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Shaun Tait is keen to take full advantage of what he hopes will be strong wind in Wellington as he aims to crank his speed past 160kph for the second time this month

Cricinfo staff26-Feb-2010Shaun Tait is keen to take full advantage of what he hopes will be strong wind in Wellington as he aims to crank his speed past 160kph for the second time this month. In New Zealand, Tait has only ever played internationals in Auckland and Hamilton and is looking forward to testing out men like Brendon McCullum and Ross Taylor in Friday night’s first Twenty20.”I’ve never played here before – the wind, I’ve got to get the right end,” Tait told the . “I don’t want to be pushing into it. It doesn’t always happen that you know you can bowl at that sort of speed but when the time does come, every now and again, you’re always going to have a crack at the quicker ball. I look up at the screen reasonably often to have a look at the speeds myself. Sometimes you can’t help yourself.”When you hit that 160 mark as a fast bowler, that’s a pretty special feeling. The adrenaline is pumping, the crowd in Melbourne was really getting into it when I did it there. But you’ve got to be careful not to put too much pressure on yourself. The main thing I’ve got to do is take wickets.”Tait broke through the 160kph barrier during the Twenty20 against Pakistan at the MCG earlier this month when he let one delivery rip at 160.7kph. It was the fastest ball ever recorded in a match in Australia – the quickest anywhere was Shoaib Akhtar at 161.3kph in the 2003 World Cup – but Tait said he wasn’t always convinced at the accuracy of the speed guns.”You can tell when you’re bowling around 160,” Tait said. “Back home it seems like the Foxtel cameras are slower than the Channel Nine ones. But that doesn’t matter. When you get up to the 160 mark, it’s slightly rewarding. It’s not something I think about all the time – but it’d be great to bowl the fastest recorded ball of all time.”

A scare has been thrown into the West Indies camp on the eve of the first Test against Australia, with senior batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan struck down with an apparent back injury

Peter English25-Nov-2009Match factsNovember 26-30, 2009
Start time 10am (00.00 GMT)Shivnarine Chanderpaul needs to be at his immovable best for West Indies to seriously challenge Australia•Getty ImagesBig PictureBoth teams have something to prove. This is Australia’s first Test since their Ashes defeat in August and they are desperate to eliminate some of the pain by sweeping past West Indies, just as they did the last two times they toured. However, the local personnel is considerably different to the great days of Warne, McGrath and Co, so this assignment won’t be as easy as in years past.The Australians believe the only thing that went wrong in England was losing the big moments. The only time that didn’t happen in their past four series was in South Africa earlier in the year, with the superb victory seeming more like a fluke than the norm when it is wedged with the three other defeats.West Indies have even more concerns after finding peace following a damaging player strike, during which the side lost at home to Bangladesh. The embarrassment is driving their ambition for this contest, but the reality is that if they win one of the games the trip will be considered a major success. In their past 39 Tests they have been victorious on only three occasions and despite Australia’s transition tangles, it would take a major upset for them to improve on that record.”If you look at Australian teams of six or seven years ago, we were expected to win every series we played,” Ricky Ponting said. “In this one we’re just expected to win because of this so-called weak West Indies team. We will just do everything we can to play the best cricket we can.”Form guide (last five Tests, most recent first)Australia – LWDLD
West Indies – LLLLD
Watch out forRicky Ponting – Hell hath no fury like an Australian captain scorned in England. Twice. Now he’s home Ponting will be looking to bury every opponent in the lead-up to next year’s Ashes series. At 34, he is entering the sunset of his career but will want to depart in a blaze of success following his latest setback.Shivnarine Chanderpaul tormented Australia in the Caribbean last year, batting for nearly 26 hours in the three-Test series, including a not-out run of more than 18 hours across two Tests. If he remains so hard to remove the chances of West Indies springing a surprise will increase significantly. The tourists need him at his most tenacious.Team newsA predictable squad has led to a predictable XI. Doug Bollinger has been confirmed as the 12th man because only an injury will be able to split up the golden boys of Mitchell Johnson, Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus. Nathan Hauritz will play while Shane Watson, the opening allrounder, hopes to deliver around 10 overs a day.Australia 1 Simon Katich, 2 Shane Watson, 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Hussey, 5 Michael Clarke, 6 Marcus North, 7 Brad Haddin (wk), 8 Mitchell Johnson, 9 Nathan Hauritz, 10 Peter Siddle, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.Chris Gayle is a definite and now the big fear for the visitors is Ramnaresh Sarwan’s back. If Sarwan is out either Narsingh Deonarine or Travis Dowlin will bat at No. 3, while Gayle is down to partner Adrian Barath, the 19-year-old debutant. The tourists want to pick four fast men, including Dwayne Bravo, and a spinner, but the balance depends on Sarwan, with a decision due to be made on Thursday morning.West Indies (possible) 1 Chris Gayle (capt), 2 Adrian Barath, 3 Ramnaresh Sarwan, 4 Shivnarine Chanderpaul, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Brendan Nash, 7 Denesh Ramdin (wk), 8 Sulieman Benn, 9 Jerome Taylor, 10 Ravi Rampaul, 11 Kemar Roach.Pitch and conditionsExpect a tinge of green on the first morning and the usual tricky seam early in the match before it flattens out in a batsman’s beauty. It hasn’t rained much over the past week so neither side will be tempted to choose an all-pace attack, and some turn is also expected for later in the game. The weather is predicted to be typical November: humid, maximum temperatures around 30 degrees and the chance of a storm every few days.Stats and Trivia Ricky Ponting averages 62.77 against West Indies in 18 Tests and his 1695 runs put him fourth on Australia’s list behind Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Mark Waugh. Shivnarine Chanderpaul is the best of the current West Indians against Australia, with 1210 in 15 matches at 48.40 The last time Australia lost a Test at the Gabba was against West Indies in 1988-89 Jerome Taylor will be the most experienced of the specialist fast bowlers with 28 Tests, two more than Mitchell Johnson West Indies have lost their past eight Tests in AustraliaNathan Hauritz has 10 wickets at 64.10 in 10 first-class games at the GabbaQuotes”This is the start of 10 Test matches that we want to do everything we possibly can to improve our Test ranking from No. 4 back up to close to where it should be.”
“It’s going to be the first time I’ll open the batting with Barath. He’s been around in first-class and he’s certainly got a few hundreds underneath his belt. He’s a pretty decent player. We’re not looking to expect too much from Barath at this point in time, but we at the same time we will look to give the team a good start.”
“We have had a good look at the Australian bowling attack and we felt it’s not as experienced as previous attacks. Maybe we can put them under some pressure.”

Finally, at the third time of asking in this series, the conditions provided the perfect backdrop for an engrossing contest

Cricinfo staff02-Dec-2009Finally, at the third time of asking in this series, the conditions provided the perfect backdrop for an engrossing contest. The pitch in Ahmedabad was a sleeping beauty that even Don Juan couldn’t have roused, while the one at Green Park in Kanpur was slow and low. On the opening day at this famous old venue, there was something for everyone. Zaheer Khan got the odd delivery to leap at the batsmen, Sreesanth troubled them with conventional and reverse swing, while Harbhajan Singh and Pragyan Ojha found both turn and spitting-cobra bounce.But by the day’s end, Sri Lanka still had 366 on the board, with Tillakaratne Dilshan’s rapid century curtailed by a poor decision and Angelo Mathews holding the Indians at bay with an unbeaten 86. There was a fluent half-century for Tharanga Paranavitana, and a stroke-filled 43 from Prasanna Jayawardene. Had the disgruntled Dilshan – “I would still be batting out there,” he said pointedly when asked if he would have preferred the referral system to be in place – not been sent packing with 24 overs still to be bowled in the day, Sri Lanka could conceivably have reached 400.With the slower bowlers likely to grow ever more influential as the match progresses, the fate of the Test probably hinges on India’s first innings. Harbhajan, who finished the day with 4 for 107, was quietly confident that India had the batsmen to handle whatever Muttiah Muralitharan and Rangana Herath conjure up on this surface. “I have got tremendous faith in our batsmen that they will come out and take this challenge and score a lot of runs because the wicket is still very good,” Harbhajan said. “Very true bounce, and you can score a lot of runs because the surface is so hard on the sides that once the ball gets out of the square, it is very difficult to stop.”It’s a high-scoring ground, so I won’t be surprised when Viru [Sehwag] gets going. When Dilshan or Viru plays till tea, then the scoreboard will keep rattling along. It’s very important to get this kind of people early. They [Sri Lanka] deserve the credit, they batted really well today.”Both Harbhajan and Ojha bowled beautifully at times, looping the ball and inducing plenty of false or uncertain strokes. In Harbhajan’s eyes though, the perception that he bowled better was a false one. “I was just bowling the way I have been bowling,” he said. “There was a bit of moisture in the morning session, the ball was gripping a bit and taking spin. There was enough to beat the bat. I knew that red soil also helps bounce and spin if you put enough effort.”The kind of wickets we’ve played on, it gets really difficult to even beat the bat. The Kanpur wicket was a tough one to bowl on. Lots of edges weren’t carrying to slips, lots of edges were going towards third man. It’s difficult to set fields for that. Ahmedabad, you all know what the story was. But I’m very happy the way I bowled today. It would have been a little better if I had conceded 15-20 runs less.Having leaked runs in the first hour, India were much better in the next three before a 33-over final session, in which Sri Lanka piled on 153. “We could have bowled a little better,” Harbhajan said. “I felt we gave away a lot of runs in the third session; the energy levels were a little low. Also, we could have fielded a little better. We have to be up for these kinds of challenges. We know that when there are partnerships, if we get one or two wickets and create pressure by bowling and fielding well, we could save 35 to 40 runs.”India’s problems were in part due to having just four specialist bowlers, on a day when the afternoon sun shone bright. Harbhajan and Ojha bowled 52 overs between them, and the only respite came in the shape of four overs from Yuvraj Singh. “You have to have an allrounder who can bowl 15 overs in a day and get you 50-odd runs with the bat,” said Harbhajan. “But unfortunately, we don’t have that someone in the team at the moment. But it would have been nice to have a fifth bowler who can give you another 15 overs. That will put less pressure on your main bowlers.”Murali has been a non-factor in the series so far, but Harbhajan was clearly wary of the impact that he might have as the match goes forward. “Obviously, Murali is the biggest match-winner ever in world cricket,” he said. “Playing him will be challenging, it has always been a challenge. I am sure he will be looking forward to bowling on this wicket but we have the batsmen who can handle him. Even in Galle, when it was spinning big, Viru got 200. It’s very important to get a good start, and I am sure [Murali] Vijay and Viru will give us a good start.”

Speaking to West Ham Zone, former Irons striker Frank McAvennie has reacted to a transfer development involving Arsenal forward Alexandre Lacazette.

The Lowdown: West Ham in Lacazette chase…

The Frenchman, who’s contract expires at the end of this season, could leave Arsenal for free in 2022 as West Ham eye the possible signing of a new striker for manager David Moyes.

West Ham had been trying to strengthen that weakened position all summer, with Moyes himself admitting he was ‘desperate’ to bring one in over the summer, but the lack of available options ultimately lead to no incoming forward option.

Star striker Michail Antonio’s history of injury problems have been a general concern and there are fears that one bad injury for the Jamaica international could land West Ham in a lot of trouble.

As such, it is arguable that new recruitment chief Rob Newman needs to prioritise the signing of a new striker and West Ham have apparently been targeting Lacazette.

It is claimed by jeunesfooteux.com that the Gunners could look to sell in January and West Ham have ‘already positioned themselves’ to sign the 30-year-old – with contacts made between the various parties.

The Latest: McAvennie reacts…

Speaking to WHZ, despite his prolific record for Arsenal last season, Hammers legend McAvennie questioned whether he is the right man for the job.

“Will he score enough goals or work hard enough off the ball? I don’t know. But they do need a striker,” he explained.

“Would they come in as back-up to [Michail] Antonio? I don’t know. Everyone’s in great favour of this false nine now.

“In David Moyes, we trust. He’s a great believer in getting players from abroad. The two boys he got in from the Czech Republic, Tomas Soucek and Vladimir Coufal, are just magnificent. By all accounts, they’re wonderful trainers and they just go about their business, they never cause any problems, there’s never any hassle with them.

“I think he’ll be asking them about their pals, who’s coming through, who do you think can make it in the Premier League? I think that’s a big thing, they’ll be asking players. Kevin Nolan is there, he’ll be in their ears and trying to get a good one in before they go on the market.

“Lacazette? I’m not sure if he would come in and play second fiddle to Antonio.”

The Verdict: Disagree…

While the aspect of Lacazette coming in to compete with Antonio is a point of contention, we believe the signing of Lacazette would be a real coup for West Ham overall.

Scoring 17 goals in all competitions last season, he also has vast experience competing at the highest level over a career spanning more than ten years.

Averaging 2.1 shots per 90 since making his senior debut for Lyon back in the 2009/2010 season, with only Jesse Lingard and Antonio bettering that figure last season for West Ham, Lacazette is proven at finding the net when given consistent opportunities in the team.

Lauded as a ‘real handful’ by pundit Tony Cascarino to talkSPORT, 90min claimed recently that West Ham are indeed a likely destination for the player due to his openness to the idea of staying in London.

His contract situation, putting West Ham in a really strong negotiating position to sign the player in January, certainly marks him out as a real potential coup.

In other news: ‘Wow’, ‘Finally’, ‘So massive it’s terrifying’…West Ham fans erupt over official development, find out more here.

Newcastle United are interested in a deal to bring James Tarkowski to St. James’ Park in the January transfer window.

What’s the talk?

That’s according to a recent claim made by Dean Jones, with the transfer insider revealing in a recent interview with GIVEMESPORT that he expects the Magpies to pursue a deal for the Burnley centre-back in the winter market, with Sean Dyche’s side reported to be willing to part with the defender for a figure of around £20m.

Speaking about Eddie Howe’s reported interest in the 29-year-old, Jones said: “They do want an English spine and that’s why Tarkowski makes sense, signings like that, and I still think that Tarkowski is someone they’re going to pursue.”

Fans will be buzzing

Considering just how impressive Tarkowski has been for Burnley in recent years, in addition to the fact that Newcastle’s defence is an area of the pitch in which Howe simply must strengthen this January in order to give his side the possible best chance of beating the drop come May, the news that the Magpies look set to make a move for the England international is sure to have left fans buzzing.

Indeed, over his 12 Premier League appearances this season, the £22.5m-rated man has scored one goal, registered two assists and helped his side keep one clean sheet, in addition to making an average of 1.8 interceptions, 1.5 tackles, 5.2 clearances and winning a whopping 6.9 duels per game.

These returns have seen the £50k-per-week centre-back average a SofaScore match rating of 7.22, ranking him as Burnley’s second-best performer in the league, as well as the 32nd-best player in the top flight.

As such, the addition of Tarkowski to a Newcastle defence that has already shipped 27 goals over their 12 league fixtures would indeed appear to be a very wise move for the club in January, particularly at an extremely affordable – in the eyes of PIF – £20m.

In other news: PIF could “easily” seal NUFC deal to kickstart Howe era in £76m-rated “golden boy”

A round-up from the latest action in the County Championship

Cricinfo staff21-Aug-2009Division OneChris Read hit his fourth hundred of the season to give Nottinghamshire a fighting chance of saving their match against Hampshire although they are still set to follow-on on the final day Trent Bridge. The visitors were reeling on 48 for 4 at the start of play but the middle and lower order, led by Read, performed an impressive rearguard which lasted until the final ball of the day. Samit Patel and Bilal Shafayat offered early resistance until Patel was lbw for 35 and Shafayat edged behind for 64. When Ali Brown was trapped by Imran Tahir’s top-spinner, Nottinghamshire were still well behind but Read found some strong partners. Mark Ealham contributed 32, then Andre Adams helped Read add 97 for the ninth wicket. Read brought up maximum batting points with a six before David Griffiths lost his off stump at the end of the day.Adil Rashid continued his sparkling form with another career-best hundred as Yorkshire fought back magnificently against Lancashire to take control of the Roses clash at Headingley. The hosts lost just two wickets, building a lead of 110 going into the final day. The key stand came between Rashid, missed at slip on 13 by VVS Laxman, and Gerard Brophy as the pair added 168 in 49 overs – a Yorkshire record in Roses battles – to lift them from a dangerous 144 for 6. Brophy, also dropped at third man on 41, fell one short of his hundred when he edged Gary Keedy behind, but nothing stopped Rashid who passed three figures off 154 balls and was still going strong at the close. With him was Ajmal Shahzad and so far the pair have added 74 to follow their stand of 192 against Hampshire last week.Click here for the report on the third day’s play between Somerset and Sussex at Taunton where rain wiped out most of the action.Click here for John Ward’s report from Chester-le-Street as Durham claim another victory.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Durham 127 0 0 5 0 186 Nottinghamshire 11 3 1 07 0 139 Somerset 113 1 0 7 0 136 Lancashire 12 3 2 07 0 130 Warwickshire 121 2 0 9 0 119 Sussex 11 2 3 06 0 110 Yorkshire 111 2 0 8 0 106 Hampshire 11 2 3 06 0 104 Worcestershire 110 8 0 3 0 57 Table does not include bonus points for ongoing matchesDivision TwoAn unbroken tenth-wicket stand of 37 between Greg White and David Lucas guided Northamptonshire to a tight two-wicket victory against Derbyshire at Chesterfield to boost their promotion hopes. They were aided by a composed 42 from David Willey – who offered a tough return chance on 10 – but when he fell it needed the two bowlers to hold their nerve. Derbyshire’s final chance came when White was dropped high at second slip by Chris Rogers moments before the win was secured. Derbyshire added 21 to their overnight score and struck an early blow when Niall O’Brien was caught behind. Rob White attacked the run chase with 37 off 27 balls, but the home side kept chipping away. White was caught behind from an expansive drive and Alex Wakely, who made a more sedate 33, was bowled off the inside edge by Steffan Jones who soon bagged Rikki Wessels to leave Northamptonshire 137 for 5. The game appeared to swing decisively in Derbyshire’s way when a rapid Nantie Hayward removed Andrew Hall and Johan van der Wath in three balls as the allrounders edged into the slips. Willey, though, added 40 in nine overs with White to bring the target in view although there was plenty of tension – not helped by occasional showers – before victory was secured to move to third.Ravi Bopara answered his omission from the deciding Ashes Test with 201 as Essex gave themselves a great chance of victory against Surrey at Colchester. Bopara’s innings ensured Essex overcame injury problems after Mark Pettini was forced to retire hurt with a back spasm and Ryan ten Doeschate went off after a blow on the hand. Bopara reached his double from 292 balls but fell shortly afterwards when he drove to point having taken the total past 400. Tim Phillips played a valuable innings with 69 and the lower order all chipped in. Danish Kaneria, at No. 11, clubbed 31 off 21 balls then, handed the new ball, made two breakthroughs before the close to leave Surrey struggling on 6 for 2, still 111 behind.Leicestershire are poised for victory against Gloucestershire after another day where ball dominated Grace Road. The home side struggled to 133 in their second innings, but that still left a target of 364 and they’d stumbled to 133 for 5 by the close after losing two wickets in two balls late in the day. Chris Taylor was superbly run out by James Benning and next ball Claude Henderson bowled Kadeer Ali for a battling 48. Leicestershire almost failed to reach three figures when they sank to 95 for 5 with Hamish Marshall – who had never taken more than a single wicket in an innings – claiming a career-best 4 for 24, grabbing the first wicket of the day when Benning was caught at mid-off. A last-wicket stand of 38 provided some valuable breathing space and Rob Woodman fell early. Ali and Marshall added 58 before Wayne White struck and AJ Harris removed Alex Gidman. Then the double blow in the dying moments of the evening made a tall order seem enormous.2nd daySpin is playing a key role at Swansea as Glamorgan made Middlesex struggled in what is shaping as a low-scoring match. Robert Croft and Dean Cosker shared five wickets as the visitors struggled to 166 for 8. Sam Robson, the Australia-born opener, top-scored with 49 until edging to slip shortly after Eoin Morgan had been caught behind playing an expansive reverse sweep. Middlesex were soon 92 for 5 when Ben Scott was bowled off an inside edge against Croft, who then had Dawid Malan taken at slip. Shaun Udal did his best to stop the slide with an unbeaten 32, but a significant deficit is on the cards. Udal had earlier ended Glamorgan’s first innings to finish with 4 for 59.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Kent 116 2 0 3 0 152 Derbyshire 13 2 2 09 0 140 Northamptonshire 114 3 0 4 0 126 Gloucestershire 11 4 4 03 0 125 Essex 113 3 0 5 0 114 Surrey 11 1 1 09 0 113 Glamorgan 101 2 0 7 0 105 Middlesex 11 1 4 06 0 98 Leicestershire 111 2 0 8 0 89 Table does not include bonus points for ongoing matches

Newcastle United are winless and facing perhaps the toughest task in their Premier League season today as they come up against league leaders Chelsea at St James’ Park.

The Magpies are on four points after nine games and are currently 19th in the table heading into this round of fixtures, with Graeme Jones looking to steady the ship after Steve Bruce’s departure earlier this month.

The 51-year-old picked up a point in his first game in charge last weekend as Callum Wilson’s overhead kick sealed a draw for Newcastle at Crystal Palace following Christian Benteke’s opener.

How many changes will Jones make to the team? Here is our predicted XI…

We are predicting that he will make four alterations to the side which started against Crystal Palace, with Martin Dubravka, Fabian Schar, Jacob Murphy and Miguel Almiron all coming in.

Between the sticks, the Slovakian could return to make his first appearance for the club in a competitive setting since May. Jones has confirmed that the 32-year-old is available after almost two weeks of work in training, saying: “Martin is fit and available. He’s had a good ten days, maybe 12 days’ work. But he hasn’t played a game yet.”

This suggests that he could take Karl Darlow’s place in goal as Newcastle attempt to keep Thomas Tuchel’s side at bay this afternoon.

At right wing-back, Jones may decide to go with Murphy ahead of Javier Manquillo. As per SofaScore, the Spaniard lost five of his eight ground duels, was dribbled past twice and only completed 67% of his passes against Palace last weekend. This could lead to the 27-year-old lightweight being axed from the side for the ex-Norwich man to get a start.

On the left of the back three, Schar could come in for Republic of Ireland international Ciaran Clark. We published an article explaining why the £37k-per-week dud must be axed from the team and the Swiss ace, who has only played twice in the Premier League this term, deserves a chance to show that he is good enough to be a regular in the side.

Finally, we are predicting that Miguel Almiron will start ahead of Ryan Fraser. We published an article explaining why the Paraguayan should be selected for this match, as he has the ability to provide energy and defensive protection for Murphy at wing-back and could help to nullify the threat of Ben Chilwell for Chelsea.

AND in other news, “On shortlist”: Craig Hope drops fresh NUFC managerial update which will frustrate fans…

Aston Villa could have their own Raheem Sterling in academy starlet Ajani Burchall.

Having signed him from Championship side Bournemouth in the summer, it’s fair to say that the 16-year-old has already marked himself out as one of the brightest prospects at the club.

In a profile piece done by The Guardian’s Paul Doyle for their Next Generation 2021 series earlier this month, he said: “Born in Bermuda, Burchall moved to England at a young age and joined Villa in July 2021 from Bournemouth. Last season he became the third youngest senior debutant in the south coast club’s history when he came off the bench against Huddersfield.

“A fast, skillful and smart winger, he has been quick to make an impact at Villa, scoring a hat-trick in his second appearance in the U18 Premier League and also collecting three assists in his first four games for the club.”

Steve Cook, Burchall’s former teammate at Bournemouth, said after the youngster’s first team debut for the club: “You could see how special a player he is. His first involvement was checked his shoulder, cut across a player and won his foul. For a 16-year-old, that awareness, that knowhow, I think the club have produced a really good player.”

Like Sterling, the teenager seems to have that eye for goal which stands him in good stead in this era of modern wingers being the team’s chief goalscorers – the likes of Mohamed Salah and Sadio Mane at Liverpool of course doing that better than most.

At just 16, the 5 foot 9 Burchall still has plenty of time to grow and develop, but it’s a measure of his considerable talent that he’s already dominating the under-18 scene for Villa.

Although he’s predominantly played on the right for Villa, he has also operated from the left previously at Bournemouth, and that interchangeability should catch Dean Smith’s eye at senior level.

Sterling made his Premier League debut for Liverpool aged just 17 years, three months and 16 days, so Burchall still has a bit of time left to either match or even better that feat.

One thing is for certain, the teenage starlet could be ready to make a huge impact for Villa if he continues to progress at academy level.

Meanwhile, Villa are eyeing a move for this Championship ace…

A round-up from the latest action in the County Championship…

Cricinfo staff05-Sep-2009Division One3rd dayYorkshire’s openers, Jacques Rudolph and Joe Sayers, shared a partnership which helped wipe out Nottinghamshire’s lead and put the visitors in a comfortable position at Trent Bridge. Yorkshire had conceded a 96-run first-innings lead but their openers compensated by adding 244 runs. Rudolph made 149 off 237 balls with 22 fours while Sayers’ contribution was a patient 86 off 223 deliveries with only nine boundaries. The pair resisted the Nottinghamshire attack until the 75th over when Paul Franks had Rudolph caught by Mark Ealham. Franks then accounted for Sayers as well, bowling him in the 81st over with the total on 254, but Anthony McGrath and Andrew Gale steered Yorkshire to stumps without further damage. Yorkshire now lead by 173 runs and their strong second-innings performance has hindered Nottinghamshire’s pursuit of the Durham and the Division One title.4th dayClick here to read George Dobell’s report of Warwickshire’s match against Worcestershire at Edgbaston where Worcestershire were beaten by an innings and 18 runs.Sussex and Lancashire played out a draw on the final day. Click here to read John Ward’s report.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Durham 13 7 00 6 0 195 Somerset 14 3 1 0 10 0162 Nottinghamshire 13 3 10 9 0 157 Warwickshire 14 2 2 0 10 0151 Lancashire 14 3 20 9 0 146 Sussex 13 2 3 0 8 0128 Hampshire 13 2 30 8 0 127 Yorkshire 13 1 2 0 10 0127 Worcestershire 13 0 90 4 0 70 The match between Leicestershire and Glamorgan ended in a dull draw on the final day at Grace Road. Leicestershire began the day on 21 for 0, leading by 85 runs, and extended their total to 259 for 6 before the game was called off. There was some excitement when they lost three wickets for nine runs but the innings was stabilised by James Taylor’s unbeaten 96. Wayne White also scored 38 off 36 balls while Jamie Dalrymple’s 2 for 62 were the best figures for a Glamorgan bowler. Leicestershire overtook Middlesex in the division by claiming nine points from the game while Glamorgan earned eight.Gloucestershire took the seven remaining Surrey wickets, dismissing them for 339 in the second innings, in less than two sessions to secure victory by an innings and one run at Bristol. Surrey began the final day on 136 for 3, needing another 204 runs to make Gloucestershire bat again, with Arun Harinath and Tim Linley at the crease. Their hopes of salvaging a draw took a hit when Harinath was caught behind off Steve Kirby for no addition to his overnight score of 44, and when Linley was caught by William Porterfield off Hamish Marshall with the score on 170 for 5. The lower order offered resistance with Chris Schofield making 71 while Rangana Herath and Alex Tudor contributed 52 and 33 respectively but Marshall struck two more blows to take Gloucestershire closer to victory. Just when Surrey were on the verge of avoiding an innings defeat, Kirby broke through Jade Dernbach’s defences to complete the victory. It was Surrey’s first innings defeat against Gloucestershire since 1975.”We either perform really well or really badly in this competition and anything can still happen between now and the end of the season,” Gloucestershire captain Alex Gidman told .”If we play like we did when losing to Leicestershire and Middlesex the other week, then we can forget it. But if we continue to play as we have done against Surrey, we are eminently capable of winning three on the bounce. It will be difficult, but promotion is still there for us and we appear to be hitting form at just the right time.”Robert Key and Martin van Jaarsveld scored unbeaten centuries to ensure Kent secured a draw against Derbyshire. Mark Pennell watched the action at Derby.

Teams Mat Won Lost Tied Draw Aban Pts

Kent 13 7 20 4 0 181 Northamptonshire 13 5 3 0 5 0155 Gloucestershire 14 5 60 3 0 154 Derbyshire 14 2 2 0 10 0152 Essex 13 4 30 6 0 146 Glamorgan 13 2 2 0 9 0142 Leicestershire 14 2 20 10 0 128 Surrey 14 1 4 0 9 0128 Middlesex 14 2 60 6 0 126

Michael Klinger’s first one-day century for South Australia pushed the Redbacks to a thrilling six-wicket victory

Cricinfo staff10-Dec-2008
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Travis Birt’s brutal innings put Tasmania on track for a huge total, but it wasn’t enough © Getty Images
Michael Klinger’s first one-day century for South Australia pushed the Redbacks to a thrilling six-wicket victory as they sped to 4 for 313 with eight balls to spare. After Tasmania skipped to 310 thanks to Travis Birt’s 80-ball 94, the hosts immediately broke the ground’s domestic record in a breathtaking chase.Klinger, who carried his bat for 133, has been incredible for his new state and his only jitters came as he approached his century. Once the milestone was passed he quickly set about achieving an important win – although it couldn’t lift them from the bottom of the table.Tom Cooper started with 66 in a bright opening partnership of 114 and Klinger combined in a useful stand with Younis Khan (35) before the innings accelerated when Callum Ferguson arrived. Ferguson’s 52 from 35 balls, which peaked with consecutive sixes off Chris Duval, turned a hopeful target into an achievable one.When Jason Krejza bowled Ferguson it was left to Klinger to steer the final stages and he finished with 10 fours and two sixes from 128 balls. Tasmania could not do anything to stop Klinger despite trying seven bowlers. Krejza’s first match since he took 12 wickets on Test debut against India resulted in 45 runs from seven overs and a dropped catch off Ferguson early in his stay.Birt’s rapid innings put Tasmania in an excellent position after Michael Dighton had started with a run-a-ball 59. Dighton, who hit ten fours, walked across to edge Daniel Christian in the same over that George Bailey (9) drove to point.Birt crashed three sixes in his half-century and then belted another four, with Mark Cleary the target during the batting powerplay. He hit two in a row, including one on the roof of a Chappell stand off Cleary, and another four pushed him to 94, when he was immediately caught at long-on. It was the one bright spot in a Cleary over that went for 21.The dismissal ended Birt’s 159-run partnership with Dan Marsh, who controlled the concluding overs with 76 from 85 balls. Krejza also found the roof of a Chappell stand in his 20 while Brendan Drew finished the innings with a six over square leg.