Siddle 'glad' to see back of Pietersen

Peter Siddle, in England to take up a season-long overseas contract with Nottinghamshire, has admitted he is "pretty glad" England have dropped Kevin Pietersen from their side.

Siddle, the Australia seamer, has claimed Pietersen's wicket 10 times in Test cricket, but he still regards him as "a challenging player" to bowl against.

"Personally, I'm pretty glad he's not playing any more," Siddle said. "I always loved bowling against him. He is a challenging player to play against."

But while Siddle remains respectful of Pietersen's talent, he conceded he had enjoyed success against the batsman by playing to his ego in the most recent Ashes series in Australia.

"I did [play to his ego]," Siddle said. "I just bored him. It is the most boring way I've bowled to any player. I knew where he wanted to score and knew how he would do it, so I tried boring him as much as I could and had a lot of success doing it."

Siddle might logically expect to have seen the last of Pietersen in an England shirt, but he does expect Jonathan Trott to return to the international side. Trott left the Ashes tour after the Brisbane Test suffering from burnout but, Siddle backed the batsman to return before too long.

"I wouldn't be surprised at all if Trott came back," Siddle said. "He's a very good player and he has had a lot of success against us. It has always been hard work. I wish him all the best."

While it has become rare for established Test seamers to appear for long stints in county cricket, Siddle is keen to experience life on the county circuit and has been given no restriction on his workload by Cricket Australia.

"It's great opportunity," he said. "I love the country and, after talking to guys like David Hussey and Simon Katich about their experiences of playing county cricket, I knew it was something I wanted to experience.

"I had a chat with David Saker, the England bowling coach, during last summer's Ashes series and he put in a word for me. I didn't talk to any clubs other than Nottinghamshire.

"The IPL has never been a big thing for me and India, sometimes, isn't a place you want to be. My goal has always been to play as many Tests as I could and I bowl at my best when I play continuous cricket. By playing for Nottinghamshire, I'll stay match fit."

And with another Ashes series to be played in England in 2015, the experience Siddle will gain of English conditions will also do him no harm.

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BCB to appeal against corruption tribunal's clean chit

The BCB has decided not to involve in the National Cricket League Dhaka Gladiators' Mosharraf Hossain and Mahbubul Alam as it plans to appeal against the Bangladesh Premier League corruption tribunal's decision to hand the two a clean chit. The duo were among the nine cricketers accused of match-fixing in the second edition of the BPL.

"The board is planning to appeal," Jalal Yunus, the BCB media committee chairman, told Dhaka Tribune. "It might happen in a day or two. They won't be able to play the national league for that."

The players' lawyer, Nawroz MR Chowdhury told the same newspaper that the BCB can appeal but it won't affect the judgment. "Here they (BCB) don't have the option to appeal. Even if the tribunal had made the full judgment, the appeal couldn't have stayed the order. According to the tribunal bylaws, an appeal can be made but it will have no affect on the judgment," Nawroz said.

The sixth and seventh rounds of the NCL begin on April 12.

The incident of alleged match and spot-fixing came to light in May 2013 when BCB president Nazmul Hassan confirmed that a Bangladesh player had been questioned by the ICC. Mohammad Ashraful was the first player to admit to being involved in corruption, after which formal charges were laid against nine individuals, including six players from the Dhaka Gladiators franchise.

The BCB decided "not to involve" Ashraful in any kind of cricket until investigations into the matter were complete, and appointed a disciplinary panel, from which an anti-corruption tribunal was formed to probe the issue. The tribunal held a preliminary hearing in November last year and the full hearing of the tribunal began in January.

One of the owners of Dhaka Gladiators, Shihab Jishan Chowdury, was found guilty of "being party to an effort to fix" a match in the BPL 2013. Six others were discharged as not guilty by the tribunal, but both the ICC and the BCB had said in February they were "disappointed" by the outcome and may yet consider an appeal.

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Wagg gets ruthless to sink Surrey

Glamorgan 209 (Allenby 52, Meaker 4-57, Linley 3-24) and 156 for 0 (Rees 75*, Bragg 72*) beat Surrey 280 (Ansari 74, Davies 67, Allenby 4-47) and 81 (Wagg 6-29, Hogan 4-31) by 10 wickets
Scorecard

Quite how we have arrived at a comprehensive 10-wicket win for Glamorgan, their first against Surrey since August 2001, is still a tad confusing. Surrey started the day 50 for 2, with a lead of 121, and a card of batsmen capable of pushing on and out of sight. What occurred instead was a hellacious collapse, brought about by a career best 6 for 26 for Graham Wagg, which saw them skittled for just 81 - their lowest first class score since a 76 against Kent in 1992.

The numbers alone make grim viewing; eight wickets lost for 31 runs, in 15.2 overs this morning. It would be easy to speculate that a more weathered pair than Zafar Ansari and Dom Sibley, with experience of April conditions, would have dealt better at the start of the final day with the moving ball.

As Graham Ford, Surrey's new head coach, conceded at the end of the game: "With youth, mistakes do come in from time to time. I think we've got to be realistic, there are a few younger guys and an experienced player like Vikram Solanki is out of the equation at the moment.

"That does mean younger players have to take on responsibility and sometimes it takes a bit of time to adjust to those more senior roles. It's tough, but when you've got young lads, they are learning all along."

But for all the ignorance of youth, it is only right to sing the praises of Wagg who produced one of the best spells of his career. His morning of 4 for 10 off eight overs was devastating - a near perfect display of swing bowling from Rugby's Akram.

With the ball moving prodigiously from release, Wagg showed tremendous skill to get the ball going every which way, but loose. Naturally, with his slanted approach and side-on action, the ball tailed in to the right hander, but the southpaw also managed to get a handful to hold their line, impeccably.

He looked unplayable; every delivery leaving his hand with purpose and the threat of yet another wicket. At times it seemed like the Surrey batsmen saw him coming through less left-arm over from the Vauxhall End and more naked, riding a wrecking ball.

"I've certainly bowled worse than that and had better rewards in different levels of cricket," Wagg said. "Six for 29 - you'll take that if you bowl badly or bowl well."

He was visibly pumped, addressing both the radio and written media at the end of the day. "Ruthlessness" was the buzzword - a new state of mind that Glamorgan are looking to adopt. As Will Bragg and Gareth Rees knocked off the runs in calm yet clinical fashion, there was no better word to use.

"That word is always in the back of my mind. Not "patience" - we've used that word before but it doesn't work for me and it doesn't work for other guys. "'Ruthlessness' is a great word for us to have as a team. I'll keep barking on about it all year - we've put in a lot of technical work, all of us. We've worked blooming hard this winter. You couldn't have asked for a better result in the first game, against a very good team, in their own backyard."

It started with the first ball of the day. Ansari, who had left 99 balls alone in his first innings, couldn't bring himself to leave another and waved a loose bat at a gentle away-swinger. It was an innocuous sighter - "the worst ball," in Wagg's own words.

In the next over, Sibley could only play Michael Hogan onto his stumps, before Wagg had Steven Davies dropped at slip by Stewart Walters. The disappointment lasted as long as it took for ''over'': Hogan found the edge of Gary Wilson's bat with the next ball.

Jason Roy hit the first runs of the morning - a three down the ground - but was undone by some superb bluffing by Wagg. After taking the time to set up a legside trap, he pushed a full ball across Roy, who did not move his feet and prodded the ball behind. For Wagg, this dismissal was the culmination of a winter of individual technical work combined with analysis of Roy's quirks: the perfect execution of a perfectly-orchestrated plan.

Tom Curran looked a nervous wreck. He was almost lbw first ball then nearly run out as he was sent back by Davies. He eventually managed to get off his pair, scoring his first Championship runs, before succumbing to Hogan. Davies was trapped lbw for Wagg's fifth wicket. When he also scalped Tremlett by the same mode, he had his six.

It was left to Hogan to finish the rout, as Tim Linley's middle stump was laid to rest for the second time in the match. The tall Australian was the perfect foil from the Pavilion End, extracting pronounced bounce from the pitch - far more than his height-a-like Chris Tremlett could muster.

Set 153 for victory, Bragg and Rees sauntered through the afternoon session, side by side. Linley was unluckiest of the bowlers, beating but not troubling the edge of both bats on numerous occasions. But no one came close to matching Wagg's finesse or movement through the air.

"Come on Braggy - beat the rush hour!" yelled one member of the crowd, as the 27 year-old accelerated on the home straight. It is baffling that he has only mustered one Championship century, against Leicestershire in 2012. On this evidence, he should add to that significantly this season.

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Middlesex collapse wrecks Rogers' day

Sussex 386 (Prior 125, Anyon 50, Finn 6-80) beat Middlesex 105 (Anyon 4-24, Magoffin 3021) and 154 (Magoffin 5056, Anyon 3-67)by an innings and 127 runs
Scorecard

Chris Rogers had a lot to reflect on at the Wisden dinner. Named as a Cricketer of the Year he could take pride in a consistent career which has been finally rewarded at Test level. But domestic cricket has been his main patch and he has overseen a mess of a performance from Middlesex in the opening match of 2014.

Billed as potential champions, Middlesex will have to play a good deal better than this. A collapse of 8 for 33 saw them lose before lunch on the final day and begin the season with a hammering in little over six sessions after the second day at Hove had been lost to rain.

Without Rogers, who made 1068 Championship runs last year, and Sam Robson, 1180 in 2013, Middlesex have often veered off course but here, with Robson out on the third evening, they finished in a mangled heap once their captain was dismissed 40 minutes into the final day in what became a shocking highlight of their middle-order deficiencies.

The weakness was identified by Sussex captain Ed Joyce: "The two openers have been big batsmen for them over the past couple of years and if you can get them out the middle order is potentially a bit vulnerable, looking at the averages."

Joyce described the loss of quick wickets as the "Hove Cluster" - such things tend to happen here - but Middlesex suffered a Hove Calamity. James Anyon, bustling up the hill from the Sea End, marched them to the shore, and Steve Magoffin kicked them into the water to finish with five wickets.

Sussex's consistency with the ball was crucial with enough swing available to cause problems. The opening overs were settled before Anyon struck and carnage ensued. Rogers looked to play to leg and was caught by wicketkeeper Ben Brown; Eoin Morgan failed again, also feathering an edge behind; Adam Rossington was Anyon's third wicket, lbw looking to play square too.

Jon Lewis floated a wide delivery that Neil Dexter couldn't resist driving at; he edged to third slip. A better Lewis delivery saw Dawid Malan caught at first slip. Magoffin then blew away the tail with an ugly flattening of stumps.

Middlesex's Championship challenge faltered towards the end of last season and it will take a defiant response towards perceived weaknesses even to get in the frame this year. They now have three matches at Lord's to find a response. They need to work not just on their batting, but all aspects of their game.

"We got outplayed throughout the whole game," Rogers said. "We've had a very poor game. We've got some questions that need to be answered. It's not a great way to start the season.

"We played poorly all round and we got what we deserved. Even if we had scored 200 in the first innings we'd have been in the game. And then there was a crucial dropped catch. We had a lot of players who performed below expectations. We had no one apart from Steve Finn who stood up and for only one person to do that in a game is not good enough.

"At the beginning of the season we're thinking we've got half a chance to be contending at the end but not with performances like that. But we've only had one bad game, that can happen, and we have to get better."

Sussex also began 2013 with an innings victory and will hope to go a couple of places better than last year's third place. They have a very solid bowling attack with Jon Lewis' six wickets here a fine start to what could be a second wind for his career. Chris Jordan is also to come back but it was his batting that Joyce identified as a key component in Sussex's development.

"We bowled a lot more consistently then they did and showed more fight with the bat and our lower order really contributed well," Joyce said. "We've been working hugely hard over the winter to try and improve the lower order batting. We looked at the teams who have won the title over the past few years and they seem to be scoring runs from six down.

"We did a lot talking over the winter as a group and went to Spain together to come up with a bowling plan; it's pretty simple to hit the same spot lots and lots of times and we did that in this game. It's obviously a great start."

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Smith's heroics too late for Lancashire

Lancashire 144 (Smith 42*, Fletcher 3-15) and 7 for 1 need another 342 to beat Nottinghamshire 272 (Patel 93, Hales 61, Anderson 5-55) and 220 (Wessels 90, Smith 5-53)
Scorecard

If Lancashire do go on to save - or even win - this game, they will owe a great deal of their success to Tom Smith.

Smith not only top-scored with the bat to help his side avoid the follow-on, but also claimed a five-wicket haul to precipitate a remarkable collapse in Nottinghamshire second innings. It was his first five-wicket innings in first-class cricket since August 2010 and only the third of his career.

Unfortunately for Smith, it will surely make no difference. Lancashire's target of 349 to win in a minimum of 105 overs would be testing in any conditions. On an early-season pitch that continues to provide disproportionate assistance to the seamers, it will require something approaching a miracle.

The pitch has eased, though, and is becoming ever slower so a draw should not be completely out of the question. Luis Reece's departure five minutes from stumps, playing on as he attempted a lavish pull, was hardly the ideal start.

The Smith-inspired collapse was the most dramatic episode of a day on which 15 wickets fell. Nottinghamshire lost their last seven wickets for just 32 runs including a spell of six wickets for 14 runs in 46 deliveries. Smith, gaining sharp movement off the seam, claimed 5-11 in his final spell including Michael Lumb, edging a perfect delivery that forced a stroke and moved away sharply, and Alex Hales, who left one which nipped back to hit his off stump.

By then, though, it was probably too late for Lancashire. The damage inflicted by the debacle of their first innings was too great and any hope they had of keeping their eventual target to manageable proportions was ended by Riki Wessels' impressively fluent innings.

Wessles, feasting on an attack that dropped short far too often for the conditions, struck 10 fours and two sixes - both slog-sweeps off Simon Kerrigan - to hammer a nail in Lancashire's hopes. He also punished a weary-looking Anderson, thrashing him through the covers and clipping him through mid-wicket. Anderson eventually produced a yorker to end Wessles' innings, but by then the game was all but gone.

Anderson's mood was not improved when Kabir Ali, who had earlier bowled with impressive skill, missed a straightforward chance at mid-on, simply failing to lay a hand on a mis-hit from Wessles, who had 85 at the time.

It could have been worse for Lancashire. Had Kabir been caught at first slip by Wessles in the morning session, they would have been 84-8 in their first innings and facing the prospect of the follow-on. As it was, Smith averted that possibility with a patient innings - it took him 24 balls to get off the mark - and, after adding 25 for the eighth-wicket with Kbair, added another 38 for the ninth with Kerrigan. It took the return of Luke Fletcher, strangely over-looked until the 26th over of the day, to end the resistance. Fletcher struck with his first two deliveries to polish off the innings.

Lancashire might also reflect that they erred tactically, too. Under the amended playing conditions this year, the home county decide whether to make the heavy roller available in the game and each side can then utilise it for a maximum of seven minutes once in the match. Nottinghamshire made it available but, by not utilising it ahead of their first innings, Lancashire sentenced themselves to batting on a pitch that had started damp and therefore become indented in Nottinghamshire's first innings.

Lancashire's logic was that rain would curtail play on the second day and they did not want to waste the use of the roller. But, as it happened, the 33.2 overs they faced was enough to see their top six dismissed and set the tone for the game. Nottinghamshire, by contract, used the heavy roller ahead of their second innings and saw the batting conditions improve markedly. Lancashire are highly likely to use it ahead of the final day, but the damage is surely already done.

Still, they insist they are looking to provide opportunities for their batsmen and the final day of this game - perhaps Peter Moores' final day of Championship cricket as Lancashire coach - certainly offers one. The recklessness shown by Reece, the latest in a long-line of opening batsman that has included Smith and, improbably though it sounds, Stephen Parry (against Durham in 2009), suggests that the search for a reliable top-order batsman goes on.

If the final day of this game goes the way of Nottinghamshire, Lancashire may have to reconsider their admirable but self-defeating attitude towards an overseas player.

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Jayawardene, Sangakkara lash out at board

Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara have lashed out at SLC secretary Nishantha Ranatunga for his handling of the news of their retirement, soon after they landed in Sri Lanka following a victorious World T20 campaign.

The manner in which their retirements were made public caused controversy, when chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya expressed deep disappointment at not having been made aware of the retirements first. Sangakkara had announced his retirement in a one-on-one newspaper interview, while Jayawardene did so via the ICC's Twitter mirror campaign, in the week before their first official match.

"I'm very disappointed that without asking us what we had said about our retirements to any media, our board secretary went to the media and made certain comments about us," Jayawardene said. "If he had been a responsible person, he would not have done that. He would first have asked us what we had announced."

Jayasuriya later reconciled with the Jayawardene and Sangakkara, after he had spoken at length with the players. He had put their disagreement down to miscommunication - a sentiment Jayawardene agreed with.

"We later spoke to the selector who had also made comments, and he had also been told that we had announced our retirements. However, we hadn't said that. We had said this was our last World T20, that's all.

"I've now brought a letter with me saying I'm retiring from World T20, and I'll hand that over. But I'm very disappointed about the way we were put into that mental state before a tournament like this, by the person who is responsible. That's the true story."

When pressed for his thoughts, Sangakkara said he agreed completely with the views Jayawardene voiced.

"When I was asked by The Island newspaper, I said this was my final World T20. Neither I, nor Mahela, went out of our way to make these announcements - we just answered questions that were asked of us. Luckily, we were able to clear it up with the one person we had wanted to talk to - chief selector Sanath Jayasuriya. Once we talked to him, it became clear to him and both myself and Mahela what had actually happened. We aren't responsible for what happened."

Sangakkara had clashed with Ranatunga in October last year, over his Champions League representation, while Jayawardene had a run-in with the board at the end of 2012, about a confidential letter to SLC that had been leaked to the press. The players are also presently engaged in a contracts dispute with the board, after they had demanded SLC reinstate a players' share of the payment SLC receives from the ICC, for global-event participation.

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Meaker makes quick impression

Surrey 280 (Ansari 74, Davies 67, Allenby 4-47) and 50 for 2 lead Glamorgan 209 (Allenby 52, Meaker 4-57, Linley 3-24) by 121 runs
Scorecard

Surrey, with a lead of 121 and eight second innings wickets remaining, still have vague hopes of adorning Graeme Smith's return to the capital with victory in his first match in charge - and much of that it is down to Stuart Meaker.

On the previous day, England chairman of selectors James Whitaker was present at the Oval, and the talk was of him keeping tabs on Meaker in particular. After Mitchell Johnson's exploits over the winter, the emphasis on speed is greater than ever, and Meaker is one of a handful of bowlers singled out for possessing raw pace.

An injury-plagued 2013 campaign meant Meaker had to have surgery on both his right knee and right shoulder in the winter. After a good pre-season behind him that featured a 6 for 6 against Cambridge MCCU and his work here on the third day, there will be many at Surrey and beyond who will be buoyed by his progress.

Entrusted with the new ball, Meaker's first wicket was that of Gareth Rees, snaffled by Graeme Smith with a combination of bucket hands and torso. He had to wait till after lunch for his next key involvement which proved crucial to Surrey's cause, as he took three wickets for 12, in a fast yet focused five overs from the Vauxhall End.

Four balls into his new spell he had the wicket of Will Bragg, who had looked balanced and in good touch for his 38, before he pressed forward and edged through to Steven Davies. With his tale up, Meaker started to go through the gears. He held an aggressive line but, where others with his pace might have been tempted to dole out some short stuff, he had seen enough to know he was doing the right thing.

His next wicket of Murray Goodwin was perhaps the most valuable. Both Goodwin and Jim Allenby had scored the bulk of Glamorgan's Championship runs last season - 2,379 - and were the likeliest paring to launch a comeback. A combination of pace and a bit of movement into Goodwin meant the partnership only managed 10.

Meaker then had his fourth wicket with the next ball, as he sent Mark Wallace back for a golden duck. There was some confusion over the wicket, as a stifled lbw shout turned into an appeal for a catch at first slip. It was only after Smith had taken the catch and raised his arms that the umpire sent Wallace on his way, much to the dismay of the Glamorgan skipper.

Earlier in the day, Meaker had played a fine hand, initially supporting Zafar Ansari who was finally dismissed by the 259th ball he faced, as Michael Hogan came around the wicket to find his outside edge. His innings featured 216 dot balls, or which 99 were left - it might not have been pretty, but it was an great display of patience and sheer bloody-mindedness: Smith would have approved.

Meaker might well have added more after Ansari's departure, but he was run out when Chris Tremlett failed convincingly to turn down the offer of a third run. The bails were removed at the non-strikers end, with Meaker halfway down the pitch.

To Tremlett's credit, he atoned for the error with some big hitting, including three fours and a six off one Graham Wagg over. His effort with the ball started poorly, with his two overs before lunch going for 14. He went into the break with a kick of the turf in annoyance, but returned with more pace and conviction in the afternoon session.

That Glamorgan passed 200 owed much to a handy 24 from Ruaidhri Smith and a fine half-century from all-action hero Allenby. In Surrey's first innings he had bowled 30 overs for just the fourth time in his 159 first class innings, leading the way with four wickets. Here, he counter-attacked superbly, punishing any width and cashing in when Meaker and young Tom Curran over-pitched or offered too much width.

Curran in particular struggled when he was brought into the attack in the 36th over as Allenby, and then Wagg, went after him. Soon, his captain had repositioned himself at mid-off and Curran had his maiden Championship wicket, as Wagg mistimed, allowing Rory Burns to run around to point and take the catch.

Curran would eventually bring the innings to a close with a smart caught and bowled, but the wickets of Burns and Smith, both to the impressive Wagg, will have tarnished Surrey's day. It could have been worse, as a big shout for LBW against Sibley was turned down, with less than five overs left in the day.

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Failing the spin test

To be considered one of the best teams in the world, New Zealand must play spin with more surety on the subcontinent

The shadow of a ball whirring at myriad rpm from the hands of Rangana Herath and Sachithra Senanayake loomed large over New Zealand as they exited the World T20.

The wiles of spin struck again, just as they had on all recent tours to the subcontinent against India, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka. New Zealand need to return to the laboratory and formulate an antidote before venturing to the United Arab Emirates to play Pakistan later this year and West Indies in June.

Herath and Senanayake were accurate and probing, but the New Zealand batsmen - Kane Williamson apart - acted like they were hurling chainsaws in Dhaka. The New Zealanders played French cricket around their pads, fended forlornly or, in Brendon McCullum's case, looked to heave an imaginary six somewhere near the Ganges Delta.

A boom summer hasn't suddenly turned to bust. Achievements at home against West Indies and India outweigh being shunted from the World T20. However, playing spin under pressure creates contagion in the dressing room. To be considered one of the best teams in the world, it's imperative New Zealand play spin with more surety on the subcontinent.

New Zealand Cricket has taken initiatives. Last year a New Zealand A team went to India before the Bangladesh tour in October. New Zealand subsequently drew the Tests and lost the ODIs, followed by a drawn ODI series in Sri Lanka.

Their record in the subcontinent is poor, even since coach Mike Hesson injected his brand of composure, determination and pragmatism from July 2012. Since then, in six Tests away against Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, and India they have won one - courtesy of Ross Taylor's batting in Colombo in his final Test as captain. In eight completed ODIs away against those sides they have won one; in six T20Is they have won three. The struggle against spin is constant.

Dramatic steps might be required, like cricketers committing to subcontinental working holidays. That way batsmen and bowlers can get better, which in turn could improve the quality of spin in New Zealand domestic competitions.

Perhaps the country's emerging talent could forgo the time-honoured tradition of English leagues and pints of best bitter to head for a cocktail of maidans and masala. Such adventures would introduce players to quality spin at an early age with the long-term benefit of representing New Zealand more competently.

	Achievements at home against West Indies and India outweigh being shunted from the World T20. However, playing spin under pressure creates contagion in the dressing room

NZC could establish links through former national players and coaches like David Trist, John Wright, and Stephen Fleming who have forged solid contacts in the subcontinent. Intrepid cricketers could experience a local club for a couple of months, perhaps forgoing plush hotels for the "character building" surrounds of a quality youth hostel or billet. Tuk-tuks rather than air-conditioned buses would be the choice of transport. NZC could offer scholarship assistance.

Donning a cap in humid mid 30-degree temperatures and practising your craft on the dustbowls of an expansive maidan on a Saturday afternoon, just like Sachin Tendulkar did a generation ago in Mumbai, must hold allure. Alternatively, players could make their name among the plethora of clubs in the Colombo suburb of Cinnamon Gardens.

Australia's Matthew Hayden exemplified the benefits of immersion when he prepared against spin for a month in India ahead of the legendary 2001 Test series that the hosts came back to win 2-1. Hayden's average of 109.80 was more than twice his next best team-mate (Steve Waugh at 48.60).

A sustained spell in a club competition is ambitious. Another option could be schooling players at one of numerous academies, particularly in India. Relationships could also be struck with a local association to face quality young spinners in net sessions.

Trist acclimatised to the culture by visiting Pune regularly over 12 years to assist with coaching and developing the game. He also went on subcontinental tours as a New Zealand player (1969-70) and coach (1999-2001).

"It's totally logical to send players for sustained periods, because unless you conquer at the homes of four Test nations you're seldom going to be in the money on the world stage. I've never fully understood why NZC has not established a relatively cheap base there. Once airfares are paid, the costs are not huge. I think the issue is New Zealand has a hangover from the days when going there was equivalent to a death warrant with the state of food and hygiene. Today, as a burgeoning middle class develops in India and Sri Lanka, it's more doable."

Trist says a mindset exists where touring the subcontinent equates with drudgery.

"That's why we see pre-tour camps held in Australia or 'somewhere more convenient'. Those environments counter the heat but not the culture shock. You've got to take a pragmatic approach to bridge the gap if New Zealand are to be an outstanding, rather than promising, international side.

"Embrace the vagaries of pitches, heat and the challenges to preparation. Play spin constantly; India's not exactly short of quality net bowlers. It's all very well going to England and playing county or league cricket in similar conditions to home where you can head to the pub afterwards and feel familiar in the company of the locals.

"You can't afford to 'be a New Zealander' in India. Show a willingness to cope by immersing yourself in the culture and you'll come out a better person."

Hesson says they can't treat the World T20 crumble as an epidemic.

"We've scored a lot of runs in the last year or so against spin, like 600-plus against Shane Shillingford and Co [in Dunedin]. Our high-performance plan to play spin occurs before the Black Caps, like through our A team programme. By the time they get to the Black Caps, they should have had an abundance of cricket to build defensive screens and be in a position to put those training hours into practice.

"Last year, we sent the likes of Anton Devcich, Jimmy Neesham, Colin Munro and Tom Latham to the subcontinent as examples of players who needed experience there. It is not difficult to build relationships with academies and associations. It's more about finding the necessary resource and finance and finding a space to fit it into the month a player has off each year."

Hesson says spinners also need to visit the subcontinent.

"They have to adapt to the conditions by bowling more into the wicket because the variation comes more from skidding and turning on the surface rather than in the air."

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Lancashire batting in question

Lancashire 77 for 6 trail Nottinghamshire 272 (Patel 93, Hales 61, Anderson 5-55) by 195 runs
Scorecard

Only 34 overs were possible on the second day of this game, but there was enough play to suggest that Lancashire's batting could be a major issue for them this season.

Lancashire were reduced to 77 for 6 by the time rain intervened, meaning they still require 46 more runs to avoid the follow-on. While conditions remain helpful for seam bowlers, this is something close to a second string attack for Nottinghamshire. Had Andre Adams, who has a calf injury, or Peter Siddle, who hopes to arrive on Tuesday having resolved his visa issues, been available, things could have been much worse for Lancashire.

This is not a new problem for them. In 2012, the year they were relegated in the County Championship, it was their batting that let them down. They passed 400 only twice in the season and only one batsman - Ashwell Prince - scored more than 700 runs. Prince was also the only man in the side to score a century at home.

So their failure to strengthen is a surprise. While the presence of Simon Katich helped them gain promotion last year - both he and Prince passed 1,000 Championship runs - there was little sign of improvement from the regular players, with no-one else reaching 750. With Katich retired, the burden on Prince who is now 36, appears excessive.

Help may be at hand. The club, keen to provide opportunities for their young batsmen, have yet to sign an overseas player and could call for reinforcements. Faf du Plessis, who made such a positive impression upon the club in his previous stint as a Kolpak registration in 2008-09, is one obvious candidate and would now be able to gain a visa as an overseas player.

But such measures tend to mask problems rather than solve them and Lancashire are, admirably, taking a longer-term view. They aim to provide room in the side for the likes of 23-year-old Luis Reece to develop into a high-quality player who could serve club and perhaps country for several years.

But, Reece apart, the lack of batsmen who have developed through the club's system is an obvious weakness and does threaten their Division One survival prospects. Karl Brown and Steven Croft, two locally developed players who were not selected for this match, do not have the first-class averages (26.32 and 31.29 respectively) to suggest they are the answer to Lancashire's problems.

Lancashire never looked likely to prosper in their first innings here. After Paul Horton, attempting to play across a full ball, was the only victim of a fine first spell from Luke Fletcher, Reece, with feet of cement, fenced at one he could have left off the decidedly slippery Harry Gurney. Andrea Agathangelou lost his off stump having left one that nipped back, before Prince was drawn into poking at one he could have left to present Jake Ball with his maiden Championship wicket. Ball, a rangy seamer, followed up with the delivery of the day, nipping back into the left-hander Luke Procter, to win a leg before decision. By the time Alex Davies' loose drive was beaten by another than nipped back, Lancashire were in something approaching disarray.

There is a little mitigation. Such early-season pitches magnify batting flaws and, had Glen Chapple and Kyle Hogg been available for Lancashire, it is likely that Nottinghamshire might have struggled to pass 200.

But take James Anderson out of this Lancashire side - and England surely will - and the county remains as overly-reliant on Chapple as it has for much of the last decade. And that, in turn, might have consequences for the coaching aspirations of Peter Moores. For while Lancashire's long-term ambitions are clearly to be applauded, it would be an odd situation whereby the ECB employed their new coach from a team struggling towards the bottom of the Championship and seemingly unable to mend a long-existing weakness.

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'Showed we could win big moments' - du Plessis

South African captains have previously returned from major tournaments red-faced. Kepler Wessels, Hansie Cronje, Graeme Smith and AB de Villiers have had to explain why the teams they led crashed out in varyingly curious or embarrassing ways.

Faf du Plessis came back rosy cheeked. Even though the group he was in charge of did not bring home the thing South African supporters wanted most - a trophy - they learned a lesson which du Plessis believes will ensure they capture a cup in the near future.

"Previously we deserved a lot of criticism we got for the way we played in big moments. But now this team has showed we can perform under high pressure," du Plessis said. "To get 170 in the semi-final after losing a wicket in the first over was a really good effort. In terms of playing big moments, this team has showed we can also do it."

South Africa's batting has been their Achilles' heel in major tournaments in the past. At the Champions Trophy last June, despite batting fairly well throughout the event, they slipped to 80 for 8 in the semi-final against England before staging a small recovery while their stumbling in their chasing a modest 222 against New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup in Dhaka remains fresh in the mind.

When du Plessis arrived at the Shere Bangla Stadium to prepare for South Africa's shootout against India, "the first thing I thought about was my scrum in the middle with the New Zealand players that day," he said. Du Plessis was involved with the run-out of AB de Villiers that derailed the chase, back in 2011, and was involved in an on-field altercation with Kyle Mills which was the first sign of South Africa's implosion.

Even though that was more three years ago and du Plessis was a relative rookie at the time, the experience was fresh in his mind. South Africa wanted to guard against the mistakes they had made that day, and their many other fluffs before the final hurdle in previous tournaments. "Because we played the first week in Chittagong, we felt very confident when we went to Dhaka," du Plessis said. "The past experience wasn't too much of a factor so I didn't feel it necessary to talk too much about it."

But when Quinton de Kock was dismissed at the end of the first over, to cap off a underwhelming showing in what du Plessis dubbed "the most pressure he has played under," South Africa could have unraveled. Du Plessis was the next man in and knew he could not repeat the 2011 episode. He built partnerships with Hashim Amla and JP Duminy and South Africa posted what he thought was a winning total.

It went wrong in the field where "too many extras," cost South Africa and although du Plessis is concerned about the wides, he does not want that to detract from the way his team defended totals in their other three matches. South Africa's matches against New Zealand, Netherlands and England went deep and they left it late to assert themselves.

That they could set themselves up for a final assault through the man du Plessis said he considers South Africa's man of the tournament, Imran Tahir, and could then close the deal with Dale Steyn represents progress for both du Plessis and coach Russell Domingo. Another South African side would not have won matches they seemed destined to lose. This one did and that experience will stand them in good stead for tournaments to come, starting with fifty-over World Cup next year.

Du Plessis is not currently part of South Africa's ODI set-up, after he was dropped ahead of the India series last December, but he hopes the door will still be open for him. He said one of the primary issues confronting the team's preparation for the tournament is squad certainty, which will largely depend on the availability of Jacques Kallis. The all-rounder remains interested in turning out at the event and will play in most of the almost 30 ODIs South Africa have planned before the competition to work on combinations.

For once, that could be the only thing South Africa have to worry about because the a lot of the extensive mental preparation they usually do would have been taken care of at this World T20. "I am very happy with the team's performances. Apart from not winning, I was really proud of how everyone performed. For me it wasn't a disappointment. We've proven to ourselves we can play in big moments," du Plessis said.

South Africa have seen first-hand that it can be done. They also watched Sri Lanka break an 18-year trophy drought to earn another title and du Plessis, in particular, was heartened by Sri Lanka's performance. "I was very happy for Sri Lanka. I thought India were too strong for them but they proved me wrong. Where Sri Lanka did well is that they restricted India's powerhouse batting," he said. "I am really happy that they also had a chance to win something." Now he will hope that South Africa, like Sri Lanka, will not have to lose in five finals before they finally win one.

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