With the highest run-scorer, Alex Hales, and the highest wicket-taker, Reece Topley, in the ODI series against South Africa, England’s coach Trevor Bayliss identified fielding as the main difference between the two sides

Firdose Moonda at Newlands14-Feb-2016With the highest run-scorer, Alex Hales, and the highest wicket-taker, Reece Topley, in the ODI series against South Africa – roles-reversed from the Test series where South Africa lost despite leading both tallies – England’s coach Trevor Bayliss identified fielding as main difference between the two sides.”The batting and bowling was fairly even – both teams relied on about three of their batters and bowling was similar,” Bayliss said. “But they’re a better fielding team than us at the moment.”Although England did not put down any catches in the decider in Cape Town, they dropped several in the preceding games, including three at the Wanderers that could have sealed the series. JP Duminy was let off when he was on 1, AB de Villiers on 9 and Chris Morris on 14. The last of those cost England the most. Morris took South Africa to within one run of a series-levelling victory and, not for the first time on this tour, Bayliss has stressed the need for England to work on their fielding.”We’ve got a number of guys that are not the quickest in the field but I also think it’s an attitude thing,” Bayliss said. “You want the ball coming at you; you want to prove to people that you can field. At times, some of us don’t want the ball to come anywhere near us. When we are good, we’ve very, very good but it’s something we’ve got to continue to work at.”Progress is something England have done a lot of since their disappointing 2015 World Cup campaign and their new attitude has already brought them some success. They won series against New Zealand and Pakistan and came from 2-0 down to take Australia to a decider.Despite losing three in a row to squander the advantage in South Africa, Bayliss believed they remain on the right track. “I don’t think we are far off. We’ve played some pretty good cricket,” he said. “It’s a fine line. Had we taken some catches, we could be sitting here having won 3-2. We’re disappointed to lose the series having played some very good cricket.”He said that translating that good cricket into good results more often will come as players mature and become more consistent. “We’ve got some work to do there and that will come with experience. At some point that experience has got to pay dividends.”An example of how that is already working is Hales. After struggling through the Tests, in which he scored one fifty and did not get past 26 in his other seven innings, Hales finished on top of the run charts with four fifties, including a 99, and a century in the final match to prove his quality.”He was disappointed with the number of runs he scored in the Test arena but the way he has played here is top class,” Bayliss said. “I think he is more comfortable will his role in the team and the way he goes about playing the one-day game. Now he’s got to take that into Test arena. The way he has played here, there is no reason why he can’t do the same in Test cricket.”Hales, and the rest of the England line-up, have been asked to look at someone like AB de Villiers for further instruction on how to develop as batsmen. De Villiers took control of the chase and guided South Africa from 22 for 3 to victory.”We’ve got to take a leaf out of AB’s book. The way he paced his innings and the way he went about it, it was top class. The best batter in the series did his job today and he showed everyone else how to do it,” Bayliss said. “Hopefully the guys will learn from it.”

Arafat Sunny and Taskin Ahmed have been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found their bowling actions to be illegal

Mohammad Isam19-Mar-20164:14

Chappell: Taskin, Sunny ban unfair to Bangladesh

Bangladesh left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny and pacer Taskin Ahmed have been suspended from bowling in international cricket with immediate effect after an independent assessment found their bowling actions to be illegal. Both bowlers underwent assessments in Chennai last week, after being reported for suspect actions during the World T20 round-one match against Netherlands.The pair returned to the side to play in Bangladesh’s first match of the Super 10 stage, against Pakistan at the Eden Gardens, where Sunny took 2 for 34 and Taskin claimed 2 for 32. They can apply for a re-assessment at any stage after modifying their bowling actions. They may be allowed to play in the domestic league, pending the BCB’s permission.ESPNcricinfo has learned left-arm spinner Saqlain Sajib will replace Sunny in Bangladesh’s World T20 squad, while Taskin will be replaced by offspin-bowling allrounder Shuvagata Hom.These two are not the first Bangladesh bowlers to be suspended for an illegal action. Offspinner Sohag Gazi was suspended from bowling in October 2014, and he was cleared after a second test in February 2015. Left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak was the first Bangladesh bowler to be suspended, in November 2008, before the ban was lifted in March 2009. Al-Amin Hossain was also reported for a suspect action in 2014, but was cleared after an assessment in Chennai.

Worcestershire have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the build-up to their washed-out fixture against Kent earlier this month

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Apr-2016Worcestershire have been cleared of any wrongdoing in the build-up to their County Championship fixture against Kent earlier this month, which was abandoned without a ball being bowled due to a waterlogged outfield.The match, which had been due to take place at New Road between April 10 and 13, was called off by the umpires, Ian Gould and Richard Illingworth, after four consecutive blank days, following heavy rain on the eve of the contest that left the outfield like a “jelly-blancmange”, according to Tim Packwood, the head groundsman.The situation drew an angry response from Kent’s captain, Sam Northeast. “We turned up on the first day and knew pretty much straight away there would be no play over the four days,” he said. “It is unacceptable. This is not bad luck. I’d like to think there could have been something done.”We have had days of sun but not played any cricket. It’s not fair on the fans that travelled, sorted out hotels or taken time off work.”However, following an investigation by the Cricket Discipline Commission (CDC), the chairman Gerard Elias QC exonerated Worcestershire but invited the ECB to consider any actions or safeguards that might prevent a similar occurrence in the future.In particular, Elias found “no evidence that the pitch itself was unfit, or that Worcestershire CCC had, by the action or wilful inaction of its groundstaff, done anything which materially adversely impacted upon the possibility of play.”Despite recognising the “significant financial loss and inconvenience, as well as disappointment, experienced by both counties and their supporters”, Elias was satisfied that reasonable decisions and actions had been taken by the club in the period leading up to the match.Worcestershire’s players, he noted, had been able to practice on both the square and the outfit on the eve of the match and therefore could have reasonably believed that the ground would be fit for play the following day.Worcestershire have been plagued by floods and waterlogged conditions at New Road in recent years. In 2007, another Championship meeting with Kent was washed out without a ball being bowled, after which the club was unable to play at the venue for the final three months of the season.

A deep-seated trust issue is central to the problems Zimbabwe Cricket faces as it attempts to build a unified outfit, according to former national coach Alan Butcher

Firdose Moonda27-May-2016A deep-seated trust issue is central to the problems Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) faces as it attempts to build a unified outfit, according to former national coach Alan Butcher. That conclusion was the starkest takeaway from his book , an account of his three years in charge of Zimbabwe.The honest, personal story of Butcher’s time with the team, which he largely enjoyed thoroughly, is filled with details of suspicions, misunderstandings and hidden agendas between ZC management and the players. In some instances, these divisions were racially motivated; in others, they were personality-driven, but combined they had a detrimental effect on morale and performance.”There are massive trust issues in Zimbabwe, and these go back to a time before independence. Independence didn’t just flick a switch and make everything okay….” Butcher writes. “That there will be mistrust of each other’s motives is the most natural thing in the world.”In particular, Butcher reveals how the actions of former convener of selectors Givemore Makoni during the 2012 World T20 led to the retirement of Ray Price the following year.Makoni was appointed to the post in October 2011, 18 months into Butcher’s tenure. Butcher admits only knowing Makoni “a little” but being “apprehensive” about his appointment, having previously dealt with him as a selector.Butcher’s reservations were confirmed shortly after, when the selectors, led by Makoni, unilaterally announced the Test squad to play New Zealand, without meeting with the coach or captain. The group initially excluded Chris Mpofu and Tatenda Taibu, who both ended up playing in the match at Butcher and Brendan Taylor’s insistence. Butcher won that battle, but he would not win many more.The next March, during the World T20, Butcher was invited to dinner with ZC’s communications manager Lovemore Banda, Makoni, and assistant coach Steven Mangongo in Colombo. There, Banda told Butcher there was a perception that Butcher was marginalising Prosper Utseya.”The point was a none too subtle warning there were ‘people’ who were disappointed by the fact that if I thought someone should be dropped from the team that person was always Prosper Utseya and that those people were beginning to think that there was an agenda of some sort against him and that I would be wise to think about the possible consequences of that perception,” Butcher wrote.The quartet went on to enjoy the evening, but once they moved to Hambantota, the venue of their first match, Butcher was made to understand why Banda had communicated that message.The night before Zimbabwe’s opener against Sri Lanka, the coaching staff agreed that Utseya would sit out the first match against Sri Lanka in favour of Graeme Cremer and Ray Price. When Makoni heard the decision, he accused Butcher of “trying to wreck Utseya’s career, of racism and much more besides…”Makoni insisted Utseya should play and Butcher realised “fighting it would cause the team many more problems than having Prosper in it,” and so gave in. However, he then had to inform Price that he would be benched.Price had spent the afternoon in the hotel pool, opposite where the meeting with Makoni and Butcher had taken place, and already had an idea of what was coming. “Although disappointed, recognised an impossible position the captain and I were in and took it pretty well.”Butcher thought the matter was over, but on the day of the match, Grant Flower, the then batting coach, refused to go to the ground because of Utseya’s inclusion in the team. Butcher met with Flower and persuaded him otherwise, but the players had by then learnt of Flower’s threat. Butcher’s immediate task was to see how Utseya was handling it and he discovered the player was “not feeling great about being the reason for a coach refusing to go to the ground.”Utseya was among the better bowlers on the day, but Zimbabwe’s performance was, in Butcher’s words, “shambolic,” and things were only going to get worse.Zimbabwe did not play again until the next February, when they toured the West Indies, and as with any tour, the first job was to pick the squads. Butcher wanted Price “in my team in all formats,” and expected Makoni to disagree, but at their meeting, “Makoni indicated he thought Price should be in the squad.”A few days later, Butcher saw the squad list without Price’s name on it and called Makoni to clarify. Makoni said Price would not be travelling. Butcher gave Price the news, but instructed him not to do anything until Butcher had sorted it out, fearing Price would “retire on principle.” Price, however, set up a meeting with Mangongo and Makoni in which he was “virtually forced to retire from ODIs to continue playing Tests.” As a result, Price travelled as part of the Test squad but not the limited-overs team.Price retired that July after being left out of the ODI squad to play India despite new coach Andy Waller wanting him in the group.In the immediate aftermath of the squad selection for the 2013 tour of West Indies, Butcher noted with “sadness,” that “turned to anger,” reports in the Zimbabwean press detailing the argument with Makoni at the 2012 World T20. Utseya’s omission was described as bordering on “the issue of colour,” which Butcher took as an accusation against him of racism. He described it as his “darkest time” in Zimbabwe and it may have played a role in him opting not to reapply for his job later that year.After Butcher’s departure, Makoni was promoted to a managerial role in ZC in 2015 and Kenyon Ziehl was appointed selection convener. That may change in the next few weeks with ZC set to unveil yet another new selection panel.Butcher compared that kind of constant change to a “revolving door spinning from all exits,” caused by there not being “enough people everybody trusts”. Caught in the middle of that, “a national team of mixed races is expected to just knuckle down and win cricket matches,” which for Butcher is a big ask.Despite the overarching problem in Zimbabwean cricket, Butcher left with the impression that, “trust between the races was alive and well among the younger generations,” but warned that the spirit of goodwill should not be overshadowed by a political system which hardens attitudes. The Good Murungu: A Cricket Tale of the Unexpected

Mohammad Azharullah took advantage of perfect conditions for swing bowling to take 6 for 68 and give Northamptonshire control on the first day of their Specsavers Championship match against Sussex at Arundel

ECB Reporters Network22-Jun-2016
ScorecardMohammad Azharullah revelled in a humid Arundel day•Getty Images

Mohammad Azharullah took advantage of perfect conditions for swing bowling to take 6 for 68 and give Northamptonshire control on the first day of their Specsavers Championship match against Sussex at Arundel.The 32-year-old from Pakistan, who took ten wickets against the same opponents in 2014, helped dismiss Sussex for 178 despite 75 from opener Chris Nash. Northants then reached 43 for 1 in reply when play ended at 7.57pm with six overs of the day’s allocation not bowled because of bad light.Azharullah benefitted from bowling a full length and letting the overcast, humid conditions do the rest, although he was also helped by indifferent shot selection by some of Sussex’s batsmen.Mark David, Sussex’s coach, said: “It has been very wet for the last few days and although the groundstaff worked tremendously hard the wicket wasn’t as dry as they would have liked and that, combined with the overhead conditions, made it very hard for batting.”Nash and Ed Joyce put on 42 in ten overs without alarm but Sussex’s troubles began when Azharullah bowled Joyce (10) off his pads and he then struck with successive balls in his next over. Luke Wells (5) drove loosely to become the first of five victims for wicketkeeper David Murphy and Harry Finch was lbw to a ball which swung back in.Nash reached 50 from just 53 balls and the ease with which he stroked the ball through his strong off-side areas was in vivid contrast to the struggles of his team-mates.Luke Wright, leading Sussex in the Championship for the first time, looked understandably rusty and Azharullah picked him up for 14 when he switched to the Castle End.Matt Machan was dropped at slip by skipper Alex Wakely on five and helped put on 46 either side of tea before four more wickets fell in 33 deliveries.Azharullah collected the first two with Machan (30) caught behind driving before Ben Brown (3) became his sixth victim, courtesy of a fine low diving catch in front of slip by Murphy.Ollie Robinson was then foxed by Ben Sanderson’s slower ball, which he drove to extra cover where debutant Shaun Terry took the catch on the day he became the 500th player to play first-class cricket for Northamptonshire.Nash, who had made 75 from 119 balls with ten fours, was eighth out when he was surprised by extra bounce from Richard Gleeson and edged behind.The persevering Ben Sanderson removed Steve Magoffin (5). Ajmal Shahzad and Stuart Whittingham added 23 for the last wicket before Shahzad was caught at deep mid-wicket off off-spinner Richard Keogh.Northants began their reply at 6.50pm and opener Rob Newton lost his off stump to Ollie Robinson for a 24-ball duck but Ben Duckett and Wakely saw them safely through to the belated close.

The attention was on Durham’s Scott Borthwick but he ran himself out for 2 and Steven Patterson then drove home Yorkshire’s advantage with 6 for 56

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street20-Jun-2016
ScorecardSteven Patterson recorded career-best figures•Getty Images

At a time when a potential home Test debut for Scott Borthwick against Pakistan has been widely floated, it is perhaps inevitable that the Durham wicket that gained most attention was the one where Steven Patterson just vaguely stood there at the end of his run and happened to get in the way.Borthwick, who began the match with a Championship average top side of 80, has had a prolific season, in contrast to the current incumbent as England’s No. 3, Nick Compton, who has mustered 151 runs at 16.77 in a troubled season for both Middlesex and England.Patterson, one of the stingier bowlers around, was probably silently berating himself for allowing Borthwick something as self-indulgent as a front-foot drive when the ball was parried at mid-off by the diving Andrew Gale. Borthwick first held the pose – as if displaying his England credentials for a dozing photographer – then sensed a single, aware that Gale is carrying a few niggles and is a bit exposed in the field these days.But there was a Patterson roundabout to negotiate and Borthwick was still a foot short of the crease, sliding in on his knees, when Gale’s direct hit struck the stumps. The physio had to come on to give Gale attention, but it was only a graze and he was safe in the knowledge that he had pronounced he has not become an automatic single just yet.That was England affairs done and dusted, Borthwick left to curse a scorecard showing two runs in six balls. Attention turned to the Championship, the arena in which, day in day out, Patterson proves his worth. This time, with career-best figures of 6 for 56 to celebrate, and Durham dismissed for 172, he might get a share of that headline.Chris Rushworth, who two seasons ago took nine wickets in an innings, did his best to upstage Patterson late on, serving up a draught of local defiance. Shaven pate shimmering in rare evening sunshine, he claimed all four Yorkshire wickets to fall, including Alex Lees for 71 and Patterson, loping out as nightwatchman, for a second-ball duck, to leave Gale and Gary Ballance playing charily for the close.With the bat, Jack Burnham stuck it out, his 49 from 134 balls representing a mature contribution in a decent first full season, showing the sort of resilience that is expected from this Durham side, no matter how inexperienced. He drove pleasantly at times, but he never drove Patterson, wisely settling for suspicious pushes into the leg side.”Patto does what Patto does,” his coach, Jason Gillespie, is fond of saying. He does not so much hit a length as beat it into submission at speeds just above the motorway speed limit, but not quite fast enough to make the camera flash. But when he hits the seam he can change lane as sharply as the best of them. On a nibbly Chester-le-Street seamer, he was a permanent irritation: as nagging as a wasp in the kitchen, the thing you can’t quite remember, the noise in the car you can’t quite place.Every team needs a Patto, someone to throw the ball to when the pressure is on, and for Yorkshire the pressure was at maximum. They have four senior pace bowlers absent – Jack Brooks, Ryan Sidebottom, David Willey and Liam Plunkett (the latter with England) – their hugely promising fast bowler, Matt Fisher, is plagued by hamstring trouble, and England have also called up the legspin of Adil Rashid.Add Jonny Bairstow and Joe Root, and Yorkshire had eight missing in all. Two seamers were on Yorkshire Championship debut, Ben Coad and Josh Shaw, although Shaw had at least had some experience at Gloucestershire, where he has been called back from an intended season’s loan.With one point separating Lancashire, Durham and Yorkshire at the top of Division One, the table is a triumph for the north, although this being the north, the did curb its regional pride with the observation that Lancashire are in a false position.Durham were reasonably placed at 74 for 2 when Patterson struck for the first time with his second ball after lunch, having Mark Stoneman lbw, pushing well forward. Then came a run of 3 for 8 in 18 balls: Michael Richardson edged a brute of a ball which spat off a length; Paul Collingwood, who seemed intent on breaking him early, managed one cover drive but then mistimed a wide one to backward point; and Ryan Pringle’s off stump was removed as he groped forward.Coad and Shaw both acquitted themselves well, and Tim Bresnan produced a decent delivery of his own to have Usman Arshad caught at the wicket, but Gale ran Patterson for 14 overs in all, a spell broken by lunch, his value never more apparent. A brief second spell went unrewarded before Gale turned to him again after tea and he ended the innings courtesy of two off-side catches. A bowler just doing his job, and doing it well.

The BCCI and the Lodha Committee, instituted by the Supreme Court of India to bring about a series of reforms towards the running of cricket in the country, continue to spar over the Committee’s recommendations

Arun Venugopal01-Aug-2016The BCCI and the Lodha Committee, instituted by the Supreme Court of India to bring about a series of reforms towards the running of cricket in the country, continue to spar over the Committee’s recommendations. The latest episode has the two going back and forth over the legality of freezing elections in state associations.In wake of the Lodha Committee directing the state associations to put elections on hold until further notice, BCCI secretary Ajay Shirke has said the BCCI is “not empowered under any law to stop any electoral process which is mandated by any statute.”Shirke’s email response, following consultation with the board’s legal experts, was addressed to Gopal Sankaranarayanan, secretary of the committee, and was forwarded to the member associations concerned.”Elections being a democratic process are held by all associations and companies affiliated with the BCCI in terms of the respective enactments governing their constitution,” Shirke wrote in a letter, accessed by ESPNcricinfo, on July 29. “The elections under respective enactments have to be held from time to time according to the schedule specified in the said enactments failing which the concerned association would render itself liable under law for offences delineated therein.”Furthermore, the Lodha Committee recommendations do not empower the BCCI to interfere with statutory and fundamental rights of citizens who are members of such associations.”In his reply, Sankaranarayanan, who admitted to being surprised by Shirke’s letter, suggested a “misunderstanding of the situation” on the BCCI’s part.”The Committee did not direct BCCI to injunct any elections,” Sankaranarayanan wrote. “The Committee is aware that the BCCI does not have that power. The BCCI was only supposed to convey the committee’s decision to its members and state committees, regarding which there has been no response. I look forward to a confirmation that the committee’s decisions (not the BCCI’s) have been conveyed to the members and state associations.”Sankaranarayanan also brushed aside talks of miscommunication. “I don’t know where the confusion was,” he told ESPNcricinfo. “The first mail was abundantly clear that he was asked to convey it to the others. Why does he want to talk about what the BCCI’s powers are? BCCI surely has the power to convey.”Meanwhile, the Cricket Association of Bengal (CAB) and Karnataka State Cricket Association (KSCA), who were slated to hold elections, admitted to a lack of clarity in the situation.CAB secretary Biswarup Dey told ESPNcricinfo that the state body cancelled its election, which was slated to be held on July 31, on the basis of the Supreme Court’s verdict and not on the advice of the BCCI. A CAB official, who did not wish to be named, said the BCCI could have communicated sooner.”The CAB has already cancelled the election and that was ratified in the [association’s] working committee. We have already taken a stand on the basis of the Supreme Court’s verdict, so I don’t know where exactly we stand,” the official said. “The BCCI could have sent this clarification within a day or two of the verdict. Since the cancellation has been ratified by the working committee, we can’t change it now. And this is vague language [in the letter]. We have to wait [for more clarity].”KSCA spokesperson Vinay Mruthyunjaya said a decision on the body’s election would be made only after secretary Brijesh Patel returned from the BCCI’s working committee meeting and the special general meeting scheduled to be held during the coming week. The KSCA was originally scheduled to hold its election on August 7, prior to the Lodha directive.The BCCI will convene an emergent working committee meeting in Mumbai on August 2 followed by a special general meeting on August 5 in Delhi to discuss the implementations of the Lodha Committee’s report. The board’s legal committee is also scheduled to meet on August 4 in Delhi.

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play

Arun Venugopal24-Aug-2016
ScorecardAbhinav Mukund followed up a fifty on the opening day with an unbeaten 162 in India Red’s second innings•PTI

After playing awkwardly with the pink ball on day one, India Red, emboldened by centuries from Abhinav Mukund and Sudip Chatterjee, made purposeful strides in their second dig, and extended a 10-run first-innings lead to 354 runs by close of play. Thanks to Nathu Singh’s six-for, India Red needed only a little more than 10 overs to bowl out India Green in the afternoon, before going to stumps on 344 for 3. The centerpiece of their second innings was the 240-run alliance between Abhinav and Chatterjee.

Abhinav Mukund on…

His innings: It’s been a long time since I scored such a big hundred, so I put my mind to it. I haven’t batted under lights so I was a bit more focused and I wanted to concentrate – I had worked a lot on my fitness – and I wanted to prove that. I have been on the field through both the days so definitely towards the end I was tiring a bit, but I wanted to push [myself] mentally and carry on.
Batting with Sudip Chatterjee: I have played with him for Vijay CC, so we have batted together before. We knew things would get easier if we gritted it out initially. I just told him to hang on because it takes a bit of time to get set with the new ball.
Behaviour of the pink ball: I think the ball came on to the bat much better in the evening session. There was a little bit of seam movement initially with the new ball, and it’s starting to turn a little bit. It is also skidding on a little bit so it is slightly harder to play the spinners. Shreyas Gopal was giving it a good rip. I think it (the pitch) is dry underneath, that is why it’s turning.

With Abhinav still at the crease, unbeaten on 162, and with recognised batsmen to follow, India Green’s bowlers and fielders might have to work overtime. In any event, the side’s misery was to a certain extent self-inflicted with some slipshod fielding – they dropped four catches – and profligate bowling.The narrative on day two was nothing like the first day: 379 runs were scored for the loss of six wickets, as opposed to 277 for 17 on Tuesday; bowlers 1- batsmen 1. Two factors, though, remained constant. First, the pink ball itself has not had a disproportionately heavy bearing on either outcome. The second factor was Abhinav.His effort was remarkable as much for its longevity – he batted for more than five hours – as its unhurried rhythm. There was no dulling of tempo, however, as his strike-rate constantly remained upwards of 75. While Abhinav might want to offer a quiet ‘thank you’ to India Green captain Suresh Raina, who dropped him on 66 and 92, the reprieves seemed little more than an incentive for his positive, risk-free approach.If Abhinav’s 22nd first-class hundred was the well-rehearsed jig of an accomplished dancer, Chatterjee’s was a laboured effort enhanced by improvisations. After having made only 5 in the first innings, Chatterjee took 18 balls to score his first run, but the longer he stayed the more irritated India Green’s bowlers became. By the time he scored his sixth first-class hundred, Chatterjee’s strike-rate had crossed 60. Chatterjee’s first false stroke in a long period – an ill-timed sweep – eventually saw him trapped lbw to Shreyas Gopal, but Abhinav, and later Gurkeerat Singh, ensured the show went on.India Red entered the afternoon needing three wickets to bowl out their opponents, and despite Saurabh Tiwary’s fifty and a rain interruption, Nathu made light work of the tail. When the second session began, it was, at least in parts, a re-run of the first afternoon’s play: Abhinav alternated between leaving and driving the ball with equal assurance, Ashok Dinda leap-charged his way to banging the ball on the shorter side of full length, and Sandeep Sharma did the un-Dinda thing by pitching the ball up to bring swing into play. The most conspicuous change from the first innings was the approach of the India Red batsmen. Sample this: Dinda went for Srikar Bharat’s throat, like on Tuesday, and Bharat responded with a pull – this time he was on top of the ball rather than the other way around – in front of square for six.Pink ball or not, Abhinav was not going to deviate from a formula fare. He left anything on a length around the off stump, especially with the new ball, while driving, punching and upper-cutting – his release shot in the first innings – errant deliveries. He made matters worse by pinching sharp singles to further throw India Green off gear. The most abiding visual of Chatterjee’s innings was his well stretched-out forward defence, but sneakily he worked his way towards a bigger score. As he grew in confidence, the cuts and the drives became a more regular occurrence.India Green’s fielding, particularly that of Ankit Rajpoot, was a throwback to the Indian fast bowler of the 1990s. While he offered a cheeky boot to halt cover drives, he was let balls slip through, or reacted late to a catch – one such somnolent attempt let Chatterjee off the hook when he was on 74.Raina himself appeared lost, and was intermittently off the field, leaving Parthiv Patel in charge. The wickets of Chatterjee and Yuvraj Singh late in the day offered India Green a sudden shot of enthusiasm, which they will need to build on over the next two days.

Whatever the last day has in store, Warwickshire will have to conclude that this has been a let-down of a season, irrespective of the trophy they brought home from Lord’s last weekend

Jon Culley22-Sep-2016
ScorecardTim Ambrose stretched Warwickshire’s lead before they were able to strike late•Getty Images

Whatever the last day has in store, Warwickshire will have to conclude that this has been a let-down of a season, irrespective of the trophy they brought home from Lord’s last weekend. They began it as a popular choice among the pundits as the team most likely to derail Yorkshire’s bid for a hat-trick of titles, yet have finished it in a relegation scrap with Lancashire.What’s more, it is a youthful, inexperienced Lancashire, a side in its development stage, several years away from reaching maturity. Perhaps Warwickshire are a little too mature, lacking the mental vigour of youth, the appetite for success perhaps having lost a little of its edge. Seven of the side in action here are the wrong side of 30, with Keith Barker not far away.Barker’s contribution has been beyond reproach, comprising 608 runs and 60 wickets – his highest haul yet – and Jeetan Patel has underlined his status as the best spinner in the Championship, despite being pressed hard by Somerset’s Jack Leach. Beyond those two, however, there are not many contenders for player of the year.The new lease of life that Ian Bell perhaps hoped to have drawn from the captaincy has not happened and nor has the England recall of which he retained some hope. Jonathan Trott, about to bare his soul in his new autobiography, has recovered well from his troubled times but not even he could manage 1,000 Championship runs, a milestone well out of reach of everyone else. Sam Hain, the great hope of recent seasons, has taken his overdue chance in white-ball cricket well enough but in the red-ball game by the most generous assessment he has had a year standing still.If they do survive – and to do so they must win if Hampshire defeat Durham in Southampton – they will at least have avoided slipping into the backwater that will be home to all the other Midlands counties next season. You fear they might be battling against the current again next year, however, unless something happens to shake things up.Given their experience and the bonus of three wickets in the final hour of day three, you would expect them to get the job done. Their second innings matched the first in producing only one half-century but those who made a start without building on it substantially accumulated enough runs collectively to set Lancashire a real challenge, enabling Bell to set 347 to win in a day plus 18 overs.Trott, not at his most fluent but still able to produce some lovely drives, appeared to be the one who would come up with the key innings until he was bowled through the gate by offspinner Arron Lilley’s second ball, after which Bell was bowled off an inside edge attempting his familiar late cut. But Tim Ambrose stepped up with an unbeaten 59 that held things together. There was not as much turn in the pitch as was anticipated but although there were some batting misjudgments – Alex Mellor, Ian Westwood and Hain all fell offering no stroke – Lancashire kept up to their work willingly and Tom Bailey led the attack with discipline. Lilley finished with 3 for 56.Those evening inroads, though, have probably swung the balance. Haseeb Hameed survived, but the loss of Rob Jones, trapped in front by Barker, Luke Procter, another to be leg before without playing a shot, and Karl Brown, who feathered a catch to Ambrose off Chris Wright, leaves Lancashire already running out of reliable batsmen, although they will draw some comfort from knowing a draw would be enough for their survival.As Patel explained, it was enough to give Warwickshire “belief” that they can finish Lancashire off and leave their former coach, Ashley Giles, looking for assistance from Durham to keep a relegation off his CV.Win or not, Patel agreed that Warwickshire’s poor season in four-day cricket needs to be addressed.”To take those three wickets tonight was very important because it put more pressure on them and gave us a bit of belief,” he said. “It is all about tomorrow now , tomorrow is the biggest day of our season. We are in a position where we can win the game and if we can get ruthless and keep pushing and pushing we can knock them over.”But it is very disappointing to be fighting to avoid relegation because we started the season aiming to win all the competitions.”It is a tough division but I’m not going to lie – we are down at this end of the table not for that reason but because we just missed key moments.”I think regardless of the result it will be spoken about and hopefully guys are willing enough and man enough to take it on the chin and say how do I get better because next year will bring the same pressures. People will get better and we’ve got to get better with them.”

Shaun Marsh is expected to be named in Australia’s squad for the South Africa Tests after he struck a century against South Australia on the third day at the WACA

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Oct-2016
ScorecardShaun Marsh aggregated 183 in two innings against South Australia at WACA•Getty Images

After scoring 73 in the first innings, Shaun Marsh struck a century on the third day of Western Australia’s day-night Sheffield Shield game against South Australia at the WACA. Marsh, returning from a hamstring injury, has been declared fit and is expected to be named in Australia’s squad for the home Tests against South Africa on Friday.Marsh had suffered a right hamstring tear while batting for Western Australia in a Matador Cup game earlier this month. He played the Shield match to prove his fitness and may have done enough to merit selection, having struck a century in Australia’s previous Test against Sri Lanka in August.However, despite Marsh’s efforts, Western Australia were facing defeat, with South Australia requiring just 37 more to win the game with all 10 wickets intact.South Australia had begun the day on 8 for 474. Kane Richardson and Chadd Sayers, the two overnight batsmen, built the lead before South Australia declared on 9 for 505 to take a 234-run advantage. Western Australia put up 302 in their second innings, courtesy Marsh’s 110 and Hilton Cartwright’s 110-ball 80. That left South Australia with 69 to get. They ended on 32 without loss.Marsh and Cartwright were left to lift Western Australia from 4 for 107, after Chadd Sayers picked up three quick wickets to derail them from 1 for 97. Marsh and Cartwright added 109 for the fifth wicket, before Sayers struck again, having Marsh caught behind for his fourth and final wicket.Cartwright added 42 more for the sixth wicket with Ashton Agar before being dismissed by Travis Head, the South Australia captain. Agar was the ninth man dismissed, for 33, and Western Australia’s innings ended shortly after. Sayers finished with 4 for 57, and Daniel Worrall, Kane Richardson and Head took two each.South Australia struck at four an over in the eight overs they batted, with Kelvin Smith and Jake Weatherald striking six fours between them.