Massiah steps down as USA captain

Steve Massiah has stepped down as USA captain on Thursday after seven years in the role for his adopted country. Massiah, 34, made his debut for USA in 2000 after moving from his native Guyana and led USA since the start of the 2006 ICC Americas Division One tournament in Canada following the departure of Richard Staple when USA finished 10th at the 2005 ICC Trophy in Ireland.

"In recent months, I have found myself thinking that it was time for a change at the top, for a new voice to lead our team," Massiah said in a USACA press release. "I have been honoured and humbled to serve as national captain. At this time I extend my most sincere gratitude and thanks to the selection committee, coaches, administration and team-mates for their continued support and trust through the years. I feel that now is the time for someone else to take up the reins and for me to focus on doing the very best that I can to perform in [the World Twenty20 Qualifier]."

Massiah compiled a 33-17 record with four no results while leading USA in 50-over matches and had an 8-6 record as USA's Twenty20 captain from 2010-2011. His tenure was marked by a series of peaks and valleys with USA posting impressive victories against higher-class opposition, including wins over Scotland at the 2010 World Twenty20 Qualifier and Canada in the final of the 2010 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 championship, balanced out by costly stumbles at crucial moments in World Cup qualification tournaments.

His highest score as a USA player came in his first match as captain, scoring 136 not out in a 106-run win over Cayman Islands in 2006. Despite scoring several centuries in pre-tournament warm-up matches for USA, the ton against Cayman Islands would be his only one as captain in an official match. He produced steady contributions, with 1575 runs at an average of 40.38 as captain in 50-over cricket for USA, a shade higher than his career 50-over average for USA of 38.34.

Massiah's best tournament as captain came in 2010 at ICC World Cricket League Division Five in Nepal where he scored four half-centuries in six matches and was the tournament's leading scorer as USA gained promotion into Division Four, which they won in Italy later that year. His other successes include an undefeated championship run in Florida at the 2008 ICC Americas Division One tournament and leading USA to the inaugural ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 championship in Bermuda in 2010 where they defeated Canada in the final by five wickets.

However, there were also some demoralizing losses in his tenure. As part of USA's suspension by the ICC in 2007, they were dropped from Division Three to Division Five of the World Cricket League. When the suspension was lifted, USA entered Division Five in 2008 as one of the favourites and cruised through the group stage undefeated only to suffer a shock upset by 84 runs in the semi-final at the hands of Jersey. Afghanistan defeated Nepal in the other semi-final and beat Jersey in the final to begin their meteoric rise through Associate and Affiliate cricket.

By 2011, USA had progressed back to Division Three and romped past host side and eventual tournament champion Hong Kong on day one of the tournament. On day two though, a stunning collapse against Denmark snowballed into defeats to Papua New Guinea and Italy resulting in relegation to Division Four.

Massiah's last tournament in charge of USA was at ICC World Cricket League Division Three in May. USA won their first three matches and only needed victory in either of their final two round-robin games to clinch a spot in the 2014 World Cup Qualifier. However, a loss to Uganda was followed by a dramatic defeat against Bermuda, a regional rival they had not lost to in a tournament since 2005. Nepal's win over Italy on the same day allowed them to leapfrog USA on net run rate and join Uganda as the two teams progressing to the qualifier next year in New Zealand.

Massiah's own form had been poor recently with an average of just 22.36 in his last 12 games across Division Four in Malaysia and Division Three in Bermuda. With a spot in the World Cup Qualifier at stake, Massiah was dismissed without scoring against Bermuda. He averages 11.00 in 14 Twenty20 matches for USA and now that he is no longer captain there is no guarantee that he will be picked in USA's squad for the World Twenty20 Qualifier in the UAE which runs from November 15-30.

USACA are yet to announce Massiah's replacement as captain, but the favourite for the role is Orlando Baker, who captained USA when they compiled an 8-0 streak in the 2013 ICC Americas Division One Twenty20 tournament in Florida in March. Baker, 34, has played for USA since 2008 and is one of the few veterans left in a squad that has experienced significant turnover in the last two years. Neil McGarrell, 41, may also have an outside chance if USACA takes the view to have him as a stop-gap appointment to allow time for a younger player to be groomed to take over the role in 2015, which is when USA are next scheduled to participate in an ICC tournament.


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Ballance shows up Bairstow shortcomings

Yorkshire 434 (Ballance 148, Jaques 88, Ansari 4-70) and 265 for 6 (Ballance 108*, Williamson 60) drew with Surrey 634 for 5 (Sibley 242, Amla 151, Burns 82, Solanki 51)
Scorecard

If this match is seen as a shootout for the England No. 6 slot in Brisbane, Gary Ballance can begin whitening his pads for the Gabba after becoming the 13th Yorkshire player to score two centuries in a match.

It was his second composed innings of the game, taking him past 1200 Championship runs for the season, and saved his side from defeat on the final afternoon at The Oval. His unbeaten 108 rescued Yorkshire from a slippery situation and extended their unbeaten away record in the Championship to 21 matches.

Ballance could not have delivered a better four days following his England call-up and there could not have been a greater juxtaposition between him and Jonny Bairstow, an incumbent at No. 6 during the Ashes. There was an air of sureness about Ballance's batting that his colleagues lacked in falling into the end-of-season, mind-wandering trap. Without Ballance, Yorkshire would have suffered a defeat that would have soured an excellent campaign that defied many expectations.

His hundred in 158 balls was chanceless and he dealt with the increasing spin threat of Zafar Ansari and especially Gareth Batty with positivity: defending out in front of the footholes outside his off stump and attacking with quick sorties down the pitch or a scythe of the blade square of the wicket.

Far from bowing under the weight of expectation at being a Test batsman in waiting, Ballance thrived on being that bit closer to the international stage.

"I'm not really sure about Brisbane," Ballance said. "I haven't really thought about it. I just went to try and build an innings and luckily it came off twice. It's a great feeling and it was nice to finish the season well. One thousand runs was a personal target for me so to have achieved that for the first time is very satisfying.

"It was nice to get the call and it's been a nice week. I'm glad this game has gone well for me. I was pretty confident and it was a good wicket to bat on, there was a bit of turn but we got through."

The calm poise Ballance showed was in contrast to an all-too-familiar skittish innings from his team-mate Bairstow, which had another very disappointing ending to a straight delivery.

Bairstow clearly has a lack of confidence in his defensive technique. While handsome clips off his pads and photogenic cover drives raced away off the middle of the bat, there remained a sense that he was never in full control. After two years of international cricket he is yet to shrug off the whippersnapper tag.

He struck Tom Jewell for four fours in succession but six overs later failed to deal with an ordinary delivery from Tim Linley, slightly angled in. Bairstow got too far towards the off side and fell lbw for a second disappointing return in the match. Despite assurances to the contrary, he still appeared to be shaking off the blow he suffered in slipping on the third evening.

A return of 955 first-class runs at 38.20 would not have been the year Bairstow was hoping for. His performances in the Test matches this summer, coupled with Ballance's superb tally of 1363 runs at 64.90, may well sway the England selectors. Since his career has come into sharper focus, Bairstow has mixed attractive strokes with loose dismissals. Here he might have sensed the pressure of Ballance's innings and the situation of the game, which gave few excuses for a poor return.

Even after four days, batsmen could trust the surface and strokemaking was straightforward. But Yorkshire coughed up enough wickets to take the game into the last hour. Adam Lyth and Alex Lees both edged balls sent across them by Linley and Phil Jaques dragged on trying to drive a ball from a poor position.

Kane Williamson is a man for a crisis and nudged and tucked his way to a much-needed fifty. But when he was caught off bat and pad, Gareth Batty's demeanour hardened and he began to find turn and bounce to justify three men around the bat. With some more luck, Batty could well have bowled Surrey to victory.


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Carrots and sticks keep Srinivasan confident

The Supreme Court's strictures on N Srinivasan and the BCCI elections don't seem to have affected preparations within the board for Sunday's annual general meeting, of which the elections are a part. Srinivasan's own confident statement that he would attend the meeting and stand for re-election is mirrored in the business-as-usual attitude of his colleagues on the board, making any discussion on whether he should or should not contest irrelevant.

Right now, there is serious business to be concluded: The distribution of the various board posts and similar rewards. The deadline to file nominations for all the nine posts - president, secretary, treasurer, joint secretary and five vice-presidents - ends at 4pm on Saturday, enabling all sorts of possible compromises for all the top posts. The corollary - the prospect of losing out on staging matches or landing plum tour assignments - is what is keeping the opposition in check.

All the five incumbent vice-presidents, one from each zone, are set to be replaced, the final decisions regarding their replacements to be taken in the zonal unit meetings on Saturday morning. At the same time, once the likes of Jagmohan Dalmiya, Arun Jaitley, Rajiv Shukla and Anurag Thakur - key figures in the BCCI - check in to their hotel, the candidates for other key positions, including that of the IPL governing council chairman, will be zeroed in on.

Despite the board seemingly divided in the aftermath of the IPL corruption scandal, it is unlikely that there will be an election for any of the top posts. Traditionally, once a president is elected unopposed in the BCCI, even the other office-bearers emerge as consensus candidates from his group of supporters. It would be interesting to see whether Sanjay Patel and Ravi Savant, who were appointed secretary and treasurer in June following the resignations of Sanjay Jagdale and Ajay Shirke, end up retaining their positions.

With Srinivasan's re-election in little doubt, the sole question concerns who will preside over the AGM. Similar to most of the AGMs, where the members usually request the senior-most member attending the meeting to preside, it is likely that Dalmiya, who has been running the board's day-to-day affairs during Srinivasan's "exile", may chair the AGM.

In a way, BCCI officials appear relieved that Srinivasan's decision to step aside, in the wake of the IPL spot-fixing scandal that saw his son-in-law Gurunath Meiyappan arrested, has been vindicated. While questions were raised over whether the BCCI constitution allowed for the president to "step aside", the Supreme Court's directive will most probably mean the arrangement will prevail till the BCCI's legal tussle with Cricket Association of Bihar ends.

In any case, officials believe it will only be a matter of days before the case is resolved. The Supreme Court's next hearing is on Monday, the day after the meeting.


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Brisbane Heat still seeking first points

Match facts

September 28, 2013
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

Chennai Super Kings' power-packed batting line-up made a mockery of a 185-run target in their first game before blitzing a 200-plus total in the next to set them up for a semi-final spot, should they win their next encounter. Their opponents, Brisbane Heat, are languishing at the opposite end of the table, still winless in the tournament primarily because of inadequacies in the batting department.

The situation, however, is similar to how Heat began their BBL campaign last year - three losses in four matches. Their bowling, which was largely responsible for the turnaround that fetched them the Big Bash crown, continued to impress, limiting Titans and Trinidad & Tobago to modest targets. But unlike in the Big Bash, their batsmen have failed to step up. Case in point was their last match, when Heat could not chase down 124.

The onus falls on captain James Hopes, Peter Forrest and Daniel Christian, all with international experience, to remedy the situation. Forrest is under particular scrutiny, manning the No. 3 position. Though his style of play involves spending a little time in the middle before using his stocky frame to muscle the ball down the ground, he is yet to taste success in this competition.

Heat would be hopeful that the change of venue proves a useful ally. In addition to escaping Jaipur's bowler-friendly conditions, Heat's batsmen would benefit from the dew on the JSCA ground in Ranchi. The moisture on the field was so pronounced that seamer Ben Cutting was prompted into calling the toss in tomorrow's game a "big one".

Another potential advantage lies in Super Kings' relatively weak bowling line-up. Every bowler has an economy rate north of eight after two matches, with Ravindra Jadeja's 17.75 being the worst of the lot . But Super Kings more than make up for It in their batting, with three key players - Michael Hussey, Suresh Raina and MS Dhoni - in such prime form they have almost benefited from the loss of M Vijay's wicket, who has been woeful. Another concern for Super Kings could be lower-order rust, with Jadeja and Morkel having faced only two balls each in the tournament so far.

Players to watch

Dwayne Bravo has steadily grown in value in the Super Kings camp, eventually taking over from Morkel as their first-choice allrounder and more recently has picked up the mantle of their premier death bowler.

Joe Burns has been Heat's most successful batsman in this tournament so far, but has been guilty of losing his wicket at crucial moments. Heat will look to him to resolve that issue and in effect help their batting develop a stronger skeleton.

Quotes

"One point is really clear, we need to learn to bowl in the dew-factor."
Chennai Super Kings batsman Suresh Raina predicts a secondary challenge during their match against Brisbane Heat

"I certainly won't be bowling any wide yorkers to him because they tend to disappear over the boundary."
Brisbane Heat seamer Ben Cutting hints at his strategy to keep MS Dhoni quiet


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Amin named Pakistan A captain

Batsman Umar Amin was named captain of the Pakistan A side for the three-day match against South Africans in Sharjah on October 8. The announcement of the national Test squad has been deferred until next week though a 28-man squad for a conditional camp has been named. The Pakistan Cricket Board, however, confirmed that Misbah-ul-Haq would remain Test captain despite their first loss to Zimbabwe in 15 years.

Misbah's captaincy came under severe criticism for Pakistan falling short in the first ODI before their loss in the second Test. In addition, Pakistan have won only one of five Tests this year - against the No. 9 ranked Zimbabwe - and are looking to remedy a 0-3 defeat in South Africa earlier this year.

Amin has not played a Test in three years after he was axed during the 2010 tour of England that was marred by a spot-fixing scandal but is widely regarded as a future captain. He was the leading run-scorer, with 767 in nine matches at 45.11 in the President's Trophy last season. He was subsequently called up to the limited over squad and has been in national contention for last eight months.

The 15-man squad comprises mainly of young batsmen - Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad while last season's top run-getter in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, Akber-ur-Rehman, also found a place in the squad. With 986 runs in ten games, Rehman hit three centuries and three half-centuries, including highest score of 225. Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali who have been in the national side since 2010 have also been included in the squad, along with middle-order batsman Faisal Iqbal.

Shafiq is battling a dip in form over the last year, scoring 242 runs at 24.20. Although his promotion into the Test squad looks imminent, the selectors have picked him in the A side to find some touch along with Azhar, who apart from one innings in the first Test against Zimbabwe has been found wanting with the bat.

Iqbal, 31, has played 26 Test matches since making his debut in 12 years ago and was the captain of the previous A team that toured West Indies in 2010. They drew both unofficial Test, lost T20 series and managed to secure unofficial three-match ODI series by 2-0. Though Iqbal's last appearance for Pakistan was in 2010, he has been part of the Test squad for past one year.

Umar Gul, Mohammad Irfan and Taufeeq Umar are the major absentees from the probables for the preparatory camp. Gul, who suffered a knee injury earlier this year is not fit for the longer format and Irfan, also fielding questions regarding his fitness in Test match cricket, is seen as a limited-overs specialist.

Pakistan A squad: Shan Masood, Ahmed Shehzad , Azhar Ali, Umar Amin (capt), Faisal Iqbal, Asad Shafiq, Ehsan Adil, Ahmed Jamal, Akber-ur-Rehman, Usman Qadir, Yasir Shah, Sohaib Maqsood, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Khan, Muoammad Rizwan (wk).

Probables for camp: Younis Khan, Misbah-ul-Haq, Adnan Akmal (wk), Abdur Rehman, Shan Masood, Khurram Manzoor, Ahmed Shehzad , Azhar Ali, Umar Amin (capt), Faisal Iqbal, Asad Shafiq, Ehsan Adil, Ahmed Jamal, Akber-ur-Rehman, Usman Qadir, Yasir Shah, Sohaib Maqsood, Aizaz Cheema, Imran Khan, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Junaid Khan, Rahat Ali, Wahab Riaz, Mohammad Hafeez, Umar Akmal, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk), Zulfiqar Babar, Yasir Shah.


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Record-breaking Sibley shows Surrey the light

Surrey 572 for 4 (Sibley 220*, Amla 151, Burns 82, Solanki 51) lead Yorkshire 434 by 138 runs
Scorecard

Dominic Sibley provided a pleasant footnote to Surrey's torturous season by becoming the youngest player to score a double century in the County Championship. It was an extraordinary achievement for an 18-year-old who has to go back to school on Monday.

He batted for nine-and-a-half hours and faced 484 balls for his double hundred - concentration not often associated with the current generation of young players weaned on one-day cricket. Of Englishmen, only WG Grace has achieved the feat at a younger age in first-class cricket.

Supporters at The Oval have been demoralised this season by an unsuccessful side, the makeup of which has not reflected well on such a famous and wealthy county, but here they could rejoice in a fine young player who has been developed by the club's academy.

Sibley is the latest in a string of home-grown players to appear for Surrey. Their challenge is to ensure they are selected regularly and can develop into established first XI players at the club. Addressing the leakage of talent from The Oval should be high on the agenda of the new head coach.

Whoever is appointed will have a very talented young batsman to work with in Sibley, who will surely sign professional terms soon, having only been on a summer contract this season. When he was 15, he made a double-century for his club, Ashtead, and appeared for Surrey 2nd XI, pushed forward by Surrey academy director Gareth Townsend. Last winter he played for England Under-19s in South Africa and scored a century in the second Youth Test.

Sibley should have returned to Whitgift School to begin his final year studying Geography, English and PE but was given time off to play the final three fixtures of the season. How he would have cursed missing an innings on a wicket this flat.

A-levels will be no trouble for Sibley if he can knuckle down for his exams as he did batting in the morning session. During the first hour he patted back six maidens and found the "Yorkshire Wall" of six men catching in front of the bat impossible to impregnate - inspiration or desperation, it was certainly innovative from Andrew Gale.

After 70 minutes Sibley was finally able to play a shot in anger as Ryan Sidebottom took the second new ball and Sibley punched him off the back foot for three through cover. Fifteen minutes later his second aggressive stroke came with a cover drive off Jack Brooks. In total he needed 98 deliveries to take his overnight 81 to three figures, which arrived via a swept four off Adil Rashid.

"It was more relief this morning to get to a hundred," Sibley said. "I didn't get much of a chance to score, they bowled well at me and when I did get there I was quite emotional.

"I try to keep a familiarity with the way I bat; I always take my guard before each delivery. I keep everything the same and that keeps my tempo going.

"I felt good at Somerset and I was disappointed that I didn't get a big score but I'm pleased that I've got a big one before the end of the season. Doing it here at The Oval is great. I had my parents here and my dad came back from Singapore last night."

He loosened up in the afternoon and enjoyed his time with Hashim Amla, having told his mum he wanted to bat with Amla before he returned to South Africa. The pair added the highest third-wicket partnership for Surrey against Yorkshire which helped Surrey make their highest total against Yorkshire in a first-class match.

It was too easy for Amla. It was too easy for Vikram Solanki who made 51 in 54 balls. And it may never be easier for Sibley. However, his epic nearly didn't happen. He was dropped on just 8 on the second day and should have been held on 159 by Jonny Bairstow: a very simple chance from a thin edge. It was a bad lapse in concentration by the reserve wicketkeeper in England's Ashes squad.

Bairstow did not have a great birthday as he also suffered a nervous moment when he slipped near the pavilion boundary having chased a lost cause to fine leg. He fell awkwardly and Jason Gillespie came tearing down from the dressing room with a worried brow but after a few overs of gingerly movement, Bairstow could go back to worrying about his wicketkeeping.


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Westfield breaks spot-fixing silence

Mervyn Westfield, the former Essex cricketer, has spoken publically for the first time about the chain of events which led to him receive a prison sentence for spot-fixing as part of an anti-corruption campaign headed by the Professional Cricketers' Association.

Westfield describes in the PCA video how he was lured into spot-fixing by the former Pakistan legspinner Danish Kaneria. Kaneria was banned for life for his part in the affair in June 2012 and lost his appeal against the ban in an ECB hearing in July this year.

Kaneria's lawyers have since filed an appeal in the UK in the Commercial Court, with Kaneria stating that he wants his story to be heard by all. The Commercial Court deals with complex cases arising out of business disputes, both national and international.

Westfield tells in the PCA video how his four-month sentence in Belmarsh prison coincided with the discovery that his father had cancer and how he was shaken by the knowledge that he had let down his parents and that he was no longer a good role model for his two younger brothers.

"I first met Danish at the age of 18 in the second year of my professional contract," Westfield tells. "He was a very bubbly person. Everyone liked him in the dressing room. He was a role model for most of the people in our team.

"Basically I was at his house and he asked if he could speak to me outside… that's when he started first talking about it. He said it's hard for a young person to get money nowadays in cricket and that's how the conversation started.

"He suggested to me that a few people in the game were doing it as well. I felt confused because I didn't really understand where he was coming from or what he was talking about. Him and his friends kept on asking and asking and I felt pressured into it and I sort of had to do it. I just felt so confused what was going."

Westfield was asked to concede a pre-planned number of runs in a televised 40-over tie against Durham in Chester-le-Street in September 2009. He inadvertently failed to concede the number of runs agreed but after Essex returned home in the early hours of the morning he was paid anyway. He reveals for the first time that he resisted suggestions that he should repeat the sting against Somerset five days later.

"When I bowled my first over, I didn't even check the scoreboard to see if I went for 12 or more," he said. "All the emotions going through my head, I was just confused about what was going on.

"Because Danish lived next to me he always gave me a lift home. It was late, it was three o'clock in the morning or something like that. He had two friends in the car as well and they had a black bag and they gave it to me with money.

"The next couple of days we went up to Somerset and they tried to get me to do that game as well but I said no definitely not this time. I was worried obviously if someone finds out a what's going to happen to me and I love cricket and... I didn't want to lose my career and obviously that Durham game has cost me my career."

He also relates how he was summoned back to Essex's HQ at Chelmsford after a training session by the coach, Paul Grayson. Essex - in a meeting with Grayson, the chief executive David East and captain James Foster - initially told him that they intended to deal with the affair in house. The affair only became public knowledge six months later.

Westfield was banned from professional cricket for five years, and club cricket for three years. In recognition of his willingness to help the PCA with its anti-corruption education programme, an ECB appeal panel in June reduced his ban from club cricket by a year, meaning he will be able to play again next season.

He will also appear at the PCA's rookie camp, for new professionals, in February and at PCA pre-season meetings with each of the 18 first-class counties next March.

"I'm not trying to tell people to feel sorry for me… because what I've done is bad but not being able to play or coach any cricket is a massive shock for me," he said. "I just want to rebuild my life.. and try and get back on track. If I can give back to anyone - kids, older people it doesn't matter to me - as long as I can give something back."

Jason Ratcliffe, PCA assistant chief executive, said: "Mervyn recognizes that he did wrong and that the time is right to make amends within the cricket community to ensure nobody makes the same mistakes. His moving interview is the first step of the education process and should serve as a timely reminder to all, that cricket and other sports will not let up in the fight against corrupters."


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New Ryobi sets scene for World Cup

Having set his sights on turning out for Australia at the next World Cup, Brad Haddin believes the shift of the domestic limited-overs competition to a tight tournament format will enhance the national team's chances of contending when the 50-over game's major trophy is contested in 2015.

Haddin will lead New South Wales against Tasmania in the opening match at Bankstown Oval on Sunday, heralding an event played entirely in Sydney across four venues inside the space of a month. In this it reflects the intensity and rhythm of a World Cup or Champions Trophy, a marked change from the spreading of fixtures across the entire summer.

"I reckon the way they've set it out this year is outstanding," Haddin said. "It mirrors what you do with the Australian team and it gets guys used to being in a tournament and building towards a final.

"Tournament play is about getting better as you go along and I reckon this is a great way for state cricket to start in a tournament like this. I like that it's all compressed into a tournament so from that point of view it's good and we obviously should have a home advantage if it's played in Sydney."

New South Wales have been rejuvenated by a series of off-field changes since the start of 2013, starting with the elevation of the new chairman John Warn and then a fresh chief executive in Andrew Jones. Trevor Bayliss has returned as the coach, while Haddin has happily accepted captaincy duties whenever Australia commitments allow him.

"Leaving for the Ashes it wasn't a great place to be around," Haddin said. "But coming back with the work Andrew Jones and John Warn have done with NSW Cricket it's just been a fresh start. So it was refreshing to walk back in after the Ashes campaign and see the headspace everyone was at. The office is now buzzing, we've got everything sorted, so it's up to us to continue the momentum they've started upstairs and play some good cricket."

They will be helped in this pursuit by the limited-overs tournament being staged exclusively in Sydney, granting a major advantage to Australia's most populous cricket state. Haddin admitted his competitors had a right to raise eyebrows at the loss of home ground comforts for the duration of the event.

"I would ask some questions definitely [if from another state]," he said. "The one thing about playing for your state is you like to have the home ground advantage and make teams coming to your area as uncomfortable as you possible can. So a bit of luck the Sydney crowds will get out and make every team as uncomfortable as possible."

Among the anointed venues is the picturesque but small North Sydney Oval, a former favourite with limited-overs schedulers but now notable for how its small boundaries can be exploited by the spring-loaded bats of 2013. Last summer Victoria were set a distant 351 to win by the Blues, but David Hussey and Aaron Finch ran them down with 20 balls to spare.

"We're still looking for some balls Aaron Finch hit out there last year," Haddin quipped. "It's good for the crowd. North Sydney Oval traditionally was always a great place to start the tournament, we always used to play the first one day game of the year there, so it was a great event.

"It's a great ground to play at, as is out here [the SCG], but it is an interesting ground to play at now especially with the size of the bats. We won't hide from the fact we'd like to play at the SCG, but I like the way the tournament's set up, and these are the grounds we've chosen."


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Key keeps Kent in touch

Lancashire 284 (Prince 134) and 75 for 0 lead Kent 260 (Key 134, Harmison 59, Parry 3-51) by 99 runs
Scorecard

Division Two champions Lancashire look set to finish the County Championship season unbeaten after strengthening their grip on their final match against Kent at Canterbury. Lancashire reached the mid-point of the clash on 75 without loss in their second innings - an overall lead of 99.

Having dismissed Kent for 260 to claim a narrow first-innings advantage of 24, Red Rose openers Paul Horton and Luis Reece survived 21 overs through to stumps to dent Kent's hopes of notching a first home Championship win of the season.

Having started the day brightly by taking Lancashire's final two wickets for the addition of just 15 runs - Ashwell Prince failing to add to his overnight 134 - Kent's first-innings batting was again found wanting until their former captain Rob Key dug in for his fifth Championship century of the campaign.

Responding to Lancashire's 284, Kent suffered a miserable start and at 7 for 3 the follow-on looked a real possibility until Key saved face with a 118-ball century.

The hosts lost opener Sam Northeast for a duck after only 13 deliveries when the right-hander clipped firmly into the hands of midwicket against Kyle Jarvis. Eight balls later and with only a single to his name, Daniel Bell-Drummond then allowed one from Oliver Newby to squeeze through bat and pad and pluck out off stump.

Brendan Nash lasted three deliveries before he sparred outside off against Newby to be caught at the second attempt by Tom Smith at third slip as the procession back to the changing rooms continued.

However, Key then found a willing ally in fourth-wicket partner Ben Harmison as the pair batted on either side of lunch to add 158 in 35.1 overs - the highest partnership of the game by far. Harmison posted his fifth half-century of an improving campaign from 103 balls while Key looked comfortable throughout as he eased 10 fours and a six during his three-hour ton.

Harmison celebrated his fifty with a six off Newby but the bowler enjoyed revenge soon after by trapping the left-hander leg before for 59. The slide continued when Darren Stevens went in similar fashion to the lively Jarvis as Kent's last five wickets mustered only 41 runs.

Sam Billings was superbly caught one-handed at second slip by Andrea Agathangelou, Adam Ball also went leg-before and James Tredwell shouldered arms against Tom Smith to lose his off stump. Key then went for 134, snared by spinner Stephen Parry, who also bowled Kent's last man Matt Hunn to give Lancashire a narrow lead.

At the start of the day Kent required barely half-an-hour to polish off the Lancashire first innings. Debutant Hunn had Prince pocketed at second slip to give the rookie from Suffolk figures of 2 for 51, then Stevens bagged his 200th first-class wicket by having Parry caught in the cordon to deny Lancashire their third batting bonus point.


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Promotion seals golden year for Northants

Worcestershire 163 and 155 for 3 lead Northamptonshire 202 (Keogh 57, Richardson 5-70) by 116 runs
Scorecard

There may be a day or two left of the campaign, but Northamptonshire are already celebrating what may just be the finest season in the club's history.

Essex's failure to secure the bonus points they required to stand any chance of overhauling them means that Northants are assured of promotion to Division One of the County Championship whatever happens in the rest of their match with Worcestershire.

With the FLt20 already secured - only the fourth trophy in the history of a club that played its inaugural first-class game in 1905 - and the club assured of playing in the top division for the first time since 2004, it is easy to understand why the chief executive, David Smith, declared it "the best year we've ever had". They only missed out on a YB40 semi-final due to run rate, too.

Perhaps 1976 was better. That year Northants won the Gillette Cup and were second in the County Championship - long before the days of two divisions or a financial divide between the top and bottom sides - but, whichever way you look at it, 2013 will be remembered as a golden year in the history of a club that has generally been content to live in the shadows.

It is the contrast with last year that is so remarkable. Not only did Northants finish second from bottom of Division Two in 2012, they hardly won a match in limited-overs cricket. Across the three competitions, no side won fewer games. Spectators stayed away in their droves.

As a result, they changed their captain and their coach. David Ripley, the wicketkeeper when Northants last won a trophy in 1992, actually replaced David Capel midway through the 2012 campaign but it was only this year that he had the opportunity to instil his own values upon the side. Stephen Peters replaced Andrew Hall as captain of the first-class side and Alex Wakely became captain in the limited-overs formats, deputising in the Championship side when Peters was injured.

Hall, relieved of the burden of leadership, rediscovered his form as a player and emerged as their "standout four-day performer", in the words of Ripley. No one in the side has scored more runs than Hall's 909, while he has also taken 35 Championship wickets.

The club also recruited wisely. Steven Crook, arguably the signing of the season, was brought in from Middlesex to add pace with the ball and ballast with the bat, while Azharullah was signed from league cricket and Trent Copeland as overseas player. They have so far claimed 113 Championship wickets between them; only Lancashire have taken more bowling points than Northants in the division.

The batting was even stronger. No side in either division can match their 54 batting bonus points and, with 15 men having contributed half-centuries, there were times when a batsman as competent as Copeland, who has scored a first-class century and gone in as high as No. 7 in Australia, went in at No. 11.

But there is more to this improvement than strong batting and bowling. Northants have also instilled in their side a unity and spirit that has seen them overcome two defeats against Lancashire - the only side that beat them and the only side they admit were better than them - and the inevitable stresses and strains of a long county season. The split captaincy idea has resulted in all formats benefiting from increased energy and time for planning, and the momentum of success in all forms of the game has proved self-perpetuating.

Perhaps most pleasing is the emergence of some young players at the club - the likes of Olly Stone, Rob Newton, Rob Keogh, Ben Duckett, David Murphy and even Wakely - who could go on to form the basis of a strong team for a decade to come.

If you really want to pinpoint the change in fortunes of this club, you probably have to go back to January 2012. That was when a new chief executive, David Smith, was appointed and when the ambitions of a club that had seemed content with a supporting role were overhauled. It was Smith who sacked Capel and appointed Ripley and who had the energy and vision to see how the club could regain the relevance it once had in its local community. His job is not complete, but he has made a fine start.

Not only have Northants' on-field performances improved in the last 20 months, the club have bought the ground on which they play, improved their facilities and begun an economic development that will, in time, see their income grow by 30% or more. Only last Sunday, 13,000 people attended a Madness concert at the club, which will have earned Northants around £75,000.

Northants have come close to promotion before. In 2009 and 2011 they missed out by a single point and there were times over the first couple of days of this game when they feared history would repeat itself. Alan Richardson, hailed by Ripley as "still the best bowler in this division" produced a characteristically excellent spell of seam bowling in the morning to reduce Northants to 157 for 8 before Keogh and Murphy helped them secure a bonus point. Richardson, whose 14-over spell was a terrific effort for a 38-year-old, fully deserved his fifth five-wicket haul of the season and 23rd of his career.

In the end, though, Essex's shortcomings rendered the outcome of this game irrelevant to the promotion issue. Quite why Essex would invest in high-profile signings like Monty Panesar and Gautam Gambhir in the finals weeks of a season and then not select senior players such as David Masters, Reece Topley, Owais Shah and, though fitness was a factor, even Ravi Bopara for a game that could have earned them promotion, is anyone's guess. But the achievement means plenty to Northants.

"We're not Manchester United," Ripley said, "but to the 100 people who clapped us off the pitch and all the others following this game at home, this results mean a lot. I had plenty of doubts that we would get here so it's just a relief that we have.

"We know that it will be tough next year. But we've taken heart from the fact that Yorkshire have gone from runners-up in Division Two to runners-up in Division One in a season and the fact that we've been good in all formats and near the top of the Championship table since the first game shows we've deserved this."


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Allenby, Cooke keep contest even

Glamorgan 271 for 9 (Allenby 85, Cooke 50, Gidman 4-64) trail Gloucestershire 275 (Dent 84) by four runs
Scorecard

Honours were left even at stumps on day two of Glamorgan's Championship Division Two clash with Gloucestershire at Cardiff. Will Gidman starred for the visitors with 4 for 64, while Jim Allenby scored 85 for Glamorgan as they reached 271 for 9 in response to Gloucestershire's 275 all out.

Gloucestershire had resumed their first innings on 228 for 8 after only 82.1 overs had been possible on the first day because of bad light during the final hour.

Glamorgan had probably hoped to wrap up the visiting innings quickly but it took the bowlers almost 23 overs to claim the final two wickets during which Gloucestershire added 47 runs.

Tom Smith and Graeme McCarter rode their luck early on but stayed around to register Gloucestershire's second batting point. Slow left-armer Dean Cosker was twice lofted back over his head for fours by McCarter before Allenby trapped him leg-before .

From 263 for 9, Gloucestershire added 12 more runs before Allenby struck again when Matt Taylor was caught by Ben Wright at backward point.

Glamorgan suffered a setback in their reply as they found themselves reduced to 47 for 3. In the final over before lunch Gareth Rees edged McCarter to Chris Dent at second slip.

Glamorgan lost a second wicket in the third over after the interval as Wright was trapped leg before by Gidman. And the mini-collapse was complete when veteran Murray Goodwin, who had opened, edged Taylor the into Dent's hands at third slip.

But Chris Cooke and Allenby rescued the Welsh county from their shaky predicament, putting on 56 for the fourth wicket. Allenby played positively driving his first two deliveries from Taylor for four but he had a life when Ian Cockbain dropped him at third slip off Gidman.

Cooke also played well in completing a 64-ball half century but, shortly after, Taylor broke through his defences to leave Glamorgan 103 for four which became 130 for 4 by tea.

After the interval, David Lloyd perished when he edged to Dent at second slip off Gidman, who then had skipper Mark Wallace caught behind to leave the home side 147 for 6. But Allenby continued, completing an 68-ball fifty, before he lost Graham Wagg lbw to McCarter.

Ruaidhri Smith brought up the 200 but he lost Allenby, who edged Taylor into the hands of the busy Dent at second slip. Smith was the ninth man out before Cosker and Michael Hogan put on an unbeaten 27 for the final wicket by stumps.


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Essex bid ends in bafflement

Essex 207 (Coles 6-71) and 44 for 0 trail Hampshire 456 (Carberry 85, Wheater 122, Vince 82, Smith 5-58) by 205 runs
Scorecard

Essex's funny season produced one final baffling episode as they meekly surrendered their chance of promotion at the Ageas Bowl. Their prospects of overhauling Northamptonshire were slim but their effort betrayed the opportunity.

Far from mounting a convincing case for promotion, Essex were made to follow-on and it was evident that Hampshire were the more motivated of the two teams. Bowled out with only one batting bonus point, Essex failed to apply any pressure on Northamptonshire, easing the burden of their tricky task at New Road.

Did Essex genuinely believe they could win promotion this week? In announcing a weakened XI for this match, the club website - a medium where the view of Dr Pangloss is always aired - stated: "Although promotion is still a mathematical possibility, the likelihood is that Northamptonshire will retain their current second position." Far from eternal optimism.

Owais Shah - who has announced his retirement from first-class cricket - and Ravi Bopara - whose contract expires at the end of the season - would surely have given Essex a better chance to obtain maximum batting points, which became a requirement after Northamptonshire claimed a batting point of their own against Worcestershire.

David Masters and Reece Topley, with 99 wickets between them in the Championship this season, would also have been invaluable - particularly when James Foster chose to bowl first, hoping to extract the best out of a wicket with some grass left on it. Bowling first also denied Monty Panesar - and indeed Greg Smith who took 5 for 58 in Hampshire's innings - the chance to bowl in the last innings, although they will now do so if Essex can erase the first-innings deficit of 249. They made a solid start following-on but should have lost Gautam Gambhir, badly dropped at second slip shortly before rain arrived to curtail the day.

Essex's head coach, Paul Grayson, insisted he had a side capable of winning the game, which was true, particularly given Hampshire's poor record in the Championship this season. But a batting performance that lacked application did his comments no favours. They were bustled out by Matt Coles, whose 6 for 71 was the second five-wicket haul of his brief Hampshire loan spell.

The extra bounce he generated proved a fierce weapon; Ben Foakes gloved a lifter to first slip, Foster couldn't control a hook and was caught a deep square leg and debutant Kishen Velani failed to deal with a short ball and popped up a catch to cover on the stroke of tea.

It was the performance of a man playing for a contract and rebuilding his reputation. He was quick and at times hostile. He hit the gloves of Michael Bates hard - Bates enjoying a rare Championship match having stepped aside for Adam Wheater when he joined from Essex at the start of the season.

But further up the order, Essex were guilty of some loose strokes that were particularly irresponsible given their weakened line up. Jaik Mickleburgh played an overconfident straight drive and lost his middle stump; Gambhir flashed at a wide one to be caught behind and Smith totally lost patience with a probing James Tomlinson after lunch and pulled off the splice of the bat to mid-on.

With those three dismissals - for a combined 45 runs - Essex's chance of promotion disappeared and consigned them to a fourth consecutive year in Division Two. Is it the expected return from a season where they were bowled out for 20 in the Championship and booed off in a Twenty20 by their own fans? Or is it a disappointment from a campaign that included a trip to Friends Life t20 Finals Day and a strong run in the Yorkshire Bank 40? No county does chalk and cheese like Essex.

No county also sees so many players leave the club and progress. They can be forgiven for losing Adam Wheater - Foster and Ben Foakes are two fine wicketkeepers - but his run-a-ball 122 would surely have brought pangs of disappointment that they could not have persuaded Wheater to remain at Chelmsford as a batsman.

Indeed, Wheater's future at Hampshire could be purely as a batsman. Although Wheater makes few mistakes behind the stumps, to not utilise Bates is a badly wasted resource. It may even free Wheater up. He has failed to turn a good season into a great one, disappointing in favourable conditions. But the potential for him to develop into a top-order batsman is there, such is his range of strokes and timing shown here in zipping from his overnight 82 in the first hour of play.


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Hall's five puts Division One in sight

Northamptonshire 103 for 4 trail Worcestershire 163 (Shantry 55*, Pardoe 51, Hall 5-30) by 60 runs
Scorecard

It is remarkable how much can change in a year. Twelve months ago, Northamptonshire finished the season with fewer wins across the three competitions than any side in the land and their lowest Championship finish - eighth in Division Two - since 1978.

Now they are the FLt20 champions and about 150 runs short of promotion. They have, despite a modest budget and a far from glorious history, emerged as the most improved side in the county game and, like Durham, have proved that the cheque book is not the answer when trying to improve results.

Promotion is not yet guaranteed. They came into this game requiring five points to ensure they could not be overhauled by Essex. Now, with three bowling bonus points secure, they require a total of 250 - and the resultant two batting bonus points that will bring - to be certain of elevation. They have not played in Division One since 2004 and, before the FLt20 success, had not won a trophy since 1992.

They were not made to work too hard for their bowling points. Winning an important toss against a weak batting unit on a helpful wicket, they allowed only three men to reach double figures and only two to pass 12. David Willey, with a fine new ball spell, made the vital inroads, but Worcestershire will be disappointed at the lack of opposition they provided.

Northamptonshire were made to work harder with the bat. Though Stephen Peters and Alex Wakely both played some pleasing strokes, the former was beaten by one that nipped back and the latter by one that turned sharply to leave Northamptonshire reliant on their middle and lower order once again. Still 60 behind and 147 from a second batting point, there is plenty of work ahead for them on day two.

These are two clubs of contrasting fortunes. They are similarly financially challenged - Worcestershire actually have a larger cricket budget than Northamptonshire - yet while one club has vibrancy and ambition about it, the other seems prepared to drift into gentle irrelevance. While there is plenty of disgruntled chuntering among the Worcestershire membership, so long as tea is served on time in the Ladies Pavilion, it seems most will put up with the slide.

The continuing excellence of Alan Richardson - who with the wicket of Peters claimed his 250th first-class victim for the club in his fourth season - has masked problems at New Road for some time, but the failure of talented young players to develop as was anticipated suggests danger ahead. The likes of Alexei Kervezee, who cannot get in the first team at present, Richard Jones, who is on loan at Warwickshire, and Aneesh Kapil, who has been released, were, not so long ago, thought to be the future of the club. And while the failure of one such player might be put down to individual problems, the failure of all three suggests deeper rooted issues.

There is mixed news off the pitch, too. While the new facilities - conferencing and the like - built as part of the hotel development will provide additional revenue for the club, it is anticipated that Worcestershire will declare a financial loss of over £100,000 for the year. Bearing in mind they had the benefit of a tourist game against Australia this season and that is serious cause for concern.

Here Worcestershire batted - a ninth-wicket stand of 72 aside - with a fragility that explained their mid-table position in the Division Two table. While negating the new ball was tricky on a misty morning - Willey, nipping the ball around sharply, claimed two wickets in the opening over - it speaks volumes that three batsmen - Thilan Samaraweera, Tom Fell and Shaaiq Choudhry - were bowled leaving straight deliveries. While Daryl Mitchell could console himself in the knowledge he received a beauty, Ross Whiteley simply missed a straight one and Ben Cox was punished for playing slightly across the line.

The chief beneficiary of the weak batting was Andrew Hall, who claimed the 17th five-wicket haul of his career and passed 600 career victims on the way. His pace may be reduced but, he hits the seam, gains some movement and maintains a tight line and length. He will rarely have taken a softer five-wicket haul, though.

It could have been much worse for Worcestershire. From 76 for 7, they recovered somewhat through the efforts of Matt Pardoe and Jack Shantry. With Pardoe, an old-school obdurate opener, making one end safe, Shantry chanced his arm at the other and breezed to a 62-ball half-century with seven fours and one straight six against the offspin of James Middlebrook. It was not all text book, but the pair demonstrated admirable application, nous and fight.

Eventually Pardoe dragged his back foot and was stumped - a fine piece of work by the deeply impressive David Murphy - and the tailenders were blown away, leaving Shantry with a career-best effort with the bat.

There are some clouds on Northamptonshire's horizon, however. It appears they are unable to gain work permits for either Trent Copeland, the Australian seamer who made such an impact this season, or Cameron White, who was so influential in the T20 success. Neither will return in 2014.

It remains to be seen whether David Sales will be back. His dismissal here, slicing to point, leaves him 98 runs short of the 1,000 Championship run landmark that would automatically invoke a clause in his contract ensuring he will be offered a new deal. The smart money suggests he will be back whether he reaches the landmark or not and, for the first time in a decade, playing in Division One.


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Hogan reaches 100 wickets for the season

Gloucestershire 228 for 8 (Dent 84) v Glamorgan
Scorecard

Michael Hogan claimed his 100th wicket of the season as Glamorgan restricted Gloucestershire on the opening day of their LV= County Championship match at Cardiff.

It was Glamorgan's first game since they went down to Nottinghamshire in last Saturday's Yorkshire Bank 40 final at Lord's.

After Glamorgan won the toss and put Gloucestershire in to bat in helpful bowling conditions, Hogan struck at the start of the seventh over to reach the landmark by bowling opener Gareth Roderick.

Hogan now has 64 wickets in the Championship, 28 in the Yorkshire Bank 40 and eight in the Friends Life t20.

But from 12 for 1 Gloucestershire recovered either side of lunch with Chris Dent reaching his half-century from 77 balls shortly before the interval.

By lunch the visitors looked quite well set but in the afternoon they struggled, going from 90 for 1 to 176 for 6.

With the total on 90 Allenby bowled Alex Gidman and Dent, who had looked well set for a century edged slow left armer Dean Cosker into the Australian's hands at slip.

Cosker struck again next ball to have Iain Cockbain also caught at slip by Allenby from a turning delivery.

With the total on 156 Gloucestershire lost Hamish Marshall, who is 10 short of reaching 1,000 runs for the season, as he edged Wagg behind. In the penultimate over before tea Cameron Herring was trapped lbw by Hogan. Ruaidhri Smith struck twice bowling Benny Howell and then had Gidman caught behind.

Glamorgan took the second new ball, but with the cloud cover having increased, the light deteriorated and forced the players off with 13.5 overs left of the day.


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Hussey and Lumb ease Notts worries

Nottinghamshire 378 for 7 (Hussey 125, Lumb 107) v Somerset
Scorecard

Most professional sportsman aim to finish their careers on a high but few will beat the achievements of Nottinghamshire's David Hussey in the final few days of his life on the county circuit. Having announced this will be his final season with his adoptive county, it appears to have given him a renewed purpose to leave a legacy at Trent Bridge.

Only days after contributing to Nottinghamshire's YB40 final victory over Glamorgan, their first Lord's final triumph since 1989, Hussey led the revival in their final Championship match of the summer with their future in Division One at stake and ensured they finished the opening day against Somerset, also threatened by relegation, in a dominant position.

Both teams started the final round of matches with a healthy lead over Derbyshire, currently positioned in the final relegation spot, and knowing that a draw with bonus points should be enough to make them safe. It prompted the ECB to send Tony Pigott, the former England fast bowler, to Trent Bridge as a match referee to ensure there was no collusion.

He would quickly have been satisfied with what he saw with Somerset winning the toss in humid and swing-friendly conditions and reducing Nottinghamshire to 76 for 4 when Hussey, now 36, joined Michael Lumb at the crease shortly before noon. They were not separated until mid-way through the final session when Craig Meschede induced an edge behind and Hussey departed to a standing ovation from a healthy crowd after scoring a superb 125, his 23rd first class century for Nottinghamshire in eight seasons.

Their 214-run partnership was a Nottinghamshire record for the fifth wicket against Somerset and was a masterclass from both batsmen on how to combat bowler-friendly conditions. Content to leave as many balls as possible during the early stages, they accelerated as the swing diminished after Lumb contributed only 15 to the first 100 runs they added.

"I felt a bit of responsibility today because you really want to get stuck in," explained Hussey, who plans to play a final season for Victoria before retiring completely from first-class cricket. "It was a bit of a cause today and when we lost the toss and got stuck in on a difficult wicket.

"Michael Lumb and I both wanted to be the role models that showed the younger kids how to play on this sort of wicket. It means a lot to the players to do the hard yards and keep the team up. Being a left, right combination was very helpful and I got quite a few cheap runs off my pads because of that, which was very handy. Michael Lumb stuck to his gameplan and was just sensational."

Both batsmen benefitted from Jamie Overton, Somerset's promising 19-year-old fast bowler, being removed from the attack for excessive short-pitched bowling. He had been warned after bowling a beamer at Hussey before lunch and then effectively ended his shift for the day by bowling two successive short-pitched deliveries, both no-balled by umpire Michael Gough, shortly before tea.

Gough consulted with Nigel Llong, his fellow official, before informing Marcus Trescothick, Somerset's captain, of their decision. Trescothick's anger at his young fast bowler was evident in the aggressive manner in which he returned his cap, throwing it in Overton's general direction for him to pick up while Lewis Gregory finished the over.

Denied the pace and bounce generated by Overton, who stands at six foot five inches, Somerset looked toothless and tired during the afternoon session and allowed both Hussey and Lumb to accelerate and add 133 in 35 overs. Their perseverance was rewarded, however, during the final session when they claimed three late wickets.

Hussey had already been dropped down the leg-side off Alfonso Thomas on 118, with wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter missing the sharp chance, but added only six more runs before giving a more conventional catch. Lumb departed 10 overs later for 107, apparently unhappy at being given lbw to Gregory just as Nottinghamshire increased their scoring rate as they chased maximum batting bonus points.

Chris Read, Nottinghamshire's captain, fell only 12 balls before the close after also edging Meschede behind trying to cut, having taken his side to within 22 points of their fifth batting point, and a step nearer preserving their Division One status for next summer.


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Anyon, Jordan run through champions

Sussex 186 for 5 (Wright 74*) lead Durham 164 (Anyon 5-44, Jordan 4-50) by 22 runs
Scorecard

James Anyon claimed only the sixth five-wicket haul of his career and Luke Wright hit an unbeaten 74 as Sussex gained the upper hand on the first day of their match against champions Durham at Hove.

Anyon took 5 for 44, including four wickets for 19 in his second spell, as Durham were dismissed for 164 in 52 overs after winning the toss, with their last seven wickets falling for 56. Sussex were reduced to 90 for 5 at one stage before Wright led a counter-attack to take them to 186 for 5 at stumps, a lead of 22.

A win for Sussex should secure third place and they are also chasing their first Championship win at Hove since last August so they had plenty of incentive to avenge the heavy defeat they suffered to Durham three weeks ago.

A pitch offering good bounce and seam movement gave them further encouragement but Durham were in a decent position at 107 for 3 shortly after lunch when Jordan triggered a collapse by claiming wickets in successive overs.

Having been named in the Performance Squad on Monday a week after making his England one-day debut, Jordan bowled with sustained hostility to have top scorer Scott Borthwick caught at third slip fending off a bouncer after he had reached 1,000 Championship runs for the season.

Matt Prior then dived full-length after parrying the ball at slip to remove Will Smith, who is making his last appearance for the county. The third wicket of his spell came when Ben Stokes slashed to point shortly after the ball had been changed. Jordan had earlier claimed opener Keaton Jennings on his way to figures of 4 for 50 which took him to 56 Championship wickets for the season.

Anyon had Mark Stoneman, who also passed 1,000 Championship runs, caught behind in his second over but he was more productive after lunch when he reaped the rewards for bowling a fuller length.

At one stage he took three wickets in six balls with Phil Mustard edging an off-cutter to slip, Michael Richardson lbw playing across a straight one and Usman Arshad losing his off stump before Anyon claimed his fifth victim when skipper Paul Collingwood holed out to deep midwicket.

Durham were the last side to win a Championship game at Hove when batting first more than two years ago and the country's leading wicket-taker, Graham Onions, improved their chances of repeating that by picking up two wickets in his first two overs. Chris Nash was lbw to the third ball of the innings with one that kept a shade low and Michael Yardy played down the wrong line.

Skipper Ed Joyce batted purposefully, dominating a third-wicket stand of 58 with Luke Wells to which his partner contributed just a single. But when Arshad replaced Onions he induced Joyce to play on and then picked up Prior's prime scalp when he edged behind. Wells' vigil ended when he got a thin edge to Stokes' outswinger to leave Sussex 90 for 5.

But Wright and Ben Brown responded impressively. Onions conceded 33 runs in his second spell of just three overs with Wright hitting him over midwicket for six on his way to a 38-ball half-century. He was badly dropped at deep extra cover on 57 by Stoneman and closed unbeaten on 74 from 60 balls with 13 fours.


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Lancashire release Gareth Cross

Gareth Cross has been released by Lancashire, increasing the possibility that they will sign Jos Buttler from Somerset.

Cross, 29, has been dropped in the latter part of this season in favour of Alex Davies, the England Under-19 wicketkeeper, who has played the last two Championship matches against Leicestershire and Gloucestershire. In 13 Championship games Cross made 409 runs at 24.05 with one hundred and two fifties.

He tweeted: "Unfortunately my time at lancs has come to end. Thanks to everyone who ever supported me and everyone I played with. Have made some amazing friends. Its now time to move on and start a fresh somewhere else. Some big points to prove. Thanks again to everyone. Enjoyed every bit of it."

Buttler's future with Somerset has been up in the air for much of the season after he was elevated to England's one-day and Twenty20 keeper, but did not keep in all formats at county level due to the presence of Craig Kieswetter at Taunton. When asked during the one-day series against Australia, Buttler admitted it had been a bit of a distraction for him but hoped progress would be made soon.

Cross had to bide his time for a regular first-team slot after beginning his career while Warren Hegg was the No. 1 at Old Trafford. Luke Sutton's arrival meant he had to wait even longer before he became the main keeper for Lancashire's Championship-winning season in 2011 although had been in the one-day role for some time.

Cross is the second senior player Lancashire have released in recent days following the departure of Stephen Moore.


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BCCI moves Delhi High Court on special general meeting stay

The legal wrangle ahead of what is expected to be an interesting BCCI annual general meeting (AGM) continued on Monday, with developments in two separate court cases. While the BCCI has challenged an order restraining it from holding its special general meeting (SGM) on September 25 to decide the fate of former IPL commissioner Lalit Modi, Cricket Association of Bihar (CAB) secretary Aditya Verma has moved the Supreme Court, pleading that BCCI president N Srinivasan not be allowed to contest the board's election.

A Delhi trial court had issued an order on September 21, barring the BCCI's SGM on Wednesday, and expectedly the board has now moved the Delhi High Court. Even though the lower court had stayed the SGM, it had declined to pass an order on Modi questioning the appointment of Sanjay Patel and Jagmohan Dalmiya as BCCI's secretary and head of day to day affairs, respectively, by president N Srinivasan who had stepped aside in the wake of IPL spot-fixing scandal.

After hearing the BCCI's argument against the trial court's order, which was based on the court having no jurisdiction to pass the same, Justice VK Shail decided to continue the hearing on Tuesday and also hear Modi's cross petition against the appointment of Patel and Dalmiya.

Senior advocate CA Sundaram, on behalf of the BCCI, told the judge that since the SGM was slated to be held in Chennai, a trial court in Delhi could not pass an order staying it. "The Delhi court has no jurisdiction to pass such an order as the BCCI headquarters is in Mumbai and SGM was to be held in Chennai where Srinivansan resides. Just because the disciplinary committee meeting [which found Modi guilty on eight different charges] was held in Delhi, Modi has approached the city court," Sundaram was quoted as saying by PTI. "In the SGM, the report of the disciplinary committee will be considered and if the report will be accepted, then a show cause notice will be issued to Modi to make his defence."

Even if the High Court gives the go-ahead for the BCCI to conduct the SGM on Wednesday, the BCCI camp is expecting Modi to move Supreme Court in what is believed to be "delaying tactics".

In the other case, CAB secretary Verma moved an application in the Supreme Court seeking an interim injunction against Srinivasan from contesting the BCCI election pending the verdict on the special leave petition (SLP) filed by Verma against the BCCI. The Supreme Court, on September 12, had run out of time and hence failed to hear the SLP where the BCCI lawyers were expected to enter final arguments against the CAB petition that had challenged the Bombay High Court order for failing to appoint a fresh probe panel to investigate corruption in the IPL despite ruling the BCCI probe panel was constituted illegally.

On Monday, Verma, through his counsel Gagan Gupta, entered a prayer in the Supreme Court asking it to restrain Srinivasan from not only standing for the BCCI president's polls (scheduled to be held during the board's AGM on September 29) but also bar him from being part of any of the board's committees. The court is expected to give a date of hearing on Tuesday.

The Bombay High Court had pointed out in its order that Srinivasan had "prima facie" a hand in the appointment of the two-man probe panel that had cleared the owners of Chennai Super Kings and Rajasthan Royals of corruption charges. The High Court had called the finding "illegal". The BCCI had filed its own SLP challenging that order. The Supreme Court is yet to announce the next date hearing for this.

The main reason behind the BCCI's SLP was to erase the black mark on Srinivasan left by the High Court order. Lawyers on both sides confirmed that Srinivasan was free to attend the BCCI AGM as well as stand for the president's elections despite the CAB petition.

The significance of the CAB prayer cannot be determined at this stage. Verma's intention from the beginning has been to restrain Srinivasan from performing his BCCI duties till the courts conclusively clear him of all allegations.


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The Ashes tour of the giant fast bowler

England's squad looks impressive - especially when it comes to the height of their quick bowlers - but they are gambling on their plans working perfectly and have ignored some compelling domestic form

The inclusion of Gary Ballance may delight headline writers, but it is the somewhat ironic lack of balance in the Ashes squad that may come back to haunt England.

Size is everything in this squad. The inclusion of four tall, strong seamers - Chris Tremlett, Boyd Rankin, Stuart Broad and Steven Finn - underlines the preference of the current England management for bowlers of such characteristics above all other considerations. England are in the age of the giant fast bowler.

There is some logic in the policy. On Australian pitches expected to offer more pace and bounce than those seen in the Ashes series in England, such bowlers could prove a handful. The limitations of traditional English seam or swing bowlers can sometimes be exposed on such surfaces.

But there is no obvious Plan B available in this England squad. If James Anderson is injured - and the thought of it should be enough to send shivers down the spine of any England supporter - the England seam attack will have the subtly of a sledgehammer. Height, pace and bounce are valuable attributes, but they are not the only attributes and the inclusion of Rankin and Tremlett et al. looks like too much of a good thing.

It is hard to avoid the conclusion that the selectors no longer have much regard for performances at county level. If they did, Graham Onions - who has taken 143 first-class wickets at an average of 18.39 in the last two seasons - would have been an automatic selection. Instead they have opted for Tremlett, who has been selected more due to memories of his performances in Australia in 2010-11 than any recent success, and Rankin, who is bowling with menace but has taken one five-wicket haul since May 2011. Onions, by contrast, has taken five this season.

It is not hard to understand Onions' disappointment. Indeed, writing on Twitter, he said "Disappointed is an understatement, absolutely gutted."

Onions has been, without question, the best English-qualified seamer in county cricket over the last couple of years. While it is true that pitches at his home ground in Durham offer more assistance than any England are likely to find in Australia, he has also taken wickets away from home. In Durham's last two away Championship games, Onions claimed match-figures of 9 for 85 in Derby, which is generally one of the best wickets in the country, and first-innings figures of 7 for 62 at Lord's. His qualities - accuracy and movement - are timeless, yet it seems they are outdated to the current England management.

While the selectors have ignored Onions' excellent domestic record, they have also overlooked Michael Carberry's modest form. Carberry, who has scored one Championship century in two seasons of Division Two cricket, has been preferred to Nick Compton, who has scored six Division One centuries and two more in Test cricket in the same period and is more than two-years younger. Character has, in Carberry's case, been deemed more important than achievement.

None of this means the selectors are wrong. They may well have identified skills that will be useful in Australia and ignored accomplishments that they feel are less relevant. But it is intriguing that the England management seem to have deemed, rightly or wrongly, the Compton experiment - that is the experiment of calling up a player from outside the youth teams or Lions programme on the back of excellent performances in county cricket - a failure. It may well be that they are reluctant to trust county performances again. It is a dangerous road down which to venture.

The selection of Ben Stokes ahead of Chris Woakes for the allrounder's position might be seen in the same way. While Woakes' first-class record - a batting average of 38.04 and a bowling average of 25.91 - is a little better than Stokes' - 36.23 and 27.19 respectively - the selectors have again decided that the latter's extra pace will render him more dangerous at Test level. It is, in general, a reasonable assumption, though it is worth recalling the success of Chaminda Vaas, Vernon Philander and Terry Alderman. You might even question whether Anderson, if he was six or seven years younger, would be considered by this England regime.

Ballance's first-class record is excellent and his selection quite reasonable. He has a career average well in excess of 50 in both List A and first-class cricket and scored back-to-back centuries for England Lions against Australia and Bangladesh A only a month ago. He does not look the fittest but, aged 23, has time to improve that aspect of his game and has to be considered a genuine candidate to bat at No. 6 in the first Test at Brisbane.

It is also worth noting that none of the three uncapped players were born in England or Wales. While there is nothing wrong in England utilising all available options and, as result of a variety of historical issues, they have more options than most, it is intriguing that players whose initial development occurred outside England and Wales seem to thrive disproportionately and raises questions about the English system that it would be sensible to reflect upon. To be fair, suggesting that Stokes - born in New Zealand but as much a product of the north-east as Steve Harmison or Paul Collingwood - is anything other than home-grown would be stretching a point.

This is a squad that should be good enough to retain the Ashes. Australia are still in the early stages of their rebuilding operation and nine of the England XI for the first Test in Brisbane are likely to have been regular members of the team that won the series in England 3-0.

But questions remain about England's bench strength. Should injury befall either of England two key bowlers - Graeme Swann or Anderson - the gap between the sides will narrow substantially.


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Onus on Panesar despite professional help

Geoff Miller: Monty Panesar will let bowling do the talking

Monty Panesar has been given professional help in overcoming the personal problems which have dogged his season, but it is now down to him to show he is a reformed character after being handed a place on the Ashes tour.

Panesar was forced to leave Sussex for Essex in August after being fined following an incident in Brighton where he urinated on bouncers. When England wanted a second spinner for The Oval Test they went for Lancashire's Simon Kerrigan, but his awful debut - where he bowled just eight overs for 53, amid a series of full tosses and long hops - meant the decision on who would support Graeme Swann in Australia was between Panesar and James Tredwell.

With 164 wickets at 33.78 in 48 Tests there was no doubt that Panesar remained the second best spinner, but a key part of England's success in Australia during 2010-11 - of which Panesar was a squad member - was having a tightly-knit squad and the management will have wanted assurances that Panesar would be able to fit into that mould.

In India last year Panesar formed a matchwinning partnership with Swann during England's series victory, but then struggled in New Zealand when he was left as the sole spinner after Swann's elbow injury flared up.

Even before his raucous night out, Panesar's domestic form for Sussex had not been outstanding - although he was part of the squad for the Old Trafford Test - but he has shown signs of regaining his form and confidence with Essex even if 12 wickets at 33.66 is not overwhelming.

The ECB has provided support for Panesar over the last few weeks and he will continue to be offered the assistance he needs, but he could face a tour with a lot of time on the sidelines which will be a test of his focus.

Hugh Morris, the outgoing managing director of England cricket, said: "We try to provide different support to different players. Clearly that remains confidential, but you can rest assured that the support Monty needs - both on and off the field - he is getting."

Geoff Miller, the national selector, said he had been given enough assurances that Panesar will be able cope with the two-and-a-half month trip from late October to early January.

"He's very prepared to let his bowling do the talking for him, so I'm prepared to accept that,'' Miller said. He's an experienced international player, and it's up to him to actually produce the goods for us.'

"Monty had his problems, which we've worked hard to rectify in the last six weeks - and he has too,'' he said. "There's a very strong management in that side to help all aspects of it. He's appreciated he's made errors and he's very sure that those errors are behind him now."

Although official stand-by players for the main squad have not been named, Miller did say that he had been in conversation with Tredwell about being ready for a call-up if the situation regarding England's spin options did change. "He's not on stand-by as such, but anything can happen on tour - injuries or an unforeseen problem - so a phonecall can be minutes away. These fringe players know the call may not be far away."

Spin bowling is the one area where English cricket is not overly stocked with options at the moment. Kerrigan and Danny Briggs, the Hampshire left-arm spinner, are the two spinners in the performance squad although the likes of Azeem Rafiq, Adil Rashid and Scott Borthwick may come into consideration for the Lions tour of Sri Lanka early next year.


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Du Preez, spinners keep Bangladesh winless

South Africa women 237 for 4 (Du Preez 100*, Lee 71) beat Bangladesh women 142 (Loubser 3-15, Van Niekerk 3-27) by 95 runs
Scorecard

A century from Mignon du Preez, followed by effective spells from South Africa women's spinners, ensured Bangladesh women remained winless on their tour. The 95-run loss also meant Bangladesh had conceded the ODI series 0-2 to South Africa, with a game to play.

Bangladesh chose to bowl and enjoyed early success as Jahanara Alam removed Trisha Chetty. However, a century third-wicket stand between Lizelle Lee and du Preez thwarted the bowling attack. Bangladesh managed to briefly come back into the game despite the 106-run partnership, taking three wickets for two runs in the space of an over, but another big partnership followed for South Africa. Du Preez kept going in the company of Dane van Niekerk, bringing up a hundred for herself and steering South Africa well past 200.

Bangladesh made a decent start in pursuit of 238, their openers putting on a half-century stand, but then the spinners ran through the middle and lower order. Apart from the top two, only one batsman got into double-digits as legspinner van Niekerk and offspinner Sunette Loubser picked up combined figures of 20-5-42-6. Bangladesh were eventually bowled out in the 49th over, for just 142.


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Depleted Scorchers seek strong start

Match facts

September 23, 2013
Start time 1600 (1030 GMT)

Big Picture

In a clash between the runners-up of the Big Bash League, Perth Scorchers, and South Africa's T20 champions, the Lions, there is some common ground that the teams share, although their situations are different. Both have new coaches but for different reasons. The Scorchers will be coached by Justin Langer after a controversy during last year's Champions League, resulted in the resignation of the coach and captain. The Lions, on the other hand, have had a change in fortunes after they ended a five-season trophy drought with a win in the T20 competition earlier in the year under new coach Geoff Toyana.

Both teams also have decent spin attacks. The Scorchers have Brad Hogg, Ashton Agar, Michael Beer and Ashton Turner, the only right-arm spinner in the attack. The Lions, on the other hand, have Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso in the squad. The difference lies in Hogg's experience on Indian soil, gained from tours for Australia and IPL matches for Rajasthan Royals. Phangiso was the leading wicket-taker for Lions in the CLT20 held in South Africa last year, but bowling on Indian pitches will pose a steeper challenge.

However, the Scorchers have a depleted squad this time, depriving them of depth in batting and pace bowling. Shaun and Mitchell Marsh are out due to injured hamstrings, strike bowler Alfonso Thomas is with Somerset and two other players - Nathan Coulter-Nile and Michael Hussey - are representing their IPL teams, Mumbai Indians and Chennai Super Kings, respectively. Lions' will only miss Chris Morris to Super Kings and their pace attack comprises Hardus Viljoen, Sohail Tanvir and Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Both teams have another similarity that may trouble them: lack of experience in India. Barring Hogg, captain Simon Katich is the only player the Scorchers can look to for knowledge of subcontinent conditions. Lions have been elevated by the form of Quinton de Kock but his struggle in subcontinent conditions, 95 runs from six matches in Sri Lanka and six runs in three matches in the IPL for Sunrisers Hyderabad, will bother him.

Players to watch

Adam Voges may rescue the Scorchers' fortunes with his hard-hitting batting and part-time bowling. For a squad that misses at least three frontline batsmen, Voges could prove to be the pillar they can rely on and a run-machine they can resort look to for quick-hitting. His T20 strike rate of 131.13 from 117 matches at an average 31.56, including 12 fifties, is hard to ignore.

Imran Tahir, a bowler who has played ODIs only in the subcontinent, will lead the Lions' spin attack. On an Indian pitch against the Scorchers' inexperienced batsmen, Tahir could prove to be a trump card. He has the experience of playing in different conditions around the world and a successful tournament would do justice to his talent.


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Madsen wins first CMJ award for walking

Wayne Madsen, the Derbyshire captain, has been awarded the inaugural Christopher Martin-Jenkins Spirit of Cricket Elite Award, created by MCC and the BBC to acknowledge exceptional sportsmanship, for walking during a crucial County Championship match.

The award is bound to reawaken the debate over whether "walking" is to be regarded as a preferable form of behaviour in the modern game or whether the MCC, by championing the issue, is in danger of pushing the Spirit of Cricket to a point where it risks alienating majority support.

Walking has been uncommon in all forms of cricket in England for half a century or more, yet in a display of double standards which has long been accepted as inevitable, a failure to walk still ensures a batsman who remains at the crease is treated to ritual abuse.

The issue came back into the public eye when England's Stuart Broad failed to walk for an obvious edge in the first Ashes Test at Trent Bridge, his "sin" looking worse than it was as the ball deflected off the gloves of the wicketkeeper, Brad Haddin and was caught at first slip.

At Chesterfield, in July, chasing Yorkshire's first innings total of 617, Madsen feathered a ball from bowler Steve Patterson to the wicketkeeper.

With one lone appeal coming from the Yorkshire fielders, umpire Jeff Evans gave the Derbyshire captain not out, only for Madsen to walk back to the pavilion on his own accord. Saying that it was a matter of principle, Madsen went on to score a defiant 141 in the second innings, but his side still lost by an innings and 113 runs.

MCC president, Mike Griffith, said: "MCC is passionate about its role as Guardian of the Laws and Spirit of Cricket, and it is instances like Wayne Madsen walking when his Derbyshire side was in real trouble against Yorkshire, which set an example for everyone in the game to follow and must be encouraged."

The winners of the youth award were Alton CC under-13 girls' team who impressed the judges after lending their opposition players to field during a league match and also allowing some of the opposition to bat twice.

"Deciding on the winner of the Youth Award and the school beneficiary was simultaneously challenging and heartening," Griffith said. "We received so many wonderful examples of how the Spirit of Cricket is alive and kicking in the junior game at clubs and on school playing fields across the country. Congratulations to the Alton CC under-13 girls team who ultimately won the Youth Award. Their story really epitomises what the Spirit of Cricket means.

Broad was pilloried in sections of the media for dishonesty and his actions, in return, were passionately supported by other critics as well as the vast majority of those involved in the game who said decisions should be left to the umpires.


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Shamshur makes case for Bangladesh squad

Shamsur Rahman has chosen the biggest stage in Bangladesh's domestic cricket to re-launch his bid for a place in the senior side. His unbeaten century in the Dhaka derby tilted the result towards Mohammedan Sporting Club who beat Abahani by two wickets. The innings came at a time when the national selectors are looking at more top-order options ahead of a crucial series against New Zealand next month, and for the remainder of the 2013-14 home season.

After the match-winning innings which also helped Mohammedan become the only side in the league to complete three wins out of three, Shamsur remained cautious of his chances ahead. He emphasised on his better fitness, which has been questioned lately.

"Definitely the innings is one of the best in my career," Shamsur said. "But I am not looking very far, as far as the national team is concerned. There are many matches for the national team ahead and I am sure that I will get my opportunity.

"I think I am extremely fit because of the fitness training camp for the national members. The hard work is surely paying off. But along with that I also worked with my batting as I failed to capitalise the fifties into big score."

It was also comeback innings of sorts for Shamsur, who had run into poor form in the last few months. After a productive BPL 2013 where he averaged 42.10, scored six fifties and was second-highest Bangladeshi scorer, Shamsur's tour with Bangladesh A wasn't up to the mark. He batted at 27.71 in seven matches, with two fifties.

Bangladesh will go into the New Zealand series with empty spots in the top-order, particularly No 3, after Mohammad Ashraful's suspension. Shamsur has however opened the innings in the three Twenty20s he has played for the country so far. Jahurul Islam and Anamul Haque are incumbents in the job but Shamsur's claim has become stronger after Sunday's knock.

Anamul missed the Zimbabwe tour in May, Bangladesh's last assignment, due to college exams, but the young batsman is expected to take up the position against New Zealand in the limited overs matches. Jahurul looked compact in Sri Lanka, but he made only 91 runs in four innings in Zimbabwe. He is also without a Test half-century and will be under pressure to keep his place in the upcoming Test series. Shahriar Nafees and Junaid Siddique have played both as an opener and No 3, and batting positions are likely to give the selectors some headache.

What would help Shamsur is his matured approach in this high-pressure contest, at least locally, where the battle of prestige takes precedence over everything else. He was batting at No 4, a position he is not too familiar with in any form of the game. And despite being overshadowed by Tillakaratne Dilshan and Mohammad Nabi during partnerships, it was his cool exterior that held Abahani at bay.

"It was extremely pleasing to score runs in the biggest match of the competition. In the first half, the ball was coming a bit slowly but the wicket became flat in the second innings. I believed that if only I could bat till the end we would come as victorious," he said.

Mohammedan captain Mashrafe Mortaza praised Shamsur, particularly mentioning the two crucial partnerships after they lost two early wickets. "It was an unbelievable innings from [Shamsur Rahman] Shuvo. It was very important that he finishes the game while at the crease. He was supported by Dilshan and Nabi, who made up for a top-order failure. I thought it was a good chase," he said.

Shamsur is likely to feature in the three-day practice match against New Zealand early next month, and despite his caution, it will be a spot in the Bangladesh team that he will keep his eye on later this season.


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