Natural Herb

Ishant's rewards for the dirty work

Ishant Sharma is an odd sort of 'attack leader', averaging over 37 in Test cricket and not given the new ball, but extracting England's middle order on a docile pitch showed why he is persisted with

Agarkar: Bhuvneshwar swung the ball consistently

Taking the third question in his press conference, Ishant Sharma stropped mid-answer and nearly let out a shriek. "I'm sorry, I'm cramping," he said. A Test player cramping in a press conference. In enough discomfort to stop answering a question. It was an endearing moment. It was also one thing that we can be absolutely sure about with Ishant. He goes out on the field, and leaves everything there.

The cramping immediately took you back to the 59th over of the innings. Ishant was in the middle of an intense spell, and fielding at long leg. Bhuvneshwar Kumar was bowling at the other end, and as had been the case until then with Mohammed Shami and him, was releasing the pressure.

The second ball had been short and cut away for four, the fourth was too full and on the pads. Ian Bell clipped it through midwicket, but Ishant - who had already bowled five overs in that spell and would bowl two more - gave the chase his all, and nearly made it. He even put in a dive, but could not prevent the boundary. Had he not gone hard at this ball, he would have been excused, but that would not be Ishant. With the bat, with the ball, in the field, Ishant is the ultimate team man, ready to, as Dhoni demanded of his players back in 2007, run through a wall.

That, though, does not, and should not, sum Ishant up. He has a beautiful run-up yet often his wrist is not behind the ball. He can go months without looking threatening yet takes wickets in a bunch. He has ordinary statistics yet is persisted with by the team, for which he gets a lot of ridicule from the Indian fans; both "unlucky" and "lucky" are adjectives used in a pejorative sense for Ishant. He has all the physical attributes of a good fast bowler - he is tall, he is strong, he is fit and hardly gets injured - yet somehow it has never come together for a consistent period of time.

Popular assessment - and it could be wrong - is that Ishant is the least smart of Indian quicks yet the most experienced. A nicer way to say that is, he does not overthink. That sometimes is an asset for an Indian fast bowler. You have to bowl a lot of dirty overs or dirty pitches at dirty times. If you overthink, pitches will demoralise you. Every bowler has at some point tried to not bowl a certain kind of overs. Ishant, though, does not. This is different from being an "honest trier".

No one will argue against Ishant's stats, but part of why he is persisted with is because he does not complain about those dirty overs. He was India's best bowler in New Zealand yet did not get the new ball here. The leader of the attack, as Zaheer Khan wanted him to be, coming in when India had tried the plan A, and seen it fail. Ishant was introduced at a time he has become used to: when nothing was working for India.

India knew they were not going to burst through England on this pitch, they had to bowl dry and wait for mistakes. India did manage those dry periods in the first hour - seven runs off the first 38 balls - but they were releasing the pressure. Following those 38 balls, Shami was picked away for fours square on both the on and off sides in one over. Shami actually kept bowling too straight. It was getting dirty on a dirty pitch, and India called on "the leader of the attack".

"I didn't think about all these things," Ishant said when asked if Zaheer's expectations made any difference. "It's just that I have played some more matches than the others. But we are all in the same age group. I am not the kind of person who really shows it to the team that I am the leader of the fast bowling attack. Obviously, when I am on the field, I share my experience that I have gathered through all the Test matches, and it helps me and them."

The difference showed in the bowling, though. There were few soft leaves, only 22 in 22 overs, which is a remarkable stat and vital on this pitch. You either bowl dry and consistently wide outside off to a seven-two field, which reduces your chances of getting wickets, or go at the batsman without straying too straight. Ishant chose the latter. He hit the pitch hard, which exploited whatever uneven bounce there was to be exploited, and crucially bowled fuller than usual.

"I have played enough matches to understand the length to bowl on different surfaces," Ishant said of the adjustment he made. "Sometimes it will get reverse, so it's about knowing the surface and the batsman you are bowling at to get the right length."

Another significant aspect of his bowling was the use of the short ball. Liam Plunkett bowled a lot of them, the other England quicks hardly did. Ishant, though, used it but sparingly. It surprised the batsmen, and this pitch was hardly the kind where you can take your eyes off and duck. Sam Robson was hit on the glove when fending, Moeen Ali when ducking. Moeen was caught off that short ball, Robson later fell to a fuller ball.

Ishant had the intensity and the variation to once again go through those dirty overs. Usually he goes for runs at such times, and his stats get worse. Today on a pitch that suits him, he got the wickets that triggered a collapse, and can still give India a big lead. Listening to him you know it did not happen by accident. As usual, though, the question remains where Ishant goes from here. You can rest assured, though, that he will not be bothered about the cramps.

Blake, Tredwell keep Kent alive

Kent 149 for 9 (Blake 53, Beer 3-18) beat Sussex 146 for 9 (Jordan 37, Harmison 3-35) by three runs
Scorecard

Disappointment can often be a good motivator and in a week when he lost his Test spot, Chris Jordan almost managed to haul Sussex across the line in the T20 Blast. If truth be told, it was a bitty showing from Jordan and embodied a slapdash performance from Sussex as their faint hopes of T20 Blast progression ended.

If Jordan had hoped for a competent homecoming on the back of his England omission, Kent were in no mood to bestow him handouts. The name on the back of the shirt counts for little on the county circuit and although his 37 brought Sussex to within a blow of victory, a couple of overzealous overs proved decisive and irreparable.

Straying onto the leg side more often or not, he was picked off with ease and when he returned in the 17th over of Kent's stodgy innings, the subsequent six deliveries changed the dynamic of the game.

His additional zip gave Ben Brown, the Sussex wicketkeeper, little chance with a steep bouncer that proved too quick for anyone and then Alex Blake tucked into successive sixes, who scored an unbeaten fifty, one of which came off a no-ball to lift Kent towards a target that had looked improbable when they slouched to 77 for 6; 38 came off Jordan's three overs.

In the end, their 149 for 9 was just enough despite Jordan's late hitting. Requiring 17 off the final over, a towering blow over long-off kept the Hove crowd on the edge of their seats before he could only pick out the fielder with a couple of deliveries remaining. His, and indeed Sussex's, race was run.

Kent, however, still harbour hopes of progression. Having gone six games without a victory in the South Group, few would have given them a sniff as they toiled on a slow surface. Will Beer, predominately deployed in the shortest-format, wreaked havoc with a competent display of leg spin as the top-order subsided with little fight, Daniel Bell Drummond - who underpinned the Powerplay overs with 34 - apart.

Fabian Cowdrey missed a straight one from Beer before Stefan Piolet took all the pace off to outwit Darren Stevens next over. That only provided the platform for Blake. A well-organised left-hander, he batted without any inhibitions on a track that required a clear mind and convincing strokes. He struck five sixes, including the two off Jordan that gave Kent the impetus, to give his bowlers something to defend. Beer, who finished with career best figures of 3 for 18, was unable to put his feet up.

Much like Kent's batting order, the hosts flopped in the face of the battery of slower bowlers Rob Key had little hesitation in deploying. Such are the idiosyncrasies of the loan system that James Tredwell, who was in the home dressing room during the week, played a major part in foiling his part-time team-mates.

He nonchalantly had Yasir Arafat caught and bowled, just as the game threatened to swing back in Sussex's favour, before cold water was poured over Jordan's fireworks.

Lack of leaders a hurdle to England revival

In a batting order containing four or five relatively inexperienced cricketers, it is not obvious who in the dressing room can revitalise England

Root steadies England with unbeaten 78

If you were the sort of driver who kept colliding with bollards, the sort of sailor who kept hitting rocks and the sort of pilot who kept crash landing, you might conclude, eventually, that you are not very good at driving, sailing or flying.

A similar conclusion might be sinking into the seasick sailors of English cricket. Beaten like a snare drum, by Australia, Sri Lanka and Netherlands among others, the England team would be better served acknowledging their failings than hiding behind poor fortune. Only fools and losers continually bemoan luck as the cause of their failings.

Yes, at least one England player was the victim of an umpiring error. But so was at least one India player. And Murali Vijay looked in better form than Matt Prior. And yes, a ball change at the end of the 54th over did appear to precipitate England's collapse, though a mildly reverse-swinging ball at this pace should hardly have caused this level of bother.

Instead, England should reflect that, if they play across straight deliveries (Alastair Cook), if they poke at wide deliveries (Ian Bell), if they lose balance at the crease (Gary Ballance), if they play back when they should be forward (Sam Robson), they are not the victims of bad luck. They are guilty of poor batting.

This is hardly the first batting collapse they have experienced in recent times. Indeed, the 6 for 68 they suffered here on a slow pitch and against a modest attack, compares well against the 5 for 18 they suffered in the previous Test at Headingley, the 5 for 23 and 4 for 8 they suffered in Sydney, the 6 for 53 and 5 for 6 they suffered in Melbourne, the 6 for 24 in Adelaide, the 8 for 54 and 7 for 49 in Brisbane or the 6 for 37 here last year. If something keeps happening it is not an aberration; it is a problem.

They might also reflect on what sort of surfaces they do like. Because, in recent times, they have struggled on pitches offering spin, struggled on pitches offering bounce, struggled on pitches where the balls skids, struggled on pitches where the balls swings and struggled on pitches like this where the ball does very little of anything. Until Test cricket is played on ice, they are going to have to learn to manage a bit better on at least some of those surfaces.

The sight of James Anderson reverse-sweeping boundaries and Stuart Broad driving on the up through the covers just underlined how poorly England's middle-order played. There is nothing to fear in this slow, low surface and, decently though India bowled in the circumstances, little to fear against an attack that, by the standards of Test cricket, remains modest. Batting at this level will rarely be this comfortable and this England side contains a record nine men with Test centuries to their name.

One of England's enduring problems is that the majority of their players do just enough to justify their continued selection. But "just enough" does not win Tests and England require more from Bell and Co if they are to end their current malaise. Nobody doubts Bell's ability and his place is, quite rightly, secure. But, five Test innings into the new era, he is averaging 32.40 and struggling to provide the leadership and inspiration his side requires.

It may be that leadership and inspiration are the key missing ingredients in this England side. For as this malaise continues - and, barring a miracle, they will have extended their winless run to nine Tests by Sunday night - so the belief is draining from this England team. With Anderson and Broad seemingly resigned to endless spells on dead wickets, Cook and Prior currently struggling to lead from example and a batting order containing four or five relatively inexperienced cricketers, it is not obvious who in the dressing room can lead the revival.

English cricket is bursting with men who never offend, or shock or rock the boat. Men who have paid their dues and do not disrupt the dressing rooms or committee rooms to which they serve. Men who will disappear without leaving much of a trace.

But sometimes you need characters who ruffle and question and offend. Sometimes you need characters who have the arrogance and aggression to change what appears an inevitable course. Sometimes you need the sort of player a mild-mannered former England captain might describe as "an absolute c***".

There may be knock-on effects to England's shortened innings. By forcing Anderson and Co into the field once again so soon after their draining first innings efforts, they sustain a vicious circle that could compromise England's efforts throughout the series. Still jaded by their first innings efforts, they are likely to be less effective - the harsh might say even less effective - the second time around. And with only three days between Tests, they may still be feeling the effects by the time the match at Lord's starts.

It was the same story in Australia. Though England fairly often claimed the first four or five wickets relatively cheaply, Australia invariably recovered through Brad Haddin as Anderson and Broad tired. Until the batsmen support the bowlers better, it will continue to happen.

In normal circumstances, England should still be able to hang on for a draw. The pitch will hardly deteriorate; it will just become ever more funereal in pace. And, had it not been for the Indian tenth-wicket stand, England would already have a lead. Even more pertinently, MS Dhoni may have a tricky decision to make regarding a declaration.

But normal circumstances no longer apply. England's batting collapses have occurred too often to retain even a hint of complacency.

Narine steals show for Guyana in win

Guyana Amazon Warriors 140 for 8 (Ramdin 51, Cottrell 3-24) beat Antigua Hawksbills 136 for 8 (Dunk 38, Neesham 3-33, Narine 0-3) by two wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

The Guyana Amazon Warriors laid forth their intentions to get back to the Caribbean Premier League final with a two-wicket win over Antigua Hawksbills on Friday afternoon in the opening match of the Caribbean Premier League 2014 in Grenada. The slim final margin belied the true disparity between the sides after Sunil Narine's near flawless bowling spell meant last year's CPL runners-up faced a modest target of 137. Guyana lost three wickets for two runs in six balls late in the chase but eventually eased across the line with three balls to spare.

Guyana captain Denesh Ramdin was named Man of the Match for his 51 off 36 balls, but Narine was arguably the standout performer on the day. He returned sensational figures of 4-1-3-0 to tie a record for the fewest runs conceded in a four-over T20 spell. The mark is shared by two others including Shoaib Malik for Barbados Tridents in CPL 2013, also made against Antigua.

Ramdin won the toss and put Antigua in to bat. Australian import Ben Dunk got the side off to an impressive start, targeting the spin of Mohammed Hafeez for two fours and a six in the fourth over to move to 33 for 0. At that stage, Dunk was on 32 and his partner Shacaya Thomas was anchored on 1. In what would be a recurring theme on the day, Narine appeared in the following over and choked off the runs.

Dunk tried to attack Ronsford Beaton in the sixth over and paid for it by chipping a top edge to Hafeez at midwicket for 38. Thomas' struggles against spin ended for 20 in the 14th over after a top-edged sweep against Veerasammy Permaul was taken by Hafeez at fine leg. Narine increased the pressure, conceding one run in the 15th, and even though the score was a healthy 103 for 2, with five overs remaining, the desperation for runs was manifested in the first of three run-outs. Off the first ball of the 16th, Danza Hyatt took off prematurely from the non-striker's end only to see Krishmar Santokie field off his own bowling and hit the stumps.

In the next over, Marlon Samuels chose to run for a tight single past silly point but Ramdin scurried from behind the stumps and fired another direct hit at the bowler's end. Following David Hussey's dismissal at the hands of Jimmy Neesham for 10 in the 18th, Devon Thomas attempted to resuscitate the Antigua innings with a big six over long-on in the 19th but was fortunate to survive two balls later when he miscued the same shot and Martin Guptill wound up parrying the ball over the rope for four.

Sheldon Cottrell tried to finish with a flourish for Antigua by flicking over midwicket for a boundary to start the 20th but a wild charge on the third ball resulted in a run-out after some indecision on whether or not to steal a bye. Neesham followed that with the wickets of Carlos Brathwaite and Justin Athanaze off the next two deliveries and a superb final pver kept the score to 136 for 8.

Guyana's chase got off to a rocky start in the first two overs with the loss of their openers. Lendl Simmons was bowled by a Cottrell inswinger for a duck and was followed by Guptill in the next over. The experience of Hafeez and Ramdin came through with a 59-run third-wicket stand before Hafeez fell off the final ball of the 10th, trying to slog the off spin of Samuels out of the ground only to sky a chance over the pitch that was claimed by the keeper.

Ramdin accelerated towards his fifty by stroking four boundaries off the next three overs to bring the equation down closer to a run a ball. Neesham holed out to long-on for 11 to give Cottrell his second but Guyana were still in control needing 28 off the last five overs with six wickets in hand. Ramdin brought up his half-century off 34 balls with a single to start the 16th before Guyana stumbled with victory in sight.

Christopher Barnwell checked a cut shot and spooned a simple catch to Hyatt at point for Ben Laughlin's first wicket. Laughlin and Hyatt teamed up again four balls later to remove Navin Stewart. Antigua would have started to believe the match might just be theirs when Ramdin was bowled by Brathwaite off the first ball of the 17th over, leaving the tail to score 25 off 23 deliveries.

Permaul got just enough of a Laughlin slower ball in the 18th to clear the rope at long-on for six, after which a four squirted through point deflated Antigua. Permaul fell with seven balls remaining, hooking Cottrell to long-leg, but the dismissal came after he had done damage. After his exploits with the ball earlier in the day, Narine fittingly clinched the win with a thumping drive back down the ground for a four in the 20th.

Cook's dismissal betrays frazzled mind

Some may say that the England captain's dismissal was unlucky, but it was the latest example of the demons he is battling as the form slump grows longer

Chappell: In trying to cover one weakness, Cook has created others

It was days like this that persuaded Edvard Munch to paint The Scream, Thomas Hardy to write Jude The Obscure and Leonard Cohen to pick up a guitar. And it has been days like this that have persuaded many captains that the time has come to step down.

This was a day during which the pressure upon Alastair Cook mounted. It mounted when Matt Prior put down a chance to dismiss MS Dhoni before he had added to his overnight total. It mounted when Moeen Ali was unable to fill the role of controlling spinner. And it mounted when he saw his champion fast bowler, James Anderson, thrashed for six back over his head by a tailender who started the match with a Test average of 3.33 amid an agonising tenth-wicket partnership that left England exhausted, embarrassed and exposed.

But it culminated in Cook's own dismissal. Finally given the opportunity to make use of a pitch holding few alarms, Cook not just failed to take advantage, not just failed to mount the defence his side required, but betrayed the extent to which his own personal game has sunk.

On a wicket on which India's tenth-wicket pair had prospered simply by playing forward and straight, Cook paid the penalty for playing back and across. Instead of playing a straight ball back towards the bowler, he attempted to nudge it into the leg side and, lacking balance and a sense of where his stumps were, was bowled round his legs after the delivery brushed his thigh pad.

The generous spirited might suggest it was an unfortunate dismissal. But, if you try to play straight balls through square leg, if your balance is so poor that your head falls over to the off side leaving you unaware of the position of your stumps, such things will happen.

Previous dismissals surely played a part. Cook has been struggling outside off stump in recent months and here appeared to over-compensate by ensuring he would not be reaching at one. Such a solution simply created another problem, though.

Nor is this failure an aberration. Since the start of 2014, Cook is averaging just 13.85 in Test cricket with a top score of 28. He has not made a half-century in seven innings and not made a century in 25. If England hide behind poor fortune for Cook's decline, they are in denial.

Weariness - mental and physical weariness - might have played a part. After enjoying a spell in early afternoon where his side claimed four wickets for two runs in 21 deliveries, Cook must have hoped that India could be dismissed for a total of around 350; probably under par on such a benign surface.

Instead, for the third time in as many years, England conceded a century stand for the tenth-wicket. Yet again, Cook was obliged to force Anderson and Stuart Broad into new spells. England saw a game slip away from them and the lack of potency in their attack exposed.

Cook was left to reflect on a situation in which the English system - a system that leaves counties requiring five days of ticket receipts to afford the cost of hosting Test cricket - works against the national side rather than playing to its strengths. For make no mistake, in years to come, this rotten pitch, a slice of Nagpur in Nottingham, may be remembered as a contributory factor in Cook's demise.

There is little so dispiriting for a fielding side than a lengthy tenth-wicket stand. Not only do such partnerships frustrate and embarrass bowlers, but they dispirit and tire entire teams. Bowlers who think their work is done are forced into new spells; plans that appeared to have been working are undermined and minds that were beginning to turn to batting are forced to wrestle with an irritation that had not been anticipated.

The fact that Mohammed Shami drove Anderson for six has a significance beyond the symbolic. Not only did it underline the lack of potency in England's main weapon on his favourite surface, but it suggested a worrying tiredness at this stage of the series. With five Tests to be played in 42 days, the last thing Cook wanted was to force his strike bowler into 38 overs in the first innings of the series. Demanding such spells of such a bowler is like using a sports car to transport scaffolding.

Equally, the workload required of the seamers underlined the lack of effectiveness of Moeen. While he did not, with one full toss and one long-hop excepted, bowl poorly, he was simply unable to contain skilful batsmen in such conditions. He conceded more than five an over and, at one stage, was hit for two sixes in three balls.

Moeen may develop into a fine Test bowler but, for now, England's lack of a world-class spinner is making Cook's job, and the job of his seamers, far more demanding. It might well be relevant that Simon Kerrigan, the left-arm spinner who endured such a tough debut at The Oval last year, has acted as 12th man for England in this Test.

There were, perhaps, other signs that the pressure was beginning to distort Cook's thinking; other signs that all the criticism, all the abuse, was beginning to convince him to stray from the methods that come naturally and persuade him to experiment.

For when Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar came together, Cook experimented with a field that included, for a while, three short midwickets and no slips. And, for a while, he experimented with only one fielder on the leg side.

Whether such tactics were admirably inventive or the symptom of a man trying too hard to appease his critics probably depends on your viewpoint before this match began.

The truth is, Cook did not have a bad day in the field and England did not bowl badly. Quite the opposite, really. In difficult conditions Broad, in particular, displayed fine heart and skill and it is hard to think what Cook could have done differently. Until Shami and Kumar's intervention, it might even have been considered an excellent day.

But Cook's primary role remains that of an opening batsmen. And whether as a result of the burden of captaincy, whether it is media pressure or whether fate has simply mixed a perfect storm of problems, his run of grim form is turning into something of a marathon. And if he cannot make runs on these pitches… well, it will not grow any easier.

Broad hopes to grind down India

'We've got to bat big' - Broad

Stuart Broad has become the latest England player to bemoan the lack of home advantage after his side conceded a tenth-wicket stand of 111 to India on the second day of the Investec Test series at Trent Bridge.

Broad had called for a pitch offering pace and bounce in the lead-up to the game, but was instead presented with a surface that he claimed was slower than those found in India.

While Broad welcomed the apology made by the Nottinghamshire groundsman, Steve Birks, at the end of day one, he did appeal for quicker surfaces for the remainder of the series.

"It's certainly not what England would have asked for and not what Trent Bridge would have hoped for," Broad, who plays his county cricket at the ground, said. "I think the best thing that's happened is Trent Bridge have come out and said 'Look, our mistake', and apologised for the pitch.

"Trent Bridge is renowned for exciting cricket. You come here to see nicks carry, dropped catches, good runs, exciting shots and quick bowling. We've not really seen a lot of that. I just hope that other grounds don't follow suit."

Despite the stand between Mohammad Shami and Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Broad felt England had bowled well in difficult circumstances and kept India to a total no better than par. He also felt that England would have a good chance of repaying the punishment as their own innings progresses.

"The two batsmen played very well," Broad said. "But once the ball is soft, there's no help for length bowling. We tried everything but they kept the ball out.

"But in the middle session we claimed four wickets for 90 runs, which was out best session of the day, so it's hard to be too down on ourselves.

"460 is a decent score. It's not a 600 which could easily have happened on that wicket. If you can't bowl a bouncer at a lower-order player, it takes out a lot of the threat. Batsmen can get forward and protect their stumps, and then thrive off any width, so we will be hoping to do the same.

"We've got one job: to bat as big as we possibly can. We have to make use of days three and four and try to put the Indians under pressure on the last day.

"If we can get a good start and build, I'm sure the Indian bowlers won't be looking forward to bowling at Ben Stokes coming in at No. 8 when they're a bit tired. We can certainly get a big score if we get our heads down."

Broad also backed Alastair Cook to recover his batting form and, while admitting the England captain - who has now gone 25 innings without a Test century - was in "a rut" insisted poor fortune was a primary reason for the lack of runs.

"When you're in a bit of a rut and you've not scored runs for a while, things go against you," Broad said. "I can count on one hand the number of times I've seen the ball canon off the thigh pad on to the stumps. They generally go to fine leg for one.

"He is just in one of those places at the minute. It will turn. It just takes a cover drive or a dropped catch to change the momentum. We've certainly got enough cricket in the next five weeks for it to change.

"He was fine afterwards. When you get out like that there's not a lot you can do. If he had drilled one to extra cover he would have been annoyed. But he was chatting away, he was chirpy. He was disappointed not to make a big contribution but those sort of dismissals are so rare you can't do much about it."

The joy of one, the pain of another

The No. 11 of India's order did something the No. 1 of England's order can only dream of at the moment: score a Test fifty

Highlights: Shami scores maiden first-class half-century at Trent Bridge

A young boy gets on a motorbike for the first time. The instructions are given to him. He looks on quietly. People expect him to struggle. Instead he takes to it fairly well. Muddy dirt tracks are handled with ease. He jumps off little ramps and holds on. He mostly works out the brakes and how to turn and tries, but fails, to pull off a wheelie. Eventually he stops, and the next boy gets on. A boy who has ridden a motorbike for years: yet he makes a simple mistake and rides straight into a BBQ.

_________________

Alastair Cook's first ball catches him by surprise. He has more Test hundreds than any other England batsman but he reacts late to the movement into him and an inside edge ends up at backward square leg. It is not a stunning show of confidence as he wanders to the other end confused.

Mohammed Shami's first ball is a length ball, India's No. 11 rocked forward and defends with the sort of certainty a man with a Test Average of 3.33 really shouldn't have. He's not overawed by his first moment in England. He's not overawed by facing Stuart Broad. He's not even overawed by the sudden collapse that has led to him being in. He's just playing a forward defensive shot.

Cook handles the next few balls fine. A yorker is dug out. He pushes to the legside looking for runs. He is handling the pitch with no demons like it's a pitch with no demons. The ball is not swinging or seaming.

Shami also handles his first few balls well. They bowl short, and he defends well and misses when trying to attack. He cracks one to point. And turns a ball into the leg side to get off the mark.

Shami's first boundary is a heave over the legside against a confused James Anderson. Shami is full of confidence having survived for a while and is now flexing a bit of muscle. He also whips a ball off his pads so well that he beats a man in the deep. He smacks Moeen Ali long and deep with a dance down the pitch. He cracks a short ball to the point boundary and no fielders move. And then to finally get to his 50 he hits a Test bowler with 358 Test wickets over the sightscreen.

Cook gets a ball on his hip and turns it to the rope.

Shami's innings is not all grace and beauty. He tries to upper cut one to third man. He mistimes one so badly he can't even find a fielder. Almost loses his off stump. Almost loses his toe. And is actually caught behind, despite the fact England didn't hear it. It was a quality innings for a No. 11, but not a quality innings.

Cook's innings isn't quality.

Cook faces nine of his ten balls from Shami, including the last one. Getting bowled around your legs can look unlucky. Bowlers don't plan for it very often. And even when they do, it rarely works. This is the sort of ball that Cook could have literally flicked to the leg side with a blindfold on, handcuffed upside down in a tank of water. Now his head leads away from the ball, his body tumbles after it.

Cook has never been pretty, but now he's ungainly and needlessly mobile. He can't stand up properly and exposes the leg stump. The ball flicks his pads and instead of rolling away safely for a leg bye it slams into legs tump. Cook has lost his way so much he can almost see the ball hitting the stumps.

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Mohammed Shami had made a 50 before today, for Bengal U-22s four years ago. Alastair Cook has made 35 fifties at Test Level. Not forgetting 19 fifties in ODIs. There are also a few hundreds. And he once made 294. But Cook hasn't scored more than 51 in his last five Tests.

Today the bunny with no batting pedigree scored more runs than the man with 8,130 runs.

Today two men batted: one with little expectation or hope, the other with fear and uncertainty. One made an unbeaten. The other hit the BBQ.

Change of attitude aids remarkable stand

India's recent track of record of lower-order runs is poor, but they began correcting that with a mammoth 10th wicket stand which showed the application and mindset that has often been lacking

Highlights: Bhuvneshwar's half-century was part of an 111-run tenth-wicket stand at Trent Bridge

You would need a bad memory - not always a bad thing - to have not thought of Durban just after lunch. Back then, in the last week of the last year, India had been given a flat slow pitch, they had won the toss, had got a good start to the innings, but their tail showed no fight whatsoever when they could have batted South Africa out of the game, made sure they would not lose the series and gone after the South Africa batsman with a free mind. The last five wickets went for 14, India lost the series, and nothing summed the situation up better than Zaheer Khan's second-ball duck ending through a slash after moving away from the stumps.

It showed poor team culture. These were the same bowlers who had given India valuable runs when the team was playing at its best; they were now either running away or not taking their batting seriously. In an era when every tailender, armoured and spoiled by pitches going flatter by the day, makes bowlers get him out, India's tail was non-existent in away matches. Between July 2011 and July 2014, before the start of this match, India have averaged 17.13 for the last three wickets. Only West Indies, Pakistan and Zimbabwe have fared worse. Until today India did not feature in any of the big last-three wicket partnerships over that period.

Going by that track record, this game was going away, and going away fast. And this was an innings where you would have expected extra responsibility from the lower middle order given the bold move of playing only five batsmen. MS Dhoni showed that responsibility, although he was aided by some good fortune. Ravindra Jadeja did not, and got out to a loose shot, although it did seem that Jadeja going for his shots was part of a plan. Debutant Stuart Binny played a horrible nothing shot, and Ishant Sharma misjudged a leave. This was Durban all over again: India had lost four wickets for four runs, they were going to get bowled out for a sub-par score on a flat pitch, and hand over all the momentum to the hosts.

Tail-end runs are as much about attitude as they are about skill and luck. Sometimes you enjoy some good fortune and have a bit of a lark. Sometimes your No. 9 has the skills of a batsman. Mostly, though, they start with a bit of application, an attitude that says 'I am not getting myself out', and you enjoy the luck, the bowlers get tired, and it gets difficult to get you out because most of bowlers' training is in getting proper batsmen out. Everything worked out for Bhuvneshwar Kumar and Mohammed Shami here, and they ended up scoring their maiden Test fifties, posted India's longest last-wicket partnership outside Asia, and all but made sure India cannot lose this Test now.

This pitch was similar to Durban. And although there was no Dale Steyn, India still needed some application from somewhere because this match was slipping out of their hands. A calm head needed to arrest that momentum. Bhuvneshwar provided that calm head. He once scored a Duleep Trophy century, which featured a 127-run stand with a No. 11, out of which the No. 11 made only 39. He began similarly here, protecting Shami for a period before letting him become an equal partner, once assured that he could fend for himself on this benign track.

"We just wanted to bat for as long as possible," Bhuvneshwar later said.

Bhuvneshwar batted almost like a proper batsman while Shami had a bit of fun. Most important was that they were not playing soft shots, at least not at the start of the innings. Good fortune followed. A half chance flew wide of short mid-on, the position that had claimed Cheteshwar Pujara on the opening day. Another edge was missed by impire Bruce Oxenford, who had another shocker with ruling M Vijay out incorrectly.

Dhoni has often spoken of the value of the lower-order runs, not just as pure runs but also as a nuisance for the other team, especially their openers. With the whole team coming out to the balcony to applaud the duo's milestones, you could sense the importance they attached to this partnership, especially after more than a couple of them had been naughty with their batting.

You usually associate entertainment and hilarity with partnerships between two tailenders, but there was not much here, thanks largely to an unresponsive pitch. Bhuvneshwar acknowledged this was more like an Indian surface than an English one. Not many might have been entertained by this particular stand, but the value of it in that Indian dressing room is immense. For starters, they will not be thinking of Durban too much.

Vijay the millionaire meets Vijay the coal-miner

In recent times, fortune has conspired against M Vijay and runs have been lacking. At Trent Bridge, though, after a small slice of luck at the start, he combined flair and patience to great effect

Highlights: Murali Vijay produces first Test ton outside India with 122 not out at Trent Bridge

It is Johannesburg. India have been thumped in the ODIs, this is the first morning of the series, and Dale Steyn, Vernon Philander and Morne Morkel are going after you. There is bounce, there is swing, there is seam. M Vijay has seen his opening partner get out to a soft shot. He leaves alone 26 of the 42 balls played, scoring just six runs, but is determined to wait for a loose delivery, no matter how long it takes. There hasn't been any for 69 minutes, but he is willing to wait more. And then he gets a monster of almost mythical proportions. Morkel bowls on a length, just outside off, he plays for the angle, it leaves him, bounces too much, takes the edge, and the papers next day have 6 against his name.

In the second innings of the same Test, when everyone is filling his boots, Vijay edges a harmless delivery down the leg side. In the second Test, at Kingsmead, he shows some more discipline and grit, scores 97 at a strike rate of 43, and gets a brute from Steyn. He takes his bottom hand off as he fends, but the ball bounces extra on what has been a slow pitch, and takes his glove on the way through.

Over to New Zealand then. India have been hammered in ODIs again, have conceded 500 in the first innings of the series, and are now 51 for 3. Vijay, though, has dug in again, scoring 26 in 79 minutes. And then Neil Wagner goes round the wicket, getting as close to the side crease as he can without actually bowling a no-ball, and then gets the ball to hold its line against the angle and hits the top of his off stump. The customary strangle down leg shows up in the second innings.

In the first innings of the second Test, Tim Southee bowls one short of a length, wide enough to be left alone, the seam pointing towards slip, and Vijay relaxes thinking he has got a soft leave. The ball jags back, kicks at him, takes his glove on the way to the keeper. He gets another pretty good outswinger from Southee in the second innings.

So in the eight overseas innings that followed his two 150s against Australia at home, Vijay scored 196 runs. His opening partner, who has looked hopeless at times, has had just that little bit of luck that he is so good at capitalising upon. People, meanwhile, are singling Vijay out and ridiculing him as an opener, looking at the runs not at the minutes spent at the wicket, the incredible discipline it has taken for a stylish batsman to buckle down obsessively and to stick to it even when the results are not forthcoming. Or the lack of luck. People have made more mistakes in one innings than Vijay has in two series, and yet scored centuries.

Therefore nobody can begrudge Vijay the faith shown in him by his team management despite those numbers in the last four Tests. Nobody can begrudge him the bit of luck he has had at Trent Bridge. Those who believe in luck and those who have seen Vijay over his last two Test series would have seen the first over of the day would have expected a hundred today. The luck was changing. He edged a ball he didn't even want to play at, and got four for it. He pushed forward rather tentatively, got a thick edge, and again got four. If he had still failed today, he would have really kicked himself.

Those two boundaries, on a Trent Bridge pitch that needed only oranges and saoji cuisine to move out from Nottingham to Nagpur, gave Vijay the start he needed. The next ball was a half-volley on the pads, and Vijay tucked into it. Soon Vijay was 25 off 24 with six boundaries in it. All that hard work done over the last year was paying off.

Vijay is a moody batsman. One day he can bat like a millionaire, on another a coal-miner. He hasn't always been able to combine the two. He was unlucky in some of the instances mentioned above, but also paid the price for not putting all the bad balls away. On other occasions he has also been guilty of throwing it away playing a shot too many after getting off to a quick start. In this knock he mixed the two approaches perfectly.

By lunch Vijay had scored 55 off 89 already. The pitch was doing nothing, and a sunny afternoon awaited. Runs would be there for the taking, but England came back with an inspired session of bowling. They were accurate, they were intense, they reversed the ball, and they took out Cheteshwar Pujara and Virat Kohli within three overs after the restart. Runs dried up. This was the time to go down into the pits. The millionaire from the pre-lunch session removed his jacket, rolled up his sleeves and went a-digging.

Nothing summed it up more than the 38th over of the day. The ball had been reversing, and mostly it reverses in. That could have been the only possible explanation for the wicket of Kohli. He pushed at a wide one because at the back of his head expected it to reverse in, and wanted to guard his stumps. Anderson bowled two full deliveries, just outside off, and normally you would be playing at them because they are expected to bend back in. Unless you spot clearly and early that the shiny side is on outside. Vijay had, and left them alone. Twice more he shouldered arms in that over, and when the shine was on the inside he strode forward and defended.

Vijay waited for the loose balls thereafter. There weren't many, but he was patient. He scored only 38 in the middle session and 30 in the last. From 92 to 99 he took 24 balls. Then spent another 13 on 99. Luck was shining on him again when he called MS Dhoni through for a non-existent single. Dhoni was willing to risk sacrificing his wicket. With Vijay's luck over the last year or so, the throw would have hit the stumps, and Dhoni would have been run out with Vijay on 99, and that would have messed with Vijay's head. Not today.

Vijay was not out of the pits yet, though. He allowed himself a few shots before playing 35 straight dot balls leading up to the stumps. He might have been setting himself up for day two: ten of his 13 first-class centuries before this have been 139 or more, including three double-centuries.

England 'frustrated' with pitch

Anderson: We want a far contest between bat and ball

James Anderson admitted the England team were "frustrated" by another low, slow surface that did nothing for the home attack on the first day of the Investec Test series against India.

Murali Vijay batted throughout the day to make an accomplished century as India lost only four wickets on a pitch that did little to assist the England seamers. The Trent Bridge groundsman admitted he was disappointed with the lack of pace in his pitch.

While Anderson suggested the England attack, who conceded less than three an over, could be proud of their day's work in challenging circumstances, he also hinted that the surface did not allow for an "even contest between bat and ball".

Just as Stuart Broad, in the run-up to the Test, requested enough carry to ensure that edges should carry to the close fielders, so Anderson bemoaned the lack of such carry as two edges dropped short of the slip cordon and another mishit fell short of silly-point.

"It was frustrating," Anderson said. "It's not great, but there is not a lot we can do about it unless some strict directives come in.

"I thought we did brilliantly today. Our attitude was fantastic. We could have moaned about the pitch quite easily and sulked about, but I thought all the bowlers stuck at their task brilliantly and we're pretty happy with our day's work.

"As bowlers we don't expect seam movement. We expect flat pitches at Test level. We just expect our nicks to carry and a more even contest between bat and ball."

Asked if the pitch was good and whether England had utilised home advantage, Anderson replied "probably not on both counts. We're amazing hosts.

"It was frustrating. But the pitch is what it is and there is not a lot we can do about it at this stage. We've got to rest well and stick at it tomorrow. Even two days out we could see the pitch wasn't going to be one with huge amounts of pace in it. But it is something you've got to try and put out of your mind. Our job is to take wickets and all day long we tried to do that. We tried different things: different fields; different balls. We tried everything."

England enjoyed some success with their experimentation. Cheteshwar Pujara was caught at a short mid-on after Anderson bowled a full cutter with an unusually straight field, while Liam Plunkett bowled with six men on the leg side for a while. England bowled nine maidens in 14 overs immediately after lunch, with Stuart Broad miserly and Anderson gaining just enough reverse swing to trouble the batsmen.

"On a pitch like that you have try and be creative and unsettle the batsmen as much as you can," Anderson said. "All the bowlers came up with ideas and Alastair Cook was brilliant with his plans. We worked really well together at unsettling them. The way we came out after lunch was brilliant. We got two quick wickets and could have had a third with a nick that dropped short of second slip."

But despite England enjoying arguably their best day in the field this summer, India have the upper hand in this game.

Dilshan soars at favoured venue

Perhaps it is the cooler mountain air or the smell of rain - whatever the difference, Tillakaratne Dilshan can't get enough of Pallekele

Pallekele is not a difficult place to like. The road from Kandy winds over rolling mountains, through lush tropical flora still beaded with droplets from the last rains. Troupes of Sri Lankan macaques loiter like rogues on village shop rooves, waiting to swing down when the shopkeeper takes his eyes off the bananas. Even on a clunking government bus or a rickety three-wheeler, the serenity of the surrounds is irresistible.

The ground itself is nestled in the Dumbara mountain range and flanked by tree-lined grass banks. Once, at its conception, an architect had hoped the stadium would turn out like Supersport Park in South Africa. When crowds file in and the venue becomes an island of buzz and baila for the evening, there can be no doubts it is all Sri Lankan. Some days the setting sun scatters scarlet over the western curve of sky and, then, there are few better places in the world to be - let alone for cricket.

Tillakaratne Dilshan likes it here too. For all those reasons, but for others that make the ground truly special for him, as well. He has now scored 768 runs at the venue at an average of 96.00 and a strike rate of 93.09.

When he plays at Pallekele now, he bats as if the runs are a birthright. Dilshan's cricket has mellowed over the last 18 months, with his strike rate down year-on-year since 2011 even as his run tallies have swelled, but Pallekele rarely fails to summon the savage of old. He still strikes at 93 at the ground since the beginning of 2013, but scores at a rate of 79 elsewhere.

He was off the mark with a scorching stroke through mid-on, off Dale Steyn, in the first over. Out of all his shots, that on-drive has given him the most grief in his later years; the bat often collecting fresh air as the ball cannons into the stumps. At times, he has avoided playing the shot, but at this ground, he unlocks his full arsenal. He is bulletproof here.

Even early in his innings, even off one of the finest quick bowlers in world cricket, Dilshan dares to play the on-drive, and knows he will succeed. He still plays the 'Dilscoop' regularly at Pallekele, when it has eased out of his game elsewhere. In 2011, he unfurled perhaps an even more astonishing shot than that at the ground, when he swept Shane Watson's medium pace high and long in front of square for six.

Dilshan struggles to put his finger on exactly what works for him at Pallekele. The pitch is faster than most others in the subcontinent, but not as fast as in Hambantota, where he has a far less fearsome record. There is swing and seam to be had early on for the bowlers, as well as spin later on. Perhaps it began fortuitously with a few good innings at the venue, which then snowballed into an avalanche of good vibes. Whenever he visits now, he does not just hope, he expects to excel.

"When I come here, everyone trusts that I will do well," Dilshan said. "Even today before I went out to bat, my captain to told me, 'You'll get runs today as well'. I enjoy playing cricket everywhere, but here I get a good feeling that I'll be getting runs. The more we play here, the better I'll be able to do. I've already asked my captain to request more matches here."

The wickets were a birthright too, on this occasion. He had already broken the third-wicket partnership that had sunk Sri Lanka in the first match when he had AB de Villiers caught at long-on, but he yearned for the biggest scalp of the innings as well.

When team-mates shelled two difficult chances off Hashim Amla inside three balls in his following over, Dilshan cursed loudly, turned back to his mark and kicked out twice at the turf, seething. Dilshan is perhaps the most spirited man in the Sri Lanka team, but even for him, such eruptions are rare. He could not tolerate others preventing him from claiming what was his. "Even with the ball, I feel like I can do something on this pitch," he said.

Dilshan's 86 off 90 was both impetus and backbone in Sri Lanka's innings, and it was his dismissal of de Villiers that sparked the South Africa slide of five wickets for 26 runs, and sent the visitors careening towards defeat. Perhaps it is the cooler mountain air. Perhaps it is the smell of rain, which is never far off. Whatever the difference is, Dilshan can't get enough of Pallekele.

Test openers cut from New Zealand contract list

New Zealand's Test openers for most of the past year, Hamish Rutherford and Peter Fulton, have both been axed from the central contract list for 2014-15. Fast bowler Doug Bracewell, allrounder Grant Elliott, spinner Bruce Martin and batsman Dean Brownlie have also lost their contracts, with New Zealand's selectors making six changes to the 20-man group.

Spinners Mark Craig and Ish Sodhi earned deals, along with fast bowlers Matt Henry and Adam Milne, as well as wicketkeeper Luke Ronchi and, not surprisingly, the allrounder Jimmy Neesham, who has made two centuries from his first four Tests. New Zealand's general manager of national selection, Bruce Edgar, said the newer players had all earned their places on the list.

"We've had a very strong summer followed by the Test series victory in the West Indies where a number of younger players put their hands up for consideration," Edgar said. "Two of those integral to the series win in the West Indies were spinners Ish Sodhi and Mark Craig. While we accept that Mark and Ish are by no means the finished product, they are promising bowlers that we want to invest time in."

"Adam and Matt are two exciting young bowlers that if we manage well have got a big future in all forms of the game. Jimmy and Luke are both consistent members of our shorter-form teams and they've recently been selected in our Test squad as well."

The presence of only one specialist Test opener, Tom Latham, was an indication that uncertainty remains as to who will take those positions over the coming year. Rutherford was cut after making 322 runs at 21.46 over the past year, while Fulton struggled just as much and managed only 270 runs at 19.28.

"There'll be plenty of opportunities for the openers and others with domestic contracts to put their hand up on both the New Zealand A tour to England later this month and throughout the season in the domestic competitions," Edgar said.

A set criteria is used to rank players across all three forms of the game, with Test cricket receiving twice the weighting of ODI and T20 cricket. The players with the 20 highest aggregate scores are then offered contracts.

Daniel Vettori was not included in the contract list after turning down a deal last year due to his ongoing injury problems. Vettori has not played for New Zealand since June last year, but there are hopes that he will be able to take part in the World Cup next year.

Contract list Corey Anderson, Trent Boult, Mark Craig, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry, Tom Latham, Mitchell McClenaghan, Brendon McCullum, Nathan McCullum, Kyle Mills, Adam Milne, Colin Munro, Jimmy Neesham, Luke Ronchi, Ish Sodhi, Tim Southee, Ross Taylor, Neil Wagner, BJ Watling, Kane Williamson.

McLaren becoming vital to SA's ODI plans

There's not much that Dale Steyn gets whimsical about but the green hills and the cool mountain air of Kandy was enough bring out his softer side. "Gotta say this place is majestic! So beautiful! Blessed to see this part of the world!" Steyn tweeted.

South Africa's angry man has never played in Pallekele before, which Sri Lanka would hope works to their advantage in what is a must-win match for the hosts. South Africa have fond memories of Pallekele, though, because it is the only ground where they recorded a victory on the tour they would rather forget. After going 0-2 down in the series and appearing out of their depth with the bat, South Africa defended 223 in the third match, albeit their fightback was short-lived on the whole.

"We did the right things, gave ourselves a chance at the end, put runs on the board and managed to bowl them out, so we are really excited about this game coming up," said David Miller, who scored 85 in that match to inject authority into an otherwise limp South African innings. He had acted as an anchor that day and relished being able to spend more time at the crease than he usually does as a finisher.

Now that South Africa's top order has sorted itself out, Miller is back to his end-of-innings role and he seems to have become more confident. In the first ODI, he led the charge as South Africa took 53 runs off the last five overs.

The most impressive aspect of Miller's knock was the way he dealt with Sri Lanka's death specialist Lasith Malinga, whom he kept out and punished when the length allowed it. "Taking performances from the past into the present gives me a sense of belief that I have done it before," Miller said. "I've got to watch the ball as closely as I can. Malinga is one of the best death bowlers in the world. But the more you face someone who has an unusual action, the more comfortable you will feel."

Having a competent partner with whom you have a good understanding is also important at the end of an innings, and Miller has found that in Ryan McLaren, who was with him in Pallekele in 2013 and again in the first ODI in Colombo. McLaren scored 22 off 18 balls on Sunday to provide the support Miller needed.

McLaren's all-round contribution - 22 runs and two wickets - was one of the unsung performances of the game and it outshone that of Jacques Kallis. While it is too early to start questioning Kallis' role in the team, McLaren's performances are worth noting because he was expected to miss out when Kallis recommitted himself to the ODI team.

McLaren has played in all but two of South Africa's last 16 ODIs, dating back to the series against Sri Lanka last July, and alongside Kallis in three of them. While Kallis has been used as a batting allrounder, McLaren's role is that of a bowling allrounder, but his consistent run in the side has been beneficial for McLaren's batting. He has averaged 31.85 over the past year - compared to an overall average of 21.60 - with seven not-outs, which come with the territory of finishing an innings.

His bowling numbers have also improved marginally - 21 wickets at 26.85 apiece in the last 12 months - and there have only been two occasions when he has not bowled at least six overs in the innings. "The advantage for allrounders is that you are always going to have the opportunity to contribute," McLaren said. "There are going to be times when you don't do well in one discipline, but then you can contribute in the other."

McLaren is fast becoming an integral part of South Africa's ODI XI and is pleased with how the team is developing, especially from the last Sri Lankan tour to this one. "They came at us hard in the beginning and we showed a lot of character and finished the game clinically," McLaren said of the first ODI. "That's the most pleasing aspect - we're starting to show some character when it starts getting tough, and it doesn't get much tougher than playing in Sri Lankan conditions. This is one of the building blocks to the World Cup next year, and every game in that process is important."

When Steyn can peel himself away from the views, he would probably agree.

Floodlights on standby for Hambantota ODI

Sri Lanka Cricket will have floodlights on standby for the third ODI in Hambantota on Saturday, after the cricket had been affected by fading light during the first ODI. Angelo Mathews had said Sri Lanka had slightly altered their approach as gloom set in in Colombo, with the Premadasa Stadium floodlights out of action for that match. SLC and Cricket South Africa had agreed not to use floodlights for day matches in the memorandum of understanding for this series, but have agreed to reverse that stance in light of the first ODI's events.

"Both Sri Lanka and South Africa teams and their respective boards are in agreement to use lights in the event the light deteriorates during the third ODI of the South Africa tour of Sri Lanka," an SLC release said.

Hiring a standby electricity generator capable of powering stadium lights is expected to cost SLC around LKR 19 million (approx. USD $146,000). The second ODI, in Pallekele, is a day-night encounter.

Mullaney ensures Notts' run continues

Nottinghamshire 158 for 9 (Taylor 44, Mullaney 36, Patel 3-16) beat Warwickshire 152 for 6 (Porterfield 51, Mullaney 2-27) by six runs
Scorecard

Warwickshire are blessed with the most fearsome battery of fast bowlers in the country but in recent T20s they have become a liability. They disappointed once again here and lost for the fourth time in succession as their prospects of qualifying for a quarter-final slipped further.

They were almost bailed out by their batsmen but Varun Chopra, the Warwickshire captain, admitted to a poor performance chasing 159 - a below-par total for Edgbaston.

Will Porterfield's half century set up 60 to win from 42 balls but Porterfield was the only serious contribution from their top order. Quicksilver hands from Chris Read stumped Laurie Evans as Warwickshire fell short of batting power, five down, with 42 needed in four overs and despite Freddie Coleman's three boundaries, Nottinghamshire held out via a series of excellent yorkers from Luke Fletcher in the final over who conceded only six with 13 required.

Fletcher demonstrated to his opponents the correct method of bowling seam on this wicket to send Notts to their fourth straight win and now second in the division - a top two finish will secure a home quarter-final.

Warwickshire's bowlers have not been entirely to blame for the Bears' slump in form - they lost their previous three matches, the last failing to chase just 140 - and Rikki Clarke actually has the fourth-best economy rate of any bowler in the tournament. But Boyd Rankin and Chris Wright have conceded almost nine-an-over. Here, their combined seven overs leaked 87 runs as they consistently bowled too short and a line too inviting to the short boundary towards the Raglan and Priory Stands.

Wright has proved the most expensive Warwickshire bowler in the completion this season. Here, he produced two overs of very hittable bowling, the second of which was taken for 22, as 59 came from the first five overs.

The seamers perhaps gained too much encouragement from a green-tinged wicket which afforded good carry - pleasing to see with so many slow, low surfaces around. But it was also a dry pitch which gripped for the spinners and it was they who dominated, squeezing the middle of the innings as only 28 came from overs 8 to 14. Notts later found joy with pace off the ball: Samit Patel and Steven Mullaney's cutters took four wickets and conceded 55 in eight overs between them.

Shoaib Malik may have left after his short stint but in Ateeq Javed Warwickshire have a very capable spinner who has conceded below a run-a-ball in his eight matches. He and Jeetan Patel were excellent, conceding only 37 from their four overs, finding some turn. Patel also picked up three wickets, the beneficiary of two smart catches from stand-in wicketkeeper Peter McKay and a beauty which deceived Sam Wood, turned away from the left-hander's flick to leg and took out off stump.

Notts also didn't help themselves with the bat. Alex Hales ran himself out, pushing straight to Clarke at mid-off who threw the bowler's stumps down. It was a suicidal run. The equally-dangerous Samit Patel also fell in irresponsibly cheap fashion with a mistimed drive to mid-on to fall second ball.

But Notts found some top-order runs through Riki Wessels, whose boundaries were rather streaky in his 29 from 14 balls, and Steven Mullaney - opening the batting for the first time - who was far more convincing in a innings of the same duration. In the second over, he cleared his front leg to strike a length ball from Wright dead straight for six and in his next over played the most effortless flick off his legs that sailed into the seats over square leg.

James Taylor provided the mainstay of the innings. Albeit in less-than-fluent fashion. He nudged six of his first seven balls from spinners back up the wicket before playing an ungainly reverse sweep that was mistimed. He couldn't even get a bat on a free-hit from Javed and took 29 balls to reach just 11. But when pace came back on the ball with the reintroduction of Rankin, Taylor went across his stumps three times in succession to flick leg side sixes - the second a top-edge over fine leg - as 19 came from the 14th over to inject some impetus back into the innings. But they were his final boundaries and he eventually holed out to deep midwicket in the final over.

Cook's captaincy future on the line

Alastair Cook's qualities as England captain have been widely debated. England's five-Test series against India is about to determine his future

Chappell: Difficult for Cook to improve in some areas

Amid all the advice and criticism heaped towards Alastair Cook in recent weeks, one truism has shone out: he needs to score more runs if he is to be an effective captain of England.

Cook may never be a Churchillian orator or a Napoleonic strategist. He may never shock or inspire with his words or his tactics.

But leadership comes in many forms. And the Cook who scored back-to-back centuries in Ahmedabad and Mumbai, the Cook who insisted that Kevin Pietersen was recalled at the end of 2012, the Cook who made seven centuries in his first 11 Tests as captain and the Cook who won nine and lost only one of his first 15 Tests as captain, did inspire and lift his team.

He might not offer genius, but he does offer hard work, commitment and determination. He led by example.

Whether such qualities are enough to succeed at this level remains to be seen. Indeed, the next seven weeks may define Cook's rein as captain; if England lose, it is hard to see how he can continue in the role.

But Cook's successes as captain seem to have been air-brushed out of history in recent times. To win in India, particularly having been a Test down, is a fine achievement. And, less than a year ago, he led England to a 3-0 Ashes victory. The complacency with which that result was greeted now seems incredible.

He has obvious limitations. His inability to find a solution to the Pietersen dilemma has not only weakened his side, but instigated a saga that continues to weigh him down. Equally he has struggled to integrate some characters - the likes of Nick Compton, Simon Kerrigan and Boyd Rankin - into a set-up that, if it were a little more hospitable, might coax the best out of more players.

But most of the criticism he has attracted has been for more mundane factors. It has been for his conservative field placings and safety-first declarations. It has been for a continuation of the tactics employed by Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower in taking England to No. 1 in the Test rankings and factors that constitute a relatively small fraction of the role of captain.

He knows he has to improve. He knows that his seamers will have to be utilised in shorter spells if they are to remain effective. He knows he has to find a way to cope without Graeme Swann's control and he knows there may be times when he has to be more inventive in the field.

But many of his faults have been exaggerated. While England certainly did not cover themselves in glory at Leeds, Shane Warne's suggestion that Cook's leadership was the worst he had seen in 25 years was hyperbole. In that period, we have seen captains urge players to underperform for money and to manipulate games for a leather jacket. In the grand scheme of things, Cook's decision to persist with a deep extra cover rather than a third slip does not amount to much.

Cook does not necessarily have to change his attritional style. It worked for Strauss and, if it comes naturally to Cook, it is better he sticks with it rather than trying to reinvent himself as an aggressive, risk-taker. It is just not his way and, in truth, it has rarely been the England way.

Besides, Cook was let down by his senior players as much as his own decision making against Sri Lanka. Many of the tactical failings for which he has been blamed would have been masked if his seamers had bowled fuller and his wicketkeeper taken a couple of chances. The fact that four players have registered centuries in their second Tests in recent months might even suggest that the team environment is improving.

It is hard to recall a time when England have had a captain that has not attracted an almost unbearable amount of criticism. Certainly Andrew Strauss, who even with his team at No. 1 in the Test ratings, faced calls to step down, knows how Cook is feeling. So does Mike Gatting, whose side won none of his final 14 Test in charge.

Even the best of recent vintage such as Mike Brearley, whose Test batting average of 22.88 would have seen him under immense pressure in the modern era, and Michael Vaughan, who was captain when England lost the 2007 series against India, had to deal with similar issues at one stage or another. Like the manager of the England football team, it is becoming a job in which it is impossible to please.

But, in the short term, the fact remains that many of the problems Cook currently faces will fade away if he can only rediscover his form with the bat. Without a century in 24 innings and averaging only 25.04 in that time, Cook knows he is not pulling his weight at a batsman. With little tactical acumen to compensate, that weakness is exacerbated.

There is no reason to suspect his dip in form - prolonged though it is - should be terminal. Anyone capable of making 25 Test centuries by the age of 28 has proved they are an exceptional player and, aged 29 now, the best may be ahead of him. The suggestion that bowlers have only just started testing him outside off stump seems naïve; it was always the default angle of attack.

"I'm desperately keen to lead from the front," Cook said on the eve of the Trent Bridge Test. "I know how important it is at the top of the order to do that.

"I'm in there because I'm one of the top six batters in the country. My job is to score the runs and set up the game for England. It doesn't matter whether you're captain or not.

"I haven't been doing that over the last year or so and no one is keener than me to put that right. I've worked very hard over the last 10 days. I've just got to make sure my mind is totally clear so that when I go out there I can concentrate on the most important thing, which is that ball coming down."

The India management, to their immense credit, have not sought to capitalise on Cook's difficulties. After the coach, Duncan Fletcher, backed him to recover his form at the start of tour media conference, their captain, MS Dhoni, utilised his pre-series media conference to urge Cook to ignore the criticism.

But other critics will be relentless and Cook admitted that he had required a "thick skin" in recent weeks. But he also reiterated his determination not to step down from the role whatever happens in the next 42 days.

"You have to be determined and stick to your guns. We all know you are judged on results and results have not been good enough. If we turn it round and win games of cricket things will be different.

"I'm incredibly proud to be England captain. I have thrown everything into it and continue to. Until that day the selectors decide I'm not the right man for the job I will continue to. It is a huge honour to do this and I can go to sleep knowing that I've thrown everything I've got into it."

Cook's hard work and determination have never been in doubt. The next seven weeks may well determine whether they are enough.

ECB profit could be England's loss

The visit of India will swell the coffers of English cricket but there could be a greater cost in the long term

'Getting Kohli in early is key' - Broad

Cricket is no longer measured in terms of victories and defeats. Not predominantly, anyway. It is measured in terms of profit and loss.

How else could it come to pass that two middle-ranking Test teams would come to carve up the management of the cricket world? How else could it come to pass that, while the 2012 series between South Africa and England to decide the No. 1 Test spot was played over just three Tests, the world's fourth- and fifth-rated sides will now contest a five-match series in the space of 42 days? How else could it come to pass that the same business plan that has earned the ECB more money than ever before is also responsible for hindering the ability of its team to compete at their optimum level?

It is because cricket in England is about money, not merit.

The summer of 2014 will earn the ECB more money than any that has preceded it. Such is the value of the television audience that India generates, the season will earn even more than 2013, when England hosted an Ashes series and a Champions Trophy. That is despite one side having not won in eight successive Tests and the other having not won away in more than three years. If this were a boat race, you might expect both sides to sink.

There are many positive aspects of the ECB's wealth. It has allowed them to retain the services of their best players despite the threat of T20 leagues. It has allowed them to retain an army of support staff so large that, at times, they outnumber the playing squad. It has allowed the ECB to lead the world in the funding of disability cricket and to bring a new level of professionalism to women's cricket. It has allowed them to spend heavily on grass-roots cricket; building new facilities at clubs around the country and ensuring the continued existence of the 18-county domestic game.

But it also comes at a cost. By squeezing so many Tests into such a short window, the ECB is giving England's leading pace bowlers - the same bowlers that present the best chance of victory - little possibility of performing at their best. And, in the longer term, it risks those players in greatest demand leaving the game prematurely through burn-out (Jonathan Trott) or injury (Graeme Swann). In 2015, those players - and coaches - involved in all formats will spend around 300 days in hotels. Too much is asked of them.

Equally, the desire - an admirable desire - to ensure as little time off the pitch as possible has seen new drainage installed at most grounds. That has led not just to quick-drying outfields, but quick-drying pitches. The days of green seamers are largely gone and, with them, England's home advantage. India may not have realised it yet, but the pitches in this series may help their spinners more than England's seamers.

Across English cricket, decisions are taken which bring short-term financial gain but will cost in the longer term. From selling all live TV rights to a subscription broadcaster, to diluting the value of the Ashes by playing too many limited-overs series against Australia, the ECB is risking the long-term health of the game while claiming it is earning more than ever before. The administrators need to understand that sport, like schools and hospitals, cannot be judged purely on the bottom line.

Eventually there is a danger that, if England continue to play on low, slow wickets, if they continue to play jaded cricket, if they continue to be absent from free-to-air TV, if they continue to lose and play the same opposition, the value of broadcast rights and ticket sales will diminish. But, by then, the current management will have moved on and will be able to look back and say that all was okay on their watch.

They were points touched upon, albeit gently, by Stuart Broad as he looked ahead to the Test series. Broad, who looked weary by the end of the two-Test series against Sri Lanka, expressed his concern at the schedule and the grounds' new drainage.



	"If the pitches are dry, I think India will be licking their lips with the two spinners, won't they?" Stuart Broad

"Back-to-back Test cricket does really tire you out," Broad said. "This schedule's got five Test matches in the space of probably three, so it is pretty hectic. We will have to look after our bodies, big time. Part of the reason we had a camp last week was to get a lot of cricket work in before the series started. Once we get underway there's just no training time really.

"The clubs have all spent huge money on all these drainage systems to make sure we can get out on the field. But I don't know how much research was done into what they do to the pitches. I know our players, three or four years ago, brought the theory up that they were making the wickets too dry, too early and it is quite hard to keep bounce in the wickets now unless you leave them really green, which Test match wickets just don't do.

"So it is a bit of an issue we're suffering, with pitches bouncing three or four times to the keeper. I think Test wickets should be flat, no doubt, because the crowds want to come and see runs scored. But if you catch the edge of a batsman it's got to carry to the keeper and the slips, that's the number one rule.

"It didn't happen at Lord's and Headingley. They turned out to be really slow and both really should have been draw wickets. It will be interesting to see how this series plays out. But, if they're dry, I think India will be licking their lips with the two spinners, won't they?"

It seems they may not. Perhaps influenced by Duncan Fletcher's previous experience of English pitches - which might prove to be somewhat dated - it seems India may select a side bursting with seamers and with only one spinner.

In the short term, England may retain the seam-bowling depth to defeat an India side who have not won a single Test away since June 2011. In the longer term, if they really want to enjoy a sustained period among the best teams in the world, they need the ECB to devise a new business plan that looks to the benefit of the whole game, not just the bottom line.

Claydon takes five as 15 wickets fall

Kent 106 for 5 trail Leicestershire 217 (Robson 56, Claydon 5-77) by 111 runs
Scorecard

Mitchell Claydon claimed his best figures for Kent as Leicestershire were bowled out for 217 on a day when 15 wickets fell at Grace Road. Bottom-of-the-table Leicestershire hit back by taking five wickets in the final session to leave Kent on 106 for 5 at the close, still 111 runs behind.

It was certainly a day for the seam bowlers, with Claydon taking 5 for 77 in 21 overs before Leicestershire's attack put them back into contention as they seek their first Championship win of the season.

Rob Key and Daniel Bell-Drummond put on 40 for Kent before five wickets fell for 54 runs in 22 overs. The departure of Key began the collapse, with the Kent captain popping up a simple catch to midwicket off Charlie Shreck. Bell-Drummond was then trapped lbw by Ben Raine and Ben Harmison dismissed in similar fashion by Rob Taylor.

Brendan Nash chopped a ball from Nathan Buck back into his stumps and when Sam Northeast was brilliantly caught at slip by Greg Smith off Shreck, Kent were in disarray at 94 for 5 but Darren Stevens and Adam Ball saw them through to stumps.

On a green-looking pitch, Key had no hesitation in bowling first after calling correctly. And the morning session proved eventful and entertaining with 126 runs, five wickets and 22 boundaries.

The first ball of the day set the tone, with a delivery from Claydon thudding into the pads of Smith. But Indian umpire Anil Chaudhray, taking part in an exchange scheme, turned down the concerted appeal.

There was certainly enough in the pitch to keep the bowlers interested, but they were also helped by the shot selection of the Leicestershire batsmen, who seemed to be stuck in Twenty20 mode. It was almost a shot a ball at times and the boundaries flowed as regularly as the wickets fell, and by lunch Claydon had taken four for 47 in 13 overs.

Smith was caught behind off a loose drive for 16, all his runs coming in boundaries, Ned Eckersley edged a lifter, Josh Cobb nicked one to slip and Angus Robson top-edged an intended hook to give Billings his third catch. But by then Robson, younger brother of England opener Sam, had posted his eighth half-century of the season from 58 balls with 10 fours.

In between all that, Dan Redfern was brilliantly caught at mid-wicket by Bell-Drummond as he tried to pull a short ball from Stevens.

Claydon bagged his fifth wicket when he pinned Niall O'Brien lbw and it needed an eighth-wicket partnership of 54 - the biggest of the match so far - between Taylor and Jigar Naik to take Leicestershire past 200 for a batting point before Charlie Hartley picked up the last two wickets.

Leicestershire coach Ben Smith was not impressed with his side's batting and said. "I did not think there was much wrong with the pitch. It was a mixture of their bowlers putting the ball in good areas and our batters not showing the discipline needed for four-day cricket."

Ansari heightens Surrey's persona

Surrey 400 for 5 (Ansari 112, Burns 97) lead Glamorgan 232 by 168 runs
Scorecard

Why do people dislike Surrey? Money and metropolitan envy might have something to do with it but there is surely little of which one can disapprove about their cricket at present. Gary Wilson's team went into this match against Glamorgan 20 points ahead of their opponents having played one game more; both counties have realistic promotion ambitions. Yet there is no doubt which has looked the stronger side in two days of mostly high clouds and high spirits on the North Wales coast.

The difference in the approach of the teams' batsmen has been particularly noticeable and it was epitomised on Monday by the slight yet substantial figure of Zafar Ansari. Whereas the Glamorgan batsmen had been more content to throw their bats and take their chances, Ansari preferred care and orthodoxy as he anchored his team towards a substantial first innings lead.

Beginning the day on 55 not out, Ansari, the 23-year-old Cambridge graduate, had faced 267 balls and batted for 339 minutes when a Will Owen misfield allowed him to scamper the two extra runs he needed to reach his second Championship century of the season. Ansari reached that landmark in mid-afternoon, by which time he had seen four partners dismissed, but the tempi of other batsmen's innings mattered little to him.

Rory Burns, for example, had faced 166 balls and was three runs short of his own century when he top-edged an attempted pull off Ruaidhri Smith to Jacques Rudolph at mid-off. That mid-morning reverse ended a first-wicket stand of 182 but it only brought in Arun Harinath who almost immediately began to score at a run a ball, hitting Dean Cosker straight for six and then sweeping the slow left-armer almost indecently.

Ansari looked on, chatted in mid-wicket and then returned to his own cocoon of concentration. In short, he batted with all the judgement and discrimination one would expect of a cricketer whose favourite television show is The West Wing.

Harinath, on the other hand, played as if intent on proving that there was far more to his game than his self-denying vigil at Chelmsford in May had shown. On that treasured occasion, he faced 231 balls in making 63; context is everything, of course, but against Glamorgan Harinath took 149 balls fewer to plunder 60 runs off an attack which buckled down rather more impressively than the home batsmen had managed.

The undisputed leader of Glamorgan's bowling cohort was Michael Hogan who had the left-handed Harinath taken at slip by Rudolph with the new ball before immediately inflicting the same fate on the right-handed Solanki, who pushed tentatively at his first delivery but could only edge it to third slip where Chris Cooke took a fine two-handed diving catch.

That fine piece of pace bowling left Surrey still prosperously-placed on 270 for 4 and a further 46 had been added, 37 of them in 47 balls by Steven Davies when the visitors' No. 5 played across a straight ball from Allenby. Still Ansari pushed, deflected and occasionally drove his way on.

Indeed, it took meteorology to remove him, albeit not permanently. It happened like this. On the first day of this game the wind turbines in Ormes Bay had been still as figures on a semaphore chart; by Monday morning they were waving like demented umpires in the latter stages of a T20 innings. At 3.15pm the breezes gusted a shower from the West and umpires Jeff Evans and Peter Willey made to depart. "Get on with it!" a bloke in the crowd yelled, as the rain briefly abated. The officials remained. "Oggy, oggy, oggy!" roared another chap helpfully, although whether he was in pain or ecstasy was unclear. No matter. The shower organised itself and 16 overs were trimmed from the day.

When the batsman returned Ansari added only six more runs, taking his tally to a career-best 112 before he chopped Allenby on to his stumps. But there was still enough time prior to a final shower for Roy to take heavy toll of both Smith and Owen in reaching a 55-ball fifty. By then, perhaps, Ansari was enjoying a well-earned shower and reflecting on another good day in what is proving to be an important summer for him.

Last-wicket Hants repair after Norwell four

Hampshire 251 for 9 (Smith 45, Norwell 4-87) v Gloucestershire
Scorecard

Hampshire's last-wicket pair of James Tomlinson and David Balcombe repaired a middle-order collapse to thwart Gloucestershire on a day of fluctuating fortunes.

Hampshire raced to 69 for 1 and then 144 for 2 after being put in, only for Liam Norwell to induce a slide in which Hampshire lost seven wickets for 38 in 12.1 overs.

Norwell took four quick wickets with his medium pace before Tomlinson and Balcombe, not renowned as batsmen, came together in an unbroken stand of 69 for the last wicket as Gloucestershire ran out of ideas.

At the close, delayed by rain earlier in the day, second-placed Hampshire had made 251 for 9 from 80 overs with Tomlinson 33 not out and Balcombe unbeaten with 38, leaving Gloucestershire a chance to reflect on why they had been unable to finish off their good work on a helpful pitch.

The rain wiped out the entire first session, meaning play did not start until 1.10pm after an early lunch. Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman noted the green tinge to the wicket and the Ageas Bowl's reputation for aiding the bowlers and chose to field first.

Gidman must have starting to regret his decision quickly as Michael Carberry and Jimmy Adams put on 69 in 21.4 overs for the first wicket without alarms. Benny Howell and wicketkeeper Adam Rouse, both former Hampshire players, combined to break the partnership when Carberry was caught by Rouse attempting leave.

Hampshire showed no signs of being slowed by the England batsman's dismissal as Adams and Will Smith took the score to 98 before Will Gidman got Adams to edge to Rouse.

At tea, Hampshire were in a dominant position at 106 for 2 with Smith and James Vince well set but the turning point came at 144 in the 50th over when Vince, who had struck five fours in his 25, was leg before to Norwell.

The Hampshire batting quickly subsided in his wake as Norwell bowled Smith for 45 and in rapid, unseemly succession Sean Ervine, Joe Gatting, Adam Wheater, Danny Briggs and Kyle Abbott all fell, six wickets going down for 25 in nine tempestuous overs.

Ervine gave Iain Cockbain a catch at short leg, Tom Smith deceived Gatting and Wheater edged Norwell to Cockbain at second slip. Briggs went to another slip catch by Chris Dent and Will Gidman returned to dismiss Abbott in identical fashion.

At 182 for 9, Hampshire were in disarray and the end looked close as Balcombe was joined at the crease by Tomlinson. Viewed as an old-fashioned No. 11, Tomlinson nevertheless put on 60 with Briggs against Surrey last time out and he and Balcombe defied Gloucestershire despite the many bowling changes made in a frantic last 18 overs of the day by Alex Gidman.

Neither batsman looked in any trouble as they complied their face-saving partnership and at the close Tomlinson was nine runs short of a career-best while Balcombe struck Norwell for successive boundaries on the way to his best score of the season.

Norwell finished the day with figures of 4 for 87 but they might have been better had it not been for the defiance of the last-wicket pair who plundered runs from him as play drifted beyond 7pm and the attack visibly tired.

Fletcher, bowlers help WI draw level

West Indies 165 for 6 (Fletcher 62, Simmons 36) beat New Zealand 126 (Williamson 37, Cottrell 3-28) by 39 runs
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Following their demoralising Test series defeat, West Indies found solace in the format they relish the most by squaring the T20s 1-1 with an all-round performance in Roseau. West Indies were guilty of not putting enough runs on the board on Saturday, but they addressed that issue by posting a competitive 165 in an uninterrupted innings. Their bowlers choked New Zealand, with the spinners and medium-pacers proving difficult to hit. Never at any stage did New Zealand pose a threat and the lack of lasting partnerships led to their downfall.

Unlike on Saturday, when West Indies struggled to gain traction either side of a rain interruption, the batsmen found momentum via a solid second-wicket of stand of 66 between Andre Fletcher and Lendl Simmons and in the last five overs, when 56 were scored. Simmons described the pitch as one with tennis-ball bounce, with a few balls stopping on the batsmen, but West Indies saw through an edgy beginning and ensured they kept wickets intact for a late surge.

Fletcher was lucky to survive early in his innings when he set off for a single from the non-striker's end and was sent back by Simmons; Fletcher had given up but the bowler Trent Boult missed the mark. After that, Fletcher charged down the track to the seamers and targeted the straighter boundaries Simmons regularly shuffled across his stumps to target fine leg and third man.

Given how the batsmen struggled on Saturday, the pair showed greater intent to get on with it. Simmons moved across his stumps to Corey Anderson and scooped it for six over fine leg and in the same over, played a glorious extra cover drive. Anderson had the last laugh against Simmons when he caught him at long-on. Anderson caught the ball and threw it up as he back-pedalled outside the boundary but managed to jog back in and take it on the second attempt.

Boult came up with a more spectacular effort later in the innings when he had Pollard caught at deep midwicket. He plucked it one-handed, threw it up and caught the ball again with a full-length dive from outside the boundary. Those two postcard moments were the only takeaways for New Zealand in the match. Their slower bowlers, Ish Sodhi and Kane Williamson couldn't impose themselves in the manner in which Samuel Badree and Sunil Narine managed later on.

In the first ODI, West Indies managed only a paltry 6.80 in the last five overs but a day later, they cranked it up to 11.20. Fletcher sped towards his third T20 fifty with a scooped six over long-off. He was yorked by Boult for 62 but his exit didn't slow down West Indies as Darren Sammy and Andre Russell took the score past 160.

New Zealand decided to rotate the captaincy by putting Williamson in charge and although he top-scored, he failed to anchor the innings. Brendon McCullum swung his bat around but his soft dismissal increased the pressure on Williamson. New Zealand's other power hitters, Jimmy Neesham and Anderson didn't make an impact. Narine and Badree applied the stranglehold by not going for more than five an over.

New Zealand needed a massive 91 off the last ten but even at that stage, they still had three more Narine overs to contend with. They also had the awkward slower balls from Pollard to negotiate, and with every desperate swing and a miss from the middle and lower order, the asking rate climbed. Sheldon Cottrell, brought in for this game, got the in-form Neesham early to give West Indies the first advantage and there was no looking back.

Ireland strikes in astonishing final over

Leicestershire 144 for 5 (Smith 65*) beat Derbyshire 143 (Durston 89, Ireland 5-22) by five wickets
Scorecard

Anthony Ireland starred in an extraordinary final over which involved a banned bowler and the fall of four wickets to set up Leicestershire's victory at Queen's Park.

Ireland's 5 for 22 beat his previous best figures of 4 for 11, also against Derbyshire - but he might never have bowled the over - or at least part of it.

Three of Ireland's wicket, plus a run out, came in the last over after Charlie Shreck had been ordered out of the attack for bowling his second full toss above waist height.

Derbyshire's dismal NatWest T20 Blast campaign continued when they lost to Leicestershire for the second time this season to remain rooted to the foot of the North Division.

Wes Durston blazed 89 from 63 balls, the fourth highest individual score for Derbyshire in the competition, but Marcus North was the only other batsman to reach double figures in a below-par total of 143.

Leicestershire lost their openers cheaply but Greg Smith settled any nerves with a unbeaten 65 from 56 balls to guide his team to their third victory of the season with four balls to spare.

The Foxes' decision to put the Falcons in on a white pitch was rewarded when Ireland struck twice in his first two overs, with Chesney Hughes losing his middle stump to an inside edge and Gareth Cross missing a drive.

Derbyshire's position would have been even worse if Ben Raine had not spilled a low catch when Durston clipped Shreck low to mid-wicket with 39 on the board, and he made them pay by driving and pulling his way to 50 off 33 balls.

Wayne Madsen was lbw reverse-sweeping Scott Styris, who combined with Jigar Naik to concede only 45 runs in eight overs despite Durston swinging a full toss from the New Zealander into the crowd behind the mid-wicket boundary.

Durston and North added 56 in nine overs, but Derbyshire could not break free and Naik held a low return catch to remove North before Durston's fine innings ended when he drove Raine to long-off.

That sparked the disintegration of the innings in bizarre fashion as Ireland took full advantage of Shreck's misfortune by taking three wickets in four balls as Derbyshire lost their last four in five for two runs, Mark Turner run out off the last ball.

It left Leicestershire a relatively easy chase on a small ground but they lost Niall O'Brien in the third over when he drove North low to short extra cover and after pulling Chesney Hughes for six, Josh Cobb top-edged a cut to Alex Hughes at cover.

At 39 for two, Derbyshire sensed an opening but Smith and Eckersley mixed placement with aggression to leave their side needing 69 from the last 10 overs.

The pair added 52 in seven overs before Eckersley needlessly skied a big drive at North to long-on, where Alex Hughes made no mistake.

Smith and Matthew Boyce took the visitors to within 24 of their target before Boyce swung Durston into the hands of deep mid-wicket.

But Smith completed a well-paced 50 from 48 balls and although Styris pulled the first ball of the final over to deep mid-wicket, it was too late for Derbyshire.

Ireland said: ``I didn't expect to be bowling the last over when Charlie Shreck started it but that's what can happen. It was a good performance and Greg has been in good form for us with the bat this year so it was nice to see him get us over the line at the end.''

Derbyshire skipper Madsen rued the calamitous end to his side's innings - as well as the last-over drama, they lost Durston to the last delivery of the 19th and Scott Elstone two balls before that.

Madsen said: ``I felt we were probably 10 or 15 short. Wes played brilliantly but we weren't able to get those extra runs at the back end. I thought we bowled really well in the first six overs but ultimately we were short, another 15 runs and we would have won today.''

Natural Herb

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Cook's captaincy future on the line

ECB profit could be England's loss

Claydon takes five as 15 wickets fall

Ansari heightens Surrey's persona

Last-wicket Hants repair after Norwell four

Fletcher, bowlers help WI draw level

Ireland strikes in astonishing final over

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