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Ben Hilfenhaus, James Pattinson, Mitchell Starc and Ben Cutting will duel for the Test spot likely to be left open by the injured Ryan Harris when Australia A face New Zealand in Brisbane from November 24.The pace quartet was named in a 12-man Australia A squad, the first to be chosen by Cricket Australia’s new selection panel of John Inverarity, Rod Marsh, Andy Bichel and the captain Michael Clarke.The team will be led by Tasmania’s highly-regarded captain George Bailey, while the batsmen selected include the national team’s current “next reserve” David Warner, Ed Cowan, Nic Maddinson, and Tom Cooper, who has previously represented Holland but is enjoying a strong start to the season for South Australia.The wicketkeeper Matthew Wade can place enormous pressure on the incumbent gloveman Brad Haddin with a strong showing against the tourists.”The National Selection Panel has chosen an exciting group of players in this 12-man Australia A squad who we believe have considerable potential and are therefore having opportunity invested in them,” Inverarity said.”There is obviously a great deal of interest in each of these players in terms of higher honours but first we look forward to this Australia A team being well led by Tasmanian George Bailey and giving a strong overall performance against the New Zealanders next week.”Ryan Harris’ current hip injury means the fast bowlers selected in this squad will be carefully monitored with six Test matches in succession throughout the Australian summer.”Australia A squad: George Bailey (capt), David Warner, Michael Beer, Tom Cooper, Ed Cowan, Ben Cutting, Ben Hilfenhaus, Nic Maddinson, James Pattinson, Steve Smith, Mitchell Starc, Matthew Wade (wk).

Pakistan may shift their focus back to experience to take on Sri Lanka in the home series in the United Arab Emirates, chief selector Mohsin Khan has said. Khan hinted the bowling attack was likely to be strengthened after testing new players against Zimbabwe.”We can’t just go out [to play Sri Lanka] with the similar combination as it [ the Zimbabwe tour] was just a test for our back-up lot for future prospects,” Khan told ESPNcricinfo. “It was a successful experiment but at the same time we are wary of the opposition as Sri Lanka are a tough side to play.”[Finding talent] is an ongoing process and the emphasis is currently on finding players with good fielding ability.”The Pakistan squad for the recent series against Zimbabwe was an experimental one, with the bowling attack in particular featuring several new names and missing some senior players.Seasoned fast-bowlers Umar Gul, Tanvir Ahmed and Wahab Riaz, who have been Pakistan’s three premier bowlers in recent times, were rested, with Sohail Khan, Sohail Tanvir, Aizaz Cheema and Junaid Khan making up the pace attack.There were changes in the spin department as well: left-arm spinner Abdur Rehman was rested while legspinner Yasir Shah was called up.Pakistan captain Misbah-ul-Haq also said the bowling combination needed some changes before the series.”Senior players have their own importance and we have to go with the [them] when playing Sri Lanka,” Misbah told reporters on the sidelines of ongoing Twenty20 Championship in Karachi. “The major goal was to induct youngsters in the side [for the Zimbabwe series] to have a tested lot in the back-up, since we are in the transition process.”The experimentation actually served the purpose and now we have a tested lot, particularly in fast bowling.”The selection committee will name the squad for the Sri Lanka series in the first week of October.Pakistan will play three back-to-back Tests against Sri Lanka in Abu Dhabi, Dubai and Sharjah. The first Test begins on October 18 and Pakistan are scheduled to depart for the UEA on October 15.The Test series will be followed by five ODIs and one Twenty20 game.

Graham Gooch has been made England’s permanent batting coach after the success of his consultancy role with the national side.Gooch was recruited by Andy Flower, the team director, for the 2009-10 Test series in South Africa and over the last 12 months England’s batting has flourished. Until now he wasn’t a full-time member of the coaching set-up although he will still only work with the Test side according to the .Under his guidance England’s batsmen have become prolific during the last year, most obviously with the efforts of Alastair Cook who has used Gooch as a mentor throughout his career. Cook scored 766 runs during the Ashes series and continued his form for most of the home Test summer, including a career-best 294 against India at Edgbaston.Cook’s innings was one of seven double centuries made by England’s batsmen since May 2010 which equalled the number made throughout the 1980s and 1990s. Gooch demands ‘daddy’ hundreds from the batsmen which he classes as a score over 150. At some point in the fairly near future one of England’s batsmen, mostly likely Cook, will overtake Gooch as England’s leading run-scorer and others could also surpass Gooch’s mark of 8900 runs.”As far as I’m concerned I’ll be absolutely delighted if someone goes past any of my records,” Gooch said during the Oval Test against India, “because it’ll mean England are winning cricket matches. From the time I was a captain, player and selector, I was only interested in one thing, and that was England winning matches.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Tim Bresnan was England’s hero on the fourth day•Getty Images

In the end, England were so ruthless in their dismantling of the No. 1 Test side that it was hard to believe India had been in match-winning positions twice in the first two days. Before the fourth day was over in Nottingham, England had secured the two-match lead they need to win the series by to move to the top of the ICC rankings. Their lower-order batsmen ransacked a hapless bowling and fielding outfit, before their fast bowlers demolished India with venom the Nottingham crowd hadn’t witnessed since Stuart Broad’s hat-trick on the second evening. England had broken India and the upshot was victory by 319 runs, the largest margin in Tests after conceding a first-innings lead.Several England players have queued up to perform starring roles this series, and today the unlikeliest of them all took his turn. Tim Bresnan, who was selected only because Chris Tremlett was hamstrung, tenderised batsmen with accurate short-pitched bowling and his career-best performance of 5 for 48 helped blow India away for 158. His spell came after he had bashed the ball around Trent Bridge during a partnership of 82 with Broad at a run-rate of 6.30. Bresnan helped England score 103 runs in 19.2 overs and extend their lead from 374 to 477.Like their bowlers and fielders during England’s second innings, India’s batsmen showed no fight after they began the improbable task of surviving more than five sessions. Rather, England didn’t let them fight. Andrew Strauss’s team was streets ahead of India in terms of strength, fitness and preparation and that widened the gulf in form between the sides.James Anderson should have reprised his first-innings success of striking first ball, but Abhinav Mukund’s edge was dropped at slip. England, however, did not have to wait long, and Stuart Broad snagged the bigger fish. During the 30 minutes he had to survive before lunch, Rahul Dravid, India’s best batsman on tour, edged Broad to Matt Prior. India were 8 for 1 at the break.

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• For the first time since 1974, England have won two Tests in a home series against India.

• In Tests since 1990, this is the seventh time that India have lost by a margin of 300 runs or more (excluding innings defeats). In the same period, the 319-run loss is their largest margin of defeat against England.

• India’s score of 158 is their second-lowest fourth-innings total in a Test defeat against England in Tests since 1990. Their lowest total is 100 in Mumbai in 2006.

• Bresnan’s 5 for 48 is his first five-wicket haul in Tests. After Stuart Broad achieved the feat of scoring a fifty and picking up five wickets against India, Bresnan did the same in the second innings.

• England’s total of 544 is the second-highest total made in the team second innings against India. The highest is Pakistan’s 599 in Karachi in 2006.

• Since 1990, England’s total of 221 is their fifth-lowest score in the match first innings in a Test victory. Excluding the 2006 Oval forfeiture, their lowest first-innings total in a win in the same period is 180 against Australia at the Oval in 1997.

• James Anderson dismissed Sachin Tendulkar for the seventh time in eight Tests. He is now second behind Muttiah Muralitharan on the list of bowlers who have dismissed Tendulkar most often in Tests.

• England scored 73 fours in their second innings. In Tests since 1990, this is joint-fifth on the list of England innings with the most boundaries.

• Rahul Dravid’s first-innings century is only his third in a Test defeat and his second hundred in a defeat in this series. Of his 34 centuries, 14 have come in wins and 17 in draws.

When play resumed, Anderson took out India’s other second-innings pillar, bowling VVS Laxman with the perfect delivery. It drew the batsman forward, straightened off the pitch, beat the outside edge and still managed to uproot off stump. Laxman was left looking wide-eyed and bewildered. India were 13 for 2. And then it was over to Bresnan, who sent down short ball after short ball at batsmen ill-equipped to cope with such a hostile attack.He had Abhinav fending helplessly at a bouncer that lobbed off the glove to slip. He had Raina caught at long leg, playing an uncontrolled hook against a rising delivery. And after softening Yuvraj, who was hit on the body several times, Bresnan had him caught at slip too. Yuvraj had also fended haplessly, unaware that Alastair Cook had caught the ball until he saw the celebrations begin. Bresnan then dismissed MS Dhoni first ball, lbw after the Indian captain offered no shot. India were 68 for 6 at lunch.Of the specialist batsmen, only Sachin Tendulkar had resisted. He had begun his innings positively, driving down the ground repeatedly, but the speed of his scoring plummeted as the carnage unfolded at the other end. Tendulkar, however, only achieved his 60th half-century and not his 100th hundred. After he too was lbw, padding up to an Anderson inswinger, England were always going to win before stumps. Broad, who had twice rescued England with bat and ball, fittingly took the final wicket, bowling Sreesanth in the 48th over.The fourth day had begun as the third had ended – with India hunting leather. Bresnan, who had resumed on 47, reached his half-century with an edge that flew over the cordon to third man, which remained empty despite a glut of runs in the region. Prior, who batted aggressively last evening, also hit consecutive fours – a glance to fine leg and a cover drive off Praveen. He didn’t last long though, edging Praveen to Dhoni to end the seventh-wicket stand on 119 off 20 overs.Broad, however, gave India no respite. He and Bresnan, whose driving when offered full and wide deliveries was sublime, ran India ragged. Dhoni also turned to his part-time spinners – Yuvraj and Raina. Yuvraj dropped short on the off side and Broad clobbered him repeatedly towards the cover boundary. When Raina pitched short, Broad heaved consecutive deliveries into the cheering masses beyond the midwicket boundary. It was brutal.The partnership ended on 82 because of a rare moment of brilliance in the field. Broad pushed towards cover and set off for the single. The substitute Wriddhiman Saha rushed in, swooped on the ball and threw at the bowler’s end in one flowing motion, scoring a direct hit that caught Broad short. The rest of India’s fielders were utterly exposed. Bresnan and Broad only needed to place the ball slightly wide of the fielders to reach the boundary. India had not looked this outclassed on a cricket field in recent memory.

England know what it is like to come to Trent Bridge and be caught out by India. Four years ago they were ambushed on the opening day by Zaheer Khan and never recovered. Ensuring no repeat of that is now top of Andrew Strauss’s agenda as England aim to show the ruthlessness that can take them to the top of world.The situation in 2011 is quite different for both teams compared to what they faced in 2007. For starters India have some major injury issues – and theirs far outweigh the potential loss of Chris Tremlett for the hosts. Zaheer has already been ruled out, they were already missing their most destructive opening batsman and now could lose their second senior opener as well. Meanwhile, England are buoyant after their 196-run victory at Lord’s rather than frustrated after being denied by India’s tail and the weather.When things go bad for cricketers and cricket teams the players often claim not to take much interest in the media, but the praise being lavished upon Strauss’s team since Lord’s has been noticed. Yet they are only too aware how quickly fortunes can change and after enjoying their success in the dressing room on Monday evening it’s now in the past.”I’m not getting carried away,” Strauss said. “If you are too self-satisfied you can get caught out pretty badly on the pitch. We came into the 2007 game pretty confident having just missed out at Lord’s but got surprised on the first day. We were in trouble from ball one and India never let us back in the game.Andrew Strauss and Alastair Cook prepare for the second Test at Trent Bridge•PA Photos

“They showed their competitiveness and showed they weren’t in England just to make up the numbers. I’m sure this side is very similar. I think we are better prepared to put in another good performance having won before because we did in Australia, but we aren’t taking anything for granted.”That 2007 series also became increasingly bad-tempered with the infamous jelly-bean incident on this ground which left tensions frayed on both sides. Sreesanth, who is the likely replacement for Zaheer, was then involved in a number of heated moments but Strauss doesn’t see this series going the same way.”We’ve learnt our lesson,” he said. “The guys are more mature now and understand their responsibilities. They understand things like that don’t help the team win. It was a silly little thing, it won’t be repeated.”At Lord’s England were dominant for all bar one session, when Ishant Sharma rattled the top order on the fourth morning to leave them 62 for 5, and even though the end result was emphatic it is moments like that which Strauss wants to eradicated in the quest for perfection.”We can still get far better at being more consistent,” he said. “Being 60 for 5 in the second innings wasn’t ideal – I don’t think we should have let India back in the game – but it’s an ongoing process. You can always improve, we could have caught better at Lord’s, and it’s very hard to put in the absolutely perfect performance. The key is to be good enough, often enough to win matches consistently.”During England’s upward curve in Test fortunes since Strauss and Andy Flower took permanent charge in 2009 there has still been the propensity to suffer a rapid reversal after seemingly being in control. Twice against Australia, at Headingley and Perth, they have been heavily beaten with a major goal within sight (in that case either regaining or retaining the Ashes) and last summer they succumbed to Pakistan at The Oval having comfortably reached 2-0 ahead. India, it should be remembered, are still No. 1 and have some very fine cricketers who are capable of levelling the series.”I think they are going to come back hard at us, their record certainly backs that up. We are expecting them to raise their performance and we have to raise ours accordingly,” Strauss said. “We did a lot of things right at Lord’s but had to work hard for the victory and have to be prepared to do the same again. They’ll want to show they were better than at Lord’s.”

Theo Doropoulos, the former Western Australia allrounder, has emerged as the big winner early in Darren Berry’s tenure at South Australia after earning a state contract with the Redbacks. Doropoulos, fellow allrounder Chadd Sayers and the offspinner Nathan Lyon were among the additions to South Australia’s contract list, while last year’s imports Rob Cassell and Tim Lang have been axed.There was also no room for the fast bowler Chris Duval, who didn’t have his contract renewed, while Graham Manou and Ben Edmondson were also gone from the list after they retired following the 2010-11 season. The fast bowler Shaun Tait will not have a state contract either, with his retirement from first-class and 50-over cricket meaning he can focus solely on the Big Bash League.The inclusion of Doropoulos, 26, was a surprise after Berry said last month that he was keen to work mainly with the talent pool already in South Australia during his first season at the helm. But Berry said the decision to import Doropoulos, who was a fringe player with the Warriors before heading to Melbourne last summer, was in line with his view that men who star in grade cricket should be rewarded.”He adds balance to our squad,” Berry said of Doropoulos. “He is a batting allrounder and Chadd Sayers comes in as a bowling allrounder. Chadd Sayers was the Bradman medallist [in Adelaide’s grade cricket] with outstanding performances and Theo Doropoulos was the Ryder medallist in Melbourne, by the length of the Flemington straight. You know my beliefs in the grade system, [and they] have dominated the grade system and deserve an opportunity.”[Doropoulos] can bat anywhere from four, five-six is probably his strong area, and he bowls more than handy medium pace. It just gives us some depth and balance. If you look at our squad, we’ve got an outstanding allrounder there already in Daniel Christian, but not too many other genuine allrounders.”Sayers, 23, has been a strong performer in Adelaide’s club cricket for several seasons and made his first-class debut late last season. The inclusion of Lyon was no surprise, after he starred in the Big Bash last summer and earned an Australia A call-up for the tour of Zimbabwe; he took four wickets in the opening match against the hosts in Harare on Wednesday.The Redbacks have also upgraded the fast bowlers Kane Richardson and Michael Delaney from the rookie list to full contracts. Four new rookies have been added to the squad: Joe Mennie, a fast bowler who has moved from New South Wales, the batsmen Ben Dougall and Tom Thornton, and the fast man Elliot Opie.South Australia squad Cullen Bailey, Aiden Blizzard, Cameron Borgas, Daniel Christian, Tom Cooper, Michael Delaney, Theo Doropoulos, Callum Ferguson (Cricket Australia contract), Peter George, Jake Haberfield, Daniel Harris, Michael Klinger, Tim Ludeman, Nathan Lyon, Aaron O’Brien, Gary Putland, Kane Richardson, Chadd Sayers, James Smith.Rookies Ben Dougall, Joe Mennie, Elliot Opie, Tom Thornton.

Andrew Strauss had plenty to be frustrated about as England’s Test series against Sri Lanka dribbled to a damp conclusion at the Rose Bowl on Monday. He was frustrated by the weather that closed in once again at tea; he was frustrated by his own dropped catch off Rangana Herath in the morning session that might have prised an opportunity for England to press for victory. And he was frustrated by his personal return of 27 runs in four innings, which now means he’ll be playing for Somerset against the Indian tourists next month, in a bid to find form before the first Test at Lord’s.In the bigger picture, however, Strauss had plenty more reasons to be content. Thanks to Sri Lanka’s extraordinary collapse in the first Test at Cardiff, his team did at least emerge with the series win that their dominance undoubtedly deserved, while his own struggles against the left-arm seam of Chanaka Welegedara were counterbalanced by the composed form of pretty much every other member of his team. With the world’s No. 1 Test side waiting in the wings, England look ready for a battle royale.”We’re looking forward to the challenge of taking on India, and hope we can be a difficult proposition for them,” he said. “I think we’re in good shape. A lot of the batsmen got a lot of runs in this series and are in good form; our bowling attack in this game was exceptional and at times at Cardiff was very good as well. We’re a confident team, and we’re used to winning and putting opposition teams under pressure – which we did against Sri Lanka.”I think it’s going to be a pretty significant series,” he added. “We know India are a very confident side in their own right and are used to winning themselves. We’ve got our home conditions, and we back ourselves to beat anyone in them, but it’s going to be a tough series and will hinge on those important moments and sessions – and we’ve got to make sure we’re able to grasp them.”Stuart Broad was hindered by a bruised heel, but appeared to be working his way back to rhythm•AFP

With that in mind, Strauss’s post-match focus was on the fine-tuning that went awry on the final day at the Rose Bowl, as a team that had been under the cosh since the first innings found enough resilence, through Kumar Sangakkara and Thilan Samaraweera, to bat through to the draw. “We just couldn’t create chances,” he said. “We had that one chance against Herath that was put down, and that might have made a slight difference. But they’re a good batting side. The wicket was a bit more placid today and two good players got stuck in.”Had the match not lost 184 overs to rain, Sri Lanka would have struggled to build enough of a lead to stave off defeat, especially with England’s batting looking at its most formidable for a generation. But looking ahead to the visit of India, it is the performance of England’s bowlers that was the biggest plus to come out of this series. Though they struggled with their lines at Lord’s and lacked penetration today, the variety and threat posed by each different member bodes well for the visit of one of the most feared batting units in the world.Chris Tremlett was named Man of the Series for his 15 wickets at 23.40, including a career-best haul of 6 for 48 in the first innings at the Rose Bowl, and Strauss believed he complemented the attack perfectly. “He did an outstanding job here. This wicket is in some ways tailor-made for him, with the extra carry and bounce, but he made good batsmen look under pressure – and that’s a great testament to his aggression and bounce and awkward lift and swing.”He’s certainly added a different dimension to our bowling line-up since he came into the team, and he’s very much at the peak of his powers at the moment. I’m sure batsmen later on in the summer will struggle against him as well. This is one of those series that never really got going, but we’re very happy to have won it and move on still in a jubilant mood.”Aside from Strauss, England’s other form concern was Stuart Broad, whose effectiveness was further hampered on the final day by a bruised heel. Nevertheless, after being stripped of the new ball to make way for Tremlett, he turned in an aggressive performance on the fourth evening that led to the wicket of Mahela Jayawardene, and Strauss was happy to believe he was coming back to his best.”What he did really well was he just banged out a length consistently, and created scoreboard pressure as well as bowling some really good deliveries,” said Strauss. “It just looked like he was in better rhythm, getting it through with good pace and bounce – and I’m sure he will have taken some heart from that spell.”

ScorecardJade Dernbach picked up 5 for 44 as the England Lions seam attack dominated Sri Lanka on the second day in Derby•Getty Images

Sri Lanka’s difficult preparations ahead of the first Test continued on the second day at Derby as their top order floundered against a strong England Lions pace attack. Jade Dernbach was the most successful of the quartet with 5 for 44 while Ajmal Shahzad and Graham Onions claimed two apiece as the tourists were bowled out for 266.At 97 for 6 the innings was hurtling towards a rapid conclusion, but an eighth-wicket stand of 89 between Thisara Perera and Suraj Randiv provided some belated resistance. Randiv, who has one first-class century to his name, finished on 76 but it couldn’t make up for an expensive bowling performance. Dernbach returned to mop up the tail by bowling the last two batsmen with consecutive deliveries and be on a hat-trick for a second time.While the opening day was spent debating the merits of Eoin Morgan, who fell for 193 in the morning session, and Ravi Bopara – and the seemingly nailed-on Test place for the latter – the major interest then switched to England’s reserve pace bowlers. One of them is likely to take the place of the injured Tim Bresnan in the squad for the first Test.Shahzad has impressed during his short international career and, given his ability to find both conventional and reverse swing, would be the most like-for-like replacement for Bresnan. Two big wickets of Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kumar Sangakkara won’t have harmed his chances, but Dernbach has shown there is a rich pool of talent to choose from.The other major interest was the ability of the Sri Lanka batting to adjust to tougher conditions than they experienced at Uxbridge. They were given an awkward 20-minute session before lunch and Dilshan should have departed for 8 but Samit Patel couldn’t gather the edge at third slip.Dilshan was quick to attack any short balls, but Tharanga Paranavitana was trapped lbw by Onions to end the opening stand of 59. Dilshan made the most of being dropped in the previous match against Middlesex to score 123 and was motoring again when he slashed to first slip in Shahzad’s opening over.The batting then began to cave as Dernbach claimed a notable scalp when Mahela Jayawardene guided an edge to third slip where Patel this time held on comfortably. Shahzad struck again when Jonathan Bairstow held an excellent leg-side catch to remove Sangakkara, leaving Sri Lanka’s two main batsmen one more innings before the Test series.Dernbach had the tourists lurching towards a possible follow on when Dinesh Chandimal edged to second slip and Prasanna Jayawardene was pouched at first in consecutive balls. It was far from the ideal preparation for a Test match and England will hope there is some life in the Cardiff pitch so they can target the Sri Lankan batsmen in a similar vain to the Lions bowlers. Given Cardiff’s history, though, that is unlikely so Sri Lanka may feel more comfortable.It is also to their credit that the innings didn’t subside in a heap. Although Thilan Samaraweera let himself down with a flat-footed drive against Onions after reaching 41, Randiv and Perera gave the visitors a much-needed boost. They played aggressively, which knocked some of the bowlers off their length. Perera scored at more than a run-a-ball, while Randiv went to a well-constructed fifty from 91 deliveries, but the partnership was ended when Perera lofted Patel’s first ball to mid-on.Earlier, Morgan fell seven runs short of his second first-class double hundred. He was given an easy restart to his innings after being 156 overnight when Thisara Perera served up two full tosses in the first over of the day as he took three boundaries. Morgan also added a fifth six with a slog-sweep off Randiv as he closed in on the career-best of 209 not out he made for Ireland, against UAE, in the Intercontinental Cup.He was batting so freely that the double hundred appeared a formality but Perera, after changing ends following the expensive start, trapped him leg before to end a 226-ball innings. The England selectors were again present and they will have been impressed by Morgan’s performance even if it won’t earn him a Test place.The fifth-wicket stand with Patel was extended to a ground record of 266 as Patel also latched onto a few early offerings from the Sri Lankan bowlers. He was the first wicket of the day when Dilhara Fernando forced one through his defences for 119.Bairstow, the Yorkshire wicketkeeper, looked composed at the crease and collected a few meaty boundaries before chipping a catch to mid-on where Fernando tried his best to drop it then held on at the fourth attempt. Randiv eventually managed to open his expensive wicket account when Onions missed a charge down the pitch and at the end of the over James Hildreth declared to allow the Lions quick bowlers a chance to impress. They didn’t disappoint.

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A ferocious 145 not out from captain Andrew Gale put Yorkshire firmly incontrol of their County Championship Division One clash with title-holdersNottinghamshire at Headingley.The visitors have been second-best on all fronts since winning the tosson the first morning, and had to fight hard to avoid a two-day defeat, eventually closing on175 for 6 – with 18 runs required to make Yorkshire bat again.Yorkshire began the second day on 213 for 5 with a lead of 70 but things didnot go entirely to plan early on. Gale completed a watchful half-century off 91balls but Adil Rashid added only a single to his overnight 39 before he playedround a ball from Samit Patel and was bowled.Richard Pyrah had his stumps hit by Luke Fletcher after one kept low but DavidWainwright gave valuable support to Gale as Notts began to feel the handicap ofbeing without Andre Adams, who did not take the field because of a groinstrain.Just as he was beginning to settle in, Wainwright drove a gentle return catchto Patel and in the following over Ryan Sidebottom was lbw to Paul Frankswithout scoring, leaving Yorkshire on 254 for 9.It looked as if Gale, on 67, would be denied his century, but he managed toplunder the bowling while last man Oliver Hannon-Dalby offered solid support.Every ball the number 11 kept out was loudly applauded by the home fans.Consecutive boundaries for Gale advanced him to 101 off 169 balls, with 13fours, at which stage Hannon-Dalby’s contribution to the 34-run stand was a meresingle. It was Gale’s first century since flogging an unbeaten 158 against thesame opponents at Trent Bridge towards the end of last season.Gale moved into hurricane mode as he planted consecutive balls from Fletcherhigh over mid-wicket for six and when lunch came at 334 for 9 he hadcontributed 76 from the previous 80 runs. That exceeded the previous best forYorkshire’s last wicket against Nottinghamshire at Headingley, 73 betweenWilfred Rhodes and Abe Waddington in 1920.Only two were added after the interval, however, before Hannon-Dalby was caughtat second slip by Adam Voges of Charlie Shreck, Gale receiving a standingovation for his unbeaten 145 from 205 balls with 15 fours and two sixes.It did not take long for Nottinghamshire’s top order to hit trouble again,Franks’ middle stump being struck so hard by Sidebottom that it had to bechanged. Mark Wagh’s off stump was flattened by Pyrah’s 10th delivery and in thenext over Patel bagged a pair when he was bowled by Sidebottom.At 38 for 3, a two-day finish looked on the cards but the visitors’ resolvewas stiffened by a 105-run stand between Alex Hales and Voges, during which theformer completed his second half-century of the match by driving Rashid overlong off for six.The fourth-wicket pair looked assured against both pace and spin but once againHales was to move into the 80s without reaching three figures. After making hisway to 83 off 112 balls, with 12 fours and a six, he stood no chance of keepingout a shooter from Pyrah which hit the base of his off-stump.Pyrah was once more fulfilling a vital role with the ball and he went on toremove Voges for 42 before being rested with figures of 15-8-19-3, Sidebottomreturning to deepen Nottinghamshire’s gloom by getting Alistair Brown caughtbehind.

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Iqbal Abdulla took three middle-order wickets•Associated Press

Delhi Daredevils’ all-pace attack seemed to have done enough at the halfway stage to get their team a much-required win but Kolkata Knight Riders showed their mettle to scrap their way to an 18-run victory on a two-paced Feroz Shah Kotla track.Both teams seemed to have misread the pitch, packing their sides with quicks. It was left-arm spinner Iqbal Abdulla though who was the most influential of the bowlers, spinning his first ball “like Warne to Gatting” according to Brett Lee, as he nipped out three wickets in a stifling spell.After Delhi chose to bowl, Irfan Pathan found that elusive and coveted inducker to shackle Kolkata at the start, Umesh Yadav bowled it fast and at the batsman’s chest to snuff out two key batsmen in the middle overs, and even the much-ridiculed Ajit Agarkar kept it tight in the final over.If the usually incisive and economical Morne Morkel was Delhi’s most expensive bowler, Kolkata’s best batsman was not one of their big-money imports, but their local boy, Manoj Tiwary, who made a combative half-century to stabilise the innings.Still, Delhi had a seemingly below-par target to chase, and that was looking even smaller when Virender Sehwag was crashing boundaries at will through the off side. A murderous blast over cover followed by a piledriver past backward point from Sehwag in the fourth over took Delhi to 28 for 1.Everything changed in the next two overs. Abdulla, the first spinner to bowl in the match, ripped the ball a long way in the fifth over, making the ball stop and nearly had James Hopes giving a return catch. Then, Jaidev Unadkat, who was getting the ball to jag around, fired in two bouncers at Sehwag, the second of which was top-edged to fine leg.That massive wicket and the big turn combined to squeeze the runs, and only 21 came off the next five overs before Abdulla had Irfan swiping to Ryan ten Doeschate at midwicket. With Delhi’s experiment with Tasmanian batsman Travis Birt failing, much depended on Hopes, who also perished to Abdulla; ending a patient innings with a punch to cover in the 15th over. Three balls later, Abdulla had his third with Naman Ojha mowing to the deep, and at 86 for 6 Delhi were out of it.Shah Rukh Khan and the rest in the Kolkata camp were briefly worried when Delhi blasted 14 off the 18th over, though they were smiling again as Brett Lee killed off the game with a perfect penultimate over which had two runs and two run-outs.That silenced the Kotla crowd, which had plenty to cheer early on as their fast bowlers tied down Kolkata’s heavyweight batting. Jacques Kallis was swallowed up in the fifth over by the exaggerated inswing Irfan was extracting and Gautam Gambhir holed out against Hopes’ no-frills bowling for 18.Tiwary was not at his most fluent, though he muscled the odd boundary to drive Kolkata ahead. The men Kolkata expected the big hits from – Yusuf Pathan and Eoin Morgan – perished off successive deliveries from Umesh to leave the side at 105 for 5 in 15 overs. Though only three boundaries came off the final five overs, the total ultimately proved sufficient.With the win Kolkata became the fourth team to occupy second spot in five days. While there has been plenty of churn in the middle of the table, there’s been no change at the top and bottom for several rounds, with Delhi remaining stuck at the wrong end.