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Scorecard and ball-by-ball commentary

With England already 2-0 up in the series, the final Test today at Chester-le-Street was all but meaningless, but West Indies’ dogged display in the third Test at Old Trafford at last injected some life into a mismatch of a series. Michael Vaughan spoke of his desire to grind West Indies into the dirt and, after his side’s impressive performance last week, there is no reason to doubt the captain’s vision.Unfortunately for all, the dirt at Chester-le-Street this morning was more a quagmire. The heavy and prolonged overnight rain didn’t ease and, with reports of Yorkshire’s Championship match at Headingley being called off as early as 11.00am, there was little hope of The Riverside escaping the deluge some 90 miles to the north. At 12.30pm, under gloomily granite skies, play was abandoned for the day. Scant consolation, but at least the hardy spectators will receive a full refund on their tickets.Though a fifth of the Test has now been lost to rain, and though England have already taken the series, West Indies have much to play for. In what has been a mismatch of a series, West Indies fought commendably hard at Old Trafford, led by Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s remarkably dogged 116.The scorecard might suggest his knock merely delayed the inevitable for England – and given the threat Monty Panesar posed on such a dusty and bouncy track, it is a fair statement. But nevertheless, West Indies came within 60 runs of creating history, showing the sort of determination and passion that was so lacking in the first two Tests.The weather is expected to improve over the next couple of days, though the rain will never be too far away. But in such green and pleasant conditions, England may only need three days to wrap up the series 3-0.

Division One

Day three
Kent face a final-day battle for survival after Hampshire ground them down at Canterbury. John Crawley extended his overnight 113 into 189 then Dimitri Mascarenhas struck a career-best 131 off 151 balls. He added 174 – and took five fours off one over from Dwayne Bravo – with Nic Pothas while Shane Warne flung the bat with impressive effect before calling his team in – 269 ahead – so they could have a dart at Kent’s top order. David Fulton and Robert survived 12 overs but the real fight starts tomorrow where Warne and Shaun Udal will be a major threat.Sussex hold a commanding advantage of 391 going into the final day against Lancashire at Hove. Murray Goodwin and Richard Montgomerie stuck centuries and added 166 for the third wicket, scoring at a pace that means Sussex are set for an early declaration in the morning. However, that will probably depending on fitness of Mushtaq Ahmed who is struggling with a groin injury and didn’t bowl as Lancashire were dismissed before lunch. Stuart Law and Gareth Cross were parted early in the day and Jason Lewry finished with 6 for 68 as Sussex gained a vital lead of 97.Day four
Stephen Fleming guided Nottinghamshire to a vital six-wicket win against Durham at Chester-le-Street which eased their relegation worries and pulled the home side into the bottom two. The match had been dominated by the seamers, with 25 wickets falling yesterday, and Nottinghamshire’s target of 214 was looking steep as they slipped to 86 for 4. But Fleming was joined by Samit Patel and the pair formed the highest stand of the match – worth an unbeaten 128 – to carry their side comfortably across the line.

Division Two

Day two
Essex’s lower-order clobbered vital runs in the morning session before Ronnie Irani declared on 399 for 8 on the third day against Somerset at Garon’s Park. Irani (61) was only one of two who passed fifty, but James Foster (39), James Middlebrook (24) and Tim Phillips (29) played confidently to set Somerset a near-impossible 519 to win. And they began well, too, with Neil Edwards (20) and Matthew Wood (50) putting on 57 for the opening wicket. Essex struck back late in the day, though, to leave Somerset in the precarious position of 203 for 4 with one day to go.A quartet of fifties from Worcestershire’s batsmen put them in a powerful position on the third day against Glamorgan at Colwyn Bay. Phil Jaques and Stephen Moore got the visitors off to a great start with an opening stand of 168, before Jaques fell for a brisk 92. Soon after, Moore departed for 82 but Ben Smith (70) and Stephen Davies (77) played excellently to leave Glamorgan eyeing only a draw, or the most unlikely of victories (503 runs) on the final day.Leicestershire lost their last five wickets for 76, but Gloucestershire hold a slender lead of just 76 going into the final day at Cheltenham. Resuming on 406 for 5, only Claude Henderson (41) defied the Gloucester bowlers as Leicestershire’s tail folded rather meekly. Nevertheless they still held a useful first-innings lead of 200 and quickly had Gloucestershire in trouble at 17 for 1 when Phil Weston fell to Stuart Broad. However, the home side fought back superbly – largely thanks to Hamish Marshall whose unbeaten 143 came from just 168 balls. Kadir Ali and Craig Spearman fell in quick succession but, with Marshall at the crease tomorrow morning, the match will almost certainly peter out into a draw.Having fallen eight runs short against Gloucestershire in May, Mark Ramprakash finally joined the 300 club as Surrey continued to dominate against Northamptonshire at The Oval. The landmark came off 445 balls after nearly nine hours batting as he became only the third Surrey batsmen to reach 300 for the county. He added 353 with Mark Butcher who hit 147, his highest score of the season. But of Surrey harboured any hopes of a day off they were ended by Usman Afzaal who resisted their attack with an unbeaten 101 after Stephen Peters went early. So far, Afzaal and Chris Rogers have added 155 but they still have a long way to go.

John Gloster, the Indian team’s physio, is confident that Sachin Tendulkar would return to international cricket as scheduled in September. Gloster said that Tendulkar, who is currently recovering from elbow surgery, had started to practice with a light bat and was making satisfactory progress.”He is on course, there is little doubt,” Gloster told when asked about Tendulkar’s path to full fitness. “I speak to him every day and we are constantly monitoring his progress, it is on schedule.” Tendulkar isn’t expected to be fit before India’s tour to Zimbabwe, starting later this month, but Gloster was hoping he could return for Sri Lanka’s series in India in October.”The thing with tennis elbow is that if you keep treating it from outside, or from occasional injections, it would not go away in a hurry. But Sachin was operated upon in England which is the foolproof method of getting rid of tennis elbow. It takes away the weeds and wasted part of muscles and then over a period of time and structured process, the elbow would be back to normal.”Tendulkar has been dogged by tennis-elbow injury for nearly a year and it forced him to miss one-day tournaments in Holland and England apart from two Tests against Australia. After the home series against Pakistan last season, Tendulkar decided to get his elbow operated.

The USACA has announced its team for the Intercontinental Cup match against Canada scheduled to be played at the Brian Piccolo Park in Florida between May 29 and 31.Richard Staple from New York has been retained as captain, with Nasir Javed serving as his deputy. All the 12 members of the team were part of the squad that returned with top honors from Sharjah earlier this year.USA squad Richard Staple (capt), Nasir Javed, Rohan Alexander, Steve Massiah, Clayton Lambert, Charles Reid, Zamin Amin, Jignesh Desai, Howard Johnson, Donovan Blake, Aijaz Ali, Mark Johnson.

Commanders of Pakistan Cricket by Dr Tariq Raz.
Published by Saad Publications, KarachiIt was a pleasant surprise to read a new book on Pakistan cricket that crossed my desk the other day; another in a series by Dr Tariq Raz. His “Commanders of Pakistan Cricket” is a welcome addition to the few good books on this game published in Pakistan.

He has chosen a novel way to survey Pakistan cricket – through all the Pakistan captains over the years. It has a chapter on each captain who led Pakistan in test matches and One-day Internationals.First comes a biographical sketch on each captain, his achievements in the field, and the essential statistics about his performance, without which no book can be called complete.Pakistan’s famous cricket commentator and a former ambassador, Jamsheed Marker, while writing the book’s foreword has said, “All might not be in complete agreement with all of the author’s assessment”.A book about Pakistan captains is bound to flare emotions for the fact there have been so many, so often changed after short stints, and at times several playing in the team at the same time.Even the Pakistan President has had something to say about this in a remark to the team currently touring England: “You can run your unit when you have one commander and I am glad that this team has one captain who calls the shots.”Tariq Raz has tried to avoid controversial remarks or subjective observation that could termed in bad taste, but still his appreciation of Imran Khan, Mushtaq Mohammad, Javed Miandad and AH Kardar is tinged by his admiration for the quartet. The book leaves no doubt these four were the best of the lot that led Pakistan but there were others not far behind.Before penning the achievements of Pakistan captains, Tariq had written “Cricket Scene”, on cricket in Sharjah, “Focus on Pakistan Cricket”, a summary of cricket played by Pakistan, “Winning Account of Pakistan”, a book encapsulating the wins achieved by Pakistan in Tests and one-day cricket and “Pakistan Test Cricket Sojourn”, a summary of all Tests played by Pakistan.All his books were well received and “Focus on Pakistan Cricket” has found an important place in International Cricket Council’s (ICC) library at Lord’s.Going through the book one discovers that in all 25 captains have led Pakistan in both forms of cricket and have their own chapters. The write up is quite comprehensive despite being brief and highlights the high or low points of each one.Their performance as a player and as a captain has been surveyed. Career records of the players as captain in both forms of cricket have been given at the end of the write-up. Each captain’s sketch is accompanied by couple of his photographs in action.Some of these photos are rare and help enhance the value of the volume. The one showing Hanif Mohammad returning to the pavilion after his memorable 337 is one such. Another interesting photo is the one in which Hanif Mohammad and Inzamam-ul-Haq, the two Pakistan triple-hundred makers are seen standing together. However, some of the photos are rather small and the reader has to make an effort to recognize the faces.A very interesting feature of the book is the statistical section at the end that should interest any cricket statistician. It covers the individuals’ performance in great detail as a captain against each country in tests and one-day internationals. It also provides a summary of their performance in all matches they played as captain.The hardbound book is neatly laid out with an attractive cover, naturally the Pakistan green.To me it is obvious Tariq and his team has taken pains to compile the volume and it’s not just a cut-and-paste job. A venture involving records and statistics is tough in itself and one must appreciate the effort involved especially in Pakistan where very few books of this nature are published or researched.All cricket lovers would hope Tariq Raz will continue his mission of enriching the stock of cricket books about Pakistan.

Kent batsman David Fulton took his season’s tally to 1,892 runs to boost his side’s third-day fightback against Division One strugglers Northamptonshire in Canterbury.The 29-year-old Kent opener hit his ninth century of a prolific summer and was just four short of his second double ton when his six-hour stay came to an end to possibly the worst ball he had faced.Attempting to flat-bat a wide, short ball from Michael Strong he could only pick out Graeme Swann at cover point who claimed a good low catch to send Fulton on his way.Fulton’s demise also ended a Kent record sixth-wicket stand worth 219 in 74 overs with Mark Ealham, who went on to score a 264-ball century – his first in Canterbury since 1997 – to finish unbeaten on 109.Together the pair had wiped out Northamptonshire’s first innings lead of 249 and helped the hosts to relative riches in reaching 463 for six at the close for an overall lead of 214.With nine centuries to his name, Fulton is now aiming to become the first Kent bat since Frank Woolley to hit 10 in a summer.Any dampness in the pitch that enabled Northamptonshire to dismiss the hosts for 108 in the opening session of the game, has long since disappeared and Northamptonshire’s bland attack struggled to prevent Kent’s comeback.John Blain took his match tally to nine with the wicket of Matthew Walker in the seventh over of the day, while Strong sent back Paul Nixon just before lunch, but the visitors were thwarted throughout the mid-session when Fulton and Ealham dug in.

Unmukt Chand, the former Under-19 captain, will lead India A in the upcoming tri-series against Australia A and South Africa A, while Ambati Rayudu has been named as captain for the two-match unofficial Test series that follows against South Africa A.Legspinner Karn Sharma, who missed the recent Zimbabwe tour due to a fractured finger, was picked in both squads and Karnataka batsman Karun Nair was chosen as the vice-captain for both the tri-series as well as the unofficial Tests against South Africa.Himachal Pradesh batsman Ankush Bains, 19, was selected on the back of a strong domestic performance – 568 runs in 11 first-class matches at an average of 47.33, with a highest score of 156. Saurashtra batsman Sheldon Jackson was picked after a stellar 2014-15 Ranji Trophy season, during which he made 819 runs in eight matches.Virat Kohli, Cheteshwar Pujara, Amit Mishra and KL Rahul, who were part of the India A squad for the unofficial Tests against Australia, were not available because of the Test series in Sri Lanka beginning on August 12.Robin Uthappa and Manoj Tiwary, who played in all the ODIs against Zimbabwe, were not picked for the tri-series.All the matches of the tri-series will be played in Chennai between August 5 and August 14. The two-match series against South Africa A begins three days later on August 18 in Wayanad, Kerala.India A squad for tri-series: Unmukt Chand (capt), Mayank Agarwal, Manish Pandey, Karun Nair, Kedar Jadhav, Sanju Samson, Axar Patel, Parvez Rasool, Karn Sharma, Dhawal Kulkarni, Sandeep Sharma, Rush Kalaria, Mandeep Singh, Gurkeerat Singh Mann, Rishi Dhawan.India A squad for unofficial Tests: Ambati Rayudu (capt), Karun Nair, Abhinav Mukund, Ankush Bains, Shreyas Iyer, Baba Aparajith, Vijay Shankar, Jayant Yadav, Axar Patel, Karn Sharma, Abhimanyu Mithun, Shardul Thakur, Ishwar Pandey, Sheldon Jackson, Jiwanjot Singh.

A match that’s already witnessed a slew of records saw Rahul Dravid become the sixth batsman in Test history to break the 10,000-run barrier. He reached the landmark with a clip towards midwicket off Morne Morkel and raised his arms aloft mid-way through the run.He reached the milestone in the 119th over of the first innings, when he went from 79 to 80. There was a standing ovation from the audience at the MA Chidambaram Stadium, a ground where he is yet to get a century. He acknowledged the cheers from the dressing-room and also received a congratulatory hug from Sourav Ganguly at the non-striker’s end.Dravid joined two other Indians – Sachin Tendulkar and Sunil Gavaskar – in the list, which also contains Steve Waugh, Allan Border and Brian Lara. Dravid managed to reach the mark in his 120th Test, in a career that began in 1996. 23 of those runs, though, came for the ICC World XI against Australia in October 2005During the course of the innings Dravid also became the first batsman play 150 innings while batting at No.3. Though his was a sedate knock, his 268-run second-wicket partnership with Virender Sehwag allowed India a chance to harbour hopes of an unlikely win.

Worcestershire’s Twenty20 Cup fixture against Warwickshire at New Road has had to be cancelled after unseasonal rains caused the Severn and Teme rivers to break their banks and flood the county ground at New Road.”Around half of the ground is flooded at a depth of at least a couple of feet,” explained David Leatherdale, the commercial manager. “It is up to the engines of cars parked on the ground.” Games against Northamptonshire on Friday and Gloucestershire on Sunday are also in doubt.Although county officials immediately sought an alternative venue to stage the game, the Twenty20 regulations as they stand require all matches to be played within the county boundaries. Worcestershire had hoped to play at either Kidderminster, Ombersley or Barnt Green, but were forced to admit defeat.”Regrettably no other venue within the county with the facilities to stage the Twenty20 match could be identified in spite of the very best efforts of the home club,” said an ECB statement. “ECB has indicated that it wishes to consider changes to regulations which could provide increased options for the 2008 season but recognises that the weather conditions experienced in June have been exceptional.While the ground, which is on a flood plain, is often submerged in the winter, it is rare that it suffers during the season. In June 1931 Worcestershire had to move their match against Kent to Stourbridge because New Road was underwater. On that occasion the local fire brigade were called in to help mop up. In August of the same year heavy rain meant that a small lake formed in front of the ladies stand and the boundary had to be brought in by 25 yards midway a game against Warwickshire. It also flooded in August 1957.

Pakistan now has two players in the top five of the Test batting rankings following the drawn first Test against England at Lord’s. Inzamam-ul-Haq has climbed one place to third in the list after twin half-centuries and he has been joined in the top five by Mohammad Yousuf, who made 202, his second successive Test double hundred against England.Yousuf is up two spots to fifth place and now has his best-ever ranking and his highest tally of points. Completing a trio of Pakistan batsmen in the top 10 is Younis Khan, who missed the Lord’s Test through injury. He lies seventh in the table.The only players Inzamam now trails in the rankings are his opposite numbers Ricky Ponting of Australia and India’s Rahul Dravid. England, by contrast, has just one batsman in that top 10, Kevin Pietersen in 10th position, but below him, several of his team mates are making positive moves.Andrew Strauss’s ninth Test hundred has seen him rise two places to 12th (overtaking team-mate Marcus Trescothick in the process) while Paul Collingwood’s Test-best 186 has boosted him up to joint 34th position, a climb of 16 places.Ian Bell and Alastair Cook, two more century-makers from the Lord’s Test are up to joint 42nd and 51st place respectively, and the duo – along with Collingwood – have career-best ratings.The bowling ranks have seen no changes in the top 20 with England’s Matthew Hoggard still the highest-placed player from either side. He remains in fifth spot, ahead of injured team-mate Andrew Flintoff in sixth and another injured player, Pakistan fast bowler Shoaib Akhtar, in seventh position.Sri Lankan spinner Muttiah Muralitharan remains top rankings, clear of South African fast bowler Makhaya Ntini.