Cricket: Stones thrown at fielders

India beat Pakistan with three balls to spare to level the three- match one-day series yesterday but the match in Karachi was marred by crowd trouble that brought a premature end to Pakistan's innings.

With Pakistan on 265 for 4 the Indian captain Sachin Tendulkar led his players from the field in the 48th over of the 50-over match when Debahish Mohanty became the fourth victim of the stone-throwing. Tendulkar refused to take the field again, citing security fears.

Abey Kuruvilla, Nilesh Kulkarni and Saurav Ganguly were also hit by stones thrown mainly from the general and students' enclosures.

Police ejected three spectators.

"I am more concerned about the security of my players, I can't continue playing under these circumstances," Tendulkar told the Sri Lankan match referee Ranjan Madugalle.

Set a target of 266 in 47 overs, Ganguly, with a superb 89, and Vinod Kambli (53) led the India's chase and they were in control at 169 for 1 after 28 overs.

But after a slump to 195 for 5 it needed an unbeaten 31 from Robin Singh and 26 from Saba Karim to guide them to a four-wicket win.

Sussex's bid to sign Shane Warne has been boosted by a fellow Australian and a former Sussex player, Tony Dodemaide, urging him to go to Hove. The Australian leg-spinner, who has yet to decide whether to come to England is also wanted by Nottinghamshire and Northamptonshire.

Dodemaide, Warne's vice-captain at Victoria last season, has outlined the lure of Sussex, and his talks have coincided with the efforts of another Aussie, Sussex's new director of cricket Dave Gilbert, to try to persuade Warne to join them.

Dodemaide, who spent three seasons at Hove as the county's overseas player from 1989 to 1991, says that in his discussions with Warne he has stressed to him how much playing in England did for his own cricketing education.

"Shane has had a couple of tours in England, but that does not give a true indication of what it is like to play over there," he said.