tells me, from all of my experience on-field, and also as a TV umpire, that I think Alex Carey has actually hit that ball and the technology calibration hasn’t been quite right to game the outcome that it was looking for.”