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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKusal Mendis showed a lot of grit, but not in the minutes before the rain arrived•Getty Images

For the second time in the Test, Sri Lanka’s inexperienced batting line-up offered more resistance than expected, but New Zealand’s persistent fast bowlers supported by the safe gloves of BJ Watling ensured the home side made strides towards victory despite a bad-weather day in Dunedin. Rain and hail halted play three times at University Oval, and at stumps Sri Lanka had seven wickets left and 296 runs to get, with a better forecast for the final day.Brendon McCullum had given his attack 405 to defend and a little more than five sessions to dismiss Sri Lanka by declaring New Zealand’s second innings on 267 for 3 half an hour before lunch on the fourth day. The highlights of their quick run accumulation – 96 in 17.4 overs- was Tom Latham’s third Test hundred and McCullum’s record-equalling 100th six.New Zealand’s bowlers had to toil harder for wickets than their batsmen had done for runs. Play was halted either side of lunch soon after Sri Lanka began their chase but the openers’ approach was not affected. Dimuth Karunaratne and Kusal Mendis batted with more confidence than they had done at the start of the first innings.Their partnership could have ended on 28, though, but Martin Guptill dropped a straightforward chance off Mendis at first slip, leaving the bowler Doug Bracewell in anguish. In Bracewell’s last over, Mendis had played a perfect straight drive and then was beaten on an expansive cover drive. Having been dropped on 13, Mendis had another reprieve on 25, when Watling could not catch a tough chance down the leg side off a gloved sweep against Mitchell Santner. Mendis collected two fours off the left-arm spinner, punishing long-hops to the leg-side boundary.Like in his first innings, Karunaratne was dismissed against the run of play, when he tried to upper-cut Southee but edged to Watling. McCullum had held Neil Wagner back until the 29th over, and the left-arm quick broke through in his third. Udara Jayasundera ended a poor debut by fending a short ball off his ribs to Watling. Sri Lanka had gone from 54 for 0 to 64 for 2.Dinesh Chandimal took his chances against Wagner after tea, slashing and driving outside the off stump. He middle some balls, was beaten on others, and edged a couple over the cordon. Wagner countered by targeting the body with a short-pitched attack from around the wicket, forcing defence from Chandimal.Mendis took fewer risks, his attacking drives through cover and past Bracewell involving straight bats, as he approached his maiden half-century. He did not get there, though. Three balls after surviving a run-out chance, Mendis pushed at an outswinger from Southee that pitched on a perfect length and moved just enough to draw the edge. Watling took his ninth catch, and moved within two of the record for most dismissals in a Test. It began to rain and hail immediately after the wicket, bringing an early end to the day.Play had begun under sunny skies on the fourth day, with New Zealand ahead by 308 and two batsmen approaching milestones. Kane Williamson got to his half-century off the second ball of the day, dabbing to square leg and sprinting the second, an indication of the urgency with which New Zealand would bat against little pressure from Sri Lanka.Latham was playing at balls wide outside off, looking to score swiftly, and on 73 he edged Nunwan Pradeep between the wicketkeeper and first slip. It was Chandimal’s catch but he did not move. Latham drove frequently through cover but a lot of his shots found fielders. Then he found the gap at extra cover off Suranga Lakmal to move into the 90s and pulled Pradeep to the long-leg boundary.Williamson fell before Latham got to his hundred. He had lofted Pradeep to the midwicket boundary, and charged and hit Jayasundera in the same direction, but when he attempted the shot off Dushmantha Chameera, the ball nipped in, hit his pad and bowled him. Williamson’s partnership of 141 with Latham had come at 4.36 an over.Ross Taylor glanced his second ball, from Chameera, for four and hit two more boundaries in his next eight deliveries as New Zealand sped ahead. Latham drove Rangana Herath through midwicket and celebrated a Test hundred for the first time since November 2014, ending a run of seven double-figure scores without making more than 50.After Taylor was bowled, aiming to hit Herath to deep midwicket, McCullum charged at his first ball and smashed it over the straight boundary. Five balls later, he swiped Herath over deep midwicket to equal Adam Gilchrist’s record for most sixes in Test cricket, but decided he did not have to break it in this innings and declared.

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

Kevin Pietersen was back to his best with 134 © Getty Images

If Lord’s can somehow escape further rain there will be a positive outcome to this intensely fought match. England hold the upper hand after a dazzling century from Kevin Pietersen set India 380 despite RP Singh’s career-best five-wicket haul. Dinesh Karthik glued India’s chase together with a gutsy half century, but England have already removed Rahul Dravid and Sachin Tendulkar, trapped lbw by Monty Panesar who nearly finished his celebrations in another postcode.The contest didn’t take a significant swing to either side until Pietersen exploded in the hour after lunch, taking 29 balls to move from 62 to his century, adding 119 with Matt Prior. He is never one to hold back, but there was raw emotion on display as he enjoyed his hundred, suggesting that he’d answered a few questions following recent reaction to his comments about fatigue. He also gave England a healthy advantage – only three times has more than 380 been chased down in a Test.India began more positively than in the first innings with Karthik dealing in boundaries for his first 20 runs and both he and Wasim Jaffer eager for the quick singles. Michael Vaughan, who has been at his most thoughtful and inventive as captain throughout the match, tinkered with the field and Jaffer obliged by clipping James Anderson to Pietersen at midwicket. Karthik might have gone in the same fashion next over, but Vaughan had pushed the man deeper and Karthik eventually reached his fifty, off 101 balls. He and Sourav Ganguly survived a few scares, particularly from Panesar, but posted a vital fifty stand.Dravid completed a low-key match with the bat, although was unfortunate with Simon Taufel’s decision after he was struck outside off stump by Chris Tremlett. The ground then stood, not for the outgoing Dravid but for the incoming Tendulkar. It was probably his final Test innings at Lord’s and a delicate early drive off Panesar and a more powerful repeat off Anderson suggested he wanted to finally leave a mark on the ground.But Panesar was already into a good rhythm, looping the ball nicely from the Nursery End and finding turn not only from the foot marks. However, it was a smart piece of deception that did for Tendulkar as, almost in a repeat of Panesar’s first Test wicket at Nagpur, he sent down an arm ball. Tendulkar initially shaped to leave and was struck in line with off stump. Steve Bucknor did the rest and Panesar was half way to the boundary before his team-mates caught up with him. After earlier witnessing an almost angry celebration from Pietersen, Panesar’s was sheer joy.Pietersen’s innings is worthy of match-winning status, coming as it did after England had wobbled against a sharp spell from Singh. Vaughan was swung out before both Paul Collingwood and Ian Bell fell to the short ball as three wickets went for 30 in six overs. Pietersen began the day on 15 and had to be watchful throughout the first session but two boundaries off Singh’s first over of the afternoon session showed his intent and he raced through the nineties by taking Anil Kumble to the cleaners. He cut a short ball to the cover fence, lofted a handsome six towards the media centre and reached three figures with a wristy flick through midwicket. The one-legged flick through midwicket also made an appearance and Pietersen’s few days of R&R appear to have worked wonders. Of the 205 runs England added, 119 came from Pietersen’s bat.

Dinesh Karthik battled hard for his half century during the final session © Getty Images

Prior played an important hand, remaining in Pietersen’s shadow except for the occasional reminder that he, too, can take an attack apart. The seventh-wicket stand, scored at nearly five an over, was exactly what England hoped Prior would bring to the side in such a position with a match in the balance. It took a cracking delivery from Zaheer Khan to end the stand, the ball moving late to take the outside edge, and Zaheer was on a hat-trick as Tremlett unluckily dragged on to complete a debut pair. However, India’s body language showed they knew the situation had run away from them.It was very different during the morning as, for the second time in the match, Singh’s switch to round-the-wicket caused Vaughan’s downfall. After edging a drive wide of second slip Vaughan got an inside edge as he drove again – this time the ball swinging in – and lost his off stump. Collingwood, after avoiding a pair, found himself in a tangle against Singh’s well-directed bouncer. The short ball has been used sparingly in this Test and Collingwood was slow to react, gloving to VVS Laxman at second slip as he tried to duck.Singh’s short spell with Leicestershire earlier this season didn’t set pulses racing with eight wickets at 31 in two matches. The past few days, though, he has caught England’s batsmen by surprise with his pace and has shown the ability to move the ball both ways. He dismissed Bell through a dragged-on pull, from a ball which didn’t bounce as much as the batsman expected, and returned to close the innings with the scalps of Pietersen and Panesar.However, India were still left with a daunting target. The loss of two key players made the task even tougher but they battled hard during the final session. All results are still possible and a dry final day is what this absorbing match deserves.

Kenya have recalled the opening batsman, Morris Ouma, for the one-day international series against Bangladesh that gets underway on Saturday.Ouma, who is also a reserve wicketkeeper, replaces Timothy Mwange, one of two youngsters who had been expected to make their international debut in Canada. However, neither featured in the Intercontinental Cup, nor the two one-day matches Kenya played in Toronto.The change is part of head coach Roger Harper’s desire to improve the run-rate from his top order, which has disappointedly failed to deliver in the last four international competitions.Kennedy Otieno Obuya, the struggling veteran opener and wicketkeeper, has retained his place despite heavy criticism for his poor batting during the disastrous tour of Bangladesh, where Kenya suffered a 4-0 series defeat earlier this year.Harper said Kenya, which has won six of the 11 matches they have played with Test-playing Bangladesh since 1997, would be looking to avenge the defeat.”This is a new series and both teams start from scratch,” said Harper. “In Bangladesh they had the advantage of home conditions. We expect to be able to perform a lot better in home conditions and we’re looking forward to being very competitive and really trying to turn the tables on the Bangladeshis this time.”

Brendon Kuruppu, a former opening batsman and selector for Sri Lanka, has been appointed interim team manager for Sri Lanka’s forthcoming tour to Pakistan. Kuruppu takes over on a temporary basis after Ajit Jayasekera, the manager for most of the last four years, requested a break.Sri Lanka Cricket is set to start a recruitment process for a two-year contract starting with Sri Lanka’s tour of New Zealand, and Jayasekera has not ruled out reapplying for the position. Jayasekera had excelled in the job, earning the respect of the team and the media, but the constant travel had become an increasing burden and he decided to spend more time at home with his six-year-old son.Kuruppu takes over having just returned to the island after a coaching stint in Singapore. Anura Tennekoon and Michael Tissera, both former Sri Lanka captains, had been the frontrunners to stand-in for Jayasekera. A senior board official has confirmed that Kuruppu’s name has been sent to the Minister of Sports for ratification.

Holland have opted for a youthful look to their squad for the Intercontinental Cup match against Scotland at Mannofield, Aberdeen, starting on June 11.Emmerson Trotman, the national coach, has chosen Maurits van Nierop (20) and Tom de Grooth (21) to replace Dutch team stalwarts such as Tim de Leede, who is unavailable due to family commitments, Darron Reekers, and Feiko Kloppenburg, who are both injured. Kloppenburg has been playing in the local one-day league but has been advised not to play in the three-day game against Scotland, as his back would take too much strain.Van Nierop and de Grooth both have three-day experience, having played in the Western Cape league in South Africa for several years after coming through the Dutch Cricket Academy, which is based in Cape Town. They will be well supported by Bas Zuiderent, who was released by Sussex last season after a four year stint, and Daan van Bunge, who is currently captaining the MCC youth team.Walter Schiferli and Gokke will probably take the new ball, with van Troost providing support with his medium pace. Holland have the luxury of two spinners, Esmeijer and Raja, in the squad. Trotman believes he has a well-balanced team and it will be a good contest between Holland and Scotland as they enter the first-class arena for the first time.Holland L.van Troost (captain), J.Smits (vice captain and wicket keeper), D.van Bunge, J.J.Esmeijer, S.Gokke, T.de Grooth, H.J.Mol, M.van Nierop, A.Raja, E.Schiferli, C.Smith, B.Zuiderent.

With a further 63 overs lost on the final day, the Championship match between Glamorganand Hampshire ended in an inevitable draw, but not before Matthew Maynard had recordedhis 48th first-class hundred for Glamorgan and his second Championship ton of the summer.The 37 year old has been in fine fettle so far this season, scoring a century againstDerbyshire in Glamorgan`s opening Championship match of the season, as well as recording hundreds in the twofriendlies with Somerset and Cardiff UCCE. He began the day by sharing in a 4th wicketstand of 166 in 34 overs with Mike Powell before Powell was bowled off his pads by WasimAkram with the first delivery after Hampshire had taken the new ball during the 91st over.Maynard duly reached his hundred, despatching Alan Mullally to the cover boundary, butthe Glamorgan batsman eventually fell when he pulled a short ball from Chris Tremlettstraight to Shaun Udal at mid wicket. Maynard`s 112 came from 119 balls and included 17fours and a six, and it is the second time that he has scored centuries in the opening twoChampionship games of the season, having previously achieved the feat against Gloucestershireand Somerset at the start of the 1988 season.Chris Tremlett claimed his third victim of the innings when he trapped Mark Wallace legbefore, shortly after Glamorgan had reached 400 to pick up their full compliment of battingpoints. Glamorgan took lunch at 412-6, but after just three balls of the post-lunch session, rainforced the players from the field, and heavy showers throughout the afternoon prevented anyfurther play.

Lahore-Almost 20 years after its inauguration as a Test venue, in 1981 against the Clive Lloyd led West Indies, Multan is all set to renew its status with the first match of the Asian Test Championship on August 29, when it plays host to Bangladesh.But this major city in the Southern Punjab, which is home to Inzamam-ul-Haq, would not have hosted only its second Test in two decades if the visiting team was not Bangladesh. That despite having a brand-new stadium now. The ICC regulations specifically ask for a five-star hotel facility within 30 minutes of travelling time to the ground. The hotel is there, but it is merely a three-star – and even that is stretching it a bit.These days, when international teams and cricketers have become highly demanding, no front-line team would have agreed to put up in such a facility. The example of the Aussies only recently forsaking a 100-plus years of tradition for the additional comforts of a swimming pool during the Edgbaston Test in the ongoing Ashes series is a case in point. Perhaps Bangladesh consented because they are babes of the game and not yet spoiled by the frills that international cricketers these days take for granted. Or maybe they agreed not to make the modest lodgings an issue because the Boards of the two countries enjoy very cordial relations.Recognized as one of the best-kept tourism secrets in the world because of the pristine natural beauty of its mountain ranges, historical monuments some of which date back to thousands of years and such tremendous variety in landscape and climates, Pakistan is sometimes a tourist’s nightmare because of a lack of quality lodgings in most cities and towns. The places where quality hotels are available are mostly the provincial and federal capitals.Cricket also stands to suffer on this count, as four venues where stadiums exist – and are being revamped and upgraded under the PCB’s ‘Vision 2005’ programme – would no longer be able to host international matches unless the guests show the kind of accommodation that the Bangladeshis are doing. These are: Hyderabad’s Niaz Stadium, the Multan’s newly-made cricket ground and Sialkot’s Jinnah Stadium and Gujranwala’s Municipal Stadium. In the circumstances, the point to consider for the PCB is as to how would it recoup the sizable investment that it is making in reconstructing these stadiums. Maybe the Board thinks that quality hotels would eventually be built in these cities or perhaps the use of these grounds for domestic cricket would be enough justification for its investment. And also that it would occasionally find visitors as accommodating as Bangladesh.

Newcastle United goalkeeper Martin Dubravka is undergoing treatment for angina on international duty. 

The lowdown

Dubravka, who was Slovakia’s goalkeeper at last summer’s European Championship, missed his nation’s 2-0 defeat against Norway in Oslo on Friday. Largely due to a lack of availability, he has only played one game for Stefan Tarkovic’s side since that tournament.

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The 33-year-old missed the start of the 2021/22 campaign with a foot injury but returned to the Newcastle side in late November and has held down his place ever since.

Ahead of their trip to Tottenham on Sunday, the Magpies are already without the likes of Callum Wilson and Kieran Trippier.

The latest

Slovakia head coach Tarkovic told futbalsfz.sk (via Caught Offside) that Dubravka had had to withdraw from the squad due to angina, a potentially serious heart conditions which restricts the flow of blood to the heart muscles.

The 49-year-old stated: “Martin Dubravka suspects angina. Our doctors started antibiotic treatment for him. He is in isolation and will definitely not be part of the team in Norway and Finland.”

The verdict

The £38,000-per-week goalkeeper could be a big miss for Newcastle if he faces a spell on the sidelines.

Without him, data from FBRef suggests that the Magpies would be around four goals worse off this season. That’s the fourth-best shot-stopping record in the Premier League, behind only Alisson, Jose Sa and David de Gea.

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By contrast, deputy option Karl Darlow conceded 3.4 goals more than he ‘should’ have over the course of just eight matches earlier in the season. For context, the three ‘keepers below Darlow – Ben Foster, Emiliano Martinez and Illan Meslier, have played 18, 28 and 30 games respectively.

It therefore seems that the 31-year-old is a far less reliable option than Dubravka, and he might cost Newcastle points if he needs to be called upon in the Slovakian’s potential absence in upcoming fixtures.

In other news, Newcastle have agreed this deal for a rising starlet 

United Bank Limited sealed their place in the final of the President’s Trophy with a 169-run win over Port Qasim Authority in Karachi. Though they were chasing the game during the first half of the Test, a substantial second-innings total courtesy Abid Ali’s century and a stellar bowling effort led by captain Atif Maqbool, who took eleven wickets for the match, took United Bank to title contention.Mohammad Sami’s four wickets limited United Bank to 232 and Port Qasim were able to build on their bowers’ exploits largely thanks to a belligerent 140 from captain Khalid Latif. He arrived with the score at 153 for 5 and his 116-ball effort was vital to the side securing a 98-run lead. Maqbool, the offspinner, was the star bowler for United Bank, claiming 6 for 102, but his opposite number snared the limelight, biffing 12 sixes and nine fours.United Bank, who had ended a 15-year hiatus from top-grade first-class cricket in 2011, were able to overhaul the lead they conceded and set up a formidable fourth-innings target of 290 through Abid’s 128, his ninth first-class ton. He paced his innings quite well and ensured he wasn’t bogged down by striking 18 fours. With a little help from Mohammad Zohaib (61) and No. 9 Kashif Bhatti (64), United Bank were able to put up a much better effort second time around. Azam Hussain was the pick of the bowlers with 7 for 102.Port Qasim’s chase stuttered even as it began with the fall of four early wickets. Asim Kamal’s half-century was only one of three double-figure scores in the innings as Maqbool proved troublesome once again, ending up with 5 for 39 and sealing United Bank’s victory to help the four-time Quad-e-Azam champions bid for their first President’s Trophy title.Misbah-ul-Haq and Imran Khalid were the architects of Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited‘s progress into the final with a victory over Water and Power Development Authority by 98 runs.Invited to bat, SNGPL were dented early and were propped up only by Misbah’s battling century. The next best score was 18 as Azhar Attari claimed five wickets for the third time in his first-class career. Misbah faced more than twice as many balls as any of his team-mates, striking seven sixes and eight fours.Though only 187 was needed to claim a first-innings lead, WAPDA’s batting struggled right from the start. Having lost their first wicket with no score on the board, they were shaken by regular jolts largely courtesy left-arm spinner Khalid, who ended up with 5 for 31. A slew of starts were wasted by the WAPDA batsmen resulting in them being dismissed for 137.With a lead of 49, SNGPL went for the kill. After opener Taufeeq Umar fell for a 66-ball 65, Umar Akmal was promoted to No.3 and skinned 77 off only 37 balls. WAPDA were set 272 for victory but they fell well short as again none of their batsmen could post more than 38. Khalid snared four wickets in the second innings as well.Kamran Akmal had an immensely profitable outing as his 162 runs and seven dismissals in the match ushered National Bank of Pakistan to a 112-run victory over Habib Bank Limited in Islamabad.Invited to bat, National Bank suffered a trend of batsmen failing to capitalise on their starts. Akmal, coming at No.6 broke the trend with a rapid century. His skill at finding the boundary was apparent as he mauled 94 of his 106 runs through fours (19) and sixes (3). Fifties from Nasir Jamshed and Fawad Alam had set the platform for his explosion as National Bank declared their innings on 325.Offspinner Adnan Rasool raked through the Habib Bank middle and lower order to claim his 10th five-wicket haul, which proved instrumental in bundling Habib Bank out for 178. Imran Farhat, the captain, led the resistance with brother Humayun chipping in but the lack of substantial partnerships and big scores meant National Bank gained a lead of 147.Akmal pressed the advantage further with an aggressive half-century in the second innings and his team-mates followed suit. Wahab Riaz was promoted to No.4 and smashed five fours and two sixes in a 17-ball 40 that powered National Bank to 181 in 22.2 overs, when they declared to set up a target of 329.The chase began well as the openers put up Habib Bank’s first fifty-partnership of the match. Bilal Shafayat and Imran Farhat posted useful half-centuries but neither batsman could convert. With the score on 171, Farhat was the fifth batsman to fall and Habib Bank lost a further three wickets with the score on 204 to be eight down. Ahmed Jamal picked up the final two in the 77th over to complete his five-for as victory was sealed.Sharjeel Khan slammed a mammoth 279, his highest first-class score but Pakistan Television held Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited to a draw, after the first day’s play was abandoned, in Rawalpindi.PTV were routed for 212 in the first innings, having been put in. It did not look likely, with Akbar Badshah and Mohammad Sami putting on 74 for the fourth wicket. The score was still a reasonably healthy 157 for 4, but the last six wickets posed very little threat as Sajjad Hussain and Imran Khan claimed four wickets each.ZTBL’s batting effort was dominated by Sharjeel as he went at nearly a run-a-ball, slamming an astonishing 40 fours and five sixes. The rest of the top-order, though, could contribute only 24 runs to the total and ZTBL were in considerable trouble at 61 for 5. But that was when Sharjeel took control. He added 66 runs with Luqman Butt and a further 214 with the keeper Shakeel Ansar, who struck his fourth first-class fifty.PTV would not be scuttled out again as Sami went on to make his second first-class ton, with 12 fours and two sixes, and enjoyed good support from Zohaib Ahmed who struck 81 as they reached 290 for 5 at the end of the fourth day.

The battle between the Kenyan Cricket Association and the country’s stakeholders took another twist this weekend with the revelation that the government is forming a new organisation to run the game.It had been hoped that last week’s court hearing in Nairobi would bring an end to years of bitter infighting inside Kenya, but legal delays, which seemed to be almost entirely at the whim of a High Court judge, meant that the hearing will now not be heard until March. It seems that was the final straw for Ochillo Ayacko, the minister for sports, and The Nation, which has followed a pro-KCA line throughout much of this dispute, is reporting that the government, which suspended the KCA last month, has decided to bypass the old regime altogether.Officially, the ICC has stayed on the sidelines throughout this whole affair, but there is plenty of evidence to suggest that it has been involved behind the scenes and, as previously reported here, has held meetings with Ayacko about how best to proceed. Many inside Kenya actually believe that his decision to move against the KCA was accelerated by ICC support. It also seems unlikely that Ayacko would undertake such a bold move without consulting the ICC as to its position – ICC rules state that it will only deal with the body recognised by the relevant government as being in charge of the game inside a country.The Nation reported that a meeting, chaired by Ayacko, was held at Kasarani on Sunday and that an application will be made this week for the new body to be registered. “We are not interfering with KCA,” Sammy Obingo, the former KCA general manager, told the newspaper. “They can continue with their affairs.”Such a move would render the old Sharad Ghai-led KCA an irrelevance. It has no sponsors and is, to all intents and purposes, insolvent. The ICC, which is its main source of funding, is understood to have suspended payments pending the resolution of the dispute, and senior figures inside Kenya have confirmed that there is no money to meet even the most urgent of liabilities.It seems inconceivable that Ghai will not challenge the minister’s move, but it would be hard to see how a court could rule against a body backed by the government and almost all the country’s stakeholders in favour of an organisation which is broke and has such a dismal record of failure and mismanagement.This is certainly not be the final chapter of this whole sorry tale, but it could be a decisive turning point.