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.

Read More..

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."

Read More..

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.

Read More..

'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."

Read More..

Williamson ton crushes Cobras

Northern Knights 206 for 5 (Williamson 101*, Devcich 67) beat Cobras 44 for 2 by 33 runs (D/L method)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details

In most Twenty20 matches, the brevity of the format allows teams a chance to mount a comeback even if the scorecard makes for grim reading. This did not seem like one of those matches. Kane Williamson showed off his increasing proficiency in the format with a maiden T20 century to lead Northern Knights to their highest score, and Trent Boult and Tim Southee underlined their customary threat with the new ball to leave Cobras on the mat. By the time the rain came down in the eighth over of the chase, the asking rate was nearing 13 and saved Cobras from what was shaping to be an hour of minimising the margin of defeat.

At the start of the year, Williamson was not seen as someone who could play Twenty20s. Everything about him seemed old-school, from the manner in which he batted - lacking the glamorous mega hits the fans and the format loves - to the way in which he celebrated his centuries - with a mild wave of the bat. He hadn't played a single game in the format in all of 2013.

In 2014, though, he has been immense in Twenty20s, averaging over 40, striking at 137, and almost doubling his aggregate in the format. In Raipur, he showed how versatile his game is. His first 15 runs all came behind the wicket as he used the pace of the bowlers. He picked off four successive twos in the fourth over, nudging the ball in the gaps and running hard to signal a shift in momentum after a tight start from Cobras bowlers.

There had been plenty of close calls for both him and opening partner Anton Devcich early on: in the first over itself, there was a mix-up and Williamson was nearly run-out; in the second, there was an unintentional four for him to third man as he was late in leaving the ball; in the third, Devcich just beat the throw from point; in the fourth, a Williamson top edge flew for six over fine leg; in the fifth, Devcich was reprieved at short fine leg by Justin Kemp, who hurt his hand attempting a low catch.

Williamson and Devcich capitalised on that fortune to build a 140-run stand at more than 10 an over. Williamson was superb at placing the ball behind the stumps, and used the inside-out chip to good effect, while Devcich unveiled a series of sweeps and reverse-sweeps. The acceleration came in the middle of the innings, with 74 runs arriving in a five-over spell - there was also a 37-ball sequence in which there was only one dot delivery. The next scoreless ball was in the 14th over when Devcich was run out.

Daniel Flynn followed for a duck, but BJ Watling kept the frenetic pace up with a 20-ball cameo in which he feasted on Kemp. Williamson was muscling the ball around by this stage, including a powerful hit to cow corner for six off Rory Kleinveldt.

Charl Langeveldt, who hasn't played a competitive game in nearly a year, delivered several yorkers to stifle the runs and for a brief while it seemed as though Williamson might struggle to reach his hundred. He got there in grand style, though, with a stunning shot that sailed over cover for six even though he was flopping over towards the leg side. That also took Knights beyond 200, to a score that looked beyond Cobras' reach.

A full-strength Cobras line-up would have had Dale Steyn, Sunil Narine and the Ram Slam's most successive bowler, Beuran Hendricks. Instead, a severely weakened Cobras were taken apart by a team that had already played three matches at the same venue.

Read More..

Tridents out to show they belong

Match facts

Saturday, September 20, 2014
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)

Big Picture

Compare the overseas contingent for the two sides, and it seems like a massive mismatch is lined up: Kings XI Punjab can call on top-drawer international talent in Glenn Maxwell, George Bailey, Thisara Perera, David Miller and - later in the tournament - Mitchell Johnson, while Barbados Tridents have the less luminous talents of Sri Lankan opening batsman Dilshan Munaweera, allrounder Jeevan Mendis, Zimbabwe's Elton Chigumbura, New Zealand allrounder James Franklin and South Africa's Neil McKenzie.

To make matters worse, Tridents are missing their captain and Twenty20 superstar Kieron Pollard, the vastly experienced Shoaib Malik and allrounder Dwayne Smith - their three best batsmen in the Caribbean Premier League this season.

But it might not be all one-way traffic. McKenzie knows a thing or two about beating fancied IPL teams in the Champions League, having made deft half-centuries in 2010 and 2012 to help South Africa's Lions franchise defeat Mumbai Indians. They also have a solid pace attack, which includes Ravi Rampaul and Jason Holder, both of whom have plenty of experience of playing in Twenty20s in Indian conditions.

That attack will be severely tested though against a batting line-up that is arguably the best in the IPL. On Thursday, Kings XI gave another demonstration of their batting might - even ducks for Virender Sehwag and Miller didn't prevent a barrage of big blows that took them to victory with plenty of deliveries to spare. Can Tridents stop the batting machine?

Form guide

Kings XI Punjab WLWLW (most recent first, completed matches only)
Barbados Tridents WWWLW

Watch out for

Kings XI were missing Johnson and Sandeep Sharma due to injuries in their first game, but instead of the experienced L Balaji or the highly-rated domestic allrounder Rishi Dhawan, they picked Railways' Anureet Singh. He showed it was a good move too, getting the new ball to swerve round and then producing a burst of leg-stump yorkers towards the death to stem the runs.

In a squad filled with players lacking international experience, Ravi Rampaul - the leading wicket-taker in the CPL - will have a major role to play. Ben Hilfenhaus and Doug Bollinger rattled the Kings XI top order on Thursday with the new ball, something Rampaul will have to repeat, given the depth of the Kings XI batting.

Stats and trivia

• When it comes to six-hitting in Twenty20s, Virender Sehwag and James Franklin have almost exactly the same record - Sehwag (133 sixes in 140 innings), Franklin (132 sixes in 139 innings)
• Only Essex (8) have hit more Twenty20 centuries than Kings XI (7)

Quotes

"We are not intimidated. We are a good unit. We didn't win the CPL by luck. We played good cricket throughout and if we can continue that momentum in the Champions League, I think we are going to have a good chance of reaching very far."
Barbados Tridents captain Rayad Emrit

Read More..

Prince did not consider Gale outburst 'racial slur'

Ashwell Prince has said that Andrew Gale's tirade in which he called him a f****** Kolpak did not cross his mind during the heat of the argument as a racial slur.

Gale has been since charged by the ECB with racist abuse - the first occasion this charge has been levelled in English domestic cricket.

Prince was speaking to the South African internet-based radio station Ballz Radio, his first comments since the incident which led to Gale facing an ECB disciplinary charge.

"I took offence at the way he spoke to me. To be quite honest, I didn't stand there and think that might be a racial slur," he said. "The guy walked towards me and had a go and I defended myself. The ECB feel it has racial connotations and it's up to them to do whatever they want to do."

The ECB's escalation of Gale's charge to a full disciplinary hearing has created much debate on whether the Kolpak term - a reference to the EU legislation named after the Slovakian handball player, Maros Kolpak, which allows certain overseas players to be classed as locals - can be termed a racial phrase or purely a technical term.

The rest of Gale's uncouth exchange, in which he is believed to have told Prince to "f** o** back to your own country", will also come under ECB scrutiny. Prince's comment that he did not perceive racial abuse was in answer to a direct question about the Kolpak term - but he did not level allegations against any other part of Gale's verbal assault.

Prince was more intent on insisting that he did not start the confrontation and, although he admitted he was trying to waste time towards the end of the third day of the Roses match at Old Trafford, he dismissed it as common practice.

"I don't think I've come across anyone in my 270-odd first-class matches who has abused a fielder for moving from backward point to silly point, so to suggest I sparked off this incident is laughable," he said.

"I didn't say anything. I was stood in the middle of the pitch as it was coming to cut-off time, they were bowling two spinners and wanted to bowl as many overs as possible. Obviously, the experienced player I am, I was stood in the middle of the pitch tying up my thigh pad and taking as long as possible to make sure there would only be one more over.

"He's taken offence to this - it's a ploy of timewasting, I'll admit this but everyone who has ever played the game as done it, it's nothing new - and he's come from backward point to silly point, walking in my direction, and hurled a whole lot of abuse at me. Those who know me and those who have played against me know I will not tolerate that type of thing. I defended myself and whatever was said, was said."

Gale was charged with a Level 2 offence under the ECB's code of conduct by the two umpires standing in the match - Steve O'Shaughnessy and Steven Garratt - and immediately banned for two games under the totting-up procedure. The charge was subsequently escalated by the ECB to a Level 3/4 offence with Gale informed he was accused of using racist and abusive language.

Lancashire have remained silent on the affair.

Gale's hearing is now likely to take place in early October rather than next week due to a clash with the final week of the Championship which would have impacted the availability of key witnesses. Prince will therefore be available for Lancashire's final match of the Championship season in which they face a relegation-decider against Middlesex.

After being banned for the rest of the season, Gale was not allowed to be involved in the official presentation of the Championship trophy at Trent Bridge after Yorkshire beat Nottinghamshire after the ECB felt "it would not be appropriate" with the disciplinary process ongoing.

Read More..

BCCI's disciplinary committee to discuss RCA issue

The BCCI's disciplinary committee will meet in Mumbai on Saturday to assess the Rajasthan Cricket Association's reply to the show-cause notice it was issued by the Indian board following its suspension on May 6. Representatives of the RCA will also attend the meeting as special invitees.

The RCA was suspended 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.

This meeting might clear up some of that confusion. It will be the first time BCCI and RCA officials sit together at the same table since the RCA was suspended.

The BCCI's disciplinary committee includes sidelined BCCI president N Srinivasan, interim board chief Shivlal Yadav and vice-president Rajiv Shukla. Srinivasan, who has been sidelined by the Supreme Court of India while the investigation into the alleged corruption in IPL 2013 is ongoing, will not be a part of the meeting, but BCCI secretary Sanjay Patel will be present. The RCA will be represented by Modi's trusted lieutenants, deputy president Mehmood Abdi and secretary Sumendra Tiwary.

The meeting is being held a couple of days before the BCCI and the RCA are due to hand in responses to the appeal filed on behalf of 75 cricketers affected by the issue, in the Rajasthan High Court, asking that the players not be allowed to suffer because of the administrative stalemate. However, ESPNcricinfo understands that only the RCA's reply to the BCCI's show-cause notice will be discussed, and not the appeal.

The disciplinary committee meeting has been convened as per the BCCI regulations. According to the BCCI rulebook, within six months of the suspension of an individual or a member, a future course of action in the matter should be decided upon. Accordingly, the disciplinary committee will discuss the matter in detail on Saturday and forward its recommendation to the BCCI's working committee, which will meet in Chennai on September 26.

The issue is far more complex than it appears. The BCCI expelled Modi in September 2013 based on a special disciplinary committee's findings. The RCA, which was then headed by CP Joshi, had voted in favour of Modi's expulsion. The expulsion had meant Modi could not be a part of any official cricket activities conducted by BCCI and its members.

However, since the RCA is governed by the Rajasthan Sports Act, Modi could not only represent the Nagaur district in the RCA elections, but was also elected as the association's president. Subsequently, the BCCI - as per its rules - had to suspend the RCA.

Read More..

Sussex complete Nottinghamshire's demise

Sussex 391 (Nash 178) and 406 for 6 dec (Joyce 149, Nash 85, Wells 79) beat Nottinghamshire 413 (Taylor 126, Libby 108, Hales 57, Magoffin 4-72, Hatchett 4-99) and 193 (Taylor 46, Magoffin 4-51) by 191
Scorecard

Sussex picked up their sixth win of the LV= County Championship season with a 191-run triumph over Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.

Chasing a victory target of 385 from a minimum of 75 overs, the home side were bowled out for 193 in 60.3 overs. Steve Magoffin claimed 4 for 51, to take eight wickets in the match, with three wickets apiece to Chris Jordan and Ashar Zaidi.

Earlier, as Sussex batted on until 20 minutes before lunch, Ed Joyce, who had been undefeated on 115 overnight, fell for 149 after sharing a stand of 60 with Luke Wells, who scored 79. Luke Fletcher, on his 26th birthday, was the pick of the Nottinghamshire attack, taking 3 for 66, to add his first-innings haul of 3 for 67.

Alex Hales and Jake Libby negotiated a tricky three-over spell before lunch as Nottinghamshire embarked on their pursuit, but both fell soon afterwards. Hales was snapped up at slip by Jordan, off Magoffin, who then had Libby caught one-handed by Chris Nash at short leg.

Michael Lumb was also caught by Jordan - a stunning reflex effort, at the second attempt, from Zaidi's second ball of the innings. Riki Wessels was yorked by Jordan, who then had James Taylor caught down the leg side for 46, eight runs away from reaching 1,000 in the Championship this year.

Samit Patel scored seven from 40 deliveries before becoming Magoffin's third victim, aided by another Jordan catch in the slips.

Zaidi, bowling a 20-over spell which was broken only by the tea interval, turned a ball sharply to knock back Chris Read's off stump and then trapped Luke Wood lbw. Jordan finished the match off by bowling Harry Gurney, to seal the win with 9.3 overs to spare.

Sussex had added a further 162 runs during the morning session, declaring just before lunch. Luke Wright showed his intentions by pulling Gurney into the midwicket seats before driving Fletcher straight to mid-on.

Joyce was caught at deep midwicket from the bowling of Gary Keedy, having faced 159 balls, hitting 17 fours and three sixes. Wells, who faced 13 deliveries before getting off the mark, then went up a gear, playing shots all around the wicket as he galloped to his 50 from 48 balls and had hit three sixes and 13 fours by the time he hit Patel to Fletcher at long-off. Ben Brown also cleared the ropes and was unbeaten on 38 at the time of the declaration.

Nottinghamshire's season comes to an end with them occupying third place on 206 points - but they could be overtaken by Durham, Somerset and Sussex, who all have a game in hand on the Trent Bridge side.

Read More..

Smith resists as Hampshire stumble to draw

Kent 507 (Bell-Drummond 153, Northeast 128, Billings 92, Coles 4-84) drew with Hampshire 351 (Ervine 121, Vince 70, Tredwell 4-102) and 248 for 9 (Smith 142*, Riley 4-36, Tredwell 4-110)
Scorecard

Hampshire are safely over the penultimate fence but dragged their hind legs through it. They just about avoided disaster against Kent via Will Smith's splendid rearguard century and now take a 10-point cushion into the final week over the fast-finishing Essex.

Hampshire were striding to promotion like Crisp to the 1973 Grand National with thumping victories over Kent at Canterbury and Leicestershire last week. But they were outplayed here and Essex are coming with another late surge, whittling down a 44-point deficit at the start of the month, and are looking to get up near the line like Red Rum in '73.

Hampshire's task remains straightforward. Any kind of victory at Glamorgan next week will see them promoted. But if Hampshire only draw, Essex will be guaranteed to pip them if they take 23 points against Worcestershire. If Essex draw at Chelmsford, Hampshire will need four points at Cardiff to guarantee promotion.

The margin for error at Glamorgan would have been far less without Sean Ervine, whose day three century produced three batting points that were wholly unexpected, and Will Smith batting through the final day to secure a draw.

"Over the last couple of days you've seen two of the best hundreds you're likely to see in the county game," Hampshire captain Jimmy Adams said. "The five points could be crucial, they might not matter, but in terms of the team showing resilience we've shown to be a tough team to beat this year. It's nice going into the last game with something riding on it."

Smith's century, his second in the Championship this season, capped a fine week where he also passed 1000 runs in a season for the first time and signed a new three-year contract with Hampshire. Crucially, he delivered five extra points for his side to give them a buffer for next week.

"I was due an innings like that," Smith said. "It was very very tricky. But over the years I've developed a method where I think I'm okay at staying in and gradually I've found a way to score as well. Given the situation, concentration wise and knowing what it means to the club to get those extra points it's got to be right up there as my best hundred."

Much credit is also due to No. 11 James Tomlinson, who held out gamely for Ervine in the first innings and Smith on the fourth evening. In total he ate up 69 deliveries in the match. Hampshire were also helped by the morning session on the final day being washed out in an electrical blaze.

Saving the game looked as straightforward as building a hotel on an empty piece of land with no planning restrictions with Hampshire only three down with 36 overs left in the day. But just as the collapse of the contractors stalled the hotel project at the Ageas Bowl, six wickets falling in 10.1 overs, including three in 13 balls straight after tea, held up Hampshire's promotion push.

Kent's two offspinners, Adam Riley and James Tredwell, shared eight scalps as the wicket began to crumble. When James Vince had slashed Calum Haggett to first slip - third man out, brilliantly caught by Darren Stevens - there was no hint of a problem. But the wicket began to turn.

Tom Alsop became the first of four lbw victims playing back to Riley, who then twice turned deliveries past the outside edge of Sean Ervine as signs of concern grew. In the first over after tea, Riley beat Ervine's inside edge to earn another lbw. There was no second rescue act. Matt Coles also got a good stride down the wicket but that still did not deter Nigel Cowley giving him out lbw.

Imran Tahir blasted Tredwell over long-on for six but, next delivery, Tredwell turned one past Tahir's forward grope and bowled him. Over 20 overs remained but once again Tomlinson held firm and Smith extended the lead to a safe distance. Kent captain Rob Key offered his hand with 10 overs left in the day.

Smith had little trouble against the spinners, getting well forward - particularly to Riley who bowls a little quicker than Tredwell - and right back to ride the turn. Unbeaten on 66 overnight after steadily seeing Hampshire through a potentially tricky third evening, he tucked and nudged his way to what he described as up there with his best centuries.

From early on in this match it was apparent Hampshire's final home match of the season would feature no promotion party - chairman Rod Bransgrove was away on business anyway - but the Ageas Bowl season still ended with an exciting day.

There is much about Hampshire on the field that can be likened to the hotel still being built at the Northern End of the Ageas Bowl. Eastleigh Borough Council have not quite had to step in to pay Jimmy Adams' wages or Imran Tahir's business class flight but like the hotel, the date of when Hampshire's Championship side are going to be back competing with the best in the country continues to be pushed back.

Both could be next spring, the latest completion date for the hotel and when Hampshire will begin their first campaign in Division One since 2011 should they gain the required points next week.

Read More..