Waqar wary of workload for fast men

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For a brief moment this morning it felt like Pakistan seemed to have gained a foothold in this exciting Test. After Umar Gul's defiant burst with the bat, which relieved them of the burden of following on, Pakistan fought back admirably with their three fast men trampling the England batting order with authority. At 98 for 6, and the lead at 270, Pakistan held their heads high. But as the full house at Trent Bridge welcomed the sun finally breaking through the clouds for the first time in two days about an hour after lunch, the visitors' body language steadily grew weary. With the pitch offering hardly any true bounce or movement and the ball losing its shine, Salman Butt duly rested his pace trio comprising the two Mohammads - Asif and Aamer - and Gul.Subsequently Danish Kaneria, who was introduced for the first time in the day one over before tea, continued to operate from one end while the part-timers Shoaib Malik and Umar Amin bowled innocuous overs for Matt Prior to build to his century and wilt the Pakistan spirits with every additional run.Just like Australia had escaped twice at Lord's after Pakistan's quicks had worked assiduously to demolish the specialist batsmen, Prior led England to recovery and then built further momentum in the company of the tail. What worked in the hosts' favour was there was nothing much for the fast bowler on a dry and slow pitch. Also keeping in mind a long summer ahead, Pakistan did not want to exhaust and risk injury to their match-winning pace trio."The [fast] bowlers were really tired," Waqar Younis, Pakistan coach, said after the day's play. "These [fast] bowlers have been bowling too many overs from the Australia series. We don't want anyone injured and those three our key bowlers." If there was somebody he wasn't impressed with it was his main spinner Kaneria, who Waqar felt was a big letdown. The coach had a blunt appraisal of the legspinner in this match: "We struggled with Danish Kaneria. He was lacking confidence and he really struggled getting his rhythm going, which was tough for us."Astonishingly, Kaneria failed to bowl any maidens and had only one wicket to his credit with his match figures reading: 33-0-171-1. Waqar pointed out that Kaneria's best opportunity to bounce back after an abysmal first-innings performance with the ball came early in the second session today.With Stuart Broad hunting for runs this year and Jimmy Anderson on a king pair and Steven Finn playing only his third Test, Kaneria needed to dominate Prior, England's last specialist batsman. "At a stage when they were six down we just needed somebody to get up and take a wicket but that didn't happen," Waqar said.For most of the afternoon Pakistan allowed things to happen and the early morning promise that Gul had injected into the team with his maiden half-century suddenly seemed distant. For the second time this summer Pakistan were chasing a 400-plus score for victory in the fourth innings - Australia had set them 440 at Lord's - and both times they knew it could've been a much easier, and achievable target.Asked if he was disappointed at his top order failing to survive with about three quarters of an hour before the close of play, Waqar conceded that losing three wickets was too many. "In a way it is always disappointing when you lose wickets when you don't want to especially at the end of the day," Waqar said. "I wasn't expecting three wickets - maybe one, but they were right on target."But the Pakistan coach said he couldn't blame the batsmen entirely, as they had endured a long and taxing day in the field. "It is always tough when you are in the field for 70 overs and then you have to go and bat and it is even tougher for the youngsters," Waqar said. So, is it over for Pakistan in this Test? Waqar nearly admitted defeat. "It seems very, very hard form here on," he said nodding his head. That does not mean he is giving up on the series, because he reckons Pakistan have the ability to fight back just like they caught Ricky Ponting's men by surprise at Headingley."We won against Australia [so] we are a very fine side and I've got no doubt that they can make a comeback. It is a four-match Test series. I haven't given up on this Test yet, but it is not going to be very easy tomorrow."

Fantastic Foo gives Guyana title in thriller

It was a finish befitting a big final on a night when both teams displayed nerves befitting a big final. In the end, it came down to one man who held his nerve under pressure. Jonathan Foo, the 19-year-old Guyanese discovery of Chinese descent, exploded sensationally as wickets clattered at the other end to steal victory, and a berth in the Champions League, from Barbados' grasp.Foo arrived with his side's hopes all but dashed. The Bajan spinners, led by Ashley Nurse, had choked Guyana's batting. Their last four batsmen needed 59 off the last five overs but Lennox Cush and Esuan Crandon fell in quick succession. Barbados were already celebrating when Foo marked his guard for one final onslaught: Nurse was lofted over long-off but the smiles were still on the Bajan faces. Dwayne Smith was worked for fours to third man and square leg in the 18th over, but surely Guyana could not pull this off from here? Not after they lost their ninth wicket, Nurse's fifth, with 26 required off 11.Foo responded by launching Nurse for another huge six over long-off. Barbados' smiles were replaced by frowns now. Then came the defining moment: Nurse delivered a low full toss on leg stump, Foo smashed it high in the direction of deep midwicket where Larry Babb readied himself to take the catch that would have given Barbados the title. It was not to be - he palmed it over the ropes. The force was with Foo and Barbados had just dropped the Caribbean T20.With 11 to get off the last over, Foo smashed Javon Searles through point for two fours, reminiscent of Lance Klusener's boundaries in that World Cup semi-final. Unlike at Edgbaston, though, Foo had not come this far to return disappointed. More importantly, he had for company a calm No 11. Foo tapped a single to mid-on, giving Devendra Bishoo strike with two required off two. Searles aimed a yorker at off stump and did not miss by much, Bishoo squeezed it out to midwicket for one, but Sulieman Benn fumbled a regulation stop to allow a second. Foo charged back to the non-striker's end and threw his arms aloft. The Guyanese supporters invaded the field and surrounded their hero, while Ryan Hinds, the Barbados captain, was down on the ground holding his head in despair. The dramatic denouement to the chase of 135 was preceded by a sluggish and nervy start. Guyana's approach was confusing. They did away with the experimental line-up, which worked wonders in the semi-final, and nearly paid the price for being too conservative. Travis Dowlin, who had batted with freedom in that game, played well within himself tonight against bowling that was at best steady. Searles sprayed wides down leg side and over the batsmen's heads, but Benn was at the batsmen from the start. He trapped Dowlin in the fourth over with an arm ball for 8 off 17 balls. Sewnarine Chattergoon did not fare any better, pottering to 9 off 15 balls before falling in Hinds' first over. Suddenly Guyana were staring at a required-rate in excess of eight in their last 12 overs - no cause for alarm by Twenty20 standards, but not in these conditions against a determined attack.Runs came in singles until the 12th over when Ramnaresh Sarwan and Narsingh Deonarine swung Hinds for a four and a six each. Things went awry in the next over though, as Nurse got Sarwan and Christopher Barnwell to hole out. When Hinds took out Deonarine in the 14th over, Guyana had lost half their side with less than half the target achieved. Hurricane Foo, though, was about to ravage Barbados.Both teams had disregarded the conditions at the start of the game: despite the possibility of showers Barbados chose to bat, and despite the bounce and movement on offer, Guyana used offspinner Cush with the new ball. Initially Cush's lengths were poor and Dale Richards capitalised to kick-start Barbados' innings. Esuan got sharp movement but repeatedly bowled inswingers down the leg side.In the third over, Cush got Richards to top-edge a full toss to short third man. That brought Jonathan Carter to the crease and just like that Esuan transformed from inconsistent to unplayable. Carter rarely got bat on ball and his early troubles against Esuan set the tone for his entire innings, though, to his credit he did not throw it away. Barnwell struck after the Powerplay with a smart change of pace, foxing Kirk Edwards into an early waft.Carter played and missed often and was guilty of not rotating the strike enough. His momentum was subdued further by a short ball from Barnwell that thudded into his box and had him in strife. Alcindo Holder tried to inject urgency by coming down the track. He picked a couple of boundaries but the ploy did not work against Bishoo, and Holder holed out to deep midwicket in the 15th over. Dwayne Smith also failed under pressure, slogging Bishoo straight to Foo at long on.Barbados desperately needed to finish on a high and they succeeded by stealing 33 runs off the last three overs. Three sixes were struck in that passage of play, including a monster blow from Carlo Morris that nearly landed in the commentary box and a last-ball six over midwicket by Carter. That was after Carter had reached 50 off 60 balls, getting a couple after heaving to cow corner where Foo put him down. Unfortunately for Barbados, it was to be Foo's only error on the night. Nitin Sundar is a sub-editor at Cricinfo

Alfonso Thomas hurries Somerset win

Somerset recorded their fourth Championship Division One victory in five outings, beating Nottinghamshire by 10 wickets. The victory, achieved with more than a day to spare, earned Marcus Trescothick's side 24 points and keeps their hopes of lifting the coveted title for the first time very much alive. Resuming their first innings on 278 for 5, Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read, unbeaten on 75 overnight, opened his account with a boundary off the last ball of the opening over - bowled by Charl Willoughby.The left arm seamer had the last laugh however when Read was caught by wicketkeeper Craig Kieswetter for 80 as he pushed forward to the last ball of the 81st over - the first with the new ball. Read added 157 for the sixth wicket with Samit Patel, before being dismissed with the score on 287.Patel reached his century when he edged Willoughby through the vacant third slip area, but in the next over he was out leg before wicket as he played back to a delivery from Alfonso Thomas. Patel scored 104 off 185 balls, including 17 fours and two sixes.Andre Adams brought up the 300 with a boundary through midwicket, but after moving on to 20 he attempted to drive Willoughby and was caught by Kieswetter. Willoughby struck twice more to wrap up the innings, accounting for Paul Franks leg before, and two balls later bowling Charlie Shreck as the visitors were all out for 339.In the morning session Willoughby took four wickets for 26 runs from 6.3 overs to end with six for 101. Trescothick enforced the follow-on, and batting for a second time 178 runs behind, the visitors lost Matt Wood, leg before to Willoughby with the score on one.By lunch the score had reached 28 off 10 overs without further loss - but four overs after the break Alex Hales, who had moved on to 28, stepped down the wicket to Murali Kartik and edged to Kieswetter.In the next over Thomas had new batsman Patel caught at first slip by Trescothick for one and the visitors found themselves 42 for 3. Mark Wagh was joined by David Hussey and between them they took the total on to 93 when Wagh was lbw pushing forward to to Zander de Bruyn for 45.New batsman Ali Brown brought up the 100 with a boundary through cover point off De Bruyn in the 31st over. When Willoughby replaced De Bruyn at the Old Pavilion End, Brown - 16 at the time - gave a chance which Kieswetter, just failed to take diving to his right.De Bruyn's return to the attack paid dividends when he bowled Hussey, shouldering arms, for 30 which brought Read to the wicket. The Nottinghamshire skipper spent eight overs at the crease before he was caught by De Bruyn at deep backward mid-off for four off Thomas.The same bowler then had Paul Franks caught by James Hildreth for one at backward square leg in his next over - and the visitors were rocking on 168 for 7. Thomas struck again in his next over when he had Brown leg before wicket for 47 but the visitors went ahead when Adams edged Kartik through first slip to the boundary.However, the left arm spinner got his revenge when he trapped the batsman leg before in his next over for 10. Thomas claimed the final wicket when he bowled Shreck for three as Nottinghamshire were all out for 190, giving him final figures of 5 for 40 from 14.4 overs.Needing 13 for victory Somerset reached their target in 11 balls, with Trescothick unbeaten on four and Nick Compton five not out, with the remaining runs being extras. Notts picked up five points for their part in the match.

Alan Isaac wants IPL window in FTP

Alan Isaac, the candidate who replaced John Howard as Australia and New Zealand's nominee for the ICC vice-presidency, has supported the creation of a window in the Future Tour Programme for the IPL. The ICC had earlier ruled out accommodating lucrative Twenty20 leagues in the already cramped international calendar, but Isaac said that was likely to change as the ICC's sub-committee is working on remodelling the FTP.''The Future Tours Program has to allow the IPL, because unless it is accommodated we will end up with more challenges,'' Isaac told the Sydney Morning Herald. ''There will be more pressure put around the scheduling of ICC events [such as World Cups and the Champions Trophy], and those ICC events are so critical to members because of the revenue generated. "It has to be worked into the Future Tours Program because there is a demand and an interest. The players seem to like it, and there is more money coming into the game. 'The sub-committee work is being done on that basis [that the IPL will be part of the FTP].''Isaac, the New Zealand Cricket chairman, replaced former Australia prime minister John Howard as the ICC vice-president nominee following Cricket Australia's refusal to choose another candidate. Howard's nomination was blocked last month in Singapore by members from six countries. After being told by the ICC board to find another option by August 31, New Zealand asked Sir John Anderson, the country's original recommendation, to reconsider. When Anderson refused Isaac, 58, stepped forward.Isaac said Anderson's decision to decline contesting was unexpected. ''He shocked me when he said he wasn't available, then encouraged me to make myself available,'' Isaac said. ''That was the first time I started thinking about the role. I don't see myself as second or third choice, ultimately I will be judged on the work that is done.''Isaac conceded that the ICC has had its share of criticism on the way it works and how certain powerful members like India have got their way. He said India have a very significant role to play in the game's governing body in terms of the revenue they generate.''I think one of the most important things is that we work to enhance the reputation of the ICC,'' Isaac said. ''The media are quite critical of it, sometimes justifiably, and lots of decisions it makes get criticised. Each member around the table has got their own issues and agendas, I understand that, it is about leading everyone in a common direction.''There is no doubt [India] are powerful, that is a matter of fact. When the ICC sells its commercial rights a lot of that comes from India, that is the commercial reality and we have got to recognise that. The Indian officials I have dealt with in my 20 months at the ICC have been really good to work with, there are no issues at all.''

Chilton and Smith dig in for Lancashire

Diligent batting by Tom Smith and Mark Chilton dug Lancashire out of trouble in the County Championship Division One match with Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.Lancashire, the only unbeaten team in the championship, started their second innings 86 in arrears and facing a grim battle for survival. Their plight worsened in the fourth over when left arm pace bowler James Tomlinson found a gap in the defences of opener Paul Horton and bowled him.This left Lancashire eight for one and it was then that Smith and Chilton came together in a gritty unbroken stand of 98 for the second wicket to halt Hampshire's charge. Smith, who only five times previously had reached the half-century mark, ended the third day 60 not out while Chilton, no less vigilant, was unbeaten with 32.At the close Lancashire were 106 for 1 from 52 overs, a precarious lead of 20 after Smith and Chilton had begun the repair job. Hampshire were held up in the first instance by the effects of overnight rain which wiped 16 overs from the day's allocation.They began the day four runs ahead of the Lancashire first innings total at 287 for 6 and were in no mood to let Lancashire back into the game. Lancashire captain Glen Chapple quickly removed debut-making Michael Bates and David Balcombe but former Lancashire all-rounder and now Hampshire captain Dominic Cork engineered a spirited tail-end resistance.Tomlinson helped Cork put on 48 for the ninth wicket before Gary Keedy dismissed Tomlinson and Danny Briggs. Cork was left unbeaten with 54 from 79 balls, helping Hampshire build an impressive first innings lead of 86.Chapple took 4 for 68 and Keedy claimed 4 for 56 as Hampshire were eventually all out for 369. The early loss of Horton caused more problems for Lancashire but Smith and Chilton spent the next 48 overs making sure there were no further successes for Hampshire.Smith's innings has so far occupied 155 balls and Chilton's has taken him another 147 but the value to Lancashire in the circumstances was immense. Left arm spinner Briggs bowled 19 of the 52 overs so far in the Lancashire innings but there was little in the wicket to help him compared with the exaggerated movement of the first day.Lancashire's careful second-wicket pair took their side to the 100 mark in the 48 overs but it needed 39 before the deficit was eradicated.

Recovering Hauritz hopes for India tour

The injured Nathan Hauritz is walking freely again but is unsure whether he will be fit for Australia's two-Test series in India in October. Hauritz wore a moon boot for three weeks to help the recovery from a foot stress problem that sent him home during the limited-overs tour of the British Isles.Steven Smith replaced Hauritz for the two Tests against Pakistan, but Hauritz remains Australia's No.1 in the five-day game whenever he is healthy. "I would love to be saying I am fully fit and ready for India and there is still seven weeks to go before we leave," Hauritz said in The Sunday Mail. "But I will have to prove my fitness before then and we will not get a good gauge until we step up the training in a couple of weeks." Hauritz has had a four-week break but running will be the big test. "I will start 40 to 50-minute walks this week and will start jogging on it pretty soon after that," he said. The injury had been bothering Hauritz, but it was not until he was batting in the ODIs against England that it became bad enough to leave the trip. If he had continued it could have developed into a serious stress fracture. "We were lucky to pick it up when we did, otherwise it could have been three to four months out not doing anything," he said. Australia's first Test against India is on October 1 in Mohali and the series is a warm up for the Ashes, which begin in November.

England aim for swing in Australia

England's fast bowlers will start practising with the Kookaburra balls that will be used during the Ashes as soon as the Test campaign with Pakistan is over. David Saker, the England bowling coach, comes from Victoria and understands the differences between the countries and the conditions.The Australians struggled with swing in the drawn series with Pakistan last month and Saker said his fast men would be working on shaping the Kookaburra balls before the trip Down Under. ''It definitely still swings," Saker told the Sunday Age. "It obviously doesn't swing as much as the Duke ball, but some of that's got to do with the English conditions."Saker believes swing is the best way to bring down a batting order and wants his bowlers to achieve the movement when they attempt to retain the Ashes they won at The Oval last year. ''We'll be endeavouring to try to move the ball in the air for sure, but also we've got two pretty tall, strong pace bowlers [Stuart Broad and Steven Finn] who can get the ball through," he said. "There'll be different ways we'll attack the Australians, for sure.''Finn, 21, was rested before the England-Pakistan series to build up his strength ahead of a busy period. ''We've done that with Stuart Broad and he's come back bigger, stronger and bowling faster than he's ever bowled," Saker said. "There was a lot of criticism from a lot of people outside the English set-up, but the people that were involved in pulling him out of that and getting him stronger were all pretty adamant that he needed that. You mightn't see the improvement straight up but there's no doubt we, as a group, think it's going to be beneficial down the track."

Collymore six helps Sussex to easy win

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Corey Collymore bagged six wickets as top-of-the-table Sussex sent Leicestershire crashing to defeat by an innings and 19 runs with a day and a half to spare in their County Championship Division Two clash at Grace Road.After a delayed start because of rain Leicestershire lost their last six wickets for 97 runs in 32 overs with West Indian paceman Collymore claiming four of them for 27 runs in 9.1 overs after the lunch break.It gave him figures of 6 for 48, his best return since he joined Sussex in 2008. The only Leicestershire batsman to show any defiance was Jacques du Toit who struck 81 off 83 balls with 13 boundaries. Sussex wasted no time picking up their first wicket once play got underway with Leicestershire resuming on 59 for 4, trailing by 116 runs.Lewis Hatchett had two balls left of an unfinished over to bowl and with the first of them he produced a magnificent inswinger that shattered Tom New's stumps. But that proved to be the only success of the morning for Sussex. Hatchett lost his line and length and Du Toit and Wayne White cashed in with a succession of boundaries. Du Toit reached 50 off 52 balls and at lunch the sixth wicket pair had put on 56 to take Leicestershire to 115 for 5.But the introduction of Collymore into the attack immediately after the interval slammed the door shut on the home side's revival. Gaining movement through the air and off the pitch Collymore produced a superb spell of bowling and Leicestershire had no answer. He snapped up the wickets of Du Toit and Claude Henderson in the same over, both batsmen edging away swinging deliveries into the hands of Michael Yardy at first slip.Collymore then had Nadeem Malik dropped twice at slip in the same over before finally trapping him lbw. In between left-arm spinner Monty Panesar nipped in with a wicket as he beat White in the flight to give Ben Brown an easy stumping. The final wicket went to Collymore with Matthew Hoggard caught by Yardy to seal a comfortable victory. The victory earned them 23 points to consolidate their position at the top of the table.

A tale of two wicketkeepers

Innings of the day
Matt Prior's last Test century came in Trinidad in March 2009, 17 Tests and 15 months ago - the same game, in fact, that Kevin Pietersen last notched up three figures. And while KP's travails continued for another match, Prior lapped up his acclaim with an innings that was in equal parts fraught and flamboyant. He had made just 63 when he was joined by the No. 11, Steven Finn, but with a burst of acceleration, he smacked consecutive sixes off Danish Kaneria to move into the nineties. Thereafter it was a crawl, as he took a single from the first ball of four consecutive overs, with Finn left to hold up an end. Admittedly Prior's quest was aided by some puzzling captaincy from Salman Butt, who left his strike bowlers to graze in the outfield, but a cut for three off Shoaib Malik brought up a very cathartic landmark.Breakthrough of the day
England knew they were in for a torrid second innings from the moment they lost Andrew Strauss in dramatic circumstances in the first over, as he fenced at an outswinger from Mohammad Aamer, for Umar Akmal at second slip to parry the catch up and away, and into the outstretched gloves of his wicketkeeping brother, Kamran. However, for all the excitement of the moment, it was hardly a surprise that Aamer made such an early inroad - such instant effectiveness is his stock in trade. On six occasions in 11 Tests to date, he's claimed a wicket in his first over of the innings, not to mention twice in 18 ODIs, and a whopping seven times in 18 Twenty20s.Mix-up of the day
Eoin Morgan's first-day hundred is looking more and more impressive the longer this game goes on, but any hopes he had of adding a second significant score to the mix were thwarted in the 38th over, when Matt Prior - who had himself been run out by Graeme Swann in the first innings - was this time at fault with a piece of crass calling. A square drive through point tempted Prior to turn a comfortable two into a tight three, only for him to change his mind abruptly as the throw came in from the deep. Morgan was sent scrambling as the ball was relayed to the non-striker's end, but he was caught well short as Umar Akmal gathered at the base of the stumps.Catch of the day
It was a screamer as Shane Warne gushed rightly on TV. Kevin Pietersen was coming into his own after a dicey start to his innings, but the appearance behind the bowler's arm of a spectator in a yellow jumper visibly distracted him. No sooner had he requested the garment's removal, Pietersen moved forward to an inducker from Gul, tried to drive with bat away from body, and found a thick inside-edge that sailed over the stumps and seemed destined to end at the fine-leg boundary. But with shocking dexterity, Kamran Akmal swiftly shuffled a few yards to his left and then threw himself one-handed to pouch an absolute stunner. Akmal's fumbles behind on the first day had demoralised Pakistan severely, so to see him come up with this amazing effort had everyone gasping.Clanger of the day
Alas, normal service resumed the very next delivery for Kamran. Paul Collingwood, the new batsman, tried to cut hard against a short and wide delivery and flashed an edge high towards first slip. Kamran, standing wide on the off side launched himself skywards with his confidence bubbling over, but instead the ball hit his webbing and spilled over towards the back of second slip, leaving him on the turf, head down in shame. Somehow he finished the innings with a respectable four catches and a share in a run-out, but it's the ones that got away that will continue to grate.Collapse of the day
For surely the first time in England, a full day's Test cricket was played with the assistance of floodlights after a gloomy start to the morning. But in a thrilling final half-hour, the extra wattage was superfluous, as England's seamers electrified the game situation under the brightest sunshine of the day. It was Stuart Broad, a touch off-colour in the first innings, who sparked Pakistan's latest collapse with two wickets in three deliveries - a fizzing catch from Paul Collingwood at third slip and a somewhat fortuitous lbw against Azhar Ali, who really hasn't enjoyed his flirtation with UDRS in this contest. When James Anderson made it three in seven balls with another, less contentious lbw, the contest seemed over in all but name. Had it not been for Umar Gul's thrilling strokeplay in the first half-hour of the day, a three-day finish would surely have been in prospect.

Pushed to the margins, Prior takes centre stage

This has been a week in which Test cricket's merits have been shown in vastly contrasting lights. On the one hand a shocking contest has dribbled to a conclusion in Colombo, with 17 wickets falling in five days at the SSC, including 10 batsmen passing fifty - five of them for a hundred, two of them for a double. At Trent Bridge, on the other hand, consecutive days have passed in which 15 and 13 wickets have tumbled, and all told, 18 batsmen to date have been dismissed in single figures.There's no question whatsoever which of the two contests has been the most compelling, not even at a stage of the Trent Bridge game when only one team has the slightest hope of victory. At 15 for 3 overnight, Ladbrokes are offering odds of 2-1 for England to wrap up victory before lunch on the fourth day, but even if they do so, the effort that Matt Prior put into today's magnificent unbeaten century will not be compromised by the eventual gulf between the sides.Prior has had a rough time of it of late. Through no great fault of his own, he's been pushed to the margins of England's wider squad planning, with Craig Kieswetter's emergence leaving him in limbo in the limited-overs set-up. No-one in their right mind has seriously pedalled the notion that his Test berth is in the same sort of jeopardy, and yet, such is the nature of the England wicketkeeping position, the doubts require almost daily dispersal.Therefore, a superbly combative 102 not out, forged from a position of peril at 72 for 5, was quite some statement of intent. It was Prior's third hundred in 32 Tests, and his first since Trinidad in March 2009, but by the close of play, his satisfaction derived from the manner in which he'd transformed his team's position, rather than the fact he'd logged another statistic in his record-book."I'm not a huge stats watcher, or a stat man," he said. "I got a 93 in my last Test [against Bangladesh at Old Trafford], so it doesn't feel that long ago that I contributed to the team. Whether it was important to show what I could do, I don't know, but I went in in a position when the team needed me to get stuck in, and getting runs for the team was the important bit."In fact, a century could hardly have been further from Prior's thoughts for much of his innings, which began in the midst of yet another of Pakistan's inspired bursts with the ball, as Umar Gul swiped three wickets in four overs to leave his team dreaming of an attainable run-chase. His most immediate concern was to atone for his part in the run-out of Eoin Morgan, and by the time he was joined by the No. 11, Steven Finn, he had a long, long way still to travel, on 63 not out."I don't know what happened there," he said of the Morgan mix-up. "At that time, too many risky runs and singles wasn't the best idea, so it was a bit of miscommunication really. I didn't hear him say yes, he didn't hear me say no, and we ended up looking at each other, with him halfway down the wicket and me thinking: 'Oh my gosh, it's happened again'. It is very disappointing to be involved in a run-out at any stage, especially when it involves arguably your best player of the moment, so I thought I'd best knuckle down here!"Knuckle down he did, with Finn proving to be the most obdurate of allies. While his stonewalling prowess came as a surprise and a delight to a packed Trent Bridge crowd who cheered every step towards England's eventual declaration, Prior himself had no doubt whatsoever about Finn's ability, having witnessed it at close quarters during a rare Championship appearance for Sussex against Middlesex at Uxbridge last week. With Morgan at the other end, Finn had blocked out 35 dot-balls in a 12-over partnership, to save the game with only two wickets standing."It was thoroughly annoying," Prior recalled. "But as he walked to the wicket today, I said something along the lines of 'Same again today please mate!' He did such a fantastic job, not only in the way he played, but what he contributed to the partnership in between overs, in terms of gameplans and all those things. He did all that was expected of him, and more."Regardless of his faith in his team-mate, Prior still had to endure some nervy moments at the non-striker's end, as he crept through the nineties - single by single - with many of his shots coming from the first ball of an over. "My gameplan was to look for twos and fours, but every run counted, I felt, especially when Finny came up to me to say he felt confident at holding up an end. It got a bit frustrating at the end because I wasn't quite hitting the gaps, but I didn't want to turn singles down."That failure to work the angles is the precise reason why Prior's spot in the one-day side has been passed across to Kieswetter, who may lack the subtlety of, say, Morgan, but tends to find the boundaries with a lot of bottom hand. In terms of pure batsmanship, however, there's no comparison between the two men whatsoever. Kieswetter has time on his side and a talent to cultivate, but as a battler who can be backed to produce on demand, Prior's place for the Ashes is utterly non-negotiable."I've batted at six with success, and I've batted at seven, and I feel well placed to do the role in each, as long as we have the right balanced team to win the Test match," he said. "International cricket is all about pressure and how you respond to it. I've not played a day for England as a batsman-keeper that's not been under pressure, but I enjoy and thrive on it, and I embrace it rather than get nervous about it."

Cosgrove ton keeps Glamorgan level

Glamorgan opener Mark Cosgrove made his fourth century of the season to ensure the County Championship match with promotion rivals Gloucestershire remains evenly balanced at Cheltenham.Cosgrove's entertaining 123 included 19 fours and Glamorgan ended the second day's play on 283 for 7 and with an overall lead of 256. In the morning session, James Franklin (59) and Chris Dent (45 not out) had been chiefly responsible for taking Gloucestershire from an overnight 145 for five on to 243 all out and a first-innings lead of 27.Jim Allenby took three of the final five Gloucestershire wickets to finish with a career-best return of 5 for 59. Glamorgan had to wait 10 overs for their first wicket of the day, which came when nightwatchman Steve Kirby was lbw as he played forward defensively to left-arm spinner Dean Cosker.Franklin progressed to a 108-ball half-century, with seven fours, and had looked in no trouble until he holed out to Tom Maynard at long-on off Robert Croft. Allenby dismissed Jon Lewis and Vikram Banerjee, caught behind and lbw respectively, in quick succession, but Gemaal Hussain helped Dent add 24 for the last wicket before he too was lbw.Dent's unbeaten 45 came from just 42 balls and contained three sixes, one hit straight down the ground off Croft and the other two picked up over square leg and mid-wicket off Cosker. Glamorgan made a poor start to their second innings as Franklin won an lbw verdict against Gareth Rees and bowled Tom Maynard to make it 23 for 2 in 10 overs.But Cosgrove looked in superb form as he took advantage of the short square boundaries and quick outfield to score a high percentage of his runs in boundaries. Ben Wright helped the Australian left-hander put on 61 before he got trapped on his crease and fell lbw to Lewis.Glamorgan's revival continued with a partnership of 99 for the fourth wicket between Cosgrove and skipper Jamie Dalrymple. Cosgrove reached his 103-ball century just before tea when he cut a delivery from Kirby to third man for three runs. And, such was his dominance of the innings, he had scored 102 out of Glamorgan's 150 for three at tea.The total had moved on to 183 when Gloucestershire got the breakthrough they badly needed when Cosgrove chopped a delivery from Hussain on to his stumps. Hussain claimed his 48th wicket of the season in his next over when Dalrymple was bowled while attempting an off-drive, and it became 219 for 6 when Kirby had Allenby taken at second slip by Dent.Kirby struck again when he had James Harris leg before, the 12th lbw of the match, but Mark Wallace and Croft negotiated the remaining nine overs and an exciting finish looks likely on the third day.Wallace reached a 63-ball half-century in the penultimate over when he struck Lewis for four behind square. He finished on 51 and had put on 42 for the eight wicket so far with Croft, who has 17.

Middlesex finish demolition job

Middlesex took just 77 minutes to complete victory over Surrey by an innings and 44 runs on the third day at Lord's despite dogged resistance from Chris Tremlett who produced an unbeaten half century.It meant the hosts took maximum points from a County Championship fixture for the first time in 28 games and inflicted their first defeat by an innings over their historic rivals since 1995 with only one victory in the intervening time, in 2004.Surrey, in contrast, took a solitary point from the match after two of their three bowling bonus points were deducted for a slow over-rate. The last time they were so trounced by Middlesex, an EGM at The Oval called for wholesale manageme changes, though the petitioners were not immediately successful.Surrey cricket manager Chris Adams said: "We've just got to take this on the chin and re-group". He also revealed fitness doubts over Andre Nel, Surrey's spearhead bowler, for the rest of the season. At least the few Surrey fans who turned up had something to cheer in the performance of Tremlett, whose undefeated 53 required only 42 balls and was his first fifty since joining the county this year.The England fast bowler had made six fifties in his Hampshire days but none was quite as exotic as this. After Surrey resumed 146 behind at 110 for 6, Tremlett arrived at the crease when Gareth Batty was magnificently caught by Josh Davey who, diving to his right, held on to a full-blooded drive one-handed at short extra cover.This gave Tim Murtagh his one wicket in the innings off the day's 13th ball but Tremlett was immediately dropped off the next by Owais Shah at third slip. Escaping before he had scored, he dominated a stand of 67 runs in 62 balls before Stewart Walters, swinging at a wide one, attempted one Twenty20 shot too many.Caught behind, Walters went for 43 to Pedro Collins who had been brought back into the attack after punishment to Toby Roland-Jones. The inexperienced youngster was given just one over before being wisely withdrawn when it was smashed for 12 runs. He had done the real damage yesterday evening with his maiden five-wicket haul and finished with 5 for 41.Shaun Udal, greeted by Tremlett with a six off his fifth ball, removed Jade Dernbach after another 29 came in 21 balls and then Collins ended the innings next over.

All-round T&T crush Jamaica for third place

Trinidad and Tobago may have narrowly missed making the finals of the Caribbean T20, but they put in a thoroughly disciplined performance against a listless Jamaica to settle for third place. The seamers, led by Kevon Cooper, restricted Jamaica to an inadequate 94 in a match initially reduced to 14 overs, before the openers strolled to the revised target of 89 in just 10.1 overs. T&T had the incentive to give their home fans something to cheer about, but Jamaica failed to derive any kind of inspiration. With the exception of Carlton Baugh, none of the batsmen batted with motivation, and it was a continuation of their performance in the semi-final yesterday.Jamaica captain Tamar Lambert won the toss and chose to bat under bright skies, but a sudden downpour forced the players indoors for more than 90 minutes. The Trinidad seamers hit the deck hard and got good carry off a moist surface, getting rid of the attacking opening pair of Chris Gayle and Xavier Marshall early. Gayle, who had a disappointing tournament, holed out to the trap at deep midwicket, before Marshall had his middle stump flattened by a Cooper yorker.Marlon Samuels failed to assume the role of senior pro and was dismissed in embarrassing circumstances. He squeezed the ball to cover and set off for a single but his partner Danza Hyatt was rooted to his end watching the ball. Samuels was stranded at Hyatt's end giving T&T an easy run-out. Hyatt himself failed to make amends as he lost his off stump to Dave Mohammed trying to pull a ball which wasn't short enough. Baugh gave the innings some impetus sweeping and cutting Sherwin Ganga for consecutive boundaries. He swept Mohammed over deep square-leg to bring up the first six of the game, and then picked up two crisp boundaries past point off the seamers. But the pressure increased on him as he lost a couple of partners and when Lendl Simmons served up a short delivery, he failed to clear Bravo at deep midwicket. Bravo bowled a fine final over, delivering three dot balls to Lambert as Jamaica limped to 94. Adrian Barath and Simmons made easy work of the target, which was reduced to 89 off 13 overs following a brief shower after 3.2 overs. The pair also ensured they kept with the Duckworth-Lewis par score and didn't lose any wickets by the end of five overs, the minimum required to constitute a match. The persistent drizzle didn't help the Jamaican bowlers as they struggled to grip the ball. Simmons used the opportunity to recover some form by going on the attack, often making room and clearing his back leg to muscle the ball away. Barath was powerful off the front foot, lofting and driving square on the off side to pick up five fours in his 39. The match was nowhere close to the intensity of the first semi-final yesterday, but the home fans weren't complaining as T&T delivered the knockout blow.

BCCI negotiating with Nimbus for production rights

The BCCI has entered into negotiations with Nimbus Sport for the television production rights for cricket played in India until 2014. The period covers about 350 domestic matches and 60 international matches. Nimbus, which owns the India broadcast rights until 2014, is the current holder of the production rights. The board had invited bids between July 23 and July 30 on payment of Rs 5 lakhs (about US$10,800) for the bid document. All the bids were opened at the BCCI working committee meeting held in Mumbai today and Cricinfo has learned Nimbus submitted the lowest bid. Subsequently, the committee "authorised the BCCI president to negotiate the deal," according to a broadcasting official with knowledge of the situation. The deal is expected to be completed in the next two or three days. At the meeting, the working committee also turned down a request from India's Commonwealth Games Committee to be its lead sponsor. "The Committee expressed its inability to agree to the request of the Commonwealth Games to be the lead partner by donating Rs. 100 crores (about $22 million)," the board said in a press release. The Indian Olympic Association President, Suresh Kalmadi, had complained about the board's decision to schedule Australia's tour of India at the same time as the event, and asked for a donation to help ensure the Commonwealth Games would be a success. The BCCI has come to the aid of sporting federations in the past, most recently giving the All India Football Federation a two-year grant of Rs 25 crores (about $ 5.5. million) in 2009 to develop the sport in the country.In light of the resolution of the WADA anti-doping issue, the board voted to seek the appointment of Dr Vece Paes, a former Olympian and father of Indian tennis player Leander Paes, a 12-time doubles Grand Slam champion, to be its anti-doping officer. According to the release, the details of Paes' appointment are still to be worked out. The Board also agreed to give the Mumbai Cricket Association and the Tamil Nadu Cricket Association grants of Rs 20 crores (about $ 4.4 million) and Rs 25 crores (about $5.5. million) respectively for renovating stadiums, according to PTI.

Greg Todd moves to Auckland

Text size: A | A Batsman Greg Todd has ended a six-year stint with Otago by switching to Auckland for the 2010-11 season. Todd was a fixture in Otago's first-class side last season but played only three one-day matches and was not part of the Twenty20 outfit.In six seasons with Otago Todd played 45 first-class games scoring 2774 runs with four centuries and an average of 40.2, 52 one-day fixtures for 1238 runs at 30.19 and 17 Twenty20 matches for 341 runs at 28.41."I have thoroughly enjoyed my six years at Otago," Todd said. "There are memories I will have for a lifetime and leave Otago with no regrets. But life moves on and I'm really looking forward to my next challenge at Auckland to further my game."Otago coach Mike Hesson saluted Todd's grit and fighting spirit. "Greg has been an excellent servant of Otago Cricket during the past six years and has been an important part in the side's successes," Hesson said. "When Greg arrived in Otago his previous first-class experience had been as a bowler who batted, through hard work and skill Greg has turned himself into a quality first-class batsman with an excellent record for Otago."Todd, 28, will add experience to an Auckland side who are missing several seasoned players such as Richard Jones, Reece Young and Scott Styris this season.

Inzamam willing to be Pakistan's batting coach

Inzamam-ul-Haq, former captain and Pakistan's second highest run-scorer in Tests, has offered his services as a full-time batting coach to the national team. Pakistan's batsmen are struggling on a tour of England, where they were dismissed for 182 in the first innings at Trent Bridge and are 15 for 3 in the second."The team definitely needs a full-time batting coach and, if any offer is made to me for this position, I will definitely give it serious consideration," Inzamam told. "They need a batting coach to guide them and it is a responsibility I would look at accepting because Pakistan cricket has given me a lot," Inzamam told Reuters. Pakistan already have in their coaching staff former batsman Ijaz Ahmed, who doubles up as a batting and fielding coach.The Pakistan batsmen also struggled in the two Tests against Australia in England. They lost heavily at Lord's but managed to draw the series by winning at Headingley after their bowlers dismissed Australia for 88 in the first innings. Their batsmen, however, were unconvincing during the chase of a small target."The batsmen are not playing with the required technique and temperament," Inzamam said. "They lack patience and get out after scoring 20 to 30 runs, which is not good enough for Test matches."Inzamam said the selectors should also consider the retired Mohammad Yousuf and Younis Khan, who is out of favour at the moment, for the Test side. "Even a good batsman requires a year or so in Test cricket to settle down and play long innings. I would advise the selectors to try out a combination of senior and young players. And they should use Younis and Yousuf."

Wakely and Sales guide Northants home

Northamptonshire moved back into contention for promotion in the County Championship by upsetting the odds with a four-wicket win against Worcestershire at New Road.Successfully chasing 223 on the third afternoon, they completed an outstanding recovery after trailing by 129 runs on an unpredictable pitch. Having bowled out the home side for 93 in their second innings - the third lowest total in the Championship this summer - they sealed their sixth victory of the season after a mature performance by Alex Wakely.The former England Under-19 batsman made a crucial 68 with 12 boundaries, and after losing three wickets in quick succession, Northamptonshire eased over the line with two fours from David Murphy in the second over after tea. Wakely, at 21, is still making his way in the first-class game but he was not lacking in composure after beginning his innings when Richard Jones pounced from cover to run out Ben Howgego for the second time in the match.Initially watchful in a valuable stand of 45 with Stephen Peters, he successfully resisted the main challenge from Matt Mason and Alan Richardson. The veteran seamers were again a handful in helpful conditions, but Peters made an important 37 before jabbing the fifth ball of Richardson's second spell to Daryl Mitchell at second slip.The match then took a decisive turn as David Sales bounced back from a first-ball dismissal on the previous day. Gradually finding his timing to hit eight boundaries, the former captain made 46 from 67 balls until he was lbw to a full-length delivery from Mason.This could have been a damaging blow for a side missing a number of senior batsmen but Newton more than proved he was up to the task. Born in Somerset and brought up in East Anglia, he completed a productive debut with scores of 23 and 33.Although there was some turn to help Worcestershire, Shakib Al Hasan was unable to make an impact when bowling 10 overs for 35 runs. Instead it was off-spinner Moeen Ali who removed Wakely with a catch at short leg by Alexei Kervezee. There were still some alarms before the job was completed. Like Howgego, Andrew Hall was run out for a second time and Newton brushed a catch behind the wicket in the following over from James Cameron.Earlier, Northamptonshire kept their target within reasonable bounds by mopping up Worcestershire's last two wickets for the addition of 21 runs. Hall (two for 10) claimed a 35th birthday success when Mason, attempting to pull, edged to the wicketkeeper after driving a six off James Middlebrook.Even then, the former Essex off-spinner had conceded only 23 runs when Jones became his third victim, leg-before wicket to the second ball of his 10th over.

Durham ease past Scotland in rain-reduced match

Durham cruised to a 47-run win over Scotland in a rain-shortened Clydesdale Bank 40 clash in Glasgow.Michael Di Venuto's 63 was the mainstay of the visitors' 189 for 7 after seeing their innings cut to 30 overs, Gordon Goudie chipping in with four wickets for Scotland. Gavin Hamilton hit 64 to carry the fight but when he was run out by Di Venuto, the game was up and the hosts could only struggle to 145 for 9.The rain came with Durham eight for no wicket from three overs and brought about the reduction in overs. The resumption saw the early loss of captain Phil Mustard, who scored 12 of an opening stand of 16 with Di Venuto before he was caught by George Bailey off Goudie, but Durham regrouped as Di Venuto found strong support from Ben Stokes.The Australian hit nine fours and a six in his run-a-ball knock before edging Gordon Drummond to keeper Dougie Lockhart to leave Durham 112 for 2. Stokes followed not long after for an unusually patient 39 but former captain Dale Benkenstein smashed 34 from 23 balls to pick up the pace.Some late-overs hitting followed, with Ian Blackwell run out for 11 from six balls and Ben Harmison clubbing a four and a six in 12 not out from just four deliveries. That damaged Goudie's economy rate, the new-ball bowler finishing with four for 51 from six overs as he led the attack.A minor Duckworth-Lewis revision left Scotland to chase 193 and they were in trouble from an early stage, losing openers Preston Mommsen and Dougie Watts with just 12 on the board before Bailey also fell cheaply.Richie Berrington made 29 but became Steve Harmison's second wicket - in four overs costing 17 runs - and left Hamilton to carry the fight almost single-handedly. The Durham old boy hit 64 from 60 balls, finding the boundary rope on eight occasions, but saw Blackwell blitz through the lower middle order at the other end with three for 35 from his six overs.Durham were home and dry long before Hamilton fell to Di Venuto's throw and the remaining overs were a mere procession.

Carter's five cut through Kent

It was a day of notable role reversal for Kent old-boys David Masters and Matthew Walker, who marked their return to the St Lawrence ground with performances that nigh-on broke Kentish hearts. Having controlled the game for much of the opening two days, Kent lost their grip on Saturday and left Essex as the most likely winners of this first division tussle to avoid the drop.It was seam bowler Masters who first hogged centre stage by batting Essex eight runs beyond the follow-on figure of 271. Playing straight and with no little style, Masters plundered eight fours in his 84- ball cameo of 42 to frustrate Kent for most of the opening session.He finally went leg-before to the wiles of wrist spinner Malinga Bandara, who finished with 3 for 44, leaving last-wicket partners Maurice Chambers and Andy Carter to help Essex to avoid the ignominy of batting again.Kent's second innings was halted soon after lunch by a half-hour break for rain, after which the hosts proceeded to lose their way in the game by losing seven mid-session wickets for 68 runs.Carter, in only his second start since joining on loan from Nottinghamshire removed both home openers, Joe Denly and Rob Key, to catches at the wicket by James Foster, and then Masters sent Sam Northeast packing in similar fashion.Carter returned at the Nackington Road End to graze the outside edge of Geraint Jones's bat for another catch for Foster and with his next ball he trapped Darren Stevens leg-before as the right-hander aimed to force a straight one through midwicket.At 36 for 5 things appeared bleak for Kent's faithful, yet they became a whole lot worse following the introduction of Matthew Walker, a left-handed batsman and former crowd favourite here in Canterbury.As a bowler Walker might merit the description of: 'occasional and 'military-medium' at best', yet he transpired to turn the game the way of his new county with a career-best spell of 3 for 35. In only his seventh first-class over since joining from Kent two years ago, Walker nipped one back in to South African run-machine Martin van Jaarsveld to trap the right-hander lbw.After tea Walker continued his golden-armed stint by pegging back Malinga Bandara's off stump and then having Kent top-scorer James Tredwell (40) caught at mid-off. Carter came back to dismiss last man Amjad Khan to finish with 5 for 40 and, with 14 overs of the day remaining, Essex went out to bat again needing 277 for a dramatic win.Kent hit back by removing their first inning's top-scorer Mark Pettini (4) to a good slip catch by Tredwell off Azhar Mahmood, but Jaik Mickleburgh and Tom Westley made it through to stumps at 48 for 1 to leave Essex favourites going into the final day. Mark Pennell is the managing director of freelance reporting and public relations agency Kent & Sussex Sport

Leighton Burtt switches to Wellington

Fast bowler Leighton Burtt has moved to Wellington from Canterbury for the 2010-11 season. He said the reason behind the shift was to improves his chances of making the New Zealand squad."I have aspirations to play international cricket," Burtt said, "and a move to Wellington, with its excellent first-class structure and the opportunity to make the Basin Reserve my home ground, will hopefully be the catalyst for me in reaching the next level."Burtt, 26, had a moderate season in 2009-10, taking 17 wickets at 28.94 in five first-class matches. Canterbury is his home province and he has played all his senior cricket there. "It has been a hard decision as a born and bred Cantabrian, especially with the family involvement in Canterbury Cricket over a long period of time," he said. "It is a decision based on what is in my best interests from a personal development perspective as well as cricket."Wellington head coach Anthony Stuart said Burtt's signing will help boost his side's fast bowling. "He's built up a good track record as a wicket-taking opening bowler over the past few seasons for Canterbury and he's still a young guy with his best cricket in front of him," Stuart said. "Due to injuries and last season's retirement of Iain O'Brien, we had an inexperienced attack throughout much of last summer and Leighton's arrival will give us an extra dimension with the new ball."Burtt is a former New Zealand Under-19 player but broke through to the Canterbury senior team only at the age of 23. Since then, he has nabbed 76 wickets in 24 first-class games at 33.01. Burtt's signing follows last week's announcement that Grant Elliott will lead Wellington and Jeetan Patel will be his deputy for the coming year after an abysmal 2009-10 season.