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Netherlands have made five changes to the squad that took on Canada in their previous Intercontinental Cup clash. Allrounder Mudassar Bukhari, wicketkeeper Atse Burrman, batsmen Alexei Kervezee and Bas Zuiderent and seamer Edgar Schiferli have been included for the game against Afghanistan in Amstelveen, beginning on August 24. Three other players will feature in the two-match ODI series, which begins on August 30, between the two teams. Wicketkeeper Jeroen Smits will lead Netherlands in the ODI series instead of Peter Borren; allrounder Ryan ten Doeschate, who also plays for Essex, and the South African-born Wesley Barresi have also been picked.Netherlands were made to struggle in their drawn game against Canada in Rotterdam; they finished on 233 for 8 while chasing 368 for victory, thanks to a defiant 98 of 298 balls from Daan van Bunge. Their opponents, however, are on a high after an admirable display against Zimbabwe XI where, riding on opener Noor Ali’s twin centuries, they held the upper hand for most of the drawn game. They’ll also be a confident outfit in the ODIs after qualifying for the Super Eights in the World Cup Qualifiers in South Africa, as a result of which they were granted ODI status by the ICC.Netherlands Intercontinental Cup squad: Peter Borren (capt), Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Atse Buurman (wk), Tom de Grooth, Mark Jonkman, Alexei Kervezee, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Nick Statham, Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.Netherlands ODI squad: Jeroen Smits (capt) Wesley Barresi (wk), Peter Borren, Mudassar Bukhari, Daan van Bunge, Ryan ten Doeschate, Tom de Grooth, Edgar Schiferli, Pieter Seelaar, Nick Statham (Hermes DVS), Eric Szwarczynski, Bas Zuiderent.

ScorecardSam Northeast scored his second century of the match to put England Under-19 in an extremely strong position by the end of the third day against Bangladesh Under-19 in Derby. Northeast made 149 off only 176 balls, after making 107 in the first innings, to lead England to 284 for 3, with an overall lead of 374 with a day to play.He hit two sixes and 11 fours in his innings and shared an opening partnership worth 129 with Jack Manuel, who made 54, and a second-wicket stand worth 91 with James Vince. Northeast was the third wicket to fall, with the score on 251, after which David willey and Ben Stokes took England through to stumps.The England batsmen ensured that their bowlers’ hard work gone into earning a first-innings lead of 90 was not wasted. Bangladesh resumed on the third day on 209 for 5 and they were not allowed to settle. Anamul Haque converted his overnight score of 45 to 71 but there were no other significant contributions as the innings folded for 302. Willey took 3 for 45 while Nathan buck and Hamza Riazuddin took two wickets apiece.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
The real difference between the sides was AB de Villiers, who batted quite magnificently for a 51-ball 63 on a pitch where no other batsman excelled•Associated Press

On a spin-friendly Trent Bridge surface, South Africa’s slow bowlers rubbed salt and some spices into India’s gaping World Twenty20 wounds, defending a modest total of 130 with consummate ease. The real difference between the sides though was AB de Villiers, who batted quite magnificently for a 51-ball 63 on a pitch where no other batsman excelled. With the ball, Johan Botha took 3 for 16, and was superbly supported by Roelof van der Merwe (1 for 13) as India stumbled from 47 for 0 at the end of the Powerplay overs to 69 for 5.The two Punjabis, Yuvraj and Harbhajan Singh, briefly floated some hope, but Botha and Dale Steyn snuffed out the challenge to send South Africa through to the semi-final undefeated. They will face Pakistan at the same venue on Thursday. In conditions that could have been anywhere in the subcontinent, India will wonder just how they were so well beaten.They had started with some panache, as Gautam Gambhir creamed both Steyn and Wayne Parnell through the covers. Soon after, Rohit Sharma took over, clipping both Parnell and Albie Morkel through midwicket to keep well ahead of the asking rate. But as soon as spin was introduced, India fell apart.Gambhir spooned Botha to deep cover, and Suresh Raina clubbed one straight to long-on. Rohit then miscued a big heave off JP Duminy to point as South Africa restricted the Indians to just 17 from six overs. But the calamity didn’t end there. MS Dhoni scratched around for 5 before deciding on a headless-chicken charge down the pitch with Yuvraj not remotely interested. Morne Morkel gathered Mark Boucher’s throw and removed the bails.Yusuf Pathan may have been the scourge of spin in the IPL but he made no impression on this match, popping a van der Merwe delivery to short cover. Yuvraj pulled Steyn for four and went down on bended knee to swipe van der Merwe for six, while Harbhajan wound up and thumped Morne Morkel straight down the ground, but it was all a little too late.South Africa’s innings had followed a similar sort of pattern. None of the other batsmen looked remotely at ease once the pace was taken off the ball, and India’s pace bowlers were left to watch from the outfield until Zaheer Khan was called on to complete the innings.

Despite losing Herschelle Gibbs to a inside-edged mow off RP Singh, South Africa had made a dominant start, racing to 44 from the first five overs. Both Graeme Smith and de Villiers cut powerfully, and there was one magnificent straight drive from de Villiers when Ishant Sharma pitched too full. That was enough for Dhoni to decide that his pacemen weren’t the answer.Ravindra Jadeja came on and conceded only three in the last of the Powerplay overs, and thereafter Dhoni rotated his slow bowlers rapidly. Rohit, a bit of a bowling star in the IPL, came on, as did Yuvraj, but the breakthrough came courtesy the specialist as Smith top-edged a heave off Harbhajan to square leg. After that, it was a struggle.De Villiers scored with pushes and nudges, but only 36 runs came in the eight overs after the pace bowlers were taken off. Something had to give, and the push inevitably came from de Villiers, who lofted Yuvraj over cover before swiping one down to the midwicket rope. That stroke also took him to his half-century from 41 deliveries.When he then clipped Raina neatly for four more, a charge seemed imminent. But it wasn’t to be. Duminy was stumped of Raina and the extremely accurate Jadeja shone again, taking a steepling return catch after a big miscue from de Villiers. Zaheer snaffled Mark Boucher in an 11-run final over, but with the resources in hand, India were favourites to chase down the 131 needed for a consolation victory. But in keeping with the rest of their Super Eights displays, they just weren’t good enough. On this evidence, South Africa most certainly are.

Australia’s loss could be the IPL’s gain, with Deccan Chargers making clear their desire to retain the services of Andrew Symonds even if his Cricket Australia contract is scrapped. Symonds, who this week was sent home from the World Twenty20 after contravening team rules, was instrumental in Hyderabad winning the second edition of the IPL. His back-to-back dismissals of Ross Taylor and Virat Kohli halted Bangalore’s momentum in the final, and set the Chargers on course for a thrilling six-run victory.PK Iyer, the managing director of Chargers’ parent company, Deccan Holdings, said Symonds remained very much in the franchise’s plans for the future. “”We are very happy to have him,” Iyer told Cricinfo. “This is not the first time he has been pulled up by Cricket Australia. Even in the past before coming to the IPL he was involved in (controversies). He is a great guy (and) a phenomenal team player, who has done a fantastic jobs for us.”Iyer was unperturbed by Symonds’ latest indiscretion, which will almost certainly end his international career, and said the management was well aware of his past behavioural infractons. Deccan paid $1.35 million for Symonds’ services at the first IPL auction – the most of any non-Indian player at the time – despite his involvement in altercations with Sreesanth and Harbhajan Singh in the preceding 12 months.If, as is expected, Symonds draws the curtain on his international career, Deccan stand to be the chief beneficiaries. The veteran all-rounder left the Chargers mid-way through the inaugural IPL to join the Australian team on their tour of the Caribbean. And this year he was restricted to playing just eight games in the final phase of the tournament in South Africa due to his involvement in Australia’s limited overs series against Pakistan in the UAE.Symonds’ participation in the IPL may have been limited, but his impact has been profound. His unbeaten 117 against Rajasthan was the second-highest individual innings of the inaugural IPL, and his average of 35.57 (at a robust strike-rate of 150) led all Deccan batsmen this year. Symonds also claimed seven wickets at 22.85 in 2009, including the vital scalps of Taylor and Kohli which turned the final the Chargers’ way.Of equal importance, Iyer said, was Symonds’ positive influence on the franchise’s young Indian players. “He is one of the best team players we have seen,” Iyer said. “There is a still another year to go in his contract.”Symonds will presumably be happy to know he has the backing of his IPL employers following one of most difficult phases of his life. The financial aspect of playing for Hyderabad will be all the more appealing for Symonds following his reported $1 million loss after the collapse of an Australian investment company he had invested heavily in.

Amit Singh, the Rajasthan Royals right-arm medium-fast bowler, has been reported for a suspect action. He is the second bowler, after Kamran Khan, also of Rajasthan, to be reported during the current IPL.Daryl Harper and K Hariharan, the on-field umpires for the IPL game between Rajasthan and Royal Challengers Bangalore at Centurion on May 7, observed that Amit, 27, had a suspect action on certain deliveries. The two on-field umpires and TV umpire Tyron Wijewardene reviewed footage of the game and believed Amit’s action needed further scrutiny. The matter has now been referred to the Rajasthan management and the IPL’s technical committee.Amit, who can continue to play until he is proven guilty of an illegal action, was Man of the Match in Thursday’s game in Centurion, taking 4 for 19 as Rajasthan won by seven wickets. He has played two matches, with seven wickets at an average of 4.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were outKevin Pietersen opened the bowling and dismissed Brendon McCullum first ball to put pressure on Kolkata right from the outset•AFP

In a contest of two desperate teams, Royal Challengers Bangalore were simply more desperate, winning their second game of the season in six tries. Their desperation manifested itself positively, when they included three spinners in the side, opened the bowling with Kevin Pietersen and restricted Kolkata to a below-par total. And it showed up negatively, as they collapsed after a solid start – the first time both their openers got off the mark this season – and contrived to need 10 off the last over, having been 69 for 0 at one point.Finally, Mark Boucher’s cool head prevailed, and his 13-ball 25 saved them much embarrassment, especially when they have been the laughing stocks of the tournament.Both teams needed inspiration from their captains, and clearly there was only one winner. Even before the toss, Pietersen showed he had read the pitch better by including the extra spinner, in Roelof van der Merwe. Kolkata, who like Bangalore are the butt of jokes, mainly because of their strategy and team decisions, dropped Ajantha Mendis for Murali Kartik. They would surely have regretted that decision when Kartik, Brad Hodge and Chris Gayle prolonged the game with tight bowling.Pietersen, playing his last game before flying back to England, was the most desperate of all. Despite the presence of three spinners in his side, he bowled the first ball of the day, and got his counterpart Brendon McCullum out with that. Ironic, given that till now a scoreline of 0 for 1 has been an almost exclusive preserve of Pietersen’s side. Two of his other spinners, Anil Kumble and KP Appanna, also struck in their first overs, both at crucial times when Kolkata seemed to have got away.Hodge had come out blazing, taking Pankaj Singh for two fours and a six in three deliveries, and guiding Kolkata to a good start notwithstanding the first over. Till Kumble struck in the sixth over. He first beat Gayle with a bouncing delivery, then got Hodge with a slider to have Kolkata stumbling at 45 for 2.Gayle scored at an uncharacteristic strike-rate of 108, batting with a runner, and giving up adventure for responsibility. His dismissal, too, was unusual for him – holing out to a boundary fielder off Appanna. It wasn’t clear whether the restricted foot movement was the reason but it was certain that Kolkata at that point looked – despite the loss of regular wickets – primed for a second-half assault, at 70 for 3 in 11.1 overs.That assault never came, though, and, despite Morne van Vyk’s 35-ball 44, Kolkata couldn’t even double that score. Kumble played a major role, dismissing the dangerous-looking Wriddhiman Saha in his first over back. The spinners bowled 15 overs for 100 runs, and took five wickets. Kumble bowled four of them for 16 runs and two wickets.Shreevats Goswami, replacing the hopeless Robin Uthappa at the top, and Jacques Kallis got Bangalore off to a start. Goswami was especially impressive. While Kallis was slow in scoring runs, Goswami kept Bangalore ahead of the required run-rate, targeting Ajit Agarkar, the weak link in the Kolkata attack. He hit three boundaries in Agarkar’s two overs and didn’t allow Kartik to settle into any rhythm, stepping out and hitting two boundaries in his first over.Kartik made a good comeback and, not for the first time this tournament, Bangalore lost their way post the strategy time-out. They were 65 for 0 at the break, but soon wickets started falling as they looked to capitalise on a good start. Hodge benefited from some reckless shots, and 69 for 0 became 77 for 2. With Ishant Sharma coming out to bowl an impressive late spell, 106 for 2 became 107 for 4 in the 16th over.Boucher, accustomed to finishing games for South Africa, had the right mix of sensible running and big hitting. He kept his cool through a poor 19th over, when Ishant gave away just three runs and claimed van der Merwe’s wicket. His boundary hits came at the right times. He hit a six with 29 required off 16, and then a four with nine required off five. In a match where it seemed, at times, neither team had the will to win, Boucher was the final difference.

Former Pakistan cricketer and national team fielding coach Ijaz Ahmed has said he is innocent and has vowed to defend himself in court after being arrested for allegedly issuing false cheques to a client. He was due to appear in a court in Lahore on Friday but was taken to hospital after his health deteriorated.”I have not done anything wrong,” Ijaz told . “The police have mistreated me and I am in hospital after an attack of asthma. I will defend myself in the court once my condition gets stable. I vomited blood and experienced difficulty in breathing, so doctors put me on artificial respiratory system for sometime.”It has been very frustrating because I have not done anything wrong. These clients owe me money and instead they made a false case against me.”Pakistan police on Thursday had arrested and charged Ijaz Ahmed with alleged forgery. Police officials at the Gulberg police station in Lahore said two property dealers had filed a complaint against Ijaz, 40, for issuing them cheques that had bounced.The value of the cheques is reportedly Rs 10.05 million (approximately US$1.3 million). “This is a land scam case under which Ijaz was on bail. His bail expired on Thursday and we arrested him on charges of giving false cheques to a business party,” police official Rana Jabbar said.However, former Pakistan captain Saleem Malik, who is also Ijaz’s brother-in-law, denied that his former team-mate had committed any wrongdoing. “The truth is that these property dealers owe money to Ijaz and they have registered a false case against him,” Malik told .Ijaz played 60 Tests and 250 ODIs and was a member of the Pakistan team that won the 1992 World Cup. Following his retirement from international cricket, he had been working as the fielding coach of the national team for the last few months. Previously, he was on the selection committee and had also served as senior coach at the National Cricket Academy.

Alastair McCorquodale, who quit top-flight athletics to concentrate on cricket, has died at the age of 83. At the time of his death he was the seventh-oldest surviving Middlesex player.McCorquodale came fourth in the 1948 London Olympics, finishing with the same time as the two runners in second and third but denied a medal by the on-the-line photo. He was also a member of the 4×100 relay team who finished second behind the USA, and ran in the 200m.Despite his success, he never ran seriously after that summer – his approach was somewhat unorthodox and he was said to stub out his cigarette trackside before a race – and his main sport was cricket. At Harrow he had played in the 1st XI in 1943 and 1944 as a fast bowler and lower-order batsman, and after quitting athletics he played a high standard of club cricket. In 1951 he turned out three times for Middlesex, and at the end of the season was part of a high-profile MCC tour of Canada.He joined the family printing firm of McCorquodale and Co, eventually becoming chairman. He was also on the boards of British Sugar and Guardian Royal Exchange.

Less than five months after taking up the role as the Netherlands board’s chief executive, André van Troost has quit. He will be replaced by Jan Zwart, at present the treasurer.The circumstances are not entirely clear but it appears that van Troost wanted to return to the business world where the challenges are greater.van Troost made clear that he had only accepted the job on a trial basis and that there had been no rift with the remainder of the board.”André sees his future elsewhere and although it would have been great if he had chosen to stay, we must accept the decision he has made,” board chairman Marc Asselbergs told Cricket Europe. “The board is delighted that he wishes to remain involved in a voluntary capacity, and we shall certainly find a way of making use of his talents and experience.”Zwart only joined the board in November and will take over on an interim basis.

While all attention is on Afghanistan and their seemingly relentless progress towards the 2011 World Cup, their success story has served to inspire others around globe.Twenty years ago cricket was almost unknown in Indonesia, but then a few expats started to play and the game has taken off beyond their wildest dreams.”Because the expatriates needed more people to make their teams of 11 players, they started to ask locals to join. And it turned out that some of the locals were excellent players,” Cricket Indonesia chairman Sachin Gopalan told AFP. “It used to be only social games played by expatriates. But it has changed.”Local associations were formed to administer the clubs, and eight years ago a national board came into being. It is now estimated that as many as 30,000 people play the game, a three-fold increase in two years.”Cricket is growing exponentially here and there is a lot of hidden natural talent,” Gopalan said.Australian vet Bruce Christie is credited with being among the first to raise the status of the game in the 1990s. “I had to keep my 11-year-old son amused,” Christie told AFP. “So we started playing cricket and invited about 20 to 30 local people of mixed ages to play.”Matches were played on any flat ground that could be found, mainly on football pitches and hard tennis courts. “The locals picked up the game pretty quickly as they’d played ‘kasti’ [a local bat-and-ball game] before and they were good at throwing stones at birds or whatever. I also had videos and books to show them. We also had an Australian female teacher in Kupang who played with us. I think she attracted the locals to join.”To keep things in perspective, cricket is not even recognised by the country’s sports council as an official sport, but the ICC is interested and in July Indonesia stages its first competition, an East Asia-Pacific region Under-15 event.