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The death of 38-year-old first-class cricketer Aamer Bashir, has led to a call from former Pakistan players Ramiz Raja, Rashid Latif and Abdul Qadir for the establishment of a players association in the country

ESPNcricinfo staff22-Dec-2010The death of 38-year-old first-class cricketer Aamer Bashir, after a long-running battle against cancer, has led to a call from former Pakistan players Ramiz Raja, Rashid Latif and Abdul Qadir for the establishment of a players association in the country.”I think the way, and the conditions in which Aamer Bashir passed away are sad and there are many other players facing similar financial problems,” Ramiz told . “The formation of the players association will mean they can work for the welfare of players from one common platform.”Leading cricketers like Shahid Afridi, Younis Khan and Basit Ali worked hard to ensure Bashir received proper medical treatment, in addition to monetary assistance from the board. Ramiz asked for a more organised set-up to help such cricketers, and made it clear that forming a players association did not mean the players wanted to confront the board’s authority.”It should not be viewed that way [as a threat to the board],” he said. “If we have a proper association it can work for the welfare of players and also educate them on how to handle things and behave while playing for Pakistan.””When you are fighting with a terminal illness having financial issues plays a big role in only worsening the disease,” Latif, who had campaigned to raise funds for Bashir, said. Latif also noted that the board had opposed earlier efforts to set up a players body, a point that Qadir agreed with.”Even if the board does not give us permission we can easily go to court and get permission because I think it is the right of cricketers to have a representative body in the country it is long overdue,” Qadir said. “I just feel in Pakistan cricket, where there are so many disputes and controversies, a players association can play a very productive and positive role.”

Ireland secured an impressive four-wicket victory against Zimbabwe to highlight their potential for making a mark on the World Cup

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Feb-2011
Scorecard
Elton Chigumbura struck a fine hundred but Ireland still overhauled the target•Getty Images

Ireland secured an impressive four-wicket victory against Zimbabwe to highlight their potential for making a mark on the World Cup. Kevin O’Brien guided them home with three balls spare as he struck an unbeaten 62 after adding 99 with Andre Botha (79) to form the backbone of the chase.It meant Elton Chigumbura’s 81-ball 103 went in vain and completed back-to-back warm-up defeats for Zimbabwe who were comprehensively beaten by South Africa in Chennai. They weren’t helped when Ed Rainsford was forced out of the attack after his first delivery when he was struck on the leg by a straight drive, leaving the bulk of their bowling once again in the hands of the spinners. But in the absence of key batsmen Ed Joyce and William Porterfield, Ireland showed fine composure having lost Paul Stirling in the first over.Alex Cusack gave the innings an early foundation with his 47, but at 127 for 4 in the 32nd over Ireland still needed a substantial partnership to overhaul the target. Botha provided the anchor while O’Brien brought the muscle to their fifth-wicket partnership as they kept up with the required rate. O’Brien twice cleared the ropes but lost his partner with 19 needed and Gary Wilson followed to provide a few late nerves until John Mooney helped see Ireland home.Zimbabwe’s top order had struggled, slipping to 12 for 3 and then 100 for 5 as Trent Johnson took 2 for 9 in five overs. Chigumbura and Prosper Utseya added 54 as Ireland used a variety of bowling options and Chigumbura then took charge with the lower order for company. He hit eight fours and three sixes as 90 runs came from the last seven overs, but it still didn’t prove enough.”It was the worst fielding performance we have produced since I took over as coach,” said a disappointed Alan Butcher afterwards. “It was diabolical and unacceptable and I told the players that. We didn’t score enough runs and it was actually a good effort to get so close to victory given how poorly we fielded.”For Chigumbura it was a day of mixed emotions: “I’m pleased to have scored the hundred and to get back to form – hopefully I can carry it on for the rest of the tournament. But we will have to improve as a team and it was very disappointing to field like we did and to lose.”

ESPNcricinfo previews the eagerly anticipated clash between India and England

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan26-Feb-2011

Match Facts

February 27, Bangalore
Start time 14.30 (0900 GMT)Michael Yardy could be recalled by England to bolster the spin-bowling department•Getty Images

The Big Picture

The build-up and hype ahead of this match has been huge and we are still barely into the second week of the World Cup. This was always going to be one of the marquee clashes of the tournament, and even though it has been moved away from Eden Gardens to the slightly less daunting Chinnaswamy Stadium, that hasn’t dulled the anticipation. You only need to see the unfortunate pictures from outside the ground during the week, as locals rushed for tickets, to know how desperate they are to watch their team.However, there are two sides taking part and England are insisting they can use the expectation being piled on to the hosts in their favour. From a purely cricket view, the stadium switch won’t have disappointed Andrew Strauss’s team because, both on and off the field in Bangalore, conditions will be slightly less hostile than could have been the case in Kolkata.Yet England’s record against India in their own backyard makes for grim reading. They have won one of their last 13 completed ODIs in the country, going back to the 5-1 drubbing in 2006 and the 5-0 scoreline in 2008, before the series was cancelled due to the Mumbai bombings. In between they were also thrashed at the 2006 Champions Trophy. On one hand the odds say they are due a win, but on the other the statistics make damning reading.If they want to spoil India’s World Cup party the key will be containing the power-packed top order. Virender Sehwag set down the gauntlet with 175 against Bangladesh and was backed up by Virat Kohli’s fine hundred. Sachin Tendulkar was cut short on 25, while Yuvraj Singh and MS Dhoni didn’t even need to bat. It’s a daunting prospect, but England have shown they can rise for the big occasion. Whatever happens, let’s hope it matches the expectation.

Form guide

(completed matches, most recent first)
India WLLWW

England WLLLW

Watch out for…

Ahead of India matches, it’s the likes of Sehwag, Tendulkar, Dhoni and Harbhajan Singh who take most of the headlines, but you ignore Gautam Gambhir at your peril. He has become a supremely consistent batsman across all formats and is the perfect foil to his top-order team-mates. He started with a neat run-a-ball 39 against Bangladesh and England will have to ensure they give him as much focus as the mega-star names around him. A one-day average of 34 against England, six runs below his career level, is something he’ll want to correct, but the visiting bowlers will want to increase that daylight.None of England’s quicks can be pleased with their efforts against Netherlands, but there were some encouraging signs from Stuart Broad in his first international since the second Ashes Test. Having warmed up with 10 wickets in two games against Canada and Pakistan, he bowled with decent pace against the Dutch and found bounce from a flat Nagpur surface. However, he sometimes got carried away with banging the ball in and forgot to aim at the stumps. His yorker can be effective (he was denied such a wicket when Paul Collingwood forgot to walk inside the circle) and against top-quality batsmen he’ll have to be ready to adjust his game plans.Talking of the quick bowlers, one of the reasons the venue switch isn’t all bad news is the bounce that could be on offer. It won’t be flying through at shoulder height, but the quick bowlers are likely to find some encouragement especially after the recent heavy rain in the city. One-day cricket is at its best with an even contest between bat and ball.

Team news

Virender Sehwag was struck in the ribs during a net session but is expected to be fine for the match and India have no reason to tinker with the top order. The big question mark comes with Sreesanth, who had a nightmare against Bangladesh when his five overs went for 53. India got away with it that day, but can’t afford to carry a bowler in every match. However, Ashish Nehra is not yet at full fitness so India will have to decide whether to stick with Sreesanth or play an extra spinner.India (possible) 1 Virender Sehwag, 2 Sachin Tendulkar, 3 Gautam Gambhir, 4 Virat Kohli, 5 Yuvraj Singh, 6 MS Dhoni (capt & wk), 7 Yusuf Pathan, 8 Harbhajan Singh, 9 Zaheer Khan, 10 Sreesanth/Piyush Chawla, 11 Munaf Patel.Broad has been suffering from an upset stomach but is expected to be fit and England’s main decision is whether to strengthen their spin-bowling with a recall for Michael Yardy. The current plan is to get 10 overs from Paul Collingwood and Kevin Pietersen but that’s a huge risk against India. The problem is, though, that the man most likely to make way for Yardy would be Ravi Bopara, who helped see the team home against Netherlands.England (possible) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Kevin Pietersen, 3 Jonathan Trott, 4 Ian Bell, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Matt Prior (wk), 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad, 10 Graeme Swann, 11 James Anderson

Pitch and conditions

There was torrential rain in Bangalore on Friday afternoon which left large puddles on the outfield. The weather has remained cool and cloudy over the weekend, and there is a chance of more showers, which will make the toss important with the possible intervention of Duckworth-Lewis. The damp weather may work against Yardy, but the pitch turned square in the warm-up matches.

Stats and trivia

• Despite all the talk about Sehwag, his average against England in India is the lowest of the current top six – 37.70 – but the strike-rate is 100.
• Sreesanth’s performance against Bangladesh was horrid, but he has 10 wickets at 16 each against England in India.
• Unsurprisingly, Pietersen is England’s best batsman in India with an average of 56.08 from 14 matches and the lone century among the team’s current top order
• India and England have met three times in Bangalore and it’s the visitors who actually lead the head-to-head 2-1, although the wins did come back in 1985 and 1993.

Quotes

“I don’t think it’s a case of reinventing the wheel, we just need to play good, smart cricket. In some ways there’s more pressure on India than us in this game.”
“We are not celebrating yet, that’s for sure. Of course, we had a good start in the opening game, where we batted really well and after that spinners did a good job in the middle overs. Again, I think it’s about the team that will start well and hold the nerves for a consistent period of time.”

Sidharth Trivedi choked Deccan’s run flow with a canny spell of slow bouncers, before Johan Botha, elevated to the No. 3 spot, guided them past the target of 138 in the 19th over

The Bulletin by Nitin Sundar09-Apr-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsOne year away from the game, no matter. Shane Warne was promptly back in charge of things•AFP

Deccan Chargers were up against the mother of all jinxes. They had never won a game in front of their home crowd in Hyderabad, and had finished second-best in each of their six previous games against Rajasthan Royals. Things did not change at the end of their IPL 2011 opener against a limited, but inspired outfit. A visibly slimmer Shane Warne, with his eyebrows tweezed and sporting a brighter shade of blue than last year, led Rajasthan with aplomb, and his team responded well. Siddharth Trivedi choked Deccan’s run flow with a canny spell of slow bouncers, before Johan Botha, elevated to the No. 3 spot, in the absence of Shane Watson and because of his comfort in playing fast bowling, guided them past the target of 138 in the 19th over.Botha walked out to a pressure situation, after Amit Paunikar was snared by a vicious Dale Steyn away-seamer in the sixth over, with the run-rate under six runs per over. Clearly limited as a batsman, Botha resorted to singles unless bad balls came along. When they did, he ensured they were sent to the boundary. Pragyan Ojha was swept, Daniel Christian was scythed through the covers, Amit Mishra was reverse-swept and Steyn was pulled emphatically as the run-rate began to pick up. Rahul Dravid, however, continued to struggle and was eventually dismissed by a Steyn slower ball.Amit Mishra piled on the pressure with a tight follow-up over, leaving Rajasthan needing 54 off the last six. With the game in the balance, Botha glanced Christian for four before Ross Taylor hammered Mishra in the 16th over, cutting fine for four, and lashing over deep square leg for six. Thirty-two required off 24 and advantage Rajasthan once again.Steyn was not done though, producing an exemplary fourth over that went for just two, including three successive slower balls that Botha could not get away. Ishant Sharma, who had begun well, let the game slip with a shoddy 18th over that was plundered for 15 runs. The over began with a no-ball and included a slew of length balls, the last of which Taylor catapulted over midwicket. Botha sealed things in the 19th, in the process marching past 50.Rajasthan could afford a couple of slip-ups in the chase, thanks to their excellence in the field earlier in the day. Deccan’s top order seemed ill-equipped to deal with the lack of pace on the pitch: Ishank Jaggi kept going hard at the ball, but could not succeed against the seamers’ discipline. Shikhar Dhawan looked to crunch boundaries through the off side, but just as he began to size up the conditions, he slogged Amit Singh straight to deep midwicket.Thereafter Trivedi and Warne put their side in control. Kumar Sangakkara has had a hectic week, losing the World Cup final, standing down as Sri Lanka captain and taking charge of the Deccan side. His stint with the new franchise got off to a poor start as he edged an effort ball from Trivedi behind for a duck. When Bharat Chipli inside-edged a heave across the line, Deccan were in some strife and things got worse when Jaggi dragged Warne to long-on.Warne evoked sights of his dominance over Daryl Cullinan as he reduced JP Duminy to groping and fumbling without conviction against his sliders. He eventually fell slicing Warne to long-off, as Deccan’s innings floundered for momentum in the death overs. Christian and Ravi Teja injected some late momentum, but the final score of 137 was not enough to break the Hyderabad hoodoo.

Nick Compton’s century guided Somerset to a four-wicket victory over the
Unicorns in Group C of the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Wormsley.

01-May-2011
Scorecard
Somerset overcame the loss of Marcus Trescothick for a duck to beat the Unicorns by four wickets•Getty Images

Nick Compton’s century guided Somerset to a four-wicket victory over the
Unicorns in Group C of the Clydesdale Bank 40 at Wormsley.Having won the toss and chosen to bat first, the home side posted a competitive
total of 218 despite Ajantha Mendis’ three for 32.Somerset lost early wickets but Compton steadied the ship and Jos Buttler
punched an unbeaten 30 from 23 balls to see them home.An opening partnership of 78 got the Unicorns’ innings off to a perfect start,
Jackson Thompson leading the way with a flurry of boundaries.But when he was the first man out, trapped lbw by Mendis for 44 – made from 37
balls, with seven fours and a six – it quickly became a double setback.
Wicketkeeper Josh Knappett was the man removed first ball by Mendis, Buttler
taking the catch.The other opener, Michael Thornely, pressed on to 47 from 51 balls but, having
hit five fours, he offered a return catch to give the Sri Lanka spinner his
third wicket.Chris Benham and captain Keith Parsons – playing against his former club –
rebuilt with a stand of 42 before the former was caught by Somerset skipper
Marcus Trescothick off Gemaal Hussain.Parsons reached 41 before giving keeper Craig Kieswetter one of his three
catches and tail-enders Neil Saker and Glen Querl put on 25 in the later stages
to see their side to 218 for eight in their 40 overs.Saker quickly picked up the key wicket of Trescothick for a third-ball duck and
the latter’s opening partner Kieswetter fell to Querl for five, Knappett taking
the catches on both occasions.But Peter Trego made 21 and Compton and James Hildreth then put on 62 for the
fourth wicket before Hildreth was run out by Querl.Compton lost Lewis Gregory for 11 but found another willing ally in Buttler in
a sixth-wicket stand of 69.Compton completed his century from 102 deliveries and swiftly cracked a 10th
four to add to his two sixes, but his vigil was ended with 10 runs required when
Saker found a way through his defences.Buttler remained to finish the job, though, and Arul Suppiah emerged to
casually hit two of the four balls he faced to the boundary in a cameo of nine
not out.Saker took an impressive three for 33 and Querl (two for 47) also emerged with
credit, but Somerset always had enough in the tank as they wrapped up the win
with seven balls remaining.

Wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman, allrounder Hammad Azam and left-arm seamer Junaid Khan are the new faces in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2011Wicket-keeper Mohammad Salman, allrounder Hammad Azam and left-arm seamer Junaid Khan are the new faces in Pakistan’s 15-member squad for the upcoming two-Test series against West Indies.Misbah-ul-Haq who led the Test side creditably in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal, remains in charge. Salman, Azam and Junaid have all been, in effect, kept on after being blooded in the limited-overs leg of the West Indies tour.The only minor surprise in the squad was the exclusion of Adnan Akmal, who has been the Test wicketkeeper in charge since his elder brother Kamran lost his place in the five-day format in the aftermath of the spot-fixing scandal last summer. Over four Tests against South Africa and New Zealand he performed well with the gloves, generally neat and clean and, importantly given his brother’s faltering form, safe in taking 17 dismissals.Though there was no big innings with the bat, there was a handy 44 in Hamilton earlier this year. His replacement has impressed behind the stumps in the ongoing ODI series but hasn’t really had an opportunity to do so with the bat, having batted once in three ODIs upto the fourth game between the two sides.There is a fair degree of stability from the last Test squad for New Zealand with the three newcomers the only changes. Sohail Tanvir has been replaced by Junaid and the continuing development of middle order batsmen Asad Shafiq and Azhar Ali means there is no place for Khurram Manzoor. Azam, for the first time since Yasir Arafat’s brief Test flirtation in 2007-08, offers Pakistan a genuine Test all-round option – Shahid Afridi’s one-Test comeback last year at Lord’s notwithstanding.Younis Khan, who was rested for the one-dayers, returns for the Tests, as does Umar Gul.The first Test will be played from May 12 at Providence Stadium in Guyana, and the second will be played at Warner Park in St Kitts from May 20. The series is widely regarded as Pakistan’s best chance to win their first-ever Test series in the Caribbean, against a weakened West Indies side that might be missing several key players.Pakistan already have an unassailable lead in the five-match ODI series, having won the first three. West Indies won the lone Twenty20 fixture.Squad: Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), Younis Khan, Taufeeq Umar, Mohammad Hafeez, Asad Shafiq, Azhar Ali, Mohammad Salman (wk), Saeed Ajmal, Abdur Rehman, Umar Akmal, Umar Gul, Wahab Riaz, Tanvir Ahmed, Junaid Khan, Hammad Azam

Yorkshire’s dismal Championship form carried over into the Friends Life t20 as they made a disappointing start to their campaign by losing to Warwickshire by five wickets

03-Jun-2011
ScorecardYorkshire’s dismal Championship form carried over into the Friends Life t20 as they made a disappointing start to their campaign by losing to Warwickshire by five wickets with 13 balls remaining at Headingley.It was the Bears second consecutive win and it was Will Porterfield who again led the chase towards a 162 target following his 83 against Durham at Riverside last night. He raced to his 50 from 21 balls – the same as Yorkshire skipper Andrew Gale had done earlier – and had hurried on to 64 from 34 deliveries with 10 fours when he was lbw sweeping at Adil Rashid.Porterfield had already put on 71 in six overs for the second wicket with Neil Carter who was caught behind off David Wainwright for 27 soon after being struck on the chin by a short ball from Richard Pyrah.Rashid, who had Varun Chopra lbw in the first over of the innings, also struck the ball after dismissing Porterfield by having Darren Maddy edging to wicket-keeper Gerard Brophy. The leg-spinner enjoyed figures of 3 for 28 from his four overs but Yorkshire’s pacemen came in for some harsh treatment as Warwickshire grew in confidence.Tim Ambrose (26) and Rikki Clarke (21) met few problems in seeing the visitors over the line with an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 42 in four overs.Put in to bat, Yorkshire began at a furious pace as Gale and Jonny Bairstow thrashed 52 together off just 23 balls with Gale going on to complete the third fastest half-century ever recorded by his side in the competition.In Andy Miller’s first over he was clubbed over long on for four and six by Gale, who then drilled Carter for three consecutive boundaries in an over which cost 18 runs. There was no stopping the rampant Gale and two more fours off Miller gave him his sixth boundary from seven deliveries before Bairstow moved into double figures by picking up a ball from Miller and striking it cleanly over midwicket for six.The partnership was broken next ball when Bairstow cut Miller to Keith Barker at short third man and soon afterwards Gale completed his 50 from 21 deliveries with nine fours and a six.But the running out of Gale for 54 applied the brake to Yorkshire’s innings and they never regained their early momentum. He departed when Adam Lyth played to square leg and Steffan Piolet atoned for a misfield by knocking down the stumps with a direct hit with Gale out of his crease.Lyth and Anthony McGrath put on 40 together for the third wicket before both fell to Maddy who also had Brophy caught on the boundary edge to give him three wickets for 10 runs in his two overs. Rashid and Ryan Sidebottom could do little to boost Yorkshire’s score beyond 161 for 9.

Wayne Madsen’s second successive swift half-century for Derbyshire against Durham proved in vain as their Friends Life t20 clash was washed out mid-match at Chester-le-Street

12-Jun-2011
Scorecard
Wayne Madsen’s second successive swift half-century for Derbyshire against Durham proved in vain as their Friends Life t20 clash was washed out mid-match at Chester-le-Street. Despite not being a powerful hitter, the South African followed his 28-ball half-century at Derby on Friday evening by reaching 50 off only 25 deliveries.The visitors scored 169 for 5, 14 fewer than in Friday’s five-run home win, but rain prevented Durham from beginning their reply. By the time Madsen was out for 54 in the 19th over the drizzle which had started in the 10th over was growing heavier.Dale Benkenstein put Derbyshire in and gave the first over to Chris Rushworth, who was dispatched to the boundary four times in succession by Martin Guptill. The New Zealander followed Friday’s 35-ball half-century by threatening something even better as he also cut and pulled the last two balls of the third over, bowled by Mitch Claydon, for four.Graham Onions conceded only one run off the second over, when he also had Wes Durston caught at third man, and in tandem with Liam Plunkett he kept a tight rein on Guptill after his flying start. With Chesney Hughes initially struggling to time the ball, the score had limped along to 66 in the 11th over when Plunkett accepted a return catch to send back Guptill for 44, made off 31 balls.Plunkett’s first three overs cost only 16 but his fourth went for 15 as he bowled two leg-side wides either side of Madsen flipping him for six just over the head of Ian Blackwell at long leg.
The left-handed Hughes also began to middle the ball, lifting offspinner Gareth Breese over long-on and hitting a second six over midwicket off Paul Collingwood.England’s Twenty20 World Cup winning captain had not bowled on Friday but came on for the 15th over and took 2 for 24 in three overs. Hughes fell for 48 in going for another big hit off Breese, then Madsen reached his 50 by turning Collingwood to fine leg for his seventh four before the same bowler had him caught behind. Also in the 19th over, Garry Park swung a second catch to Gordon Muchall at deep midwicket.The washout left both teams in the bottom four of the northern group.

Josh Cobb blazed his way to a career-best 91 not out to fire Leicestershire
Foxes to only their second victory of the season in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and
put a dent in Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Jul-2011
Scorecard
Josh Cobb blazed his way to a career-best 91 not out to fire Leicestershire
Foxes to only their second victory of the season in the Clydesdale Bank 40 and
put a dent in Northamptonshire Steelbacks’ hopes of reaching the semi-finals.The Foxes’ 20-year-old opener blasted two sixes and nine fours in his 88-ball
innings as Leicestershire raced to a five-wicket win, reaching their target of
207 with 9.2 overs to spare.Half-centuries from Stephen Peters and Andrew Hall helped the Steelbacks to a
total of 206 for six after they had been put into bat. But with Cobb in such blistering form it proved nowhere near enough.The home side put down a marker in the first few overs of their innings – Cobb
and Andrew McDonald putting on 58 in the first six. The second over from Hall
went for 31 runs with two no-balls added to a six and five fours that came from
the bat of McDonald.The Australian all-rounder finally fell to a catch in the deep off the bowling
of Lee Daggett for 35 but, by the end of the eight power-play overs, the Foxes
had reached 83 for two compared to the Steelbacks’ 36 for two at the same
stage. From that point on the Foxes were in complete command and they made light work
of the victory charge with Cobb dominating the Northamptonshire attack.He struck the ball superbly on both sides of the wicket, hitting sixes off
Chaminda Vaas and David Willey, in addition to numerous other boundaries that
flew through the gaps in the field.Although Will Jefferson, Jacques du Toit and Wayne White fell cheaply to leave
the Foxes on 138 for four in the 16th over it proved just a brief respite for
the Steelbacks.Cobb and Matt Boyce (28) shared a fifth-wicket stand of 66 in 14 overs that
took the home side to the brink of victory before Boyce skied a catch off James
Middlebrook.Cobb sealed the win with another cracking boundary to go past his previous best
one-day score of 87 against Durham in the same competition earlier in the
season.Peters, with 63 off 90 balls, and Hall, who made 67 off 81, provided the
backbone to a disappointing Steelbacks innings. The visitors never recovered
from a poor start when Foxes seamer Nadeem Malik took three for 18 in his first
six overs. Only a stand of 91 between Peters and Hall gave the innings any substance, but
in the end it was well below what was required.Having won their first five games in the competition the Steelbacks have now
lost two in succession and face a real battle to reach the last four.

Northamptonshire are poised to take another big stride towards promotion after
bowling Derbyshire to the brink of defeat on the third day of the County
Championship Division Two match at Chesterfield

19-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Northamptonshire are poised to take another big stride towards promotion after
bowling Derbyshire to the brink of defeat on the third day of the County
Championship Division Two match at Chesterfield.The home side were 289 for 8 for at the close, chasing an improbable target
of 494, after James Middlebrook scored his third championship century of the
season in Northamptonshire’s 416 for 9 declared.David Lucas picked up three wickets and skipper Andrew Hall and Middlebrook
each took two, but although the visitors claimed an extra half hour, they could
not finish the home side off. Northamptonshire had resumed the third day on 285 for 6, already a commanding 362 runs in front, and by lunch had added another 101 for the loss of Hall.Derbyshire’s only hope was to knock over the last four wickets quickly, but
despite a good spell with the new ball, it was 19 overs before they broke the
Hall and Middlebrook stand. Hall was clearly determined to bat Derbyshire out of the game and had faced 150 balls for his 44 when he edged a drive and was well caught by Martin Guptill low
to his left at second slip.He had added 102 in 39 overs with Middlebrook and although Northamptonshire
were now 404 runs in front, there was no sign of a declaration. Middlebrook straight drove Greg Smith for six and Chaminda Vaas played some elegant strokes until he went for a big hit at Chesney Hughes and was bowled for 37.Hall waited until Middlebrook cut Smith for the boundary which took him to his
hundred before setting Derbyshire the task of scoring the highest fourth-innings
total in the county’s history.At least they could draw some inspiration from last year, when they made 365
against Surrey at Queen’s Park, and Martin Guptill and Chesney Hughes began
confidently by scoring 52 from the first 10 overs.Hughes was clearly unhappy to be given out caught behind off Hall for 20 and
Smith (six) failed again when Lucas found some inswing to knock out his off
stump. Derbyshire’s hopes rested with Guptill and the New Zealander unleashed some
scorching drives to move to 46 from 56 balls, but the wicket Northamptonshire
wanted came when he edged Hall onto his pad and Niall O’Brien took a low catch.Wes Durston and Dan Redfern played some defiant shots but Vaas tempted the
former into a forcing stroke at a wide one, and Middlebrook took his side closer
to victory seven overs later. Redfern drove and hooked Hall for three fours in an over on his way to a 45-ball fifty, but Middlebrook found some extra bounce to have him taken at
first slip on 58 and Lucas cut one back to trap Luke Sutton lbw for 14.Ross Whiteley then chopped Lucas into his leg stump and, when the visitors
claimed the extra eight overs, Tim Groenewald was dropped twice in the slips
before he was caught off bat pad at silly point.Hall saw another slip catch go down off his bowling as Jon Clare and Tony
Palladino held on to take the match into the fourth morning.