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It took India 17 balls on the final morning to take the last wicket and wrap up their seventh Test win in England, an utter domination of the hosts from the moment India were inserted on day one. The win also made Virat Kohli India’s second-most successful captain in Tests, behind only MS Dhoni now.It ended with a carrom ball that bounced unexpectedly and took the top edge from James Anderson’s bat. India got the other 19 wickets through pace. This would have been only the second time India would have taken all 20 through pace, following closely on the feat they first achieved in Johannesburg earlier this year. The win came in similar circumstances: India two down in the series, their batting under the scanner, and on both occasions the batsmen stepped up to give their bowlers something to bowl at. And how the bowlers responded. Hardik Pandya took a five-for in the space of 29 balls in the first innings, and then Jasprit Bumrah laid to waste the hard work done by Jos Buttler and Ben Stokes in the second with a spell of high pace and control.

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India A didn’t make full use of the momentum they had built overnight, needing a lower-order resistance shepherded by Maharashtra’s Ankit Bawne to take a slender lead against Australia A on the second day. Bawne made an unbeaten 91, his third fifty in as many innings, and put India A ahead by 31 after they had collapsed to 127 for 5 in the first session.India’s batting in the morning followed the trend of Australia’s innings at the start of the first day. Openers Mayank Agarwal and R Samarth stretched their overnight stand from 41 to 62 inside four overs before Agarwal was caught behind to fast bowler Michael Neser, three short of his fifty.Samarth and Abhimanyu Easwaran, of similar builds and batting styles, put up a 30-run stand that looked to have frustrated Australia, as evidenced by constant field changes while they were batting together. But left-arm spinner Jon Holland broke that stand when he trapped Samarth on the back foot. The batsman took all of 30 seconds to process that decision, staying put in his crease long after Australia had started celebrating, suggesting he might have got an inside edge.There was no such ambiguity when the next wicket fell. After 29 overs, the ball had shown signs of reverse swing, just like it had on the first day. And just like India had done during that period, Australia switched Neser, their best bowler on the day, to the Pavilion End. He hooped a length ball back into India captain Shreyas Iyer, whose leave was made for the ball that goes through straight, wide outside off; his feet planted, failing to cover the late movement, giving Neser a clear view of both off and middle stump. Neser chose the top of off.It was an early sign that a collapse could be around – once again in full congruence with the first day – before lunch. And soon enough, India showed the exact kind of panicky cricket that comes with such a situation. Easwaran, set and solid by now on 36, jabbed one gently to extra cover’s left and took off for a run that could have been completed with a confident call. Instead, both he and Bawne came halfway down the pitch before seemingly deciding against the run. Marnus Labuschagne had completed a clean pick up by then, and whacked the stumps down with fury to end a promising innings.At this point, Holland started to find respect from the Indian batsmen and it resulted in a tight sequence of landing the ball exactly where he wanted it. A lot of them were on a length on off, fizzing past both the outside edge and the off stump, until finally, he got one to spin from middle and knock over KS Bharat’s stumps.At 127 for 5, K Gowtham walked in and drove handsomely in the lead-up to lunch, before returning to show the same confidence. He ha only just put up a fifty stand with the sedate Bawne, when he played all around a full delivery from Holland to fall for a breezy 34-ball 31.Bawne then started opening up to some degree, happy to plant his big stride in against Holland and sweep him against the turn. But his innings was still tilted towards caution, even as Kuldeep Yadav showed remarkable maturity at the other end. For the first 30 balls of his innings, Kuldeep copped multiple bouncers on his body, one of which required a visit from the physio. He was pinned down to one end as Brendan Dogget sought to repair his expensive figures, by spearing them in from around the wicket. But, having survived that barrage, Kuldeep made use at the other end, visibly more comfortable against the spin of Holland. His 18 was crucial to a 47-run stand that put India’s deficit under 20.Bawne’s best came after that, as a shaky tail looked highly susceptible, particularly with the new ball looming. He brought up the lead with a ramped six over first slip, opened up his stance to drill the next ball past mid-off and carted Holland over his head before the new ball arrived.When it did, Bawne was helped by Mitchell Marsh’s persistence with Holland, and the non-spinning hard ball made for easy hitting – in one over, Bawne hit Holland over both long-on and long-off. He would fall short of a hundred, however, when No. 11 Ankit Rajpoot wasn’t alert to a single early in the over. Neser finished with four wickets, Holland with three.Australia had just over an hour at the end of the day, a period that began with a confident Kurtis Patterson picking up classical boundaries through the off side. But once again, when he was looking good, Patterson fell to Siraj. Patterson was grabbed down leg side by Bharat as he looked to flick one off his thigh.Khawaja then got down the track against Gowtham consistently enough to negate the offspinner, even spanking him on the up for a six over extra cover, before Rajpoot nailed him down to one end with three maidens through constant probing in the corridor. Khawaja was a bit more fidgety outside off in this innings, but in Travis Head’s company, he took Australia through to stumps at 42 for 1, with a lead of 11.

Big Picture

After the first Test in Antigua ended a couple of hours before the Brazil-Belgium World Cup quarter-final last week, there was some mock appreciation from Bangladeshi fans; at least their cricket team didn’t clash with the football. Some even suggested that if the second Test ends by the fourth afternoon, they could all watch the World Cup final – on July 15 – uninterrupted.It is an expression of disappointment after the dismal performance in Antigua. They didn’t just get bowled out for 43 in the first innings, Bangladesh barely improved upon it in the second, and to top it off, they bowled poorly, too.West Indies, on the other hand, had the perfect game in Antigua. Kemar Roach burst through the Bangladesh top order before Jason Holder and Miguel Cummins cleaned up the lower order in only 18.4 overs. It was more of the same in the second innings, where Shannon Gabriel took a five-wicket haul, with Cummins and Holder claiming the other five.On the batting front, Kraigg Brathwaite prospered with a seventh Test century. Contributions from Devon Smith, Kieran Powell and Shai Hope gave them a 400-plus total, which was nine times more than Bangladesh’s first-innings 43. West Indies also caught very well, not allowing Bangladesh any second chances.Only Nurul Hasan got out of Antigua with any semblance of respect thanks to his counter-attacking 64 off 74 balls. It is likely that the team management will now add an eighth batsman, a usual measure that they tend to take after a particularly heavy defeat.It would mean they would go into the game with one fewer bowler, which would further burden Shakib Al Hasan’s all-round duties. Mehidy Hasan Miraz, Abu Jayed and Kamrul Islam Rabbi bowled well in patches but Rubel Hossain’s ever-increasing bowling average shows he may not be cut out for Test cricket.The onus is on the likes of Tamim Iqbal, Mushfiqur Rahim, Shakib Al Hasan and Mahmudullah to bail them out. But it won’t be an easy task against an in-form West Indies side.Bangladesh also suffered an injury blow on the eve of the Test, with fast bowler Shafiul Islam spraining his right ankle during fielding practice. He is likely to be out for three to six weeks and will return home after this Test.

Form guide

West Indies WLDWL
Bangladesh LLDLL

In the spotlight

After Bangladesh had been bowled out for just 43, Kraigg Brathwaite showed exactly how to bat in Antigua. He struck a century after almost 12 months, the seventh in his career, and will once again test Bangladesh’s patience.Nurul Hasan‘s inclusion as the specialist wicketkeeper was a surprise, but he made sure it would be hard to drop him, with a gritty half-century in the second innings. Tamim said that Nurul’s innings was an inspiration for the rest of the batting line-up, but can the rookie step up further?

Team news

Alzarri Joseph is likely to replace Kemar Roach – who has hamstring trouble – ahead of Keemo Paul. Shimron Hetmyer may also have to wait for his chance, with West Indies likely to stick to the combination that inflicted an innings defeat on the visitors.West Indies (probable): 1 Kraigg Brathwaite, 2 Devon Smith, 3 Kieran Powell, 4 Shai Hope, 5 Roston Chase, 6 Shane Dowrich (wk), 7 Jason Holder (capt), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Miguel Cummins, 10 Shannon Gabriel, 11 Alzarri JosephAfter a poor batting performance, the Bangladesh management usually picks an extra batsman in the following game for damage control. If that’s what happens in Jamaica, either Imrul Kayes or Nazmul Hossain Shanto would be the eighth batsman.Bangladesh (probable): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Liton Das, 3 Mominul Haque, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim, 5 Shakib Al Hasan (capt), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Nurul Hasan, 8 Mehidy Hasan Miraz, 9 Rubel Hossain, 10 Abu Jayed, 11 Kamrul Islam Rabbi

Pitch and conditions

On the eve of the match, Shakib Al Hasan said there would be “little more consistent pace and bounce than in Antigua” and he expected a “true wicket”. There’s a forecast of a light shower in Kingston early on the first day, but it’s clear skies for the rest of the game.

Stats and trivia

• Mushfiqur Rahim will become Bangladesh’s most capped Test player as he is set to overtake Mohammad Ashraful’s 61 matches. Since 2007, Mushfiqur has missed only one Test.
• Shakib Al Hasan has the most wickets (31) in Bangladesh-West Indies Tests. Roach’s burst in Antigua took his tally to 30 but his absence means Shakib can extend his lead.

Quotes

“[Kemar Roach] just had a slight hamstring strain and we took a precaution in terms of resting him. He’s obviously a big loss, Kemar’s been doing well with the new ball and also coming back and taking wickets, but I think Keemo Paul is a more than capable replacement and then we have Alzarri [Joseph] as another option, so we’ll see what happens tomorrow morning.”
“It is obviously a very important game for us. It is important how we start the game, whether we bowl or bat first. We need to start well regardless. We have to win every session and only by doing that we can win the match.”

ScorecardLuis Reece overcame a damaged ankle to put Derbyshire on course for a victory over Durham in the Royal London One Day Cup match at Derby.Reece made his highest List A score of 92 from 107 balls despite batting with a runner – Ben Slater taking up the job – and although former Derbyshire seamer Nathan Rimmington took three quick wickets, it was not enough to save Durham from a third consecutive North Group defeat.The all-rounder also took two wickets and although Tom Latham top scored with 66, Durham’s 272 for 8 was not enough as Gary Wilson with 40 and an unbeaten 42 from Alex Hughes saw Derbyshire home in the final over.Reece said: “The foot’s a bit painful and a bit swollen but touch wood I can get it sorted in time for Friday and be ready to go again. It’s not much fun to bat with a runner, I think I nearly ran Ben out about four times but I wanted to get out there and have a bat.”Derbyshire’s bowlers settled after Ravi Rampaul went for 13 in the second over and Matt Critchley sent down three wides in his first to prevent Durham getting away on a flat pitch.A direct hit by Wayne Madsen from point ran out Cameron Steel in the 11th over and although Graham Clark and Michael Richardson passed 40, they both fell trying to force the pace.Clark was bowled by Critchley and Richardson under-edged a pull at Olivier before Reece’s consistent line forced Will Smith to edge a drive and Stuart Poynter to play across a full length ball.Derbyshire’s disciplined display restricted Latham to only three fours in a 67 ball 50 and although he pulled Olivier for six, Durham’s chance of a challenging total ended when he failed to clear deep midwicket.Chris Rushworth hit Critchley for consecutive sixes and Rimmington pulled Rampaul over the ropes but Durham’s total looked under par on a true pitch in sunny conditions.That was reinforced by the way Ben Slater and Godleman started before Matt Dixon bowled Slater for 24 although he stayed out as a runner for Reece who had been hit on the ankle bowling.Both should have been back in the pavilion before the end of the first powerplay but Poynter spilled an edge off Rushworth when Reece was on six which proved a big moment.Godleman scored a century in the first game at Edgbaston and he reached 50 from 79 balls before Reece completed his half century by sweeping George Harding for his sixth four.Durham sensed an opening when Godleman played around a good length ball from Rimmington who struck again in his next over when Madsen was caught behind and Critchley chopped on three balls later.Reece moved into the 90’s by straight-driving Rushworth for four but in the 40th over, he played on to Harding to leave the game in the balance with Derbyshire needing 81 from the last 10 overs.But Wilson and Hughes played positively to add 80 as Derbyshire sealed a second victory with two balls to spare.

ScorecardDurham’s bowlers produced a fine comeback in the field to keep their Royal London One Day Cup hopes alive with a five-run win over Northamptonshire at Wantage Road.Tom Latham made 86 in 93 balls to steer Durham to 256 for 7 on a slow wicket before Will Smith and Matt Dixon induced a Northants collapse of 4 for 20 in five overs. Sixteen were needed from the final over and despite the first ball disappearing for six, Nathan Rimmington held his nerve as Northants could only make 251 for 9.As in their previous chase against Lancashire on Wednesday, the home side were in complete control at 167 for 3 in the 37th over with Alex Wakely and Adam Rossington sharing a stand of 129 for the fourth wicket to revive Northants from 38 for 3.With the weather seemingly closing in, they played carefully to stay ahead of the DLS score but could never bring down the asking rate down for the full 50-over chase. When the wickets fell, the required rate spiralled and even though Rory Kleinveldt kept Northants alive with 41 in 27 balls with three fours and two sixes, the task proved beyond them.Wakely made 79, his highest score of the season, passing fifty in 69 balls with just two boundaries. Rossington also passed fifty, his effort in 77 balls, after playing the sweetest of straight-drives for the innings’ first six before skipping down to lift another six over the bowler’s head.But having lifted Smith over mid-off for four and then over midwicket for six, he holed out to deep midwicket for 66 as Durham regained hope. Smith soon trapped Luke Procter lbw trying to reverse sweep.Dixon then produced two wickets in four balls. With his first delivery back into the attack, Wakely slapped straight to mid-on before a slower ball deceived Steven Crook and removed his middle stump.The Durham innings also swung back and forth and it needed a vital 86 from 93 balls from captain Latham to steer the visitors to a competitive score on a slow wicket. He survived a huge lbw appeal against Sanderson on 3 but struck Nathan Buck through cover for his first boundary, advanced at Graeme White to lift him over midwicket to raise the Durham hundred in the 26th before raising fifty in 65 balls.He eventually slapped a slower ball Rory Kleinveldt straight to extra cover for 86 after sharing partnerships of 90 for the fourth wicket with Smith and then 62 for the fifth wicket with Stuart Poynter – stands that saw Durham recover from 35 for 3 after 10 overs.And when Durham were in need of a late kick Gareth Harte, playing just his second List A match, provided one. He slog-swept White for the first six of the game and swung Sanderson to the midwicket fence, before driving the same bowler through the covers. In the final over he heaved Kleinveldt over the cow corner fence to help add 48 runs in the last five overs – a late rally that proved decisive.

Grace Harris’s sparkling 63 not out from 33 balls led Surrey to a five-wicket win over the Bears as they became the inaugural Vitality Blast Women’s champions in front of their home fans at the Kia Oval.The Australian all-rounder grabbed hold of a final which needed a heroine, striking two sixes and seven fours to steer the home side to victory. Fittingly, Southwark-born Kira Chathli, who watched her heroes here as a child, made the winning hit with 20 balls to spare. Amu Surenkumar and Em Arlott took two wickets apiece.Earlier, The Bears struggled to build partnerships with player of the match from the semi-final Issy Wong top scoring with 31 and Laura Harris Sister of Grace a typically ferocious 25 from 11. Phoebe Franklin was the pick of the Surrey attack with 2-16, while two superb runouts helped to further restrict the Bears.Meg Austin caressed the first ball of the innings for four only for Alexa Stonehouse to bowl her with an in-swinger.Davina Perrin’s miserable day with the bat was completed when Capsey castled her for nought and it was hero of the eliminator Issy Wong who gave the powerplay momentum with four boundaries and a five from an overthrow.Stonehouse ended her fun with another ball that hit the stumps and Sterre Kalis was run out by a magnificent throw from the deep by Ryana MacDonald-Gay.Natasha Wraith played nicely for 23 but she and Surenkumar fell in the space of four balls, the latter to a lightning quick stumping by Kira Chathli off Franklin.Laura Harris, was dropped early on and went on the offensive, twice clearing the ropes. Three other boundaries took the Australian to 25, but going for another big hit off Dani Gregory she found the hands of Franklin in the deep.Franklin removed the dangerous Emily Arlott too, but Millie Taylor (20 not out) marshalled the tail, leaving Surrey 154 for the title.Surrey’s chase suffered an early setback when Danni Wyatt-Hodge, prolific in the competition, lost the chance to be leading run-scorer as she holed out in the deep.Skipper Bryony Smith swept and pulled strongly, but fell to the last ball of the powerplay from Surenkumar and when Wraith whipped off the bails to stump Capsey off Hannah Baker, Surrey were floundering at 42-3.Three Sophia Dunkley boundaries from Millie Taylor’s opening over raised hopes for the side playing on their home ground and the England international hit Baker back over her head for six in the next.That was as good as it got for Dunkley who overbalanced trying to hit Surenkumar over the top, Wraith’s fast hands doing the rest.Grace Harris though took up the baton to play the match-defining innings, driving fours cleanly through cover and mid-off.Emily Arlott was dispatched to the sightscreen for six and swept for four, but Paige Scholfield perished in the deep trying to imitate the shot to give the bears renewed hope.Harris though remained to reach 50 at a strike rate of 200, before clubbing Taylor into the seats at midwicket as Surrey scampered home.

Keshav Maharaj claimed his first ODI career five-for as South Africa registered an emphatic, series-opening win over Australia in Cairns.Defending the highest total at the venue, 296, South Africa grabbed the match by the horns when they took 6 for 29 between the eight and 17th overs, as Maharaj delivered a sterling spell in which he found appreciable turn and maintained a consistent line to pick up 5 for 33. The margin finished as Australia heaviest runs defeat at home since 1991.Maharaj was omitted from the T20Is, as all-format coach Shukri Conrad preferred spin-bowling allrounders in the squad, but served up a reminder of his efficacy in shorter formats with his performance in Cairns. Conditions suited him, as they did the other spinners involved. Offspinner Prenelan Subrayen was the other early wicket-taker and finished with 1 for 46 from his 10 overs on ODI debut, while in the first innings Australia relied on part-time offspinner Travis Head, who bowled nine overs with a return of 4 for 57.Related

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As the numbers suggest, the surface was slow and spinner-friendly and with this being just the sixth ODI to be played in Cairns, it was difficult to judge a par-score. South Africa’s proved to be in excess of par and their trio of half-centuries from Aiden Markram, Matthew Breetzke and Temba Bavuma were more valuable than they initially appeared to be.Australia’s only real batting resistance came in the form of their captain Mitchell Marsh, who fell 12 short of a fourth ODI century. He shared in a 71-run seventh-wicket stand with Ben Dwarshuis which gave their innings some heft.That partnership came after Marsh watched his line-up collapse and squander a rollicking start against South Africa seamers. Marsh and Head scored 60 in the first seven overs and the highlight was Head’s take-down of left-arm seamer Nandre Burger, who he hit for five fours in an over. One of those came off the edge but the other four were full-blooded blows down the ground, over midwicket and through the offside as Australia brought up fifty in five overs.Mitchell Marsh tried to hold Australia together•Getty Images

The introduction of spin put a stop to all that. Head charged at Subrayen in his second over and missed which gave Ryan Rickelton plenty of time to complete the stumping. Maharaj was brought on at the other end and struck first ball. He had Marnus Labuschagne lbw, hit on the back pad by a ball that straightened. Labuschagne reviewed but replays showed the ball was hitting the top of middle stump.As if to script, the first ball of Maharaj’s second over also brought a wicket, with the best delivery he bowled. It pitched on middle and straightened to beat Cameron Green’s edge and take off stump. Maharaj had to wait slightly longer for this third but only until the second ball of his third over which Josh Inglis tried to hit off side but was stuck on the back foot and bowled. Alex Carey was then given out lbw sweeping the first ball he faced and Maharaj was on a hat-trick. He didn’t get it but completed his five-for two overs later when Aaron Hardie was bowled in similar fashion to Green.At that stage Maharaj had figures of 5 for 9 and South Africa could have hastened the end of the contest in the next over when Dwarshuis, on 4, drove Subrayen to cover but Maharaj spilled the chance. He wasn’t the only one drifting. South Africa meandered through the next 13 overs, using double-spin until Maharaj was bowled out. In that time, Marsh brought up a 51-ball fifty, when he cut Maharaj through point and South Africa seemed out of wicket-taking ideas. Burger was brought back after 28 overs and had his first success when Dwarshuis, on 33, pulled him to Dewald Brevis at midwicket.How Keshav Maharaj went through Australia•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Still, with Marsh in the middle, Australia would have had hopes of pulling off a heist but Burger’s more disciplined return also ended his knock. Marsh top-edged a pull and Rickelton completed the catch. Tristan Stubbs’ catching nightmare in Australia continued as he put down Adam Zampa at cover in what was his third drop of the tour. Zampa was last out after Lungi Ngidi wrapped things up in the 41st over with two wickets in three balls.South Africa’s innings had earlier started well, albeit somewhat slowly thanks to a 92-run opening partnership between Markram and Rickelton. They were circumspect in the face of a stern examination from Australia’s opening bowlers, Josh Hazlewood and Dwarshuis who found a hint of movement and denied them width. They were 32 without loss after seven overs, with Markram fairly comfortable opening the batting in an ODI for the first time in four years.Rickelton could have been run-out for 8 but a Carey throw missed the stumps, was given lbw to Head out on 25 but reviewed successfully, survived an Australian lbw review on 28 when replays showed Zampa had pitched outside leg and was dropped on 31 when Inglis could not hold on to a tough chance. His troubled stay at the crease ended when he tried to hit Head over mid-off and was caught by a diving Labuschagne.Aiden Markram scored 82 from 81•AFP/Getty Images

Markram’s 13th ODI fifty came off 54 balls, and was laced with well-timed drives and cuts and would have gone a long way to easing concerns about his form. He moved through the gears quickly and was on 82 off 81 balls, set for his first century in 20 innings, but loosely edged behind against Dwarshuis.Bavuma, in a new position at No.3 and batting for the first time since the World Test Championship final, was underway with a signature pull over midwicket but found it difficult to keep going. Breetzke proved a complementary partner who took on more of an aggressor role. He hit Dwarshuis over midwicket for the innings’ first six in the 28th over and took on Australia’s third spinner Labuschagne when he swept him for back-to-back fours but did not last into the last ten overs for a big finish. Breetzke top-edged a slog-sweep in 39th over to leave it to the power-hitters to finish off.Stubbs and Brevis both holed out to long-on in the space of four balls as Head removed South Africa’s two most destructive middle-order hitters. Bavuma brought up his fourth successive half-century with a paddle sweep but inside-edged onto his stumps and could not close the innings out.Instead, Wiaan Mulder’s 31 off 26 balls added the finishing touches. He ended the innings with South Africa’s third six, hit high over long-on off Dwarshuis. South Africa scored 73 runs in the last 10 overs, but lost five wickets in that time.

Essex’s Championship challenge foundered at The Kia Oval a few days ago and as spectators gathered again at Chelmsford, the air was thick with inquests. It was thick with humidity, too, which is about as close as it has got to raining in these parts this summer, and in that atmosphere, Nick Browne reminded everyone of his worth with his second hundred of the season.Somerset, who find themselves part of a West Country bottom two, had imagined they were catching Essex at a good time with their title ambitions over – although an even better time would have been with Simon Harmer absent with South Africa for the upcoming Test series against England. As it was, Browne supervised a successful Essex day, batting the entire day for 129 out of 281 for 3.Chelmsford remains parched. It gets roughly half the annual rain that falls upon the likes of Manchester and Cardiff in an average summer. The outfield at the River End of the ground is in a terrible state, worn and bumpy with drainage ditches clearly visible. Field in this area at your peril.Centuries have tended to come this season from Essex’s more celebrated opener, Alastair Cook, who has made four of their 10 in the Championship this season. Browne, a big, lumbering sort, often guarded in his strokeplay, is not really designed to wrest attention, but he is the most wholehearted of cricketers. They remain an opening partnership to be reckoned with and he played well.Browne told blithely how he and Cook used to keep a tally over the season about who got out first before it was abandoned for his own good. “It is always hard to get out after him,” he said. “We used to have a little competition but I always seemed to lose it because he is too good.”How many England players as distinguished as Cook will remain true to county cricket in the future? Nearly four years have passed since he bowed out of Test cricket against India at The Oval, but he appears to have settled back into Championship life with equanimity and he looked untroubled in making 44 before Peter Siddle cut one back to have him lbw, the third time he has dismissed him in the Championship this season.The extension of Marcus Trescothick’s career in county cricket with Somerset felt like a prolonged farewell tour with the Taunton crowd outpouring its gratitude for every extra season, almost every extra run. Trescothick’s presence at Somerset was heartfelt, of course, because of the mental health issues that had ended his England career prematurely. Essex’s ties with Cook, while just as strong, are perhaps more understated; less emotional. Both, though, might be figures from a different age.Related

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With England now pulling around 30 players out of county cricket from an early age to feed a never-ending international schedule, and with the future county fixture list once again awash with uncertainty, it invites questions whether club loyalties of the best players can possibly remain as strong in a changing landscape. Then you think of Joe Root and imagining him settling back with Yorkshire many years from hence and maybe for some it remains perfectly possible. Perhaps it is not the nature of the competition, but the nature of the man.Essex’s opening pair are easy to tell apart: Cook, willowy and contemplative, accumulating quietly, rarely drawing attention to himself; Browne, more hunched and thick-set and capable of occasional moments of pugnacity, his speciality the sort of punched drive through extra cover, off Siddle that brought him a most diligent hundred. He had sweated it out for 13 balls on 99, including a play-and-miss against Kasey Aldridge, one of the few times his outside edge was beaten. Siddle, who has also played at Essex awarded it a fist-bump of respect.During the morning, Somerset had an injury scare for Craig Overton, who has been released by England to play in this match. He limped away from an over after having problems with the footholes, and also missed part of the morning session after jarring his shoulder in the field.All Somerset’s wickets on an unresponsive pitch came in the afternoon session. Tom Westley drove at Overton, back with no long-term damage, to be caught at slip, and Dan Lawrence slumped in disbelief when he cut the last ball of the afternoon session, a wide long-hop from Matt Renshaw, an occasional offspinner, to slip. Renshaw finished off a wearying day by bowling Browne a bouncer off a few paces which he duly ducked underneath.Paul Walter had his aggressive moments for an unbeaten 57, never more so than when he lofted Jack Leach for a straight six during 27 unrewarding overs for England’s premier spin bowler. Few anticipate that Harmer will be as unproductive as the game progresses.

Northern Superchargers 164 for 3 (Wolvaardt 90*) beat Manchester Originals 160 for 3 (Dottin 68*, Lee 40) by seven wicketsDeandra Dottin produced some of the finest hitting seen in either edition of the Women’s Hundred but her efforts were trumped by Laura Wolvaardt, whose perfectly judged 90 not out took the Northern Superchargers to a seven-wicket victory with one ball to spare at Clean Slate Headingley.Wolvaardt batted through the Superchargers’ innings and faced 49 balls, hitting 13 fours and two sixes as the Leeds-based side overhauled the visitors’ 160 for three to secure a victory that keeps their chances of making the knockout stages of the competition very much alive. By contrast, the Originals’ hopes of making further progress hang by the slimmest of threads.But such an outcome seemed unlikely when Dottin, who was playing her last game in this year’s Hundred before going back to captain Trinbago Knight Riders in the inaugural women’s Caribbean Premier League, hit five fours and six sixes, including three in a row off Linsey Smith, in her 30-ball 68 not out and shared in the 74-run partnership with Sophie Ecclestone that enabled the Originals to post a formidable score.And the Originals’ innings had begun in sprightly fashion when Lizelle Lee took at least one boundary of each of the first five sets and made 40 of the 57 runs she put on with Emma Lamb when she top-edged an attempted drive off Katie Levick and was caught by the wicketkeeper Alyssa Healy.Lamb soon followed for 14, although it took a brilliant catch running in from long-on by Alice Davidson-Richards off Heather Graham to remove her and that dismissal was in sharp contrast to the departure of Ami Campbell, who was run out for 7 when she was dozily strolling back into her crease and was beaten by Hollie Armitage’s sharp throw and Healy’s quick thinking.The score was 86 off 38 balls when Campbell had to stroll back to the dugout but that was only a prelude to the astonishing hitting of Dottin. At the other end Ecclestone was not quite outshone – she whacked three successive fours off Jenny Gunn – but her unbeaten 24 was overshadowed by her partner’s remarkably clean hitting.Undaunted by their stiff target, the Superchargers began very positively with Healy hitting six fours in an 18-ball 25 before she was caught at mid-off by Lea Tahuhu off Kate Cross. Lamb’s excellent throw then ran out Bess Heath for three but Superchargers’ skipper, Armitage regained the initiative with a 20-ball 24 before being bowled by Lamb.Meanwhile Wolvaardt was coolness personified even when 75 runs were needed off 40 balls and 55 off 25. In company with Graham, she put on an unbroken 55 in 24 balls and the winning runs were scored off Dottin, whose day was spoiled when her last over contained a front-foot no-ball and thereby a free hit.

Andrew Gale and Rich Pyrah have agreed compensation with Yorkshire after winning their case for unfair dismissal.Gale, the former captain and head coach, and Pyrah, who spent more than a decade on the Yorkshire playing staff before becoming bowling coach, were among 16 members of staff abruptly sacked last year in the wake of Azeem Rafiq racism scandal.They were subsequently part of a group of former Yorkshire employees who won a preliminary employment tribunal hearing in June.Yorkshire’s accounts revealed that the club had set aside £1.9 million for compensation and legal affairs, with Gale set to receive a six-figure settlement, according to the .A Yorkshire statement said: “On the December 3 2021, the Yorkshire County Cricket Club Limited took the decision to dismiss its coaching and medical staff. The club has acknowledged that its dismissals of that group of employees was procedurally unfair.”After meaningful dialogue between the club and the legal advisers acting on behalf of Andrew Gale and Richard Pyrah the parties can confirm that acceptable terms of settlement have been reached.”The financial terms of the settlements are confidential and no further public statement will be made about the terms.”Yorkshire have also reportedly agreed an out-of-court settlement with Ian Fisher, the club’s former strength and conditioning coach.