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The draw was made today for the quarter-finals of the Benson and Hedges Cupquarter finals. Pairings are as follows:

Tuesday 21st May (Reserve Day 22nd May)Gloucestershire v Worcestershire at Bristol (TV – Sky)Umpires: Nigel Cowley, Jeff Evans & Allan Jones (3rd)Wednesday 22nd May (Reserve Day 23rd May)Essex v Yorkshire at Chelmsford (TV – Sky)Umpires: Tony Clarkson, Trevor Jesty & Mark Benson (3rd)Leicestershire v Lancashire at Grace RoadUmpires: Mike Harris & Neil MallenderSussex v Warwickshire at HoveUmpires: Graham Burgess & Nigel Llong

Central Sparks ended their 50-over hoodoo against the Blaze with an emphatic 78-run victory on the opening day of the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy season at Edgbaston. Eve Jones’ side had never beaten Blaze in the 50-over format but took advantage of the visitors’ long absentee list due to injury and international commitments to start the season in style.After choosing to bat, Sparks made a total that was decent rather than imposing after numerous batters made a start but didn’t build on it. Only Abi Freeborn, with 53 from 87 balls, stayed long enough against a disciplined attack led by Grace Ballinger and Sophie Munro.Blaze’s reply was then hit by a superb opening spell of 7-4-5-2 from Emily Arlott as they lurched to 14 for 3 in ten overs. Nadine de Klerk, just hours after landing in the UK from South Africa, resisted with 43 off 65 but was one of three victims for spinner Hannah Baker as Blaze’s depleted team subsided.Sparks’ innings started slowly in the face of a fine new-ball burst from de Klerk who conceded just four runs in her first four overs. When Jones tried to shed the shackles, she was bowled trying to flick Ballinger to leg.Chloe Brewer greeted the left-arm spin of Kirstie Gordon with a crisp reverse sweep for four but paid a high price for trying to repeat the shot to a ball which was too far up, falling lbw. Munro maintained the pressure for Blaze with an opening spell of 7-1-18-1 which included the removal of Davina Perrin, bowled off stump.Former Warwickshire allrounder Marie Kelly drifted a beauty past Ami Campbell to have her stumped but Freeborn advanced to a composed 82-ball half-century before missing a swipe at Munro and perishing, stumped by Ella Claridge. Katie George provided some late impetus with a 30-ball 32 with five fours before she was yorked by de Klerk.Sparks started superbly with the ball as Arlott and Issy Wong both conceded just two from their first two overs. Arlott opened with 5-3-4-2 after removing Teresa Graves, caught at mid-on, and Kelly, bowled behind her legs. Wong beat Munro for pace to win an lbw decision and when Claridge missed a slog at Bethan Ellis and was bowled, Blaze were 39 for 4 in the 18th over.De Klerk and Daisy Mullan, making her debut on a five-match loan from Thunder, halted the slide and added 51 in 77 balls before the introduction of Baker ended the revival. The spinner removed both in five balls, each time defeating an attempted cut as Mullan nicked to the wicketkeeper and de Klerk was bowled middle stump.Baker added a third wicket when Michaela Kirk ladled to deep midwicket where George, having shelled two earlier chances, this time held on.

Sharjeel Khan hammered a sensational 54-ball century and the Sindh bowlers defended a daunting total of 196 empathically to knock Southern Punjab out with a 45-run victory. SP continue to sit at the bottom of the table while Sindh remain on top with 10 points, ensuring a top four finish.Opting to bowl, SP removed opener Ahsan Ali in the opening over before Shan Masood (22 off 15) and Sharjeel batted carefully for next two overs. The duo, however, didn’t take much time to find their feet, smacking 19 in Naseem Shah’s second over to propel the innings. Saud Shakeel (26 off 19) shared a 56-run stand with Sharjeel, who hit 13 fours and four sixes to complete his fourth T20 hundred.Sindh were looking for a 200-plus total when they went into the final over with a solid footing at 189 for 4 but they stumbled and added only seven runs losing three wickets.SP lost Zeeshan Ashraf early before Tayyab Tahir’s 32 off 23 did some repair work, but not for too long. Azam Khan – who lost his place in the World Cup squad – failed to make an impression and edged back to Sarfaraz Ahmed for 2 off four balls. Mohammad Imran (29 off 20) and Aamer Yamin (27 off 18) tried to pull the game back but regular wickets meant SP never came close to the required run rate and were wrapped up for 151 in 18.5 overs. They are effectively are out of the semi-final race now, losing seven games out of nine, and with only one match remaining.Haider Ali cracks one away to the off side•Pakistan Cricket Board

Northern stunned Central Punjab with a sensational chase of 195, sealing a five-wicket victory, which seemed an unlikely prospect for much of the innings, with three balls to spare.Central Punjab were put in to bat, and the small crowd was treated to a feast of good hitting by Ahmed Shehzad, who rolled back the years to get his side off to a flying start. Muhammad Akhlaq at the other end kept Shehzad stellar company, and inside 12 overs, the openers had taken CP to 124.However, once Aamer Jamal cleaned up Shehzad, the batters that followed struggled to keep up the scoring rate, and Northern gradually began to get a grip on the match. Jamal removed Faheem Ashraf and Shoaib Malik early too, and an innings that at one stage looked like comfortably clearing 200 ended at 194.A 92-run second-wicket partnership between Ali Imran and Haider Ali – freshly called up for the T20 World Cup – saw Northern keep the asking rate hovering around ten runs an over, but three wickets for 23 runs saw them fall behind in the game.It looked as if CP were slowly assuming control of the game, but a stunning onslaught from Rohail Nazir and Jamal kept the game alive. In the end, the pair added 50 in 25 balls, and once Wahab Riaz was taken for 20 in the penultimate over, a couple of boundaries at the expense of Faheem in the final over sealed the win for Northern.

Alex Lees scored a career-best knock of 126 to guide Durham to a nail-biting two-wicket win via the DLS method over Essex Eagles in their Royal London Cup clash at Emirates Riverside.Lees anchored the run chase single-handedly as no other Durham player passed 25, notching his second ton of the campaign. The Yorkshireman held his poise on a slow wicket to score his highest List A score, striking the winning runs off the first ball of the final over to lift the north-east outfit to the top of Group A with two matches remaining.Feroze Khushi scored a century on his List A debut for the visitors in their total of 227 for 6 in an innings that was interrupted by the rain. Although the Eagles mustered a competitive score from their 45 overs due to the elements, Khushi’s efforts were in vain as the hosts held their composure to claim the win.Rain delayed the start by 15 minutes before Durham inserted the visitors. Alastair Cook began with a flourish, drilling Jack Campbell for three early boundaries. But Chris Rushworth removed the former England skipper through a combined juggling effort from Scott Borthwick and David Bedingham in the slip cordon.Nick Browne endured a struggle, scoring only three runs from 18 deliveries before edging behind to Cameron Bancroft. Tom Westley continued the procession to the miserly Rushworth, picking out Liam Trevaskis at midwicket.Khushi steadied in a partnership with Josh Rymell before a heavy shower halted the action for 45 minutes. Despite the delay, Khushi regained his composure and reached his half-century, making the most of a second opportunity after being put down by Trevaskis on 14.Khushi and Rymell manoeuvred Essex into a strong position to attack the closing overs with a partnership of 101. Campbell prised out Rymell for a career-best 40 to break the stand, but the arrival of Ryan ten Doeschate allowed the visitors to accelerate.After scoring only two boundaries to reach his fifty, Khushi found his range to push towards his century. The 22-year-old ensured he had a one-day debut to remember by nurdling a single off his legs to post his maiden hundred from 101 deliveries. He fell to Campbell, although he ensured that his side racked up a solid score.Chasing a revised total of 232, Lees made a watchful start failing to score from his opening 10 balls before exploding into life with four consecutive boundaries. The Durham openers passed fifty, but Aron Nijjar made the breakthrough as Graham Clark was caught on the fence by Khushi for 24.Spin brought the visitors back into the game. Simon Harmer bowled Scott Borthwick with a yorking delivery before pinning Bancroft lbw. Luc Benkenstein, son of former Durham skipper Dale, then claimed his maiden List A wicket by clean bowling Bedingham for two.Lees stemmed the tide by passing fifty for the second game in a row, and combined for a partnership of 51 for the fifth wicket with Sean Dickson. He fought a solitary battle against the visitors amid a clatter of wickets at the other end. Lees was rewarded by scoring his fourth List A century from 113 balls, whittling down the total required in the process.Luke Doneathy’s run out and a wicket for Westley left Durham requiring three off the final over. Lees avoided further drama by dispatching the first ball to the leg-side boundary to secure the win.

The game of musical chairs in Australia’s T20I batting line-up will continue, with Matthew Wade set to play in the middle order during the series in Bangladesh, with that now being his likely position at the World Cup in October.It is a change of plans from what was spoken about ahead of the West Indies series last month, when Wade said he expected to bat in the top three alongside Aaron Finch and David Warner. However, Mitchell Marsh’s success in the West Indies, where he made 219 runs batting at No. 3, and the potential return of Steven Smith from injury have added to the crush for top-order spots, meaning that Wade, who will lead the side in the absence of Finch, will probably have to find a berth lower down.Related

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“It’s something I’m looking forward to,” he said. “I’ve been up the top for three years and feel like any time called upon I can do a good job up there, so to go back into the middle order is a challenge I’m excited to do. It doesn’t faze me too much, whatever needs to be done.”Then once the World Cup comes around, whether than means I go back up the top or stay in the middle order we aren’t 100% sure. The way Mitch has come out and played at No. 3 that’s certainly another option for us at the top. He could open as well if we needed him to. So we are probably rolling through a few different scenarios of where guys can fit in the best team come the World Cup.”Wade batted at No. 6 in the last match against West Indies – he made 26 off 18 balls – and when he returned to the T20I side last year in South Africa, he was in the middle order. Most of his innings in the latest stage of his career have been opening, although in total he has played 19 of his 34 T20I innings at No. 4 or lower.Across his full T20I career, he has a strike rate of 117.40 batting at No. 4 and below, compared to 137.61 overall and 144.57 when batting in the top three. But he believes he now has the game to adapt to the middle order as Australia continue to search for their finishers.”Thankfully I’ve played for Australia in the middle order a lot, especially in one-day cricket and even T20 have probably played 50-50 [of my innings],” he said. “It’s probably more a chance to get there now and get some more work in, I haven’t done it for three years so it certainly has its challenges compared to opening the batting but it’s a good opportunity to do it.”I’ll find a way to make it work and win some games” – Matthew Wade•NurPhoto via Getty Images

“I’ll find a way to make it work and win some games. Things I probably didn’t have seven or eight years ago in my game I feel like I’ve added – laps and things like that – which are really important towards the back end. Feel like I have a few more tricks than I had a few years ago and the advantage in these five games is that I can get in there and see what works and what doesn’t.”Filling the middle-order positions has been a long-running challenge for Australia in T20Is. Dan Christian and Ashton Turner, who were late additions to this squad after players withdrew, have been selected on the back of their roles in the BBL and will likely get more opportunity in Bangladesh.Wade believes Australia have to find a solution that works for the players they have and that while every country “would like an Andre Russell” that will not be the case.”We’ve got guys who aren’t here who can come in and do a really good job. We all know what Maxi [Glenn Maxwell] can do towards the end of an innings,” he said. “No secret that every country would like an Andre Russell, not everyone has one. We are going to it differently to the way West Indies do it, we don’t have as much power probably as what they have got but we’ll find someone to do a good job come the World Cup.”

At Eden Gardens for their match against Kolkata Knight Riders on Friday, captain Suresh Raina told his team that it was time for Gujarat Lions to ‘restart’, with his side floundering at eighth place on the table. He did exactly that, leading the way with a 46-ball 84 which gave his side a four-wicket victory and helped him become India’s leading T20 run-getter.In the previous match between the two teams earlier this season, Chris Lynn’s systematic decimation of Lions’ attack meant that Knight Riders had chased down 184 with ten wickets in hand and more than five overs to spare. Raina believed his team had played well in that game too, and wanted them to feed off the positive morale in the camp.”Right from the moment I won the toss, I was getting a lot of positive vibes. I knew we had done well against them [KKR] in the previous game though the match got over in just 14 overs [14.5] when Chris Lynn hit us to all parts of the ground,” Raina told . “That loss hurt the team and me. I addressed the team and told them this is the game where we restart and go all guns blazing. The team was high on morale when we walked out on the field and the result is there to be seen. I have been getting good support from Brad Hodge and Mohammad Kaif who have been spreading a lot of positive vibes in the team. It was a great team effort.”Lions’ chase of 188 on Friday was hardly an easy one. Despite an aggressive start from openers Aaron Finch and Brendon McCullum, the team was struggling at 122 for 5 in the 13th over, and went into the last seven overs needing 64. Raina negotiated the opposition’s most effective bowlers – Kuldeep Yadav and Umesh Yadav – over the next few overs, eking out a boundary in every over. Once Sunil Narine’s four overs were seen off, Raina went after Nathan Coulter-Nile, hammering the Australian fast bowler for two fours and a six in a 16-run over that brought the equation down to 17 runs off 18 balls.Raina said that nearly a decade of watching and batting with MS Dhoni, in the India dressing room and at Chennai Super Kings, had helped him pick up lessons on keeping the required rate in check.”I love batting in pressure situations and it is a challenge I relish,” he said. “I have batted with him [Dhoni] for almost ten years now and always admired how he would finish games for the side. I have learnt how to cut down on asking rates from 9 per over to a 7 per over from him. The middle overs in a T20 game is very important and you need to take calculated risks. It is something that I did tonight and have learnt over the years. I was hitting the ball really well and looked to be positive throughout my innings though wickets were falling at the other end.”When you are a captain, you are there to win a game and set examples for your side. It is something that I have learnt from Dhoni while playing with him for India and Chennai Super Kings.”

Misbah-ul-Haq has decided to continue as Pakistan’s Test captain, a decision that has been accepted by PCB chairman Shaharyar Khan, who also named Sarfraz Ahmed as the vice-captain in Tests. Misbah’s decision to lead in the West Indies put to end questions over his retirement, which have made news over the last few months, at least for the next two months as Pakistan will play three Tests in the Caribbean in April and May.After returning from Australia, Misbah had said he would take a call on his future after seeing how he would fare in the PSL. During the league, he told ESPNcricinfo that he was “most likely” to go to the West Indies, where they are yet to win a Test series. And once his team Islamabad United was knocked out of the tournament, he said he would meet Shaharyar upon his arrival in Pakistan and inform the chairman about his decision.”Misbah-ul-Haq has conveyed to the Chairman [of] PCB his desire to continue as captain of the Pakistan Test team,” the PCB said in a statement. “Accordingly, the Chairman has approved his appointment for the upcoming West Indies Test series. The Chairman has also approved appointment of Sarfraz Ahmed as vice-captain of the Pakistan Test team.”Misbah, who will turn 43 in May, has been under immense scrutiny having led the team to five successive Test defeats, although it was under him that Pakistan were ranked No. 1 last year. A dip in his batting form and his age added to the drama that reached its peak after the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne last year when Misbah admitted to being unsure about his future as a cricketer.ESPNcricinfo understands the PCB wants to eventually appoint a single captain for all formats, but such a decision will have to wait until Misbah takes a call on his future. The decision to appoint Sarfraz as vice-captain in Tests came after Azhar Ali stepped down from ODI captaincy and later relinquished his Test vice-captaincy as well. The role was vacant since then. Sarfraz is already leading Pakistan in the Twenty20 format.Pakistan will start the West Indies tour with four T20s starting March 26, followed by three ODIs in early April and the three Tests starting April 22 in Jamaica. Pakistan’s selection committee is due to announce a limited-overs squad later this week while the Test team will be announced later.

A century from Knights captain Theunis de Bruyn and a four-for from fast bowler Marchant de Lange led their side to a 100-run win over Cape Cobras in Bloemfontein.De Bruyn anchored the Knights innings after opting to bat, scoring 132 off 117 balls to lead the side to 308 for 6. Having lost the openers in successive overs with 51 on the board, de Bruyn carried the innings forward by stitching partnerships of 85 and 98 with Pite van Biljon and Diego Rosier for the third and fourth wickets respectively. With de Bruyn falling in the 45th over, Knights scored 37 off the last five as Shadley van Schalkwyk took the score past the 300 mark.De Lange then cut through the Cobras top order, leaving them at 47 for 3 in the seventh over and by the 21st, Cobras were all but out of the chase at 102 for 5. Jason Smith and Aviwe Mgijima struck a 67-run partnership for the sixth wicket, with Mgijima taking the score past 200 before he was dismissed for 51, his second List A fifty and the top-score in the Cobras innings.De Lange, who had returns of 3 for 21 in his first spell of six overs, dismissed Mgijima in the 41st over, to finish with 4 for 35 as Cape Cobras were bowled out for 208 in the 42nd over.

Giles Clarke, president of the England and Wales Cricket Board and chairman of the ICC’s Pakistan Task Force, has cautioned that bringing international cricket back to Pakistan will be an arduous process requiring “a lot of time and hard work”.Clarke arrived in Lahore on Saturday – his first visit to the country as head of the Pakistan Task Force – on a fact-finding mission to inspect security arrangements that can be put in place for visiting teams. During his visit, Clarke met with senior officials of the Punjab government, including the chief minister and the Home Secretary.Addressing a press conference at the National Cricket Academy at the Gaddafi Stadium, Clarke praised Punjab’s government for “significant investment” in safety and security arrangements for potential touring aides. He was quick to point out, however, that these observations were not to serve as a replacement for expert advice.”I have to receive a proper report from my experts,” Clarke said. “But speaking as a non-expert, I was deeply impressed by the size of the investment, and the passion of everyone I’ve met from the chief minister downwards, the desire and determination to see international cricket return to Lahore was absolutely there. It is a goal of the ICC that every Full Member plays international bilateral cricket in their own country. But for us to do that, we need everyone to be safe and secure.”Clarke referred to a bomb blast in a crowded park in Lahore last March that killed over 70 people. The PCB was in talks with the MCC at the time for the latter to send a cricket team to Lahore, but the terror attack put an end to that.”We don’t want to get it wrong,” Clarke said. “We all know one terrible incident can push things backwards again. What happened here in one of Lahore’s parks did make it impossible for us to send a team here last year. So we’re hoping to move forward, but this isn’t an easy road.”There’s a considerable amount of perception that needs to be changed [around Pakistan being an unsafe country] and information that needs to be shared. But I am most impressed by the efforts of the authorities to make Lahore a safe city.”Clarke, who has been on the Pakistan Task Force since it was set up in the aftermath of the Lahore terror attacks on the Sri Lanka team in March 2009, praised Zimbabwe for coming to Pakistan in 2015 to play two T20s and three ODIs, and said it was a “very well organised” tour. “We want to build on that and move forward in a sensible and measured fashion.” Even that tour, however, was the target of an attempted attack.Clarke didn’t comment on a recent statement by the Federation of International Cricketers’ Associations (FICA) that “an acceptable level of participant safety and security cannot be expected or guaranteed” in Pakistan, saying he hadn’t discussed that statement with FICA, or read it in full. “I was far more interested in coming here for myself before I opened that conversation,” he said.That statement had come on the back of the PCB announcing that the final of the second edition of the Pakistan Super League (PSL) would take place in Lahore, whether or not international players travelled to Pakistan. Clarke expressed strong support for the PCB’s endeavours to hold the final of “their own domestic competition” in Pakistan. “I completely understand that desire, and will support their efforts to do that.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsFile photo: Himanshu Rana’s 71 off 79 balls was the highest score of the Asia Cup final•PTI

Half-centuries from opener Himanshu Rana and No. 3 Shubman Gill provided India Under-19s with a total of 273, which they were able to defend successfully thanks a middle-overs squeeze by their spinners Abhishek Sharma and Rahul Chahar. In the end, hosts Sri Lanka were beaten by 34 runs.At one point though, that result had seemed unlikely. With the momentum of picking up six wickets in the last 11 overs fuelling them, Sri Lanka went after the target with great vigour. Captain Kamindu Mendis and R Kelly struck fifties each to take the score to 158 for 2 in the 31st over. That brought the equation down to 116 off 118 balls with eight wickets in hand.India needed to re-establish control and their 16-year old captain Abhishek helped with that, dismissing Kelly for 63. He finished with figures of 4 for 37 in 10 overs of left-arm spin and claimed the Man-of-the-Match award. Sri Lanka had to deal with Chahar’s miserly legspin from the other end. With him bowling his full quota, giving away only 22 runs, and picking up three wickets as well, the chase unravelled. Sri Lanka lost three wickets in five overs between the 38th and 43rd, then another three wickets with the score on 225 and were finally bowled out for 239.It signalled the importance of first-innings runs in Colombo, and India were able to put up enough thanks to Rana’s 71 off 79 balls and Gill’s 70 off 92 balls. While their partnership of 88 for the second wicket was on, it seemed like India would get to a total of 300 or more, but seamer Nipun Ransika, who took two wickets in the 47th over, and left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama, who dismissed both the half-centurions, ensured that did not happen. Sri Lanka would later realise that the damage had already been done.