Trott and Chopra secure second place

Warwickshire 413 for 8 (Chopra 160, Trott 104, Rushworth 5-94) lead Durham 201 by 212 runs
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Warwickshire have secured a second-place finish in the County Championship and with it and top-two finish in all three competitions.

Centuries from Varun Chopra and Jonathan Trott helped them accrue the bonus points they required to ensure that - excepting the unlikely event of a points reduction for slow over-rates or similar - they cannot be overhauled by Sussex. It means Warwickshire's players will add £159,000 - the reward for second-place in the Championship - to the £45,000 they won as runners-up in the Royal London Cup and the £175,000 they won for lifting the NatWest T20 Blast trophy.

They also earned themselves an excellent opportunity of finishing the season with a victory. With the first-innings lead over Durham already well over 200, they retain hopes of batting just once in this match

While there may be a temptation to look at isolated moments - such as the poor weather that robbed them of victory at Old Trafford in April - and dream about what might have been in this Championship campaign, the result of head-to-head meetings with the champions should produce a sobering effect. Yorkshire crushed Warwickshire by innings margins both home and away this season and are, without doubt, the deserved champions. Warwickshire have some improvements to make if they are to challenge them next season.

With that in mind, though, the return to form of Trott and Chopra is heartening. Both players, the senior batsmen in this side, endured tough starts to the season with Trott coming close to retirement after his abortive comeback against Sussex in April.

Thanks to the support of the club, the England set-up and the highly-respected sports psychologist Steven Peters, Trott has returned to something approaching his best and has been in prolific form in recent weeks.

This was his second Championship century in successive innings, his third in eight innings and his fifth century in all competitions dating back to July 21. He also finished the Royal London Cup as the highest England-qualified run-scorer. Had he started the season in such form, there is little doubt he would have been in the England ODI squad for the Sri Lanka tour.

It might still prove unwise to discount him from future squads. While the England management are, wisely, keen not to feed any speculation that could burden him with undue pressure at this stage, they have kept in touch with Trott and reassured him that the door has not been shut on him.

"Trott has done brilliantly well," James Whitaker, the national selector said when announcing the ODI squad. "He's been through some tough times in the last 12 months and he's worked himself into a position, with help from ECB and other people around him, to feel comfortable enough now to play for Warwickshire.

"Not only that but perform exceptionally well. So he's now in a position where we're looking at him as someone who could be considered again in the future.

"But let's take each stage at a time. We'll be having conversations with him in the future and seeing what the best way forward is for him next year. Well done to him but slowly, slowly. Let's see how the winter goes. It's a delicate situation and we respect the way he's come back into consideration. We have a duty of care towards him."

By Trott's own reckoning, he is playing at his best when the straight drives only just miss the stumps on their way to mid-on. So to see him here, leaning into those familiar cover drives, flicking off the legs and easing the ball down the ground imperiously was to see a class act somewhere near its best. Perhaps even more reassuringly, Trott was furious with himself after his dismissal, spooning a long-hop to midwicket; a sure sign that the insatiable hunger for runs had returned.

But, bearing in mind the state of mind in which Trott found himself in Australia and, again, after that match against Sussex, it might well be considered a triumph that he has simply returned to the game. Many in these parts are content to see him back on the field, with a bat in his hand and a smile on his face. The rest is a detail. Besides, if England do not recall him, Warwickshire may benefit from Ramprakash-esque feats on run-scoring over the next few years.

It may be that Chopra now has the more realistic chance of an England call-up. Certainly the position of opening batsman has yet to be nailed down in either Test or ODI cricket and, after a modest start to the season, he has returned to the sort of form that renders him a serious contender.

He has a wider range of stroke than either Sam Robson or Alastair Cook and, if a propensity to fence outside off stump remains a concern, it has been overcome to the effect that he was the only Warwickshire batsman to reach 1,000 first-class runs in each of 2011, 2012 and 2013 and will once again finish this season as the club's highest first-class run-scorer.

After failing to pass 52 until July 21, he has now made two centuries in his last four Championship innings and looks as if the burden of captaincy sits easily on his shoulders. He may, in time, even be considered an alternative captain of England.

With Warwickshire racing to claim the fifth batting bonus point, and with it the second-place finish, they sacrificed a few wickets in the final session. Sam Hain, who bats so like Trott you wonder if a paternity test should be taken, played across a straight one, Rikki Clarke was bamboozled by a slower one and Tim Ambrose was adjudged to have edged a pull. By the time Keith Barker steered one to the cordon, Chris Rushworth had another five-wicket haul and his 20th first-class victim in 10 days.

His batsmen will have to offer equally strong support, if his success is not to go to waste.

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Cotton takes limelight from Footitt

Derbyshire 289 and 162 for 1 (Slater 73*, Madsen 66*) lead Leicestershire 141 (Cotton 4-20) by 310 runs
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Derbyshire's young seamer Ben Cotton took the bowling honours away from Mark Footitt at Derby as Leicestershire's batting folded again to leave them facing the prospect of another defeat.

Footitt's position as the country's leading wicket-taker was rewarded with a place in England's Performance squad but it was Cotton's 4 for 20 and Tony Palladino's 3 for 34 which undermined Leicestershire, who were skittled for 141 to trail by 148 runs.

It could have been much worse but for 34 from Ben Raine and an unbeaten 24 from Charlie Shreck, which lifted their side from the depths of 63 for 7 and edged their team past the follow-on target of 140. However, by the close, Derbyshire held all the aces at 162 for 1, a lead of 310.

It means the bottom club in Division Two will have to stage a remarkable recovery to avoid becoming the first county since the Second World War to go two seasons without a Championship victory.

They will have to improve considerably on another lamentable batting performance in sunny conditions which offered no excuses for the rash of reckless strokes that started an ignominious collapse to leave the innings in ruins by lunch.

Ned Eckersley set the tone by going hard at a wide ball from Palladino in the fourth over of the morning and former Derbyshire batsman Dan Redfern failed on his return when he tried to cut a ball that was too close to him and played on.

Tom Wells was dropped at square leg but it was only a brief reprieve for the visitors as three wickets fell in the space of 19 balls with the score on 63. Wells was caught behind down the leg side, skipper Niall O'Brien edged a firm-footed flash at Cotton before he had scored and Angus Robson drove low to gully with the follow-on still 77 runs away.

But Raine showed the application and selectivity which had previously been lacking and, with Rob Taylor, took the total into three figures before Taylor was hurried by a short ball from Footitt and played on.

Raine and Shreck added 33 but with Leicestershire only two away from their target, Raine was caught in the covers trying to hit Cotton over the top and showed his dismay as he walked off.

Atif Sheikh just cleared point to get the runs required but was bowled next ball to leave Derbyshire with a lead of 148 and they stretched that to 201 by tea for the loss of Billy Godleman, who was stumped giving James Sykes the charge.

Ben Slater and skipper Wayne Madsen enjoyed themselves in the evening sunshine with the former providing an object lesson to Leicestershire's batsmen by adding a half-century off 125 balls to his first innings century.

Madsen passed 1000 Championship runs for the season on the way to his 50, which came courtesy of a dropped catch at deep square leg by Redfern which summed up another chastening day for Leicestershire.

O'Brien said: "The batsmen let the team down today, there was no reason why we couldn't have batted the majority of the day but unfortunately there was a severe lack of concentration and application, there were too many loose shots from the top and middle order."

Footitt admitted his inclusion in the performance squad was a great end to a memorable season. "I am really excited and can't wait to get out there. When I set out at the start of the season my main aim was to get 50 wickets.

"When I went past that the aim was to see how many I could take and now it's been capped off by being told I'm in the performance squad to go to South Africa."

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Keogh and Stone offer rare bright spots

Northamptonshire 251 for 7 (Keogh 104*, Duckett 60) trail Sussex 368 (Zaidi 88, Wells 81, Yardy 56, Magoffin 51, Stone 5-48) by 117 runs
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Rob Keogh led a fightback by Division One basement club Northamptonshire against Sussex on the second day at Wantage Road.

The home side are 251 for 7 at the game's midway stage, with an unbeaten 104 from Keogh moving them to within 117 of Sussex's first innings score of 368.

The visitors began briskly after resuming on 300 for 7 with Ashar Zaidi and Steve Magoffin bringing up a century partnership. Despite James Middlebrook's offspin offering turn and with Graeme White off the field with a finger injury, bat dominated ball early on, with Sussex going at a run a minute.

Olly Stone's introduction ceased the flow as the first hour ended, when he bowled Zaidi 12 runs short of his maiden Championship century. However, Magoffin reached his half-century with a flashing cut off Neil Wagner - his first for Sussex, four overs later,

Stone induced the edge to have Magoffin caught behind by Adam Rossington and five balls later Chris Liddle followed as Sussex's innings ended on 368 - with the 21-year-old Stone finishing with career-best figures of 5 for 68.

When Magoffin had the ball in his hand, the leading wicket-taker in Division One ripped out Stephen Peters and James Kettleborough to leave the home side 17 for 2 at lunch.

However, Middlebrook and Keogh led Northamptonshire to calmer waters and two straight drives from the former off Zaidi's left-arm spin signalled their sense of control. It would be ended in bizarre fashion half an hour before tea.

With Magoffin brought back to break up the partnership, umpire Peter Willey deemed the Australian to have broken the stumps in the delivery stride. Willey initially signalled no-ball, but after consultation with both sides, he changed his mind after it was felt the strong westerly winds had blown a bail off and dead ball was then called.

However, with the seventh ball of the 30th over Middlebrook, on 48, drove to Zaidi at mid-off, and was run out comfortably thanks to a direct hit.

This was the last match in which Willey and fellow umpire George Sharp, will officiate thanks to an ECB age limit, unless their legal challenge is successful. Neither would want to exit the first-class scene with such an incident in their final game, particularly on a ground where they both served Northamptonshire with distinction as a player.

Keogh, at the non-striker's end at the time, said: "I don't think anyone realised at the time. I know Peter was asking the scorers whether there was one ball left and there was a delay - but they decided to get on with the game. It's just one of those things.''

Rossington soon followed Middlebrook, but a partnership of 99 between Keogh and 19-year-old Ben Duckett kept the hosts interested.

Although Duckett fell before the close, followed by Andrew Hall, Keogh would reach his century in the final over of the day.

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Compton rains on Yorkshire's parade

Somerset319 for 3 (Compton 156, Abell 71*, Trescothick 66) lead Yorkshire 253 (Lees 83, Leaning 57*, Trego 4-69) by 66 runs
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Barely 24 hours after Yorkshire's chairman Colin Graves announced his plans for world domination - perhaps that is paraphrasing a bit, but you get the general idea - the Championship celebrations are not going awfully well. Rather than do the decent thing and surrender before Yorkshire's might, Somerset have been stirred into one of their best displays of the season. They might even ensure the champions finish with a poke in the eye.

Dominate English cricket for the next ten years was actually the target that Graves has given his coaching staff - and why not, as recently the impression is that their production line of England cricketers is substantially more impressive than the attempts made in certain other counties who Shall Remain Nameless.

Nevertheless, Somerset played the role of party poopers with skill. With the Championship already secured, presumably Yorkshire intend to begin world domination next April. Over the first two days, their ambitions have faded and curled like the leaves that are already beginning to fall prematurely on the roads to Headingley.

Such was the clatter of wickets around the country as the final round of the Championship season began with autumn officially upon us that Yorkshire's below-par first innings went unremarked upon. Realisation dawned, however, as conditions eased further and, by the close of the second day, Somerset's lead was 66 with seven second-innings wickets remaining.

Yorkshire's coach, Jason Gillespie, had sought to maintain his side's focus ahead of this match by listing the statistical achievements that were still in their grasp, chief among them being the lure of a record points score in Division One if they made Somerset their ninth victims of an impressive season.

But the statistics that flashed on the scoreboard 19 balls from the close of the second day were those of Nick Compton: 156 from 232 balls with 23 fours and a six. Around 16 months ago, Compton's nine-Test career ended on this ground when he entered a strange, strokeless trance against New Zealand. England, fearing a disturbing effect on their captain Alastair Cook, and somewhat suspicious of his dressing room individuality, dropped him.

The irony of his latest replacement being Sam Robson, who had even fewer shots, was apparent to some. Compton seethed, protested, responded and became demoralised, as much as he tried not to be. He has had a pretty ordinary season. His Test career is over. But as he shared successive century stands with first Marcus Trescothick, who passed 66 in making 1,000 Championship runs for the season, and then Tom Abell, Headingley saw his more expansive range. On days like this he plays with true stature.

Compton's previous best score of the campaign was exactly 100 against Durham and his composure at the crease was such that it left one wondering why he has not achieved much more. Against the quicks, he stood as guardsman erect as if he was one of the Duke of Wellington's ablest lieutenants. Yorkshire's attack was committed enough, but as the sun bathed down upon north Leeds, the Headingley crowd had to pretend that they were perfectly content with the way their celebrations were going.

Trescothick was assisted by a dropped chance at third slip by Joe Root when he was 28, and as his innings progressed he discovered, unusually, that Compton was bounding ahead of him. The shock eventually was too much and a gentle dab in Root's first over fell to Lyth at slip. Root immediately withdrew himself from the attack.

Root's experience as a Yorkshire captain has explored the extremes. Middlesex murdered a supposedly safe declaration at Lord's; Nottinghamshire capitulated as Root stood in for Andrew Gale at Trent Bridge for the victory that brought the title.

As Abell, a product of Taunton, only 20 and with a few weeks of first-class cricket behind him, joined Compton in a stand of serene domination - 154 in 43 overs - and Yorkshire felt the end of the season upon them, Root must have feared a repeat of the former.

They say Root will captain England, and they are probably right, but nobody can create miracles to order. Even when they said that about Mike Brearley, it was part miracle, part paper talk. Reclining patiently, beginning to twig that world domination was not going to plan, the cognoscenti faked that they were not overly concerned. If they thought "tek him off" as Yorkshire's bowlers flagged in the final session, they never shouted it. That a touch of reality had crept in, however, could not be denied.

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Slater maiden ton props up Derbys

Leicestershire 25 for 2 trail Derbyshire 289 (Slater 104, Durston 52, Raine 3-47) by 264 runs
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Leicestershire's hopes of ending a two-year wait for an County Championship victory were frustrated by a maiden first-class century from Derbyshire opener Ben Slater on a controversial day that saw India Test batsman Cheteshwar Pujara given out for handling the ball.

Pujara became only the 59th player in the history of the first-class game to be out in that manner and the first in England since 1996, when Derbyshire wicketkeeper Karl Krikken was dismissed in the same fashion against the Indian tourists at Derby.

But Slater's first hundred in his 23rd game, and 52 from Wes Durston, lifted Derbyshire from 62 for 3 to 289 before Mark Footitt took his 100th wicket in all cricket this season as Leicestershire closed on 25 for 2.

For a game with so little riding on it, tempers flared after five overs when umpires Martin Saggers and Jeff Evans had words with Billy Godleman and Leicestershire captain Niall O'Brien after the Derbyshire opener was involved in a collision with Ben Raine, who was also spoken to. Godleman lasted only five more overs before he edged Raine low to third slip and there was a big wicket for Leicestershire when Derbyshire skipper Wayne Madsen was trapped half-forward by Charlie Shreck for eight.

That brought in Pujara for his home debut - but it was one to forget as he wrote his name in the record books for the wrong reasons in the 20th over of the day. Pujara played a ball from former Derbyshire fast bowler Atif Sheikh down into the pitch and then knocked it away with his glove as it threatened to bounce into his stumps. Leicestershire's fielders appealed immediately and after the umpires consulted, Pujara was sent on his way to mark an unusual chapter in what has been a disappointing summer in England for one of the world's most highly-rated batsmen.

At that stage, Leicestershire's decision to put Derbyshire in was looking a good one but inconsistent bowling helped Slater and Durston mount a recovery that saw the home side reach lunch at 120 for 3.

Slater was dropped on 59 at slip off James Sykes in the last over of the morning and that proved a big moment in the day as he and Durston took advantage of some generous width offered by the seamers. They added 124 in 27 overs before Durston swept Sykes to backward square leg and Sheikh struck in the next over when Alex Hughes was lbw one ball after he was hit in the box.

Harvey Hosein gloved a hook at Raine but Slater reached an accomplished hundred off 195 balls when he drove Sykes through the covers for his 15th four.

Former Leicestershire seamer Wayne White chased a wide ball from Raine and was caught behind without scoring before Slater's innings ended when he edged Sheikh low to second slip.

After a 75-minute bad light delay, Tony Palladino chipped Rob Taylor to mid-on and Ben Cotton had his off stump knocked back by Shreck which left Leicestershire with eight overs to negotiate before the close.

Greg Smith did not survive, edging a firm-footed drive which saw Footitt become the first Derbyshire player to take 100 wickets in a season since Geoff Miller in 1984 and Sykes was lbw to Palladino in the final over to leave Leicestershire in an all-too familiar position.

Slater's hundred came a day after he signed a two-year contract: "It's a nice little present if you can put it like that to top it off," he said. "I'm delighted to get my maiden first-class hundred and it's a good feeling."

Raine added: "It's a very good pitch. We bowled on the overhead conditions, it was a bit cloudy and we thought it might do something off the pitch but it didn't do much. Even so, we've had a positive day which is something to look forward to for next season."

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Claydon five skittles Gloucestershire

Kent 83 for 4 trail Gloucestershire 179 (Payne 54*, Claydon 5-61) by 96 runs
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Mitchell Claydon bagged his third five-wicket haul of the season as Kent dismissed Gloucestershire for 179 on the opening day at Canterbury. Responding after tea, Kent fared badly in reaching 83 for 4 in 32 overs, to trail by 96 going into the second day of a Division Two clash that counts for little in the promotion shakedown.

Claydon's stint of 5 for 61 wrapped up the Gloucestershire innings within two sessions but Kent fared little better thereafter. With Rob Key and Ben Harmison sidelined through injury, emergency opener Fabian Cowdrey lasted seven overs before he played down the wrong line to go lbw to David Payne. Ten overs later, the in-form Daniel Bell-Drummond called for a suicidal single to cover to be run out by Benny Howell, then Howell took the ball to trap Brendan Nash lbw for 15.

Just before bad light bought about an early close, Kent's acting skipper Sam Northeast blotted his copybook by chasing one from Liam Norwell to go for 2.

The day started with Gloucestershire batting first after winning the toss on a bright Canterbury morning. But the visitors made a disastrous start in losing five wickets within an hour, including both their opening batsmen for ducks.

Claydon was first to strike from the Pavilion End when, after just 16 deliveries, Chris Dent sparred outside off stump to snick a comfortable catch to Darren Stevens at slip. Six deliveries later and with only five on the board, Stevens struck to remove Will Tavare, also without scoring. Running one down the Nackington Road slope, Stevens snared Tavare lbw after the willowy right-hander's late decision to shoulder arms.

Alex Gidman, Gloucestershire's only player with 1000 runs for the campaign and who recently announced his departure to Worcestershire, stroked a couple of crisp boundaries in his 12 before he too went lbw, this time to Claydon. His hesitant prod, half-forward and outside the line, leaving umpire Neil Bainton with little option but to raise his finger.

Claydon picked up a third scalp in his next over. Getting one to lift and leave Gareth Roderick, the right-hander found a thick edge to James Tredwell at second slip for 11. Gloucestershire's opening hour demise continued when a Stevens' outswinger squared up Hamish Marshall and found the edge through to third slip to send the Kiwi packing for 5 and leave the visitors on 29 for 5.

Claydon, effective and dangerous despite his shortened run-up, bagged his 50th Championship wicket of the summer when he had Ian Cockbain well held by Tredwell for 6 in the cordon diving in front of first slip.

Claydon took a breather after his 11-over stint of 4 for 21 to be replaced by Calum Haggett who struck with his first delivery of the match by having Tom Smith caught in the gully from an ill-advised back-foot force. Then, in the final over before lunch, Benny Howell was turned in defence by another Stevens awayswinger that flew off the edge to second slip where Tredwell took another spectacular one-handed catch, this time to his right, to make it 62 for 8 at lunch.

Though Payne, with an unbeaten 54 from 89 balls, and Craig Miles, 48, proffered resistance after the break, Miles chipped one for Adam Riley to mid-off, then Claydon returned to have last man Norwell caught behind for his 51st scalp of the summer.

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Rejuvenated Ryder maintains Essex push

Essex 198 for 3 (Browne 106*) lead Worcestershire 84 (Leach 39, Ryder 5-24) by 114 runs
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While the "Chelmsfort" of T20 fame can be a lairy cauldron of noise and attitude, the Championship crowd tends to be a more pleasant bunch. After Worcestershire were bowled out inside the first session of the day, there was guarded optimism about Essex's chances of pipping Hampshire to promotion from Division Two. Discussion of whether missing out for the fourth season in a row would constitute a failure generally elicited a good-natured shrug and a "let's see how we do here".

Essex are already in a commanding position to win for the sixth time in seven but Hampshire's resurrection from 53 for 5 in Cardiff ensured the calculators will continue to whir into the second day. At tea, a customer informed the ice cream lady that Hampshire were 233 for 5. "I don't know what that means, love," came the reply. Head scratching abounds. At the very least, it seems Essex will need to take three batting points (another 102 runs from the next 41 overs) in victory and hope Hampshire can do no better than draw.

Had Essex not failed to win for eight games after beating Derbyshire in their first outing back in April, they would not be relying on results elsewhere, of course, though a lengthy injury list, and in particular the need to use a dozen different seam bowlers throughout the year, stands in mitigation. This was their most in-form attack, the reinvention of Jesse Ryder continuing apace, and they wreaked carnage. Nick Browne then stroked a composed century to ease any fears that the pitch inspector present, Tony Pigott, would need to convene a panel.

On a late September morning, as bowlers around the country feasted, Worcestershire collapsed inside 26.2 overs. Ryder's opening spell was rewarded with sumptuous figures of 10-4-24-5, recording his first-class best for the third time this year. Paul Grayson, understandably, purred in approval. Essex are in the process of trying to make sure he returns to Chelmsford for a few summers more.

Worcestershire had giddily claimed promotion after Jack Shantry's heroics against Surrey but this was the comedown. If the film was The Hangover, the morning session would have been the bit where they woke up to find Mike Tyson's tiger in the bathroom.

The Worcestershire scorecard, which only had two batsmen in double figures, required a double take and there were whispers that the pitch might not stand up to a second look. With the green grass of home in the middle and bare patches for the spinners at both ends, it seemed designed to produce a result; but while Essex needed some fortune in winning the toss, their seamers did far more than just flip a coin.

Ryder arrived for his first spell in county cricket as a tearaway batsman who bowled the occasional bit of fill-in seam-up. The New Zealander has averaged only 30.00 with the bat but he is now Essex's leading Championship wicket-taker, having taken 43 at 17.79. This was the fourth five-wicket haul of the season and the fourth of his career; in the previous decade of first-class cricket, he had collected 55 wickets. It's British summertime and the living is easy for Ryder.

Worcestershire, having celebrated hard after their dramatic win two weeks ago, were soon looking green around the gills, never mind the pitch. Richard Oliver was caught in the slips off David Masters' fourth ball, before Ryder went around the wicket to tease an outside edge through to the keeper off Moeen Ali.

Daryl Mitchell was next to go, caught at square leg playing across the line, in the first of a few avoidable Worcestershire dismissals. Ryder had the ball moving just enough both up and down and laterally, though Alexei Kervezee was not at his most judicious in attempting to leave one that came back to clip off stump.

Tom Kohler-Cadmore and Ben Cox were trapped in front, the latter becoming Ryder's fifth wicket, either side of Tom Fell's woeful slash to slip. That left Worcestershire, who still need a handful of points to be certain of winning the Division Two title, 31 for 7 and now possibly a little pink from embarrassment. Joe Leach slapped a few forceful boundaries during a stand for the eighth wicket that more than doubled the score but fell to a brilliant, instinctive catch from Masters to a drive that might otherwise have rearranged his familiar lopsided grin.

Conversation turned to 1991, when Essex were closing in on the Championship title and Middlesex arrived to be dismissed for 51 in scarcely less overs than Worcestershire managed. Home nerves tightened at the thought of a pitch penalty, before Graham Gooch allayed those fears by finishing the day 202 not out. Browne, tall and left-handed, is perhaps more reminiscent of Marcus Trescothick but his third century of the season, featuring some crisp straight drives, provided a similar tonic.

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Vince, Ervine lead Hampshire through the mist

Hampshire 357 (Vince 144, Ervine 107, Allenby 4-65) v Glamorgan
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The first worry on the opening day in Cardiff was that play would not be able to start on time because of the mist. An hour into the opening day, the scene had more than the musk of a Werewolf horror production, with five victims in a grim first hour. After 21 overs, the scoreboard read 53 for 5. The question was asked: "What were they doing out there in the first place?"

Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams won the toss and, on the most September of mornings, decided to bat. It seems in preparation for this match, the visitors noticed the recent trend has been for those batting first to go on and win the game. "It generally tends to deteriorate here," James Vince said at stumps.

Together, he and Sean Ervine were the stars of this particular piece. With centuries to their name, Vince's fourth and Ervine's second of the season, they put on 225 - a new sixth wicket record partnership for Hampshire against Glamorgan, beating the previous record of 198 set in 1922.

Vince's stillness at the crease, through to the point of impact, with his bat coming through in the right time and at all of the right angles, set him apart from the his team-mates. He was consistent in punishing Glamorgan's bowlers for straying from their lengths, particularly Jim Allenby, who was having it all his own way in the morning session.

According to the bods at Opta, Allenby is the 12th player since 1970 to be responsible for at least 10% of his team's runs and wickets for three consecutive seasons. Little surprise, then, that he accounted for four of the five wickets to fall in a frenetic morning session.

Prior to his introduction, Michael Hogan and Graham Wagg had been unlucky not to register a breakthrough, as edges were found without the catching chance that usually follows. With eight overs gone and Hampshire 17 for no loss, Allenby was handed the ball. Six balls later, he handed it back after delivering a double wicket maiden.

He found the first edge that went to hand when Will Smith nicked through to Mark Wallace and then extracted some outrageous bounce off a length that Liam Dawson could do nothing about. Such was the jump off the pitch - Dean Cosker took the catch at gully above his head - that the spot in question earned the attention of Adams and a few Glamorgan players.

The umpires had a gander when Allenby returned for his second brace of wickets in the 21st over; Tom Alsop falling foul of one that reared up this time. A ball later it was five, with Adam Wheater misjudging the line and left a straight one. It was at this point that things turned from feast to famine for Glamorgan.

It was almost as if the pitch, worn out from the morning's festivities, had decided to go to snooze for the middle session. Assistance to the bowler was at a minimum, as 142 unanswered runs were put on. It could have been so different had David Lloyd taken a catch off an uncontrolled hook from Vince, on 47 at the time, just two balls after lunch.

From then on, he ensured he rolled his wrists on anything he took on, while continuing to seemingly hit every bad ball for four (he hit 21, in all). He used his feet well against the left arm spin of Cosker and Kieran Bull's offbreaks, eventually bringing up three figures in 134 balls. Currently, he is the leading runscorer in Championship cricket this summer.

Ervine's was a contrasting knock, but no less worthy of praise. Having witnessed the madness that preceded his arrival at the crease, he got off the mark with a sweetly timed cover drive off Wagg. The very next over saw him send Allenby back over his head and into the stands at the River End. The next ball was hacked at, but disappeared for four through gully.

His half-century was brought up in just 59 balls before he eased off the gas and ensured bonus points targets were met. The next 50 runs for his century took a more subdued 114 balls, but still showcased a deft touch that look at odds with his broad, muscular frame. Watching a man of his stature late cut was like watching a polar bear knitting and it was with this very shot that he sewed up a second century in as many matches.

Soft dismissals for both centurions - Vince falling to a smart catch by debutant Aneurin Donald in the deep, while Ervine was strangled down the legside - triggered a collapse of sorts. The last three wickets fell relatively cheaply, but not before a fourth batting point was achieved. Hampshire's lead over Essex stands at 11.

Meanwhile, with England due to announce the squad for their ODI tour of Sri Lanka tomorrow, it looks like being one without Vince. "I don't think I'll make it," Vince told ESPNcricinfo. "I haven't had a call from the ECB so I'm not expecting to be named in it." For the immediate future, he has highlighted a win and, with Worcestershire up against it at Essex, promotion as champions of Division Two.

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Statistician Anandji Dossa dies at 98

Anandji Dossa, a cricket historian who was considered the doyen of Indian cricket's scoring and statistics, died in New York on Monday. Dossa was 98. Last year, Dossa along with his wife had moved to the United States of America to be with their daughters.

Dossa, a former cricketer who was a reserve in Mumbai's Ranji Trophy squad but could not break into the side, made an immense contribution to Indian cricket by introducing the culture of cricket scoring and stats. He did live scoring for all major cricket in India for the All India Radio for the first three decades of independent India.

He also groomed a spree of cricket statisticians and scorers. His famous scrapbooks, with newspaper cuttings of every India match from their first Test in 1932 until the 1990s, are an encyclopedia of Indian cricket in itself. He had a habit of noting down minor details in his scrapbook, a technique which has evolved into an integral part of cricket scoring.

Dossa also authored many books, including Duleep - the Man and his Game (co-authored with Vasant Raiji), Cricket Ties: India-Pakistan and Art of Scoring (in Gujarati).

Once he donated most of his collection to the Cricket Club of India, former CCI and BCCI president Raj Singh Dungarpur preserved it by starting the Anandji Dossa Library in the premises of the club.

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Adnan Rasool reported for suspect action

Lahore Lions offspinner Adnan Rasool has been reported for a suspect bowling action, following his team's four-wicket loss to Kolkata Knight Riders in the Champions League Twenty20 in Hyderabad on Sunday.

Rasool has been placed on a warning list, but can continue to play and bowl in a match. However, according to the CLT20 Suspected Illegal Bowling Action policy, if he receives a report while on the warning list, he will be suspended from bowling for the remainder of the tournament and from bowling in any matches organised by the BCCI until he is cleared. Under CLT20 guidelines, Rasool may also request for an official assessment from the BCCI's suspect bowling action committee.

Rasool bowled four overs, conceding 28 runs and taking one wicket, as Lions succumbed to a four-wicket defeat. After the match, Rasool was reported by the on-field umpires Kumar Dharmasena and Chettithody Shamshuddin, as well as the third umpire Anil Chaudhary.

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Davidson stands for Leicestershire return

Neil Davidson, the former Leicestershire chairman, could be on the brink of an unlikely return to cricket administration at the club where his tenure ended in revolt.

Davidson is "reluctantly" prepared to enter the fray once again to arrest Leicestershire's downward spiral. He will stand for election to the club's seven-strong board at the club's next annual general meeting at the start of the new year.

The entire playing and coaching staff of Leicestershire signed a letter begging the board to sack Davidson as chairman of the club in August 2010 citing his alleged interference in cricket matters and abrasive management style. The captain at the time was former England seamer Matthew Hoggard and the coach was Tim Boon, who was once England's assistant coach under Duncan Fletcher and is now the England Under-19 coach.

Ultimately, Davidson resigned in a chain of events that saw the coach, the chief executive and the chairman leave the club within a few months of one another.

Leicestershire have not won a Championship match since 2012 and, for the second season in succession, sit adrift at the bottom of the Division Two table. Furthermore, their better players - the likes of captain Josh Cobb, seamer Nathan Buck and promising batsman Shiv Thakor - have already announced their intention to join other teams at the end of the season.

As a result, some disaffected club members have asked Davidson for assistance. While he was far from universally popular during his last stint with the club, as chairman from 2003-2010, Davidson did invest some of his own money into the club and on-field results improved. Leicestershire won the domestic T20 title in 2004 and 2006.

"A lot of members fear for the future of the club," Davidson told the Leicester Mercury. "A number have approached me to get involved again. I would not want to see the club collapse. I have reluctantly agreed to be nominated for the board.

"The facts speak for themselves: two years and 29 games without a Championship win; bottom of Division Two again by a country mile; our best young players have either left or are leaving.

"Nearly 10 years ago we made a decision to invest in the developing our own players because we could not compete with the cheque books of the bigger counties. Just when that policy is coming to fruition, we have lost James Taylor, Harry Gurney, Shiv Thakor and Nathan Buck. All have played for England at various levels. That investment has been totally wasted.

"It is hugely disappointing to many to see Taylor captaining Notts in one-day cricket and performing so well. We've lost these players not because of money but mis-management, which is unforgivable.

"Having been chairman from 2003-2010, I understand the financial constraints of running the club. Members did not always agree with my decisions but at least I provided clear direction and leadership, which have been sadly lacking in recent seasons.

"I offer myself for election in the hope I can make a contribution to halt the club's continued downward spiral."

News of Davidson's possible return will not fill everyone with joy. Not only do a couple of signatories of the 2010 letter remain on the club's staff, but it is understood that the relationship between Davidson and Giles Clarke, the chairman of the ECB, is anything but cordial. Clarke and Davidson clashed memorably over the Allen Stanford debacle, with Davidson then backing Lord Marland when he stood against Clarke for the chairmanship of the ECB in 2009.

With Leicestershire expected to announce the appointment of the Clarke-backed Wasim Khan as their new CEO in the coming weeks, the spectre of Davidson re-appearing on the horizon will be most unwelcome at Lord's.

Furthermore, there are already whispers from Leicestershire that Davidson's decision to stand for election to the club's board might preface a campaign to be re-appointed as chairman in the coming months. There are those suggesting a special general meeting could be called.

Davidson has remained involved in cricket since leaving Leicestershire. As well as remaining president of Loughborough Town CC, he is a prominent member of a consortium that owns The Cricketer magazine. Despite investing heavily in a website, Test Match Extra, and the on-line commentary service, Test Match Sofa, The Cricketer continues to haemorrhage subscribers and recently made its entire editorial staff redundant. Test Match Sofa has not broadcast for eight months.

Davidson was offered the opportunity to be interviewed for this article.

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Captain Ingram wants 'more unified' Warriors

Sharpening the Warriors' "competitive edge" is what Colin Ingram has identified as his main task when he takes over the captaincy full-time from Thursday. The franchise finished in the bottom half of the table in all three formats last summer and last won a trophy in 2009-10, which has fixed Ingram's focus on leading a resurgence this season.

"We've been honest about it and we have to do a revamp because the trophy cabinet is not exactly full and hasn't been for a while," Ingram told ESPNcricinfo. "We tend to play good cricket in small patches and this season we need to improve. You're going to see a much more unified Warriors team with a lot more direction this summer."

The Warriors won just two out of 10 first-class matches last summer, three out 10 one-day games and only four of their 10 Twenty20 clashes to meander through a mediocre 2013-14. They struggled to bowl teams out, were hit by injuries to former captain Davy Jacobs and seamer Rusty Theron and were over-reliant on the experience of Ashwell Prince in the batting line-up.

Jacobs has been relieved of the leadership, Theron is fully fit and Prince has retired, which leaves the onus on the likes of David White, Colin Ackermann, Solo Nqweni and Thandolwethu Mnyaka to step up. "We've got quite a new bunch of players and that suits my captaincy style," Ingram said. "We don't have a lot of superstars and even though its nice to have big names, I believe everybody must contribute and this will be a good test to see how they respond to that."

Of the Warriors squad, only Wayne Parnell is nationally contracted and with the amount of ODI cricket South Africa will play in the lead-up to the World Cup, he is unlikely to feature much for the Warriors. Instead, the franchise will look to produce its own internationals, much like the Dolphins have done over the past two seasons with both Kyle Abbott and Mthokozisi Shezi receiving South African call-ups.

The candidates for higher honours at the Warriors include offspinner Simon Harmer, who finished last season second on the list of wicket-takers behind Dane Piedt, opening batsman David White and Ingram himself, who last played for South Africa in November 2013. Ingram was just the second South African to score a century on ODI debut but could not sustain his strong start. He spent significant chunks of time out of the XI and when he was used, it was often out of position.

He is a regular No.4 but when he last played for South Africa he was used as an opener. His last four innings produced scores of 0, 0, 0 and 4 before he was dropped, which seemed the inevitable consequence of not having a defined role. "Those last few games were disappointing for me because I didn't perform, not so much because I was moving around the order but because I wasn't doing well," Ingram said.

Any doubt in his own ability to score runs would have faded in the 10 months since then. Batting in his usual position, Ingram scored 427 runs at 61.00 including century and three fifties in seven matches in the first-class competition last season and 395 runs at 65.83 including four fifties in the one-day cup. He was the Warriors' most successful fifty-over batsmen in that campaign. Over the winter, he spent time at Somerset where he played seven Royal London One-Day Cup games and was the county's third-highest run-scorer overall with 298 runs at 42.57.

But does he think those numbers are enough to earn him a recall to a South African squad that is starting to look too settled to break into? "I always think I will give myself a chance if I have a good season but my focus in on the Warriors and on doing well for them," he said. "As a captain, I've been preaching that we need to up our game so I have to be the first to do it. I'm looking forward to getting going and getting my hands dirty."

As one of the four franchises in South Africa not involved in the Champions League T20, the Warriors season starts with two first-class matches before the one-day cup, followed by three weeks of 50-over cricket and a just over a month of T20. The clearly defined blocs for each format can be unsettling for some but Ingram thinks it can work to the Warriors' advantage.

"It will be good for us because we can focus for a couple of games at a time on each format. Because we've done well over small periods of time, it may end up suiting us and help us get that competitive edge back," he said. The people of the Eastern Cape will hope he is right.

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Opposite day rules

Ramela's opposite day

Omphile Ramela strode out at No. 3 for the second time in T20s. Danny Morrison, from the commentary box, tipped him as preferring long-format cricket. A T20 strike rate of 88.16 corroborated that. But the fourth over from Doug Bollinger amended that impression. Ramela dispatched a bouncer over the square-leg boundary. If that wasn't emphatic enough, the next ball, which was fuller, was pummeled to the mid-off boundary. Bollinger's length was like a pendulum - it went short again - and lacked pace. Ramela's pull did not. Three balls, three different plans and 16 runs later, it was time for the slower ball. Ramela was on too much adrenaline not to slog and lost his middle stump and walked back with more than twice his career strike rate - 190.90. Opposite day had begun.

Levi's opposite day

Joe Mennie had had foiled Richard Levi's intention to make room for himself. A slower ball forced the batsman to reach outside off, so far that his bottom hand slid off the bat. The loft should have been mistimed. It flew up and both men tracked it's progress, all the way over the extra cover boundary. Levi continued on his way to 42 off 28 balls before another slower ball arrived from Ben Laughlin. This time it was hammered with both hands, but today was opposite day for Levi as well and he holed out at deep midwicket.

Laughlin and Peterson's opposite days

Hobart Hurricanes had caught on that slower balls were the way forward and had robbed Cobras of their early momentum. They were 143 for 6 in the 18th over when Robin Peterson spurned his definition as a left-handed batsman. Laughlin had seen the switch early and slid a slower ball down the leg side of the temporarily right-handed Peterson. For a second time on the day, the bowler's deception ended up in the batsman's favour as Peterson nailed the sweep to the boundary behind him. It seemed opposite day had caught on to Laughlin and Peterson as well.

Amla's opposite day

Hashim Amla was the biggest name in the Cobras batting line-up. However, his contribution of 8 was less than the extras. Ben Hilfenhaus induced an ambitions drive down the ground, the kind a power hitter would resort to when under pressure, not a batsman who can look effortlessly stylish in Test cricket. Amla's mistake allowed the ball to clang into his stumps. His day wasn't quite over though. Amla, who has never bowled in T20 cricket, was put in charge of wrapping up the seventh over when frontline spinner Dane Piedt had to go off the field after injuring his right arm. The first one ended up a wide, the second one was a full toss drilled to cover.

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Malinga to have ankle surgery in Australia

Lasith Malinga has suggested Sri Lanka would be wise to groom another bowler as a World Cup failsafe as he prepares to undergo surgery on Monday that will keep him out for around 16 weeks. Malinga consulted his orthopaedic surgeon in Melbourne on Sunday, and decided his long-term ankle complaint had degenerated to an extent that it required surgery.

If there are no complications during the arthroscopic procedure or recovery, Malinga is expected to return to full intensity at training in mid-January, giving him around a month of practice before Sri Lanka play the World Cup curtain-raiser against New Zealand on February 14. Sri Lanka's selectors remain hopeful that he will be available for at least some of the seven ODIs Sri Lanka are scheduled to play against New Zealand in January.

Malinga will undergo a three-dimensional CT scan before going under the knife on Monday and is wary that the surgery could put his World Cup plans in disarray. "I will do everything I can to be back for the World Cup," Malinga said. "But I think it would be good for us to give a young bowler a few opportunities in the meantime, so that we can at least have someone prepared."

The surgery will aim to "clean up" a joint in his ankle, Sri Lanka physio Steve Mount said. "It has been a long-term issue for Lasith, and he's had chronic pain there for some time," Mount said. "It's a regular complaint for fast bowlers, but it has reached a stage where his ankle didn't respond how it previously has done to methods like cortisone injections and load monitoring.

"If everything follows the normal recovery time, he could be a chance to play in some of those New Zealand one-dayers, but we'll also be careful not to rush him back."

Malinga will recover for around 10 days in Australia before returning to Sri Lanka. He had been expensive in his last two ODI series, against Pakistan and South Africa, when he was also clocked at consistently lower speeds than he had been bowling at in the past. He said the pain in his ankle had caused the dip in form.

"When you have a problem in the ankle you land on in your bowling stride, it affects the pace and also the control," Malinga said. "I did my best, but I couldn't put as much strain on it as I usually do."

Concerns over the state of his ankle had been raised when it failed to respond to a cortisone injection on September 5. However, he played the Champions League qualifiers for Mumbai Indians on his own prerogative, SLC's cricket operations manager Carlton Bernardus said.

The surgery will be carried out by Dr. David Young, who has previously treated Malinga for a separate injury on his right knee, which has prevented him from playing Test cricket since 2010.

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Breese provides another Durham 'fairytale'

'It was made for Breese' - Stoneman

Ten years ago, in Gareth Breese's first season with Durham, the youngest first-class county finished bottom of Division Two of the Championship. On Saturday at Lord's, Breese struck the winning runs in what is likely to be his final appearance for the club, earning Durham their fifth major trophy since 2007. It was no surprise that the word "fairytale" cropped up.

Durham's success has not been a case of waving a magic wand, however. Their resources are more limited than most, part of the reason that Breese will not be staying on. While the team that won Durham's first piece of silverware, the 2007 FP Trophy, was built around experienced signings such as Michael Di Venuto, Dale Benkenstein and Ottis Gibson, this side featured important contributions from homegrown players such as the captain, Mark Stoneman, England allrounder Ben Stokes and Chris Rushworth.

Breese, along with Paul Collingwood and Phil Mustard, played in both games. The 38-year-old Jamaican, who holds a British passport, could not eat his Lord's lunch due to nerves but showed stomach for the fight when joining Stokes in the middle with Durham seven down and 36 short of victory.

"He's been outstanding in his contributions for Durham and for him to go out on a high, hit the winning runs in a Lord's final - you couldn't script it any better really," Stoneman said.

Breese has not retired, despite being released, and is open to offers of a contract elsewhere. Pride in what Durham had achieved was his overriding emotion as he held the Royal London Cup, which had become a handy receptacle for a celebratory rum. "If it's my last game at this level, then I've had a fantastic last game," he said.

"It's a bit bittersweet. I'm enjoying my cricket, I'd love to play a bit more but circumstances dictate and I'm moving on. It's just been a fantastic farewell to have another team performance and bring another trophy to the northeast.

"To move from being one of the beating sticks of county cricket to having won five trophies in the last seven years, that is what the club is all about ... We've had some really good Kolpak and overseas players come in over the last few years, like Di Venuto and Benkenstein, who've contributed so much to Durham, and we've been able to mix that with the academy players we've been able to produce. You saw today, Paul Coughlin come in and have a really fantastic game.

"I was so nervous sitting in the dressing room, I couldn't eat my lunch - lunch at Lord's is fantastic, and not to eat it says enough. I just kept pacing the dressing room and in the back of my mind was 'Can we pull this off'?'"

They could, despite the best efforts of Jeetan Patel and a tenacious Warwickshire side who lost an important toss but fought to keep their hopes of a limited-overs double alive. When Breese attempted to leave what turned out to the final delivery of the match and the ball squirted off the bat to third man for the winning boundary, the boisterous team celebrations, which included a rendition of "Blaydon Races" with the Durham supporters, could begin.

It completed their sixth 50-over win in a row as part of a dramatic late-season resurgence, which has seen them win six consecutive games in all competitions. In August, when Durham lost by one wicket to Lancashire, the 2013 champions were second from bottom in Division One; they could end up finishing second, to go with the Royal London title.

In the revamped one-day competition Durham only used 13 players, again testament to a tight-knit squad. Stoneman also had praise for Coughlin after his first ever appearance at Lord's as a replacement for John Hastings, Durham's overseas signing who had left to take part in the Champions League. Next season, they can expect to see less of Stokes - though his ECB central contract may free up some funds to spend elsewhere - and Breese's departure will also leave a hole to fill in limited-overs cricket.

"It's going to be tough but when I look a the way we've gone this season, if we've lost a player someone has come in and performed," Stoneman said. "There's definitely strength and depth in the club and some younger players coming through, which is why Durham County Cricket Club came about in the first place. There are a lot of good cricketers in the region, so hopefully that production line can continue."

Durham's team spirit and sense of the collective was summed up the Man of the Match, Stokes: "We've been around each other for a number of years now and we know how everyone plays cricket and everyone's personality. Everyone fits into the changing room and we're not just colleagues, we're mates as well. I think that goes a long way to how successful we've been this year."

The celebrations, Stoneman acknowledged, would be at the player's own expense. "But we'll not worry too much about that." Durham, it seems, have a few things that money can't buy.

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Spinners stretch Knight Riders' streak to 11

Kolkata Knight Riders 153 for 6 (Gambhir 60, Uthappa 46) beat Lahore Lions 151 for 7 (Shehzad 59, Akmal 40, Narine 3-9) by four wickets
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

Kolkata Knight Riders' four-wicket victory over Lahore Lions followed the template that has largely been the basis of their 11-game winning run: bowl first to allow Sunil Narine and the other spinners to smother the opposition, before Robin Uthappa and the rest of the top order click to set up the chase of a lightweight target.

This match was blighted by abysmal fielding. The number of catches put down, stumpings missed and regulation stops messed up was astonishing. Narine, though, turned in another world-class performance that underlined his reputation as the best in the Twenty20 business, and 19-year-old chinaman bowler Kuldeep Yadav added to the buzz about him with a stirring effort to stifle Lions.

Lions' best phase of the game was the opening Powerplay, when Ahmed Shehzad struck some big hits down the ground to push the score to 47 for 0. This despite Narine bowling a maiden in the fifth over. A stunning direct hit from Andre Russell broke the opening stand in the seventh over, by when the wicketkeeper Manvinder Bisla had already mucked up two straightforward stumpings.

The Knight Riders' spinners took charge in the middle overs, with Kuldeep showing solid control for a wrist-spinner, getting his stock ball to turn plenty and using the wrong 'un to confuse the batsmen. Mohammad Hafeez spent much of his short innings trying to heave the ball to midwicket before he became Kuldeep's first victim, holing out for 9.

When Shehzad found Uthappa at long-off in the 13th over to finish on a chancy 59, Lions' top-heavy batting was in trouble, especially with three Narine overs to come. The trepidation of the lesser lights in the batting line-up was obvious when they faced Narine: Saad Nasim missed his first ball and edged his second to short cover, Umar Siddiq lasted one more before being done in by the quicker one, and Asif Raza was bowled first ball. Narine nearly had a hat-trick, but Wahab Riaz had his boot back in the crease before Bisla could break the stumps.

Umar Akmal was still there, though, and he clobbered Piyush Chawla and Pat Cummins to lift Lions past 150.

Gautam Gambhir and Uthappa, aided by some comically inept fielding, put on a century stand to set Knight Riders on course for victory. They were coasting for a large part of the chase before a slew of wickets towards the end briefly made things tight, only for Suryakumar Yadav to finish it off with a five-ball 14.

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BCCI's disciplinary committee defers decision on RCA

The BCCI's disciplinary committee has deferred taking a decision on what the future course of action in the Rajasthan Cricket Association suspension case should be. The decision was taken after a long meeting on Saturday between the committee and RCA officials, after the RCA officials raised several objections, including on the formation and make-up of the BCCI disciplinary committee itself.

The RCA was suspended in May by the BCCI after former IPL chairman Lalit Modi, who was expelled by the BCCI last year for "committing acts of serious misconduct and indiscipline", was elected the state association's president. The BCCI suspended it for allowing a banned individual to be a part of its affairs, and, later, omitted the various teams representing Rajasthan from its domestic programme for the upcoming season. That left the players anxious and confused as to what their future holds, and this meeting was supposed to clear up some of that confusion.

Given the objections raised by the RCA officials, though, the players will have to wait a while more. "Our objection [to the disciplinary committee] was on two grounds," Abdi, who was one of two RCA officials present, said. "One was the constitution and jurisdiction, and secondly about the quorum." BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel, who was also present, confirmed that the meeting had been deferred and the next date will be decided in due course.

The disciplinary committee consists of BCCI interim president Shivlal Yadav, vice-president Rajiv Shukla and sidelined president N Srinivasan. Srinivasan, who has been sidelined by the Supreme Court of India till the investigation into the alleged corruption in IPL 2013 is complete, was not part of the meeting.

The RCA alleged that the BCCI disciplinary committee wasn't constituted during the BCCI's annual general meeting in 2013 as per its rulebook. Abdi also said that the committee has only two members as of now - sidelined BCCI president N Srinivasan, who is a member of the committee, was not present at the meeting - whereas the rules prescribe a three-member committee.

In response, Patel stressed that the constitution of the committee was in accordance with rules. "As an honorary secretary who has attended that meeting, I am telling you that it is a proper committee," Patel said. "The committee is constitutionally valid, properly appointed and approved by the AGM in the AGM. Everything has been done properly."

However, to establish his point further, Abdi asked that the minutes of the last AGM, held on September 29, 2013, in Chennai, be produced. "They told us that the minutes of the 2013 AGM are not at the cricket centre, whereas under their own bylaws within two months of the AGM the draft minutes of the AGM should be circulated to all the state associations, which they have not done even after a year," Abdi said.

Patel said the minutes could not be handed over since they will only be approved in the next AGM. "AGM minutes cannot be given as they are not finalised. Even today they are draft minutes. Minutes can be considered minutes only when they are passed in the next AGM," he said.

Abdi also demanded that Rajiv Shukla be replaced on the committee since, he alleged, he holds a personal grudge against Lalit Modi. "There has been a series of public spats between Mr Lalit Modi and Mr Rajiv Shukla on various issues concerning cricket and cricket politics. We objected to it, Mr Shukla being a member of the committee, it will prejudice the interest of the RCA.

"The heart of the matter in the RCA controversy is election of Mr Lalit Modi, because the RCA was suspended only after Lalit Modi was elected as president. The suspension of RCA came about only on the day Lalit Modi was declared as the president of the RCA. Before his election there was no suspension. Mr Shukla having this kind of acrimony against Mr Lalit Modi should not be a member of the committee."

Abdi, who represented the RCA along with RCA secretary Sumendra Tiwary, also requested they be allowed additional legal assistance, but the request was turned down since the BCCI rules do not permit external legal assistance for internal matters.

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J&K games to be moved to Punjab - BCCI secretary

The BCCI has decided to move the home matches of Jammu & Kashmir across all age-groups to neighbouring Punjab, BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel has said. The board was forced to take such a measure, he said, because most parts of J&K, including the capital city Srinagar, are still submerged in the aftermath of the floods that hit the state on September 7.

"We have taken a decision due to the natural calamity in Jammu & Kashmir. Punjab Cricket Association has come forward and all of Jammu & Kashmir's home games will be played in Mohali," BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel said on Saturday.

However, ML Nehru, the secretary of the Jammu & Kashmir Cricket Association, said the decision still had to be "ratified" by the BCCI. Punjab, he said, was put forward by the JKCA as a venue for the games that begin in October, but it remained to be seen if all J&K's matches are played there. Things would be clear next week, he said, when JKCA has a meeting with the other members of the North Zone.

"We are still waiting for the final decision which should be ratified at the BCCI working committee meeting. We had told BCCI Punjab would be one of the options for the immediate matches which start in October [the national Under-16 tournament begins in October]," Nehru told ESPNcricinfo. "But we will have to wait and see exactly how many matches will be played outside J&K across all age-groups. We are waiting to talk with other members of North Zone."

The Punjab Cricket Association said it was ready to host the games. "We had informed the convener of the North Zone that we would be willing to host their matches since the damage [caused by the floods] may take a long time to be repaired," GS Walia, PCA's joint-secretary, said.

The floods have wrecked normal life mainly in Kashmir, where the water levels continue to be high, forcing people to move around using make-shift rafts. Power and telephone networks continue to be disrupted, with some places completely cut-off from the outside.

Sher-I-Kashmir stadium in Srinagar is currently under 15 feet of water. The ground also houses the JKCA offices. Nehru pointed out it was impossible to move things forward in the current situation. "There is no alternative because of the floods. We want to play and do not want to deprive players of not playing cricket. We now have to look at which matches across age-groups can be moved out of J&K and where."

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Bangladesh must address tactical issues

Bangladesh's failures on their West Indies tour were compounded by outmoded tactics and timid selections born of insecurity

When they stepped out of the Hazrat Shahjalal International Airport on Saturday, the Bangladesh contingent emerged in batting order. First out of the VIP gate was Shamsur Rahman, who couldn't locate his car, followed by his opening partner Tamim Iqbal who smoothly got into his and left the scene. Next came Habibul Bashar, Bangladesh's most prolific No 3 and their manager during the West Indies tour, alongside Mushfiqur Rahim, to speak to reporters gathered in the parking lot.

Mushfiqur's eyes were bloodshot while most of the other players looked mildly disheveled after the long flight from St Lucia that took off almost two days ago. The majority of these players have a week's rest before they go to Incheon next weekend to defend their gold medal in the Asian Games.

While there is enough prestige in the competition to add to the existent pile of pressure, the foremost concern surrounding the team is the tactical issues that cropped up in West Indies. They were found wanting with their selections, their toss decision, their reading of conditions, their reactions to situations and their over-reliance on outdated tactics.

From a selection point of view during the West Indies tour, the benching of Abdur Razzak in the first ODI and the use of eight batsmen and just three bowlers in the first Test have confounded many. At the Dhaka airport, Bashar, who is also one of the three selectors, said the team management were trying a new combination in these two matches since the team wasn't winning.

There is some justification for a struggling team to rejig their combination but both selection calls ended up half-cooked. In the first ODI, Razzak's exclusion meant Sohag Gazi was the only spinner - Bangladesh made him open the bowling. It seemed a strange move, since they were defending 218, more so since the seamers were troubling the batsmen early on. Later on, with not many overs left from Gazi, Mushfiqur's rotation of his bowlers became haphazard.

The decision to play eight batsmen in the first Test was much more lop-sided, especially once Bangladesh decided to bowl first on a batting-friendly pitch. The selection and the toss decision seemed to be based on their insecurity as a batting unit, and the batting failure in the first innings went on to justify them in a strange sort of way. Predictably, though, it also exposed the limitations of the bowling attack.

When a team has a thin bowling attack and a batting line-up short of confidence, selections have to be decisive, with both eyes on the big picture. Half-cooked decisions, in such circumstances, can have a demoralising effect.

Bangladesh's mental shortcomings were also apparent on a number of occasions. They batted over-cautiously in the first ODI because they were unsure of the pitch, but in the same venue in the next game, they went to the other extreme, went for their shots and collapsed from 42 for 2 to get bowled out for 70. They lacked planning against Denesh Ramdin, and by the time they could react to his onslaught at Warner Park, with its short boundaries, the West Indies captain was hammering sixes at will.

Bangladesh also let go of chances to redeem themselves. In the second Test in St Lucia, their decision to bowl first was praiseworthy. They had reverted to the 7-4 combination with four specialist bowlers, but the three-man pace attack bowled poorly when a green pitch was at its freshest, on the first morning. They were far better on the second day, but by then West Indies had done enough with the bat.

Twice in the same match, Bangladesh's batsmen could not brace up to a sustained attack of pace and bounce. It was mostly a cerebral battle, with the bowlers preying on their patience to reveal technical frailties. Shamsur Rahman's approach in the second innings was a prime example of how Bangladesh often look to hit themselves out of trouble in such situations, and are unable to stop themselves from playing too many shots.

Lastly, Bangladesh seem to be hell-bent on using left-arm spinners against right-handed batsmen and offspinners against left-handers, no matter the situation of the game. It has cost them momentum on many occasions, with Mushfiqur seeming to lack confidence in his spinners to exercise control even when they are turning the ball into the batsmen.

Similarly in the case of rejigging the batting order to have a right-left combination at the crease. It makes sense if the batsman promoted has the skill level to do the job, but not otherwise. When Bangladesh sent in Taijul Islam ahead of Shafiul Islam and Robiul Islam in both innings of the second Test, it seemed as if they had become too attached to an archaic notion. Taijul more often than not backed away from of the line of the ball against the pace bowlers, and seemed afraid of getting hit. Shafiul and Robiul are tail-enders but possess far better technique.

The lessons from West Indies have come the hard way - 3-0 and 2-0 defeats in the ODIs and Tests respectively. On the way, a large chunk of their confidence has ebbed away, and nine months have now passed without a significant win. To be proactive, a player needs assurance from the top that they will be persisted with, whether it is Mushfiqur as captain or any of the out-of-sorts batsmen and bowlers. But to be practical, they only have to look at their past mistakes and try hard not to repeat them.

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'I tried to swing as hard as I could' - Marsh

Having pulled off an improbable win by hitting two successive sixes off the last two deliveries, Perth Scorchers' Mitchell Marsh has said that his team was lucky to be on the winning side as they defeated Dolphins in a CLT20 league encounter in Mohali. The team from Australia beat South Africa's Dolphins by six wickets.

Needing 12 off the last two deliveries, Marsh dispatched seamer Robbie Frylinck over deep midwicket and long-on to successfully chase down a target of 165 set up by the Dolphins.

Marsh, who was adjudged Man of the Match for his 40 off 26 balls with three fours and two sixes, told reporters after the match that they were lucky to win in the end.

Asked with two balls remaining, did he think there was any chance of hitting two sixes, he said his mind was racing to get the runs needed. "Lucky, we were on the winning side," he said.

Asked what was his thought after he hit the first six in the final over, Marsh said, "I knew we needed to hit the six. We had a big focus as a whole squad the whole batting unit to just have a clear mind and back ourselves, nothing changed in those last two balls. I tried to swing as hard I could and watch the ball."

Marsh gave credit to the Dolphins bowlers for the way they bowled and restricted the Scorchers despite the Aussies being well in control of the game earlier in the innings.

Asked if stroke-making was difficult or was it the case of good bowling towards the end, Marsh said, "It's a beautiful wicket to bat on. I thought they bowled really well in the end, to be honest. They bowled good yorkers and we did not get those boundaries when we needed them." .

Coach Justin Langer said he was also happy with the win but gave credit to the Dolphins for the way they batted after losing early wickets and then bowled tight towards the end barring the two hits which went for sixes.

"I actually admired the way they batted, they lost some early wickets, but kept going really hard right throughout the innings. Rather than being surprised, I respect the way they did that under pressure, they kept coming back at us hard. After the runs we had, it was a great credit for that."

Asked if he thought the Scorchers bowlers lost the plot a bit or did he think 160-odd was a par score, Langer said, "I don't think I would be using the word 'lost the plot' when I talked to them. I felt we did not finish very well with the ball, that scenario we need to get better. But we saw in our innings as well it is the hardest thing for any team to do to bowl at the in the end, but I thought Joel (Paris) bowled magnificently well, probably showed our senior players how to do it actually."

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