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ESPNcricinfo previews the second Test between England and South Africa at Headingley

The Preview by Alan Gardner01-Aug-2012

Match facts

Thursday, August 2
Start time 1100 (1000 GMT)Will England’s bowlers be tripped up again by South Africa in the second Test?•Getty Images

Big picture

The equation for England going into the second Test is simple: if they’re going to beat South Africa, they will need to play at least ten times better than they did at The Oval. An average of 31.25 runs per wicket might not look too bad during a wet English summer but it was dwarfed by South Africa scoring 637 for 2 in their one innings on a dry, sun-baked track. Turning two wickets into 20 against such obduracy is a trick that will take some pulling off.It is almost a year since England ascended to the top of the rankings with an innings victory over India in the second week of August but, despite talk of establishing a dynasty, the crown has never been far from slipping. Many would say that South Africa have not needed the ICC’s imprimatur to be recognised as Test cricket’s best side but victory at Headingley will seal the series and confirm their rise to No. 1 anyway.While Graeme Smith has again revelled in his role as England’s tormentor, Andrew Strauss and Andy Flower have faced fresh questions about tactics, skill levels and the balance of the side. It may be that England had one on day and four off days but that is not a switch that can just be flicked. The much-vaunted attack’s plan of “bowling dry” was enough to send many watchers to the bottle, as South Africa showed how to resist temptation; while on a flat track, the batsmen arguably performed worse. They’re accustomed to brickbats but for the bowlers this represents a fresh challenge.South Africa have not won consecutive Tests since early 2010 but they look to be in a comfortable place, the team happy to lark about in fancy dress on their first night in Leeds. Having crushed England on the same weekend that Ernie Els won The Open, South Africa’s Olympians currently lead Great Britain on the medals table, after Chad le Clos pipped no less a swimmer than Michael Phelps to gold in the pool on Tuesday. Perhaps they are unbeatable?

Form guide

England LDWWW (Most recent first)
South Africa WDWDW

Watch out for…

The fifth man to occupy No. 6 in the batting order, James Taylor is undoubtedly the smallest (he’s 5ft 4in). After the middling efforts of Eoin Morgan, Matt Prior, Jonny Bairstow and Ravi Bopara, the weight of expectation might not be great but Taylor has long been marked out for international cricket and his every stroke will be closely studied. An unbeaten 163 in his last first-class innings suggests a slow start to life at Nottinghamshire is behind him.Alviro Petersen is the South Africa player under most scrutiny after a lean tour in which he has scored 42 runs. He also averaged just 21 from 11 first-class innings for Essex earlier in the season. Nevertheless, Petersen has produced under pressure before, having already scored two Test centuries this year to defy his critics and in opening partner Graeme Smith he has the perfect example of how to succeed in England.

Pitch and conditions

After England were severely burned by preparing a dry, dusty pitch at The Oval, there is a definite green tinge to the second track of the series. The forecast for Leeds over the next five days is patchy, with rain and overhead cloud likely to feature, though whether that will benefit England or South Africa more is open to debate.

Team news

England have a rightly praised record of stability in selection so the presence of Taylor, confirmed as Bopara’s replacement, may well be the only change. Rotating in one of Steven Finn or Graham Onions – probably for Tim Bresnan – or playing an all-pace attack are other options, though it was against South Africa at Headingley in 2008 that England broke a record, six-Test run of picking the same XI by including Darren Pattinson, so don’t rule out a surprise.England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Ian Bell, 6 James Taylor, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Stuart Broad, 9 Graeme Swann, 10 James Anderson, 11 Steven FinnVice-captain AB de Villiers doesn’t believe South Africa should make any changes to the team that bent England so severely out of shape at The Oval and, with Smith back after completing a round trip home to attend the birth of his daughter, a familiar line-up is expected for the second Test. JP Duminy and Jacques Rudolph, like Petersen, have not spent a great deal of time in the middle but confidence in their ability remains.South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Alviro Petersen, 3 Hashim Amla, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 AB de Villiers (wk), 6 Jacques Rudolph, 7 JP Duminy, 8 Vernon Philander, 9 Dale Steyn, 10 Morne Morkel, 11 Imran Tahir

Stats and trivia

• England’s most recent Test win in Leeds came against West Indies in 2007.
• South Africa have only lost once in four Tests at Headingley since readmission, winning on their last two visits by 191 runs and 10 wickets.
• Dale Steyn’s seven wickets in the first Test took him past Jacques Kallis to fourth in South Africa’s standings, with 279.
• Kallis’ best bowling figures in Tests (6 for 54) came at Headingley in 2003.
• August 1 is Yorkshire Day, though even that may not be enough to keep Bresnan in the England side.

Quotes

“There is a steely determination among the troops to show we are better than we were last week. It’s going to take a lot of guts but I am confident we have that.”
“It’s important that we don’t get too far ahead. They have the capabilities of beating us and we are trying not to get too caught up in what is going on across the fence.”

A round-up of the third match-day in the ICC Americas Region Division One Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-2011Canada maintained their unbeaten run in the ICC Americas Region Division One Twenty20, beating Bermuda by 15 runs as per the Duckworth-Lewis method. After choosing to bat, Bermuda were restricted to a paltry 79 for 9 in 20 overs. Canada had them tottering at 36 for 8 in the 12th, before a steady partnership between Nos. 9 and 10, Malachi Jones – who top-scored with 29 – and Joshua Gilbert helped bat out the overs. Fast bowler Grant Broadhurst was the pick of the bowlers, taking 3 for 8. In a weather-interrupted chase, Canada put on 40 for 1 in 7.3 overs before the game was called off. D/L calculations proved them comfortable winners, as they needed to be only 26 at that stage.USA, who are also unbeaten in the tournament, eased past Argentina by 66 runs. Batting first, they put on 150 for 8, driven by quickfire innings of 40 and 41 by Gowkaran Roopnarine and Aditya Mishra. Argentina’s batsmen got starts, but did not build on them, none of the line-up going past 17 as USA kept them to 84 for 6 in 20. Any chance Argentina had of chasing successfully was wrecked by left-arm spinner Bhim George, who produced figures of 5 for 9 with a maiden in his four-over spell.Cayman Islands registered their first win in three games, beating Suriname by seven wickets with an over to spare. Being put in to bat, Suriname folded for 95 in the 20th over. Four of their top five batsmen got into double figures, but none of them carried on. The innings was kept in check by offspinner Kevin Bazil, who snagged three top order wickets while conceding just nine runs. Cayman Islands were steady in the chase, knocking off the target without much drama. Opener Zachary McLaughlin steered the innings with a knock of 37.

Warwickshire confirmed their place in the Friends Provident t20 quarter-finals with a hard-fought 14-run victory over Yorkshire at Edgbaston

14-Jul-2010

ScorecardRikki Clarke struck a decisive 39 from 29 balls•Getty Images

Warwickshire confirmed their place in the Friends Provident t20 quarter-finals with a hard-fought 14-run victory over Yorkshire at Edgbaston. A target of 146 proved too much for the visitors as Keith Barker finished the match with a hat-trick in the last over. Richard Pyrah and Clint McKay were both caught by Rikki Clarke at long-off before the left-arm paceman bowled David Wainwright.While Barker applied an emphatic finishing touch in dismissing Yorkshire for 131, the hard work was done by spin pair Imran Tahir and Ant Botha, who put the squeeze on the middle order by sharing four wickets at cost of 35 runs in eight overs.Although a key dismissal was credited to a seamer when Steffan Piolet forced Adam Lyth (31) to tread on his stumps, it was Tahir who delivered a major blow when he bowled Jacques Rudolph for 27. The legspinner also removed Jonathan Bairstow with a slick stumping by Tim Ambrose and when Gerard Brophy and Adil Rashid fell in successive overs from Botha, there was no way back for Yorkshire.Australian all-rounder McKay did his best with sixes off Piolet and Neil Carter but his 20 off 12 balls was not enough to prevent his side’s eighth defeat in 14 games. Even if they win their last two games against Nottinghamshire and Derbyshire, they may be hard-pressed to qualify from the North Group.Bold hitting by lower-order all-rounders gave Warwickshire a workable total after crashing to 97 for 7 with only 25 balls remaining. Clarke, fresh from a defiant Championship century at Headingley, again targeted Yorkshire’s bowlers with three fours and two sixes from 29 balls in making 39, his highest in the competition this season.When he was out, swinging a catch to short fine leg off McKay, Chris Woakes made the most of the final over, carting Richard Pyrah for two sixes in an unbeaten 27 from only a dozen deliveries.Yorkshire were completely in charge of the middle phase once Wainwright, with three for 32 in his first Twenty20 game of the summer, and Steven Patterson (three for 25) had broken a brisk opening stand by Jonathan Trott (19) and Carter (27).Trott’s first innings since his maiden one-day international century for England ended with a mistimed chip back to left-arm spinner Wainwright, who went on to remove Darren Maddy and Keith Barker in his third over.

Sri Lanka’s bowlers made use of dry balls and a slow pitch, but West Indies had to bowl with slippery ones

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-Oct-2024West Indies have been unhappy with the state of the pitches in Sri Lanka. After their 2-1 defeat in the T20I series in Dambulla, coach Daren Sammy went as far as to claim a “moral victory” for West Indies, for having supposedly pushed Sri Lanka into producing turning tracks for games two and three.In the first ODI, West Indies didn’t just get another dry surface, the weather in Pallekele also conspired against them. Having won the toss and batted first, the rains coming through in the 39th over of the West Indies innings could barely have affected them worse.Not only did the interruption last long enough to ensure that Sri Lanka’s bowlers – who had had dry conditions to operate in before the weather arrived – did not have to bowl with a wet ball. It also meant West Indies had to contend with a slippery ball right through the second innings – something Sri Lanka captain Charith Asalanka noted as a factor in his team’s victory in the post-match presentation.After the game, Nishan Madushka, who hit 69 off 54 balls on ODI debut, and was part of a match-winning 137-run partnership with Asalanka, reiterated this.”Their bowlers were really good, but because of the rain around, I think they had trouble gripping the ball,” he said. “There was less turn on the wicket too, to be honest. But they still bowled well. “In fact, when West Indies still had the new balls (they use one ball at either end in ODIs) and they had not yet become especially damp, their bowlers had dominated. Sri Lanka lost three wickets inside the first seven overs, before Madushka and Asalanka produced their big fourth-wicket stand.During that partnership, the batters repeatedly hit the balls over the boundary and into areas of the ground and drainage areas that were waterlogged, thereby substantially changing the condition of the ball. In fact, West Indies’ bowlers brought this to the umpires’ attention at least twice, but were not successful in having the balls changed for drier ones.Part of Sri Lanka’s strategy at 45 for 3 may have been to hang around until bowling became significantly more difficult. “What Charith said was to take the game as deep as possible – to start with dragging the game to 20 or 25 overs, before we reassess,” Madushka said. “I think that positive mindset affected me positively as well, and helped me perform.”With the two remaining ODIs also to be played in Pallekele, a notoriously wet venue, conditions may continue to play a significant role in the outcome. So far this tour, from West Indies’ perspective, they are the side that has been at a substantial disadvantage.

He will succeed Faf du Plessis who was released over the winter due to his CPL commitments

ESPNcricinfo staff18-Jul-2023Wayne Parnell, the South African allrounder, has been appointed men’s captain of Northern Superchargers ahead of the third season of the Hundred, succeeding Faf du Plessis.Parnell played twice for Superchargers as a replacement last year and was retained for the 2023 season. He is one of their three men’s overseas players, along with Matthew Short – who is a replacement for the injured Michael Bracewell – and David Wiese. They finished sixth last season, with four wins and four defeats.Du Plessis, who captained Superchargers last year, was released over the winter due to his Caribbean Premier League commitments with St Lucia Kings. The CPL starts on August 17, while the Hundred runs from August 1-17.Parnell captained Pretoria Capitals to the final of the inaugural SA20 last winter, and is leading Seattle Orcas in Major League Cricket. He recently played alongside several Superchargers players for Durham in the Vitality Blast.James Foster, the men’s coach, said: “We are delighted to have Wayne back in the squad. He knows the team and, having played in this year’s T20 Blast for Durham, he knows the conditions well. He brings with him a wealth of experience from his international and domestic career and that will be invaluable to the team.”Hollie Armitage will continue as Superchargers’ women’s captain. “Hollie did a great job last season and she has a lot of experience,” Dani Hazell, their coach, said. “She led the Northern Diamonds to their first title, winning the Rachael Heyhoe Flint Trophy, last year so she knows how to win.”Meanwhile, Trent Rockets have confirmed that Nat Sciver-Brunt and Lewis Gregory will continue to lead their women’s and men’s sides respectively. Rockets were men’s champions last season, and lost the eliminator in the women’s competition.

2023 Hundred captains:

Birmingham Phoenix: Ellyse Perry, Moeen Ali

London Spirit: Heather Knight, Dan Lawrence

Manchester Originals: Sophie Ecclestone, Jos Buttler

Northern Superchargers: Hollie Armitage, Wayne Parnell

Oval Invincibles: Dane van Niekerk, Sam Billings

Southern Brave: Anya Shrubsole, James Vince

Trent Rockets: Nat Sciver-Brunt, Lewis Gregory

Welsh Fire: Tammy Beaumont, Tom Abell

Tourists suffer top-order implosion, losing eight wickets in a session in final bat before first Test

ESPNcricinfo staff28-May-2022County Select XI 247 and 112 for 1 (Compton 56*, Ajaz 1-12) need 152 runs to beat New Zealanders 362 for 9 dec and 148 (Jamieson 36, Wagner 36, Porter 5-31)After four playing days of largely serene progress in their build-up towards the first Test, New Zealand were blindsided by the County Select XI at Chelmsford. Jamie Porter ripped out five top-order wickets to belatedly remind the England selectors of his prowess in seaming conditions, and despite recovering somewhat from a parlous position of 9 for 5, the tourists have a scrap on their hands if they are to avert defeat on day four.This second four-day friendly, after a rain-affected outing down in Hove, has allowed New Zealand to rotate their personnel with a view to getting playing time for as many of the party as possible. But Kane Williamson, the Test captain, managed a nine-ball duck in his only outing before next week’s encounter at Lord’s, while there were single-figure scores for Tom Latham, Will Young, Devon Conway (his second of the match), Tom Blundell and Colin de Grandhomme – all likely starters in the Test XI.The dismissal of de Grandhomme completed a five-for for Porter inside five overs, leaving New Zealand on 19 for 6. That anaemic scoreline had improved to 70 when the eighth wicket fell, but the County Select XI were still eyeing up a target below 200, only for some timely lower-order resistance from Neil Wagner and Kyle Jamieson to stave off complete collapse. A 63-run stand pushed the New Zealanders towards something defendable, before Worcestershire left-armer Ben Gibbon picked up both to complete an impressive outing.The New Zealanders’ second-innings 148 meant the County Select XI would need to score 264 for victory – more than they had managed collectively the first time around. But Ben Compton continued his prolific summer with an obdurate, unbeaten half-century and although Ajaz Patel removed Dom Sibley after an opening stand worth 88, the ECB’s scratch team will return needing 152 more with nine wickets in hand in the morning.There had been little to suggest that New Zealand were in for such a torrid morning examination when the unbeaten openers, Young and Latham, resumed the innings in bright sunshine, having played out a maiden from spinner Liam Patterson-White the previous evening. But Porter struck with his third, 12th, 16th and 18th balls to leave the visitors five down and not yet into double-figures.Young was the first to go, lbw for a three-ball duck playing no stroke to one nipping back in. Williamson, who joined up with the squad this week after leaving the IPL early to witness the birth of his second child in New Zealand, had spent some time in the field on Friday and now walked out in place of Conway in his customary berth at No. 3. But quickly heading in the opposite direction was his deputy, Latham, who thick-edged Gibbon’s sixth delivery to third slip.Ben Compton led the chase with an unbeaten half-century•Getty Images

Williamson has not played Test cricket since November, having experienced issues with a chronic elbow problem. Although he was fit enough to play for Sunrisers Hyderabad at the IPL, his returns were underwhelming, and he would have been hoping for a lengthy stay in the middle ahead of his comeback. Instead, Porter found extra lift from a length outside off stump to induce a startled prod to slip.With Conway, another recent arrival from India, also looking for a workout against the red ball after making 4 off 14 in the first innings, Porter struck again from round the wicket, rapping the left-hander on the pads. Two balls later, wicketkeeper Blundell propped forward to also be given out lbw – although he lingered for some time after the decision, with a strong suggestion that he had got an inside edge.At that stage Porter, who has seemingly drifted out of contention for a Test cap despite being called up to the England squad in 2018, had figures of 4 for 4 from three overs; and they improved still further when de Grandhomme defended the ball softly down into the turf, only for it bounce back and dislodge the bails.The New Zealanders finally got the scoreboard moving with the arrival of Tim Southee, who cracked five fours and a six during a 17-ball innings. He scored 34 out of the 37 added in partnership with Daryl Mitchell for the seventh wicket, before another belligerent slap down the ground off Patterson-White was intercepted by the diving Gibbon at long-on. Mitchell then became the eighth wicket to fall, providing a success for Jack Blatherwick, as his ungainly attempt to pull ended up in the hands of point.From there, Wagner and Jamieson dug in for 20 overs of respectable batting that took the innings into the afternoon session. Gibbon eventually trapped Wagner with a full delivery angled into the pads, before Jamieson’s attempt to thrash the ball into Hayes Close ended up in the hands of Porter at long-off. Wagner and Southee both then delivered ten overs, their first proper bowl before Lord’s, as the County Select XI made a good start in pursuit of victory; Sibley fell cutting at Ajaz but the spinner dropped Tom Haines off Wagner in the penultimate over to sum up New Zealand’s day.

Hosts’ wounded and injury returnees throw predictions into further disarray

Andrew Fidel Fernando13-Jan-2021

Big picture

If form in South Asian conditions is difficult to discern ahead of this series, with so little Test cricket having been played here in the past year, Sri Lanka are throwing predictions into further disarray with their wounded and their injury returnees. A day out from the first Test, (there’s still time to get injured), Angelo Mathews and Dinesh Chandimal look likely to be in the top order. But although batsman Oshada Fernando, and fast bowlers Suranga Lakmal and Lahiru Kumara have technically recovered from their injuries, they may not quite be match-ready enough to make the XI.Sri Lanka also lost both Tests against South Africa by large margins, so in normal circumstances you would expect them to be turning up low on morale. And yet, they don’t seem to be beating themselves up about those losses much. At the end of that series, captain Dimuth Karunaratne was essentially of the view that when you have the appalling volume of injuries Sri Lanka suffered on that tour, losses such as those were bound to happen. It is what it is. Tomorrow is a new day. This – their first at home since August 2019 – is a new series.England, despite being tourists, have arguably had the better preparation leading up, though. They’ve been in the country for longer (Sri Lanka only arrived on January 8 from South Africa, England had come six days earlier). But in the age of quarantine and bio-bubbles, superior prep only means so much. For three of their days on the island, England’s players couldn’t leave their rooms. When training did begin, they couldn’t play a tour match or two as they normally might, so they tried an intra-squad two-dayer, only for one of those days to be rained out.But more than that, they are missing some of the players who propelled them to their 3-0 win on their 2018 tour. Ben Stokes is being rested. Adil Rashid wasn’t picked in the squad. Moeen Ali was probably going to play, but contracted Covid-19 and can’t. And despite being Player of the Series in that whitewash, Ben Foakes has been edged out of the wicketkeeper’s spot by Jos Buttler.So here are two deeply flawed and unpredictable (yes, we say that about England now too) sides, who are being served an extraordinary set of circumstances by this pandemic. England-Sri Lanka series have generally produced outstanding cricket this century (the past two series notwithstanding, perhaps). As there are no clear favourites here, there is no reason this one can’t be a thriller too.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)Sri Lanka: : LLDWLEngland: DDWWW

Players to watch

Angelo Mathews played the innings of his life against England (his 160 at Headingley), as well as another hundred and a handful of fifties, so he will almost certainly be the Sri Lanka batsman who commands the most respect among England’s attack. And yet, in the years since that incredible Leeds innings, Mathews has not been a particularly consistent batsman. In three of the past five years, he’s averaged less than 30. Though once he seemed destined to be a 10,000-run batsman, that is no longer a certainty. Much of his inconsistency has stemmed from the injuries that have kept him out for months at a time over the past few years, and he is returning yet again from a hamstring strain. Having trimmed down early last year, Mathews seems motivated to make what may be the last few years of his career productive ones. If he has a good series with the bat (he will not bowl), Sri Lanka will go a distance to winning it.Jos Buttler only averages 33.93 with the bat, but it is his batting that is keeping Foakes (who by the way averages 41.50 but hasn’t played a Test in almost two years) out of the XI. The theory is that Buttler, such an accomplished limited-overs batsman, and a man who can send a team innings soaring when the mood strikes, will see long-term improvements in his batting output eventually. Late in England’s summer, he provided a hint of the player he could become, hitting 67, 75 and 152 in the space of three innings. While on that form he commands a place in the batting order, it is with the gloves that he perhaps will be tested most in Sri Lanka. The spinners will likely have to bowl the majority of overs in this series. It is unfair to expect him to be as magisterial as Foakes was in 2018, but can he be good?

Pitch and conditions

Generally, Galle pitches are decent for batting on on the first two days, before they switch suddenly – and almost violently – into dustbowls from day three onwards. This time, there are two reasons why the Galle track may stay good for batting longer than normal. First, as the venue is to host both Tests, they can’t afford to start the square off too dry. Secondly, with Sri Lanka having just come back from South Africa, where they played on that nation’s fastest pitches, the hosts are likely to want a more even track than a severe examination by spin.There’s also a bit of rain around, because even though it’s January (generally one of the driest months in the southwest), these things tend happen when a cricket tour starts. Despite the rain, though, Sri Lanka hasn’t seen a draw on its surfaces since 2014.

Team news

Will Sri Lanka play Kusal Mendis, who has collected three ducks in a row in South Africa? He is in a dead heat for the No. 3 spot with Lahiru Thirimanne. Sri Lanka hope Suranga Lakmal can make the XI, but if he doesn’t Vishwa Fernando is likely to play.Sri Lanka (probable): 1 Dimuth Karunaratne (capt.), 2 Kusal Perera, 3 Kusal Mendis/Lahiru Thirimanne, 4 Dinesh Chandimal, 5 Angelo Mathews, 6 Niroshan Dickwella (wk), 7 Dasun Shanaka, 8 Wanindu Hasaranga, 9 Dilruwan Perera, 10 Lasith Embuldeniya, 10 Suranga Lakmal/Vishwa FernandoEngland have some decisions to make on the bowling front. It seems as if they will go in with two frontline quicks, with Mark Wood and one of either James Anderson or Stuart Broad alongside allrounder Sam Curran. Batsman Dan Lawrence looks set for a debut.England (probable) 1 Dom Sibley, 2 Zak Crawley, 3 Jonny Bairstow, 4 Joe Root (capt.), 5 Dan Lawrence, 6 Jos Buttler 7 Sam Curran, 8 Dom Bess, 9 Jack Leach 10 Mark Wood 11 James Anderson/Stuart Broad

Stats and trivia

• Each of the last 26 Tests in Sri Lanka have had a result. The home side has won 14 of those.
• Buttler’s Sri Lanka record is better than his overall record. He scored 250 runs in the country on that previous tour, at a strike rate of 72. He crossed fifty twice and was never dismissed for less than 16.
• Angelo Mathews needs 19 more to get to 6000 Test runs. He’d be the fifth Sri Lanka batsman to that milestone, after Kumar Sangakkara, Mahela Jayawardene, Sanath Jayasuriya and Aravinda de Silva.
• Even since the start of this century, England have won six matches in Sri Lanka and lost only four.

  Quotes

  “Suranga Lakmal is the bowler we’re really sweating on. We are planning for him to play, but he has to do another fitness test before that can be confirmed. If he can’t play, one of Vishwa Fernando, Asitha Fernando and Dushmantha Chameera are there,” “We know he has the ability and skills if it does start spinning quite quickly to take advantage of that. It’s a really good opportunity for him to show what he can do in these conditions,”

Hosts’ 291-run victory barely keeps faint promotion hopes alive

ECB Reporters Network19-Sep-2019Glamorgan 435 (Cooke 96*, Patel 66, Lloyd 66, Wright 5-64) and 251 for 5 dec (Brathwaite 103*) beat Leicestershire 263 (Wright 60, Patel 4-58) and 132 (Salter 3-6) trail by 291 runsGlamorgan gained the maximum 24 points by defeating Leicestershire by 291 runs to keep their slim hopes of promotion alive, but they will need to beat Durham by a similarly resounding margin at Chester-le-Street next week and hope that Gloucestershire or Northants- who play each other in the final game – drop sufficient points.Leicestershire’s only hope was to battle for a draw, but apart from Mark Cosgrove, who faced 158 balls for his 28, no one could master an accurate Glamorgan attack, where both seam and spin triumphed.The visitors, who required a massive 424 to win, resumed on 33 for 2 on a glorious final day of the season at Sophia Gardens, were soon in trouble against Michael Hogan, who took two wickets in his opening spell.Hassan Azad was the first to go, when he was undone by a perfect yorker from Hogan that left the batsman on his hands and knees, then four overs later George Rhodes was bowled by a beauty that pitched middle and hit the off stump.Harry Dearden then joined Cosgrove, and he played some handsome strokes through the offside, but was out shortly before lunch when he played down the wrong line at Andrew Salter and was adjudged leg before for 37.Leicestershire were 101 for 5 at lunch, but the end came quickly after the interval as they lost their last five wickets for 31 runs in 23.4 overs .Harry Swindells was caught at slip when he edged one that turned from Samit Patel, and was followed by Cosgrove, whose vigil ended when he was run out. He pushed the ball to short leg, and although Billy Root had the ball in his hands, Cosgrove set off, realised his mistake, but by then Root had underhanded the ball onto the stumps.Chris Wright, who had top scored in the first innings did not last long, also edging a catch to slip off Salter, then from the next ball Will Davis, sensing that were six men crouched around the bat, tried to launch the ball into Cathedral Road, only to spoon a catch to cover point.When Gavin Griffiths gave David Lloyd his third catch at slip for Patel’s second wicket, and Salter, at the other end, had finished with 3 for 6 from 10 overs, Glamorgan had won with ample time to spare.

Dowrich and Holder’s unbroken 79-run stand repairs West Indies after fast bowlers scythe through top order on a lively Kensington Oval deck

Shashank Kishore and Sreshth Shah23-Jun-2018Shane Dowrich swivels into a hook•CWI Media

For the second time this series, Sri Lanka’s fast bowlers had West Indies on the mat, only to concede the advantage as the day progressed. The thorn on both occasions was Shane Dowrich, the spunky wicketkeeper-batsman who stayed unbeaten on 60, at the end of the first day at the Kensington Oval that saw only 46.3 overs being bowled because of rain interruptions.In Port-of-Spain, he put on 90 for the sixth wicket with Jason Holder to set up a tall first-innings score in a match-winning effort. In Bridgetown, in the Caribbean’s first ever pink-ball Test, the pair’s unbroken 79-run stand revived West Indies from a hopeless 53 for 5 to 132 for 5 at stumps. This after Holder elected to bat on what wicketkeeper-turned-broadcaster Jeff Dujon described as “the greenest Barbados surface” he had seen.Green as it was, there were patches of brown on either ends that made life difficult for batsmen, with certain deliveries rearing up and adding to the unpredictability of the pink ball. This made the sixth-wicket association all the more compelling, as they provided a batting lesson for their floundering top order, who kept an agile slip cordon busy all afternoon.Dowrich’s seventh Test fifty was his second 50-plus score of the series, after his maiden Test century in the first Test. He was particularly severe on the short ball, unafraid to pull in front of square, particularly off Lahiru Kumara – whose fastest delivery was clocked at 148.1kph. Holder, meanwhile, was solid and composed to make a steady 33. The pair’s calculated approach, particularly under lights, stood out, even though Sri Lanka could claim the day as their own.Leading in Dinesh Chandimal’s absence was Suranga Lakmal, Sri Lanka’s 16th Test captain, and he couldn’t have asked for a better bargain. A surface prepared largely keeping in mind the longevity of the pink ball played right into his hands as he struck in the very first over – Devon Smith’s feeble poke at an away-going delivery lapped up at third slip by Dhananjaya de Silva.This was just the start of a procession, as Lakmal would strike again in his third over when Kraigg Brathwaite received an unplayable delivery that reared up and had him arching back to try and get out of the way. The ball lobbed off the glove even as an athletic Danushka Gunathilaka, replacing Chandimal, ran in a couple of paces from point and then extended a full-stretch dive to pluck an outstanding catch. Five balls later, Lahiru Kumara was in the thick of things as Kieran Powell’s jab resulted in an excellent grab by Kusal Mendis at second slip. Once again, the ball was dying on Mendis but a swift movement to his right made it look much easier. West Indies were now reeling at 8 for 3.Roston Chase walked out to a packed cordon of three slips and two gullies, the ball buzzing across the surface at lively speeds. His previous Test at this venue produced a match-winning 131 against Pakistan last year, against an attack consisting of Mohammad Amir, Mohammad Abbas and Yasir Shah. Now, he had to contend with an attack that isn’t as skilled yet, but potent nonetheless on a surface with enough assistance.After driving on the up through covers, Chase fell into his own trap: a repeat to a delivery that nipped in sharply resulting in Kasun Rajitha flattening his middle stump in his very first over, to leave West Indies gasping.Shai Hope, who swept the Cricket West Indies annual awards couple of nights ago, came out looking to survive, and in doing so was sometimes even diffident in his 49-ball stay that produced 11. He would fall in the third over of the second session, the 24th of the innings, when Rajitha drew him into the drive with one that left him as Dhananjaya dived in front of the first slip to complete the catch.The wickets falling around him briefly forced Dowrich to adopt an all-attack approach. The first misjudgment was to a Lakmal delivery, which was slightly full, as an attempted pull lobbed off a leading edge to elude point. Then, an ugly hoick off spinner Dilruwan Perera looped over backward point. With two half-chances going his way, he tightened up to play copy-book cricket in his captain’s company, the pair’s 33-run graft interrupted by a 107-minute rain delay.After play resumed, the Sri Lankan attack seemed to have lost some steam. Dowrich and Holder imposed themselves to pick up quick and easy runs to seemingly put West Indies on the road to recovery, even though plenty of work lay ahead.

Jonathan Trott produced a defiant century at No. 8 after missing a disastrous Warwickshire collapse the previous evening because of a family-related absence

ECB Reporters Network04-Jun-2017
ScorecardJonathan Trott struck a century from No. 8•Getty Images

Jonathan Trott’s watchful century handed Warwickshire hopes of saving a draw – despite losing early wickets after being forced to follow-on by Hampshire.Trott batted for the entire day, other than 14 balls at the start of Warwickshire’s second innings, collecting his third century of the season before ending the day 17 not out second time around.But Warwickshire still trail Hampshire by 186 runs going into the final day with eight wickets in hand.Trott returned home to Birmingham at the beginning of day two following a family emergency before coming back to bat at an unfamiliar No.8.Despite his lowly place in the batting order he still had time to take a large chunk out of the game to frustrate Hampshire, with blue skies often threatened by dark clouds on a pitch suited for batting.As has been seen by Trott for both county and England he proved a rearguard innings which forced upbeat Hampshire to toil – having had the best of the opening two days.Grant Thornton, who appeared as a nightwatchman on the previous evening, was the only wicket to fall in the morning as he edged to Rilee Rossouw at first slip – with Abbott angling it across him aggressively.Trott’s long 42-over partnership with Keith Barker was a textbook move to both take time out the game and bat yourself into form.
The pair started in purely blocking mode before carefully freeing their arms where appropriate.Trott and Barker put on 104 together, with only a few morning leg before appeals putting any major worries to the duo.Barker scored a patient 63, his half century coming off 97 deliveries, before Sean Ervine, bowling off spin, had him caught at first slip.
The stand had given a renewed hope of forcing a draw but that appeared to be distinguished again when Boyd Rankin was bowled by Mason Crane for four, although more importantly he only used up 16 balls.Enter Sunny Singh on just his third first class appearance, second in the Championship, having never scored a professional run.
Trott shielded him for an early burst, with the more experienced batsman moving past a 115 ball fifty.With Singh appearing more confident, he was given more responsibility, as Hampshire started to look bereft of ideas, clipping balls confidently and maturely around the Ageas Bowl.Trott, meanwhile, continued in his shell-like state, and after a prolonged afternoon session brought up a potentially match saving century.
He fell to the first ball after tea to wrap up the innings with Warwickshire trailing by 261 – which allowed George Bailey to enforce the follow-on.Hampshire were given 21 overs to make inroads into the Warwickshire batting line-up for a second time – with rain forecast on the final day.Abbott became the highest wicket taker in the Championship this season when he notched up his 32nd scalp of the campaign – with Ian Westwood on the end of a snorter outside off stump, and Jimmy Adams catching well at second slip.Gareth Berg snatched the other evening wicket as Andrew Umeed feathered behind.But old adversary Trott and Ian Bell kept alive hopes of saving a draw with a 66 run stand in the embers of the day.