Changes to both teams appear likely for the second match in the National Bank Series between New Zealand and England at the WestpacTrust Stadium in Wellington tomorrow.New Zealand’s change, bringing in Brendon McCullum for Ian Butler, is a response to the expected slow pitch while England’s choices are likely to be more extensive with Andy Caddick being touted as a victim of Wednesday’s first loss to be replaced by Matthew Hoggard with Owais Shah possibly to come in for Paul Collingwood.Wet weather, the curse of this New Zealand summer, has allowed minimal preparation on the Stadium pitch which is still sporting the after-effects of last weekend’s IRB Sevens tournament.Groundsman Trevor Jackson has followed the trend in place at the Basin Reserve, the Capital’s other cricket venue, where he used a marquee before the Boxing Day Test against Bangladesh to get the necessary pitch preparation done.Cricket Wellington chief executive Ervin McSweeney was unconcerned at claims in the city that the match would definitely be transferred to Sunday.”It’s supposed to be clearing. We have had periods today with sun and the cloud has been higher than over the past few days.”The pitch is under a tent, because it has been raining for four days.”We put the tent up because we want to do the best we can. I’m optimistic that everything will be OK, there is only so much you can do,” he said.The game was scheduled to go at 2pm tomorrow and that would be the case if the weather conditions were right.”The pitch at the Stadium is significantly better two days out from the match than the Test wicket was.”We do need some sort of help from the elements and the next 24 hours are very important,” he said.England will be looking to pull a match back on New Zealand to level the series but just as they didn’t perform well in the first game, they must also know that New Zealand are capable of much better.Both sides need to lift their batting through the middle and later overs of the innings while England also need to sharpen their fielding.England have pigeon-holed the first match as a game they lost rather than New Zealand won.Such thinking discounts the fact that despite being under a brutal assault at the start of the game, New Zealand managed to keep their wits and apply the pressure when the opening came.The fact is that New Zealand won because they wanted to win more than their opponent.They won because when it mattered they took their chances.Increasingly, recognising those moments of vitality in a game when the winning or losing can be gone so quickly, is the element New Zealand must harness if it is to become a more efficient one-day unit.That also includes, as it does for England, recognising the value to be had from partnership building. It is still the key to success in one-day cricket.Should McCullum be included in the New Zealand side it is likely to be down the order to allow further development of the Nathan Astle-Chris Nevin alliance.One thing is certain, if McCullum is preferred to Butler, the margin between the fielding ability of the two sides is only going to be widened.

Manicaland’s batsmen dominated the first day of this inter-provincial first-class game at Mutare Sports Club yesterday with Guy Whittall unbeaten on 122 after a day of toil for Mashonaland’s bowlers.Winning an important toss, Neil Ferreira quickly elected to bat and featuredin a 71-run partnership for the first wicket with 16-year-old Tino Mawoyo. Mawoyo looked assured at this level before running himself out with a half-century beckoning.Joined by the increasingly confident Richie Sims, the pair put on 41 beforeFerreira surprised everybody by misreading off-spinner Simon Seager – playing back and being bowled. Up to that point he’d looked capable of three centuries, such was his command of Mashonaland’s finest. Particularly punishing off the back foot, his 71 (12×4) came up in 131 minutes off 163 balls and put Manicaland firmly on the front foot.Back from their Zimbabwe A tour of Border and Natal – and provided with sucha perfect launching pad – Sims and Whittall dominated the wilting Mashonaland attack for the next two hours. Their 135-run partnership looked set to last two days when Sims suddenly lost concentration and shouldered arms to a Gus Mackay off-cutter. Having watched a mini drama played out by tetchy Mashonaland fielders the previous over, Sims would have been forgiven for considering an appeal for willful obstruction.Having been loudly critical of his fielders for some time, medium-pacer Darlington Matambanadzo walked off the field in disgust after being hit forsuccessive fours in his 11th over. Not having notified the umpires of hisdeparture nor sustained any injury, Mashonaland were unable to field a substitute in his place. This led to the non-edifying spectacle of senior players following him to the change-room to plead his return to the field.Zimbabwean domestic cricket has seen too many bizarre things of late. Spectators can almost consider themselves short-changed to see a normal day’s play. After a delay of five minutes and echoes of “Dry your eyes, it’sall part of the game,” Craig Evans and Donald Campbell led Matambanadzo backonto the field – followed shortly thereafter by the uprooting of Sims’s offstump.Whittall offered no chance in his 121 (12×4) and it came in 144 minutes off170 balls. On reaching 50 and 100 he acknowledged the applause of the nineclubhouse spectators by raising his bat mischievously to the empty standsand hills – perhaps thinking of the thousands he might be playing to inDehli. With no talk of a recall to the Test team and little prospect of him keeping his own counsel, he seems destined to remain excluded for non-cricket reasons.Most effective bowler in unhelpful conditions was veteran Gus Mackay (twofor 46), whilst schoolboy Simon Seager’s (two for 68) eye-popping arm actionraised no concerns for Test umpires Ian Robinson and Kevan Barbour.

Karnataka are sitting pretty at the end of the fourth day of their five-day Ranji Trophy Plate semi-final against Vidarbha at Nagpur. The visitors, who had gained a 128-run first-innings lead on the third day, managed to extend it to a massive 735 runs with one second innings wicket in hand.In the morning, Karnataka, who resumed their second essay at 181/5, were well-served by overnight not out pair of Deepak Chougule and Sunil Joshi. With Joshi donning the role of the aggressor and Chougule dropping anchor, the duo went on to add 181 runs for the sixth wicket before Joshi suffered the misfortune of being dismissed for 99.Vidarbha must have fancied their chances of bowling Karnataka out quickly when they dismissed next man C Raghu for no score, two runs later. But Dodda Ganesh, who came in place of Raghu, had other ideas.The lanky medium-pacer went on to forge another massive partnership in the company of Chougule, batting Vidarbha out of the game in the process. The two men put on 204 runs for the eighth wicket before Chougule was unfortunately run out. The 18-year-old made 166, his maiden hundred, off 282 balls with the aid of 22 fours.Ganesh, for his part, also went on to complete his maiden ton, making 119 off 157 balls inclusive of 10 fours and five sixes. At stumps, Venkatesh Prasad (29*) and Udit Patel (5*) were holding fort for the visitors, who ended the day on 607/9.

Warnakulasuriya Patabendige Ushanta Joseph Chaminda Vaas. Phew. Just pronouncing his name right can reduce a grown man to tears. But ask batsmen who have been at the receiving end of his late inswingers and they would dismiss the task as piffling in comparison. On Friday, it was the turn of Bangladesh to receive the Vaas treatment, the Sri Lankan left-arm quick blasting out the first three wickets with the first three balls of the game. A hat-trick to kick things off, followed by two more wickets brought the Bangladesh side to their knees, bundling them out for just 124. In a natural progression, the Sri Lankan batsmen wasted no time or energy in sprinting to 125 in 21.1 overs and sealing an emphatic 10-wicket win.When they won the toss and put Bangladesh in, Sri Lanka would have hoped to give Prabath Nissanka, who replaced Pulasthi Gunaratne, a good shot at the Bangladesh batsmen. Vaas, sending down the first over, however, had other ideas.The first ball, a late in-dipper, was too good for Hannan Sarkar and the timber was disturbed. The second delivery, pitching just short of a length and getting too big on Mohammad Ashraful saw a simple return catch being popped up. The field then closed in, no doubt offering newcomer Ehsanul Haq some kind words of advice as he faced up to take the hat-trick ball. More nervous than a schoolgirl on prom night, Haq stuck his bat out tentatively as a well pitched up Vaas delivery kissed the outside edge and sped into the waiting hands of Mahela Jayawardene in the slip cordon.Vaas was unstoppable as he began his celebratory run, arms spread wide like an eagle soaring high on an eddy.And what a high it must have been for the good Christian from Mattumagala, who once admitted a childhood desire to become a catholic priest. Well, the church’s loss ended up being cricket’s gain as Vaas became the first ever cricketer to take three wickets off the first three deliveries of a one-day international. Vaas’ hat-trick was the third in World Cup history, after Chetan Sharma’s effort against the Kiwis in ’87 and Saqlain Mushtaq against Zimbabwe in 1999. He also becomes the third person in one-day history to take two hat-tricks joining Wasim Akram and Saqlain Mushtaq.Not sated, Vaas trapped Sanwar Hossain in front of the stumps off the fifth ball of the first over at the end of which the Bangla tigers were 5/4. From that position, they simply did not have it in them to effect a recovery.Despite the honest, lusty hitting of Alok Kapali, who made 32 from 37 balls (2 fours and a six), skipper Khaled Mashud’s battling knock of 20 from 67 balls and Mashrafe Mortaza’s late flurry of 28 off 23 balls, the minnows could only manage 124 all out from 31.1 overs.Of course, even this would not have been possible if Prabath Nissanka and Dilhara Fernando had been more disciplined in their length early on.Where the inexperienced seamers failed, the wily old fox Muttiah Muralitharan (10-3-25-3) cleaned up, kicking in with sharp off breaks and cunning floaters that completely bamboozled the Bangladeshis.None compared to Vaas, however, who returned 9.1-2-25-6.A start like that needed a clinical finish to hammer home the advantage in convincing fashion. There’s no man in world cricket who can dominate a bowling line-up more emphatically than Sanath Jayasuriya. From the time the first ball was bowled, there was an air of arrogance to the Sri Lankan captain and his opening partner, Marvan Atapattu.Jayasuriya’s trademark on-the-rise drives easily raced off his favoured Kookaburra blade and flew over the infield. Meanwhile, Atapattu, for his part, reminded the world of his batting skills with cover drives that were a classicist’s delight.Shortly after an incongruous break from the action for lunch, Atapattu resumed where he left off, pinging the onside with a ferocious pull off mediumpacer Mashrafe Mortaza. Sanwar Hossain then suffered the same fate as he dropped the ball short and saw it disappear to the mid-wicket fence.Not to be left out, Jayasuriya too picked up the pace, sweeping Sanwar Hossain effortlessly to the fence just behind square on the leg side. Soon after he clattered his first six, pulling Alok Kapali with immense power to bring up his half-century.In the 22nd over, Bangladesh’s misery was eventually cut short. The Sri Lankans completed a handsome 10-wicket win. Unusually, Atapattu with 69 outscored Jayasuriya who had 54 to his name.As much as Sri Lanka are emerging as the team to watch in this 2003 World Cup, Bangladesh look to be the team to avoid. After being dismissed by a Canadian team comprised largely of amateurs – Austin Codrington, who snared five wickets, earns his bread working as a plumber ­ – Bangladesh have yet again put in a performance that will make their coach fear for his job.But don’t dwell too long on Bangladesh today. They will hopefully get their due in time. Today, though, was the day of Chaminda Vaas. And no one who was at the City Oval will ever forget that. Just to make doubly sure, the authorities have given Vaas the privilege of planting a tree on the banks of this pretty ground, an honour given to batsmen scoring centuries and bowlers taking five wickets. "No, I’ve never planted a tree in my life before," said Vaas at the end of the game. But yes, he has bowled Sri Lanka to glory before, and you can be sure he will do so again.

Lucy Pearson today became only the second woman in the history of women’sTest cricket to take an eleven-wicket haul in a match, equalling a recordwhich has stood for 46 years.Pearson, who took 7-51 in the first innings, and 4-57 in the second, joinsthe Australian, Betty Wilson, who took eleven wickets in Adelaide in 1957against England. Pearson was named Player of The Match.The Ashes remain in Australia following the one Test win for the home sideat The Gabba last week, as the closely contested second Test ended in a drawtoday at The Bankstown Oval, Sydney.Australia regained the initiative following a strong opening two days fromEngland, with Lisa Sthalaker and Alex Blackwell putting on a fifth wicketworld record stand of 136, which was also held by Betty Wilson and V Battyfrom the 1957 series.Once Pearson bowled Blackwell, Edwards dismissed Julie Hayes with a directhit run-out and Claire Taylor caught Fitzpatrick from the bowling of herYorkshire namesake for 11. Sthalaker finished the innings on 121 not outand Australia declared on 259-7, a lead of 206.England made the worst possible start to the run chase, losing opener SarahCollyer for 3 trapped lbw by Emma Twining in the 4th over but Kathryn Lengand Charlotte Edwards began building a platform, reaching their 50partnership in the 29th over.England Head Coach, John Harmer, reflected that many positives have comefrom this tour, not least the return to fluent form of Edwards and Leng’sresilience in opening the batting.Australia struck back either side of tea interval, Leng lbw to centurionSthalaker for 28 and Thompson trapped the same way by Player of the Series,Cathryn Fitzpatrick for just 4; still 142 runs in arrears.Whilst Edwards remained at the crease, England always had a chance as theKent batter hit out with an array of shots, including twenty runs in threeovers, driving Twining sweetly through the on-side, sweeping Kris Britt andpulling Hayes in consecutive deliveries.Edwards was unfortunate to be given lbw to Fitzpatrick with the third ballof her third spell, to a delivery which climbed sharply and struck above thepad.When Fitzpatrick bowled the seventeen-year-old Lydia Greenway for 0, ClaireTaylor, who has found some real constituency in England’s middle order,settled nerves again. Taylor frustrated the Australia bowling attack in thelast Ashes Series, reaching 137 at Headingley to ensure they batted for asecond time, and here she added 21 not out to her 48 not out in the firstinnings.England’s batting has lost much of the vulnerability which the Australian’sexploited eighteen months ago, and despite losing Captain, Clare Connor, for0, Taylor and Newton ended the match unbeaten, with a deficit of 74 runs andthree wickets in hand.Reflecting on the Series, John Harmer said “we’ve come a long way togetheras a team on this tour, and I’m proud of everything the players haveachieved. When we arrived in New Zealand for the quadrangular series lastmonth, we were ranked 5th in the world and had already been written off inthe Ashes series. Now, we’re ranked at 3 in one-day cricket and havecompeted in every session of the Test matches.The players are starting to realise they’re really not that far away fromAustralia who are ranked number 1 and we’re closing the gap all the time.We have some genuine match winners in the side in addition to some youngtalent. We’ll look forward to facing South Africa this summer at home”.

India, currently second-favourite to win this World Cup, are in an extremely luxurious position now, secure in the knowledge that their opponent in the semi-final will be the relatively weak Kenya. Even so, they should not take that match against Kenya lightly, considering the fickle nature of one-day cricket and the huge repercussions that would stem from losing a World Cup semi-final.But before that, India have a serious appointment against New Zealand at Centurion on Friday, and although India could not care less about the result of the match, New Zealand has to do all the hard work to qualify for the semi-final. I don’t, however, expect the Indian think-tank to rest players and make it easy for New Zealand. Sourav Ganguly and John Wright have been on the right path in following the policy of not breaking a winning combination and although some may say that they might rue this policy towards the end of the World Cup, I feel the Indians are right on this point.

Arguably what India ought to have done is to give the likes of Ajit Agarkar a chance before the World Cup – or possibly in the league stages, for if an Agarkar short of match-practice has to replace somebody at short notice, he may be targeted by the opposition – to India’s detriment.Having said that, I still maintain that it has been a case of “so far so good” for the Indian team, and in preparing for the final, they must dare to try out a few new things. The last thing India want to do is look predictable against a team like Australia in the climax of cricket’s most important competition.In my eyes, the only team that has looked like stopping Australia in their tracks is New Zealand. Stephen Fleming is as astute a captain as they come, and he must spend much time working out strategy ahead of every game. Fleming will need to be flexible with his planning as he could be accused of coming up with just a Plan A and no Plan B. When his plans pay off, it looks simply superb; look how the Kiwis used Shane Bond to demolish the Australian batting. But we also saw the inability of the Kiwis to go for the kill, and you just cannot give a team like Australia a second chance.

Fleming is the one who knows a lot about playing and winning against Australia, so I’d like to see, for added spice in this World Cup, New Zealand beat India on Friday and then make the first semi-final a trans-Tasman affair. That may work out in favour of the Indians too, for there is a very good chance that New Zealand could knock out the mighty Aussies in the semi-final.Speculation aside, for all that to happen, New Zealand has to beat India at Centurion. Bond will have to produce yet another dream spell to counter the likes of Virender Sehwag and Sachin Tendulkar. If New Zealand manages some early breakthroughs, then the game is half-won.I sincerely hope to see Chris Cairns bowling against India; his bowling not only ensures a balance to their side but also helps his performance with the bat. Cairns has been a genuine match-winner for New Zealand and ranks up there along with Nathan Astle in utility value. Fleming’s inventiveness is an added edge, although I am not sure I would like to see Daniel Vettori open the innings against India; a cheap early wicket is just the last thing New Zealand need in such a crucial game.

Mike Atherton talks to the players and sees signs that England’s day may not be too far awayPort Elizabeth. Remember Port Elizabeth? All right, I know we’re all trying to forget it: Australia 135 for 8 and still needing 70 to win on a near impossible surface; and then Michael Bevan and Andy Bichel coming together and playing with such calm, such certainty, as if victory was never in doubt. No wonder we’re trying to forget it.One look at the England players’ faces that evening told starkly that they wouldn’t forget it, not in a long while. Not that they got an almighty bagging afterwards: the initial taunt of "you’re a disgrace, Hussain" from one disgruntled supporter as the team boarded the bus was replaced by whole-hearted applause when the players entered the foyer of their hotel – you know, the kind of applause that English supporters hand out for a nice try or a good effort, that second-best kind of applause.Most of the players went straight up to their rooms. James Anderson, who had had the kind of day that sooner or later he was bound to have, looked ashen and very much of tender years. Alec Stewart was stone-faced; he knew now that the World Cup would elude him. Duncan Fletcher went to the coffee bar, poured himself a strong one and his face said it all: "How do we beat these guys?"How indeed? On that particular day England did most things right, but not quite everything right. Later, I bumped into Nasser Hussain looking fairly dishevelled outside the lifts. "Would you have bowled Caddick instead of Anderson?" he asked, with a pained look. Well, the question is irrelevant because I’m not the England captain. And, although bowling Anderson was not the percentage call – he’d had a bad day and lost his run-up twice the previous over – those are the gut-instinct calls that only a captain on the field can make. You hope to get more right than wrong, which Hussain has.More damning was the way that Bevan was allowed to play his natural game of knocking the ball into the gaps without having to take risks, more damning because we have seen it from Bevan time and again. History suggests that, if he is still there at the end, Australia will win. England banked on getting Bichel and then Glenn McGrath out when really they needed to get Bevan. Or at least they needed to make him take risks.Other than that England had a pretty good day. In a way, though, that is also a problem. England had a good day, Australia didn’t and still England got beat. For a while I have argued that mental scarring is a problem for players who are constantly on the wrong side of it against Australia. It is too late now for one or two of the older players but the younger brigade – Vaughan, Trescothick, Flintoff, Collingwood and Anderson – must start winning soon before that culture of defeat against Australia becomes endemic for them.For that reason it was good to see the team out together later in a restaurant across the road from the hotel. Take it from someone who has lost a few games he should have won, getting it out of the system as quickly as possible is the best way. Anderson, who had said he wasn’t going out and must have felt like hiding away, joined the team later and that was good to see.It was encouraging to hear some of the players talking openly about the game. What did we learn? What can we do better next time? Paul Collingwood, for example, marvelled at the way Bevan played: his ability to manoeuvre the ball and stay cool under pressure; and his reaction at the end, his total self-control, which gives an indication of his state of mind throughout the run chase. It is a good lesson, the best kind of lesson, for Collingwood, who is establishing himself as England’s middle-order finisher.With that attitude England’s young players will move forward, will learn from mistakes and may go one better next time. Let us hope that the selectors learn from theirs. Now is the time to start planning for the next World Cup, not three years down the line. Now is the time to be ruthless; players who will not make the Caribbean in 2007 should be discarded immediately, no matter how unfair it seems, because there really is no magic formula to winning cricket matches, against Australia or any other team, other than having good players and good preparation.During the afternoon at Port Elizabeth I was watching the match with Mark Taylor. As Bevan and Bichel started to make the impossible possible, he turned to me with a grin and said: "If you don’t beat us today, you’ll never beat us." Mental scarring again, you see. Still I laid down a wager, which I’d been doing throughout the Ashes series in the Channel Nine commentary box, and awaited my winnings. It has been an expensive winter.Australia, of course, have inherent advantages of a better, tougher system and an outdoor lifestyle but I have seen signs in the last year or so that make me believe that England’s day might not be too far away. They were the third best team I saw during the World Cup, after Australia and India, and but for the ridiculous shilly-shallying over the Zimbabwe issue I believe they could have gone a long way in the tournament. A strong nucleus from that team should stay together now for another four years.To beat Australia a team must focus on certain areas. Wherever possible they should bat first so that the pressure will tell on Australia’s weak suit which, in one-day cricket, is their batting. They should target the fourth and fifth bowlers – in this tournament largely Brad Hogg, Andrew Symonds and Darren Lehmann. And they should have specific plans for the batsmen: for example, round the wicket to Adam Gilchrist, a packed field square on the off-side to Damien Martyn, and make Bevan take risks by hitting over the top early on.Of course, as England look to develop over the next four years, so will Australia. There are noises coming from the Australian camp, however, which suggest they might be getting a little cute with the game. Throughout this World Cup Ricky Ponting suggested they simply do the basics better than anyone else and more consistently. Now, it is claimed that they want to start producing ambidextrous batsmen and bowlers in the near future. In that case, England won’t have to do very much improving at all. Australia might just beat themselves.After the Port Elizabeth game I had to endure the usual taunts from Taylor and Ian Healy. I reminded them that it was only half a dozen years ago that we whitewashed Australia in a one-day series in England and that supremacy in sport never lasts forever. I hope.Click here to subscribe to Wisden Cricket Monthly.The May 2003 edition of Wisden Cricket Monthly is on sale at all good newsagents in the UK and Ireland, priced £3.25.

Chippenham: Wiltshire v Buckinghamshire
Buckinghamshire 214-7 (DC Atkins 103) bt Wiltshire 138 all out by 76 runsManor Park: Norfolk v Cambridgeshire
Cambridgeshire 216 all out (EJ Wilson 54) bt Norfolk 110-3 on faster run rateThatcham: Berkshire v Hertfordshire
Berkshire 132 all out lost to Hertfordshire 133-4 (SG Cordingley 50*)by six wicketsWroxeter: Shropshire v Cumberland
Cumberland 179-7 (GD Lloyd*) lost to Shropshire 182-4 (MJ Marvell74) by 6 wicketsCopdock: Suffolk v Bedfordshire
Suffolk 216 all out (AD Mawson 72, PJ Caley 57) bt Bedfordshire 165 all out(AD Patterson 73) by 51 runsPorthill: Staffordshire v Herefordshire
Staffordshire won 4-3 on a bowl outChallow and Childrey: Oxfordshire v Dorset
Dorset won 5-3 on a bowl out

Hampshire made an amazing charge on the fourth day to achieve the task of taking 18 wickets, for an unlikely result after no play was possible on the third day. They achieved 17 – agonisingly close to a much needed victory. Despite taking 12 points from maximum bonus points and the draw, they languish at the bottom of the Frizzell Championship Division Two table, having drawn 5 and losing one. The weather has been unkind to Hampshire Cricket this season.Durham started the last day on 107 for 2 and comfortably advanced to 175 without further loss, until, shortly before lunch the innings was turned on its head by three wickets in one over from Alan Mullally. Mullally removed Gary Pratt lbw, bowled Nicky Peng second ball, and enticed Danny Law to edge to the wicket-keeper. When debutant James Lowe then fell lbw to Wasim Akram for 80, four wickets had tumbled for just 4 runs. 20 year old Lowe had batted patiently for his 80 runs, and proved that this was a young lad with a good future.Phil Mustard then became the second of the Pakistanis victims when he played back only to find his off-stump cart wheeling. Nicky Phillips then met the same fate as Durham were staring having to follow on. Ed Giddins took the last two wickets of the innings as Killeen was well caught by Will Kendall, then Deward Pretorius who had been batting with a runner was bowled.Following on, Durham lost both openers cheaply before tea, Jon Lewis edged Mascarenhas to Simon Katich at first-slip, and Lowe fended off Giddins for the first of Robin Smith’s four catches at forward short leg.Simon Katich then came into the act, his brand of slow left-hand chinamen bamboozled the Durham middle order, and Wasim Akram at the Pavilion end took the wicket of Law lbw, with an swinging yorker he has made his own.The visitors then rallied as the 8th wicket partnership survived 17 overs. Phil Mustard and Liam Plunkett held Hampshire at bay, as John Crawley swapped his batsmen around. Plunkett finally fell to another Wasim lbw. Phillips often a thorn in Hampshire’s side came to the crease, and with Killeen survived until with 9 balls remaining Kileen became Wasim’s 3rd wicket.Phillips was joined by Daward Pretorius who with a runner, battled hard to save the game, and most of the crowd were surprised to find that in the last hour there was time for another over, but despite Wasim at full pace, Phillips survived to end the match as a draw.

Frizzell County Championship Division One

Kent 101 for 2 trail Surrey 401 by 300 runs at The Oval
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Rob Ferley’s career-best figures of 4 for 76 weren’t enough to prevent Surrey taking control on the second day at The Oval. Surrey resumed on 245 for 3, and Mark Butcher fell early, caught behind for 144 off Ben Trott, before Alec Stewart followed swiftly for 1. But Ian Salisbury’s unbeaten 34 from 31 balls carried Surrey past 400. Kent soon lost David Fulton and Michael Carberry, but Andrew Symonds and Ed Smith were looking imposing at the crease, and by the close they had added an unbeaten 61 for the third wicket.Essex 178 for 7 trail Lancashire 218 by 40 runs at Chelmsford
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Nasser Hussain continued his return to form with a fluent 54 from 71 balls, and Andy Flower added 46, but Essex were made to struggle after dispatching Lancashire for 218 on the first day. Hussain and Flower resumed in the morning on a precarious 6 for 2, and at first made batting look pretty simple as they added 90 for the third wicket, with Sajid Mahmood conceding 67 from 10 overs. But Hussain was caught behind off Glenn Chapple, and Flower was trapped lbw by Carl Hooper, who bowled a tight 10-over spell of offspin. Lancashire were right back in the game by the close, as Ronnie Irani and James Middlebrook fell in quick succession just before the close.Leicestershire 215 for 3 trail Warwickshire 253 by 38 runs at Leicester
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Only 34 overs were possible on the second day at Grace Road, but John Maunders and Darren Maddy enlivened the atmosphere by adding 156 for the second wicket in double-quick time, as Leicestershire approached first-innings parity with wickets in hand. Maunders eventually fell for 64, and Brad Hodge didn’t last long, but Maddy was still there at the close, on 88 not out.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoDerbyshire 80 for 8 trail Yorkshire 314 for 7 by 364 runs at Derby
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Craig White extended his overnight 102 to a superb 173 not out, as Yorkshire dominated on all fronts against Derbyshire. White’s principal ally was Steve Kirby, who hung around for almost an hour and a half to add 96 for the tenth wicket. Kirby then ripped the head off Derbyshire’s innings, removing Michael Di Venuto, Chris Bassano and Mohammad Kaif in quick succession. Dominic Hewson became the third duck of Derbyshire’s innings when he was caught by Stephen Fleming off Ryan Sidebottom, and Sidebottom had reduced Derbyshire to 55 for 8 with three more wickets, by the time Nathan Dumelow put in some much-needed resistance with an unbeaten 20 from 27 balls.Northamptonshire 163 for 9 lead Hampshire 125 by 38 runs at Northampton
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Dimitri Mascarenhas led Hampshire’s fightback with five wickets on a rain-affected day, to finish with 6 for 43. James Bruce added the scalp of Toby Bailey to his two wickets on the first evening, and Northants were indebted to a gritty 46 from Damian Wright, who clung on for an hour and a half. Rain had kept the teams off the pitch throughout the morning session, and it was Ben Phillips who kept Hampshire at bay in the final hour. His more-than-handy 30 from 37 balls inched Northants into the lead, and by the close they had a potentially vital 38-run advantage.Somerset 477 lead Gloucestershire 228 and 31 for 0 by 218 runs at Taunton
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Aaron Laraman’s maiden first-class century, and a career-best 76 from Nixon McLean, helped Somerset to take charge against their local rivals Gloucestershire. Somerset had been in some bother at 136 for 5 when Laraman came to the crease, but his 108-run partnership with Michael Burns turned the game around. Laraman started slowly, but having reached 59, he launched a savage assault on Ian Harvey, lamping him for 34 runs in 11 balls. McLean then took over the big-hitting duties, dominating their ninth-wicket stand of 108 with nine fours and four sixes. Gloucestershire reached the close without losing any second-innings wickets, but they have it all to do to escape with a draw.Durham 120 and 145 for 3 trail Worcestershire 218 and 198 by 153 runs at Worcester
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Fifteen more wickets fell on the second day, to add to the 18 on Wednesday, as Worcestershire and Durham fought towards a gripping finish on a treacherous pitch. By the close, Durham needed another 153 runs to record their third successive Championship win, but they had lost three important wickets. Despite conceding a hefty first innings deficit of 98 runs, Durham bounced back to dismiss Worcestershire for 198 in 51.5 overs. Liam Plunkett took 3 for 61 and was well backed up by Shoaib Akhtar, Steve Harmison and Nicky Phillips, who each took two apiece. Durham’s target of 297 looked pretty distant when Michael Gough and Martin Love fell in the same over to Matt Mason, but Jon Lewis and Gary Pratt added 67 for the third wicket to steady the nerves. Pratt was still there at the close, on 46, with Gordon Muchall not out on 10.Tour match
Nottinghamshire 265 for 3 v India A
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No play today due to rain.