Slater maiden ton props up Derbys

Leicestershire 25 for 2 trail Derbyshire 289 (Slater 104, Durston 52, Raine 3-47) by 264 runs
Scorecard

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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