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Jeetan Patel, the New Zealand offspinner, has said his side can “fight” and come back in the Hyderabad Test despite needing another 133 runs to avoid the follow-on with all the specialist batsmen dismissed.”We have got the opportunity tomorrow,” Jeetan said. “Face the music, and fight – what we know the best. The best thing about the Kiwi cricketers is we know how to fight. We have been in a lot of situations where we had to fight. Tomorrow is a good chance for the guys to get back in.”While Jeetan was hopeful of a comeback, R Ashwin, his India counterpart, said the home side would have an eye on enforcing the follow-on if New Zealand were to get dismissed early tomorrow.”With respect to how the wicket is behaving and it being a little bit cloudy, I think we should be looking to bowl twice and get the job done,” Ashwin said.The pitch did not deteriorate much on the second day but there was a lot of bounce and some turn for the India spinners. Patel said New Zealand were expecting the pitch to behave the way it did. “I think the wicket has changed a little bit. But it’s still slow and low with the seamers. It is taking more turn, probably a little more than we expected, such as an under-prepared wicket, and we expected that.”Despite knowing that, New Zealand could not handle the Indian spinners, losing Martin Guptill to Ashwin’s first delivery and Brendon McCullum to Pragyan Ojha’s third ball. Ashwin and Ojha claimed all five New Zealand wickets to fall today. “It is disappointing. It’s as simple as that,” Jeetan said. “They bowled some good balls and we nicked them. That is what happens in cricket. It’s tough. It was always going to be a hard tour for us bowling first up on a wicket that does not help you.”Not that Jeetan did badly when he bowled. India usually target the opposition spinner, but Jeetan was difficult to get away, and ended with 4 for 100 in 41 overs. Bowling to a 6-3 on-side field right through, he restricted run-scoring opportunities, and three of his four wickets came when batsmen tried to hit out. With Daniel Vettori being New Zealand’s lead spinner, this is only Jeetan’s 14th Test since making his debut in 2006, and he spoke about making the most whenever he got the chance.”There aren’t too many opportunities when I get to play Test cricket, so when I do, I got to put my hand up. I want to contribute and get wins for us. Obviously, getting a four-for is nice but I will have to get more than that to get us over the line.”Jeetan said he had a made a few adjustments, both technical and mental, and was now enjoying his game more. “A couple of years ago, I made a couple of changes to my action and my mental approach to the game is different now. I’m trying to enjoy a lot more the moments that I play as opposed to looking at it as if it is my last moment. That sort of mental attitude has put me in the forefront of what’s happening rather than what has happened. Getting an opportunity in county cricket [for Warwickshire] was very good for me. I needed four months of just bowling as many overs as I could.”

Ravi Bopara has stood down from the opening England Lions match against Australia A at Old Trafford after feeling he was not ready to return to cricket following the personal issues that led to his withdrawal from the second Test against South Africa.Bopara was drafted into the Lions squad on Sunday as a replacement for James Taylor who made his Test debut at Headingley in place of Bopara. However, he was not in the eleven named for the four-day encounter and issued a brief statement.”I thought I was ready to return to action but after some consideration I just feel it’s too early so won’t be playing quite yet,” he said.In Bopara’s absence Taylor made a determined 34 in Leeds, forming a partnership of 147 with Kevin Pietersen which brought England back into the match. Bopara had made 0 and 22 at The Oval in what was his first Test for nearly a year.Eoin Morgan will captain the Lions and they included three spinners for the opening match with Simon Kerrigan, James Tredwell and Samit Patel all playing. Matt Coles, the Kent bowler, was the other player left out from the 13-man squad.

Dilawar Mani, the chief executive of the Emirates Cricket Board (ECB), has completed his three-year tenure and has said he will not pursue a new term in office. Mani, however, will continue in the role until the board of directors finds a successor.”Constitutionally, the term for the CEO is three years and that was up, so I have asked not to be nominated again,” Mani told ESPNcricinfo. “Three years is enough, and there is a need to set a precedent to leave once [you have] served your term and let somebody else work.”The board is well aware about my decision and the ECB chairman [Sheikh Nahyan bin Mubarak Al Nahyan] has respected my decision. I am sure I am leaving the ECB in the best shape and have given the team the best momentum. The process is open to find my successor and once it is done I will move out after handing over the charge.”Mani helped make the UAE an off-shore home venue for Pakistan, who have not hosted international cricket since the attack on the Sri Lankan team in March 2009. The UAE could host the upcoming series between Pakistan and Australia and Mani said his leaving office would not affect the process.”I had a meeting with the PCB official and everything will move on as it is with no impact on the on-going negotiation,” Mani said. “I am happy at what I have done so far, being in the set up for the last six years, [but] now I want to move on.”The ICC approved a six-match Twenty20 series between Pakistan and Australia in UAE, which will be the longest bilateral T20 series, if it goes ahead. “ODI games aren’t feasible in [the] heat [so] it’s good that [the] ICC has approved the request of six T20Is by PCB,” Mani said.

The Mumbai Cricket Association (MCA) has banned Shah Rukh Khan, the Kolkata Knight Riders owner, from entering Wankhede Stadium for five years as a result of his scuffle with security guards after the game between Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians on May 16. The IPL chairman Rajiv Shukla, however, said the ban was not final until the BCCI had its say on the matter.”The MCA managing committee is forced to ban Shah Rukh Khan from entering Wankhede Stadium for a period of five years,” Vilasrao Deshmukh, the MCA president, said in Mumbai. “It was a unanimous decision. It applies to any match whether domestic or international at the Wankhede. We have taken a decision to protect the dignity of our association. BCCI is our parent body and we have written to them informing what had happened. We have no control over BCCI’s decision. We are also an independent body with the Wankhede being our property.”If rules are violated, action will be taken. It does not depend who the individual is. It’s a message to everyone, whosoever he or she may be, that stern action will be taken if there is any misbehavior. How can he go inside the ground without proper accreditation? Even I can’t go inside the ground if not invited for presentation ceremony.”Shukla said only the Indian board could make the final decision. “State bodies can only recommend but a final decision has to be taken by the BCCI. When the matter comes to BCCI, the board will decide [on the ban].”The incident took place after Knight Riders had beaten Mumbai Indians. Shah Rukh was accused of trying to walk on to the field of play after the game and MCA officials lodged a complaint against him the Marine Drive police station. They also said he had been drunk and abused officials.Shah Rukh, however, denied being drunk and said he was reacting to the “obnoxious” and “unpardonable” behaviour of officials at the stadium. He said he had not been present at the match but had gone there after it was over to pick up a large group of his children and their friends. Shah Rukh said he saw security guards manhandling the children and when he objected a group of officials came over and the altercation started.

Ravi Rampaul may be in line for a recall to the West Indies team for the third Test in Dominica. The hosts’ captain Darren Sammy revealed that Fidel Edwards was complaining of back soreness after rain curtailed a tantalisingly poised second match in Trinidad, making Rampaul’s inclusion a distinct possibility.Having missed selection for the limited overs-portion of the tour due to dengue fever and a shoulder problem, Rampaul returned to the squad ahead of the first Test in Barbados but was lacking in conditioning and match rhythm. However he has trained consistently with the hosts over the two weeks and is now ideally placed to reinforce the XI that acquitted themselves well at Queen’s Park Oval on a slow, turning pitch.”So far we’ve been using the same combination and it’s worked for us,” Sammy said. “Fidel has a slight pain in his back so we’ll monitor that. If not then Ravi comes in and I know Ravi will do the job for us.”Sammy noted that West Indies’ bowling had steadily improved in its discipline and perseverance over the past 18 months, Kemar Roach providing the best evidence of this development by taking 10 wickets for the match in Port-of-Spain, a sterling achievement on any surface but particularly meritorious on a pitch that saw spinners take the new ball in three innings out of four.”It’s not only this series, it’s been the last year and a half, there’s been a massive improvement in the bowling department,” Sammy said. “We can get 20 wickets in Test matches and we bowl out teams … that was something we were not doing in the past. So definitely the bowling has improved, especially under coach [Ottis] Gibson and it will continue.

Squad for third Test

Adrian Barath, Kraigg Brathwaite, Kieran Powell, Darren Bravo, Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Narsingh Deonarine, Assad Fudadin, Carlton Baugh (wk), Darren Sammy (capt), Shane Shillingford, Kemar Roach, Fidel Edwards, Ravi Rampaul

“To have a guy like Ravi Rampaul, who took so many wickets for last year on the bench shows we have depth. Kemar has been very good against the Australians and Fidel has been bowling well, without any luck, and I know Ravi is eager for his opportunity.”Assad Fudadin, the Guyanese left-hander, has been called up to the squad for the Dominica Test, while the legspinner Devendra Bishoo has been dropped. The vice-captain Kirk Edwards has not recovered in time from a knee problem to be considered for the final match of the series, his fitness for the England tour that follows a significant factor in the decision. Clyde Butts, the West Indies chairman of selectors, said Fudadin offered solid batting and a medium pace option.”Fudadin has been a member of the West Indies A Team for a while now and we have seen signs of development and improvement,” Butts said. “This year he batted well in the Regional Four-Day Tournament, and made over 500 runs including two centuries. He was very consistent in the middle-order. He can also bowl medium-pace and that is an asset.”As for Bishoo, Sammy said he had told the young spinner not to be too despondent, for he remained part of longer term plans. However Sammy indicated that Bishoo needed to go away and relocate his best touch, having struggled for impact in the first Test against Australia.”We just had a team talk and what I said to Bishoo was he’s been a warrior to us, especially last year, but sometimes you lose form,” Sammy said. “I told him I know deep down he will come back stronger because that’s the sort of player he is.”

Varun Aaron, the India and Delhi Daredevils fast bowler, has almost recovered from the injury that has kept him out since December last year and is expected to be able to bowl in the IPL within a week, according to franchise mentor TA Sekar.Aaron had to pull out of the Test squad for the Australia tour with a stress injury to his back. His last game was India’s second ODI against West Indies in Visakhapatnam in December 2011. He impressed with his pace and control before his short stint with the Indian team was ended by injury. Aaron has had a history of back trouble, having suffered two stress fractures soon after he made his Ranji Trophy debut for Jharkhand in the 2008-09 season.Sekar said that while Aaron was on the verge of regaining full fitness, Daredevils were not willing to take any chances with him. “He is getting very close to 100 percent fitness,” he said. “I think, in maybe a week, he should be ready to bowl in the IPL.””These fast bowler’s injuries, you cannot rush, because if it recurs, then he goes back by another two months. We are playing it very safe. He is almost ready to bowl, but we want him to be mentally [prepared], because he hasn’t played for a long time. Mentally also he should be match fit.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShane Watson made an important half-century•Associated Press

Five years after Australia won the World Cup in a farcical finish in the dark at Kensington Oval, they again celebrated a victory there in fading light as the first Test went to the wire on the fifth afternoon. Set 192 to win in two sessions, the Australians started their chase slowly and were almost derailed by middle-order wickets, but Michael Hussey’s calm and rational approach ensured they narrowly outpaced the setting sun to win by three wickets.In a tense conclusion, Hussey was bowled by Kemar Roach for 32 from 26 balls with three runs still required, but Ryan Harris and Ben Hilfenhaus saw the Australians home and denied West Indies a satisfactory outcome despite them dominating the first three days. Hilfenhaus struck the winning run with a single scrambled to the off side and a direct-hit at the bowler’s end was sent to the third umpire, who found Hilfenhaus in his ground by a few inches.All the while, the players were keeping an eye on the umpires, who were keeping an eye on the light and under the new ICC rules have complete authority to determine whether play continues or ceases. By the last few balls the shadows had completely enveloped the ground but there was just enough time for the Australians, who celebrated a victory that was set up by Michael Clarke’s gutsy declaration behind on the fourth day.It was a decision that indicated Australia would attack in the final few sessions and by dismissing West Indies for 148 before lunch on the last day, they gave themselves hope. West Indies were not out of the contest either, and four wickets to Narsingh Deonarine gave them more that a slim chance, as the Australians still needed 52 runs with five wickets in hand when Clarke became the fourth of Deonarine’s victims.But Hussey used the finishing skills that have made him such a valuable ODI player, reverse-sweeping to find gaps and twice clearing the long-on boundary off Deonarine to bring the target within reach. The loss of Matthew Wade, who cut Roach high and was caught at deep point for 18, was a blow, and the departure of Hussey in Roach’s next over kept the game alive, but it wasn’t enough for West Indies.They were left to rue a couple of important dropped catches, particularly the captain Darren Sammy’s failure to hang on to a chance when Shane Watson had 4. Watson cut Roach viciously to gully and the ball fizzed through Sammy’s hands, and while it was a fearsome stroke it was certainly a catch that should have been taken. Ed Cowan was also reprieved when he edged Sammy and the keeper Carlton Baugh, standing up to the stumps, couldn’t glove the ball.Cowan and Watson compiled a 75-run stand after David Warner was caught behind off Sammy for 23, but their partnership was notable for the snail’s pace at which it was built in the early stages. Cowan went to tea on 11 from 61 balls and Australia needed another 131 in the final session, and their lack of urgency seemed at odds with Clarke’s aggressive declaration.The tempo lifted after tea and the dropping of Watson proved costly as he started to find the boundary and on one occasion cleared it. He was caught at deep backward square leg for 52 when he top-edged an attempted pull off Deonarine and Cowan followed soon after for an agonising 34 from 100 balls when he pulled Deonarine straight to Shivnarine Chanderpaul at midwicket.Ricky Ponting was bowled by a ball that stayed low and Clarke chipped a catch back to Deonarine, before Hussey and Wade steadied the chase. Australia had been favourites when they bowled West Indies out in an extended opening session in which the hosts added 77 to their overnight total for the loss of their last five wickets.The last specialist batsman, Deonarine, added only one run to his score and was the first to depart, lbw to Harris for 21. It was precisely the start the Australians needed if they were to give themselves time to chase down a target, and they had another perfect chance soon afterwards when Sammy skied a chance to long-on.Nathan Lyon put down a sitter to give Sammy a life on 12, and nobody was happier than Lyon when Sammy played on to Watson for 14, accidentally kicking the ball on to his stumps as he tried to prevent it rolling back. Baugh chipped a catch to mid-on from the bowling of Hilfenhaus (4 for 27) for 23 and West Indies were in trouble at 116 for 8.Fidel Edwards defended solidly for a while before he played a surprisingly rash stroke and skied a catch to mid-off for 3 from 17 balls to give Peter Siddle his second wicket, and that brought the No.11 Devendra Bishoo to the crease. Bishoo defended calmly and together with Roach set about eating up time and adding some important runs to the total.Their 23-run stand pushed the session beyond the scheduled lunch time but eventually ended when Roach was bowled by Harris for 25. That left the Australians with 192 to chase in two sessions and they were good enough to do so – just. West Indies were left to wonder what could have been.