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Sam Northeast, who was given permission to speak to other counties last month by Kent, has joined Hampshire on a long-term contract. At least eight clubs were keen to sign him – a greater number, it is believed, than have sought any English cricketer in the past. Northeast almost moved to the Ageas Bowl three years ago and, having been replaced as Kent captain after signalling he would not sign a new contract, now believes he has to play in the first division in order to be in contention for selection by England.At the age of 28, Northeast is approaching his peak years. A batsman in England, according to another former Kent captain, Colin Cowdrey, does not reach his prime until he is 30. So Hampshire are acquiring a proven run-scorer, one who will not be absent through Test cricket or the IPL for the time being and an individual whose family are close friends with Liam Dawson, the Hampshire allrounder, and his family. Northeast is likely to bat at No. 4, coming in after James Vince, England’s most-recent Test No. 3.Geographically, Northeast is better suited to joining Hampshire than Lancashire or Nottinghamshire, although Southampton is too far to commute from the home he bought recently in Canterbury. Essex, the county champions, were keen to sign him as well, but he was unsure where he would fit into their batting order. Joining Sussex, the closest club, and Jason Gillespie – who believed Northeast should have gone to Australia with the full Test party – would have meant remaining in the second division.So for Rod Bransgrove, the Hampshire chairman, this is a fillip after the disappointment of not being granted an Ashes Test in 2023. His plans to continue developing the club and the Ageas Bowl will continue apace, also, with a proposed second hotel, possibly a boutique one, owing to the high demand on space at the Hilton. Hampshire will have to pay compensation to buy Northeast out of the remaining year of his contract, but it will not be the equivalent of his salary. An official announcement is expected next week.Kent maintain that they offered Northeast one of the best contracts in their history to stay with them beyond this season. Although the captaincy is an annual appointment, they were not prepared to allow him to remain as captain for this year unless he signed an extension. “We wanted to plan for the future and spoke to Sam for several months, but he did not want to stay,” said a spokesman.Northeast, who grew up on the Kent coast at Deal and first played for Kent when still at school, was told last year by Matt Walker, the head coach, that he was not their preferred choice of captain. Their relationship broke down irretrievably – to the extent that Northeast stayed away from the St Lawrence ground and practised instead at Beckenham. He has also been frustrated by the club’s shortage of finance – largely caused by poor management in the past – and, despite a number of talented young players on the staff, not gaining promotion.He sought a meeting last month with Simon Philip, the new chairman, but discovered that only Jamie Clifford, the chief executive who was on the cusp of leaving to join MCC, and Graham Johnson, the chairman of the cricket committee who is not standing for re-election to the main committee at the annual meeting this spring, would be present. In that Kent have to start the new season without Sam Billings, their new captain, who will be tied up with the IPL, quite apart from not having Northeast’s runs to play with, this change appears to make little sense. Billings will miss the first five or six Championship matches of the summer.In terms of the breakdown of communication and lack of information to the club’s supporters and members, this sorry episode is uncannily reminiscent of the departure of Mike Denness, the most successful captain in Kent’s history, and who had captained England, in 1976. What Kent would give now for the two trophies he won that season.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSydney Sixers finished their BBL campaign in fourth position after cleaning up their fourth successful run chase on the trot. With the fixtures yet to be played, there is no mathematical way the side will remain in contention for the playoffs, but they averted the train wreck they were on track for after losing their first six games.Hunting 190 for victory in a highly entertaining match, it was never in doubt for the hosts after Nic Maddinson got motoring in a punishing 108-run stand with Joe Denly, punctuated by the former collecting six boundaries from one James Faulkner over.Maddinson’s match-winning hand of 61 off 26 balls included two sixes that travelled more than 100 metres. English import Denly did the rest with an unbeaten 72, the Sixers home with 15 balls and five wickets to spare.Earlier, it looked like another player outside Australia’s 50-over team, Glenn Maxwell, would be winning headlines on the night when clobbering 84 off 47 balls. It wasn’t enough to earn the Stars a victory, but it was a timely reminder to the national coach Darren Lehmann in the commentary box that there are very few better in the white-ball world.Maxwell on a mission
Elevated to first drop in Kevin Pietersen’s absence, Maxwell issued a sign of what was to come by flicking Sean Abbott from off stump over square leg for six. Normal people can’t do that. Next ball, he popped him over cow corner. A pair of neat ramps off Carlos Brathwaite reinforced that the right-hander is more than muscle. Then, seemingly offended by part-timer Joe Denly’s introduction, he dismissed him over midwicket. The Victorian was flying the best way he knows how.It was only an exaggerated switch-hit off Nathan Lyon that slowed Maxwell, pinching a nerve in his neck. But soon enough, he was back slaying through cover before hoicking Ben Dwarshuis over the backward square rope to complete a 23-ball half-century.It didn’t end there. Somehow he made room to ping Johan Botha from outside leg stump behind point before locating the same boundary twice more off Abbott. Maxwell didn’t quite complete his mission, holing out off Brathwaite on 84, leaving a century on the shelf, but he had made it the Stars’ game to lose.A word for Rob Quiney, who played with equal freedom taking Moises Henriques down before striking Lyon gracefully twice down the ground for six. By the time the offspinner had him stumped, the Stars pair had put on 119 in 59 balls. That foundation was laid.Getty Images

Sixers fight back at the perfect time
With 150 on the board, six wickets in hand and five overs to come, the Stars were coasting to a 200-plus target. But the departure of the two set men changed the tone of the contest. Sure, 39 runs still came from the final five overs. But five overs also elapsed between the 14th and 19th over where a boundary wasn’t struck. Momentum, and all that.The Sixers won chasing in their final three fixtures and the window was now open for them on a true surface. Even if they would be one down with the bat after Jordan Silk had suffered a serious collarbone injury diving to save a boundary. From nowhere 30 minutes earlier, they were vaguely back in business.Maddinson powers on with a rare set
With dew in the air, the assessment of Maddinson was that the pitch was getting quick at the right time to take full advantage during the Sixers’ Powerplay. They suffered a setback when Daniel Hughes was caught magnificently by Evan Gulbis in the first over, but it didn’t dissuade the left-hander from going hard from the get-go. To begin, Daniel Worrall was plonked over his head and all the way by Maddinson. In the next over, Denly did likewise to the spin of Beer to get his night going. When Maddinson then pulled Worrall into the second tier of the grandstand, the party was well and truly started.But it was the fifth over that mattered most. Even in this inflated era of short-form scoring, it remains rare to see six boundaries in an over. Maddinson was in such good touch that he achieved that against the man adjudged Player of the World Cup just three years ago. Granted, the first of those did come from an edge, but the rest were controlled behind square and thrashed through cover. “Some of the best striking in BBL history” according to Ricky Ponting.Denly does the rest to finish his Sydney cameo in style
An inside edge was enough for Maddinson to raise his half-century in 22 balls, equalling his personal best. In this environment, 20-year-old left-arm wristspinner Liam Bowe never had a chance, and was pulverised for 21 from his first set. With the stand beyond 100 and the runs required to seven an over, it mattered little that Maddinson fell leg before with the score on 115 with fewer than seven an over now needed.Moises Henriques started aggressively, tucking into Bowe for another 15 runs from his second over. Denly’s 32-ball half-century looked sedate by comparison, but only went to show what a savvy acquisition he was for the Sixers to replace Jason Roy.

Former South Africa fast bowler Makhaya Ntini’s contract as Zimbabwe’s bowling coach is unlikely to be renewed when it expires in January next year, and he may even be released before that date. Ntini is on a two-year deal that started in January last year.

Zimbabwe squad for three one-dayers against Netherlands

Graeme Cremer (captain), Regis Chakabva, Peter Moor, Solomon Mire, Hamilton Masakadza, Sean Williams, Craig Ervine, Chamu Chibhabha, Sikandar Raza, Donald Tiripano, Christopher Mpofu, Richard Ngarava, Tarisai Musakanda, Ryan Burl, Malcolm Waller, Tendai Chatara

ESPNcricinfo understands that complaints from several players about Ntini’s approach have forced Zimbabwe Cricket (ZC) administration to let Ntini go. With the World Cup qualifiers due to be played in March next year, ZC would prefer that process to take place earlier than his contract’s expiration date, so that they can find a replacement ahead of the tournament.But, ZC’s managing director Faisal Hasnain said discussions about Ntini, or anyone else’s contract, had not yet begun and that any suggestion that Ntini had been fired was untrue.”ZC denies in the strongest possible terms any suggestions that Makhaya has been sacked. When his contract comes up for renewal, will we deal with it in the manner we deal with all our contracts,” Hasnain said. “Makhaya is a valued member of our staff, he is highly respected and he has done some great work. He has his hands full preparing the team for the matches against Netherlands, Pakistan A and then the two Tests against West Indies.”Zimbabwe will be playing three 50-over matches against Netherlands in Harare next week and have named a strong squad for the series, although they will be without Brendan Taylor, who has been allowed a few days off after his return to the country. Taylor was released from his Nottinghamshire contract last week and will be available for Zimbabwe’s series against West Indies.Zimbabwe are pinning a lot of hopes on Taylor’s comeback and the revamped structures to see them through to the 2019 World Cup but are planning to get there without Ntini. The South African has not obtained any coaching qualifications prior to or since getting the job, though he has gained significant experience.After almost six months under Dav Whatmore, Ntini was appointed interim head coach when Whatmore was sacked at the end of May. Ntini took charge of Zimbabwe for three ODIs and three T20s against India and two Tests against New Zealand. Zimbabwe lost all but one of the T20s. Ntini was then relieved of the head coach job in October, when Heath Streak took over but he stayed on as a member of Streak’s support staff.The Zimbabwe job was Ntini’s first foray into coaching after his international retirement in 2010. He is one of the ambassadors of the Nelson Mandela Bay Stars, the Port Elizabeth-based team in the Global T20 League, South Africa’s franchise tournament which kicks off in November.

Dinesh Karthik will lead the Kolkata Knight Riders in the Indian Premier League 2018. It will be his first season with them, having been bought at the auction in February for INR 7.4 crores (approx USD 1.1 million). An old hand, Robin Uthappa, who was also among the top contenders for the job, has been appointed vice-captain.

Venkatesh Prasad joins Kings XI Punjab

Venkatesh Prasad was announced as Kings XI Punjab’s bowling coach on Sunday. He had recently quit as chairman of India’s junior selection panel in anticipation of picking up a job at the IPL and keeping both positions would have left him on the wrong side of the conflict of interest rules as advocated by the Lodha panel.
Prasad was the bowling coach at Royal Challengers Bangalore in 2008 during the first season of the IPL. He then took the same role at Chennai Super Kings from 2009-10 before moving back to Royal Challengers between 2011-13.

Karthik, 32, has been part of the IPL since its inception in 2008, and he has played for five different teams – Delhi Daredevils, Kings XI Punjab, Mumbai Indians, Royal Challengers Bangalore and most recently Gujarat Lions. He has also been stand-in captain for some of those teams, and has long been part of the leadership group with his home state Tamil Nadu.”I think the thing that stood out is that DK is at the age now in his career where he’s got the best years of his career in front of him,” assistant coach Simon Katich told . “He’s been involved in the IPL for 10 years. He’s got a fantastic domestic record captaining Tamil Nadu in the T20 tournament there. I think he’s got a 72% win-rate which is outstanding as a T20 skipper.”Karthik takes over from Gautam Gambhir, who is the Knight Riders’ leading run-scorer and took them to two IPL titles in 2012 and 2014. Venky Mysore, the CEO of the franchise, said they were keen to retain Gambhir for the 2018 season as well but the player had asked for a fresh start. It appears KKR are also chasing the same by putting a man who is yet to make his debut for them as their captain.”The team that Gambhir led in the last seven years, I think he’s done a fabulous job. “Karthik said. “He’s left a sort of legacy which is the kind of thing I’d like to do, where you leave the team in good hands, and you take a team that was probably doing well and take it to a different level altogether. I would definitely like to be a part of that journey.”Knight Riders went all out to pick up the lynch pins of India’s Under-19 World Cup winning squad – Shubman Gill (approx USD 281,000), Kamlesh Nagarkoti (approx USD 500,000) and Shivam Mavi (approx USD 468,000) – and Karthik was keen to see how they fare in the IPL. “It’s a very young side. There are few very interesting talents from the India Under-19s that we’ve picked up. I’m really looking forward to meeting them, interacting with them and getting the best out of them.”Uthappa, the 32-year old who has played for the Knight Riders since 2014, might have missed out on the chance to lead them on account of limited captaincy experience. He has been at the helm of eight T20 matches, whereas Karthik’s corresponding figure is 18.”To come in at this role is really exciting for me,” Uthappa said. “I’ve been able to add value to the team in the past in different scenarios in different forms. This gives me a more direct impact within the decision-making group so I hope to be adding the kind of value that bring us championships.”I’m sure all of Kolkata will be right behind DK, as will I and as will the rest of the team. I’m going to be available to DK anytime he needs me, always ready to share my inputs. DK and I have known each other since our Under-17 days, so looking forward to working with him”The 11th season of the IPL begins on April 7 in Mumbai.

ScorecardShadman Islam struck a century in the first innings•IDI/Getty

A century from Shadman Islam put Bangladesh A in charge on the second day of the unofficial Test against Ireland A in Sylhet. The home side finished with a lead of 67 at stumps, having posted 322 for six in the 103 overs of their first innings.Resuming on an overnight score of 22, Shadman struck 15 fours in his 108 off 219 balls, staying at the crease for close to five-and-a-half hours. He added 137 for the second wicket with captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto, who made a 135-ball 69. Shadman added a further 69 with Yasir Ali Chowdhury (35) for the fourth wicket before falling in the 82nd over of the innings.Wicketkeeper Nurul Hasan scored his 16th first-class fifty, anchoring a 66-run stand with Mahedi Hasan (35) for the sixth wicket. Nurul went to stumps on an unbeaten 51 off 98 balls.For the visitors, Nathan Smith and Andrew McBrine took two wickets each, with the latter accounting for Shadman. Stuart Thompson and George Dockrell picked up a wicket apiece.

Fans wishing to listen to commercial-free, ball-by-ball radio coverage of the Ashes series at the venue will need to bring their own radios after Cricket Australia froze out the ABC and the BBC from the three-channel earpieces sold and distributed at each ground.The commercial networks Channel Nine, BT Sport and Triple M are the networks included on the earpieces, which have been part of the at-ground experience in Ashes Tests since 2010-11. In recent summers the earpieces have generally been tuned to take coverage from Nine, the ABC and Fairfax radio.The choice of broadcasters, omitting the two leading radio providers with long histories of covering the game in Australia and England, raised numerous eyebrows during the first Test of the series in Brisbane.It was initially thought that CA may rotate the networks used on the earpieces on a match-by-match basis this series, in part to acknowledge the bigger-than-usual array of coverage options available for the Ashes and its wider-than-ever attendant following.However ESPNcricinfo has learned that Nine, BT and Triple M will retain their places on the device throughout all the remaining Tests in Adelaide, Perth, Melbourne and Sydney, with the only likelihood of change to be for the limited-overs matches that follow the Ashes.”We have five broadcasters and three channels,” a CA spokesman said. “The Nine Network is allocated one because it engages with the largest audience (8 million Australians watched the Brisbane broadcast), and BT provides English fans at the match with the English commentary.”This year we are rotating the third slot to be fair to our radio broadcasters: the ABC and Macquarie have each had a channel for a number of years, when we had just the one TV broadcast, and this year it is Triple M’s turn.”In its strategy document released earlier this year, CA stated that its goal for followers of the game is that: “We will give fans what they want and grow the Big Bash.”This summer is the last of the existing domestic broadcast rights deals with Nine for international cricket and the Ten Network for the BBL and WBBL, which were signed in 2013 and worth A$590 million over five years. Formal negotiations are expected to begin in the new year, following Ten’s successful acquisition by the American broadcasting giant CBS.

ScorecardAssociated Press

Bangladesh A took a 2-0 lead against Ireland A after their eight-wicket win in the third unofficial ODI in Cox’s Bazar. Left-arm fast bowler Abu Hider starred with the ball, bagging a three-for, as the visitors were skittled out only for 103 runs. The home side won with 27 overs to spare.Andy Balbirnie’s decision to bat first backfired for the entire Ireland A batting line-up, barring himself. His 90-ball 52 amounted to more than half of the team total and featured three fours and a six. Having come in at No. 3, he added 48 runs for the seventh wicket with Shane Getkate, whose 23 was the only other double-digit score by an Ireland batsman other than Balbirnie’s.After Balbirnie fell to legspinner Tanbir Hayder in the 33rd over, Ireland added one more run at the expense of the last three wickets.Hider took out three of the top five batsmen – Stuart Poynter, Sean Terry and Simi Singh – while Sunzamul Islam and Hayder bagged two each. Subashis Roy, Abul Hasan and Al Amin also took one wicket apiece.Both openers got starts but failed to sustain their innings. Anamul Haque, playing his first match of the series, fell for 20, while Shadman could only amass 24. Captain Nazmul Hossain Shanto subsequently took Bangladesh A home with an unbeaten 41 off 38 balls.The fourth and fifth ODIs are scheduled to be held on October 25 and 26 in Cox’s Bazar.

Criminal charges may result from allegations of corruption in Australian cricket, the ICC has warned, as an investigation began in earnest in the wake of claims that the ongoing third Ashes Test at the WACA has been targeted by spot-fixers.According to a report in The Sun, two men asked the newspaper’s undercover reporters for up to £140,000 (USD187,000) to “spot fix” markets in the third Test, such as the exact amount of runs scored in an over. No individual players on either team were singled out in the report.The ICC responded with a statement from Alex Marshall, general manager anti-corruption, who said there was currently “no evidence” that the Perth Test had been corrupted. He later added that the ACSU would be cross-referencing the new information from The Sun with their existing intelligence, and confirmed that they would push for prosecution if it was deemed that offences had taken place in countries, such as Australia, where match-fixing is a criminal offence.”It is obviously very early stages and our priority on receiving everything from The Sun late last night was to consider whether the integrity of the third Ashes Test had been compromised,” said Marshall. “There is no evidence, either from The Sun or via our own intelligence, to suggest the current Test match has been corrupted. At this stage of the investigation, there is no indication that any players in this Test have been in contact with the alleged fixers.”We are now working through the rest of the information from The Sun as part of what will be a wide-ranging investigation and we will map this against our own existing intelligence and live investigations to look for any corroboration or cross over. We are taking these allegations very seriously and will follow the correct processes of a thorough investigation. We will look for clear and usable evidence that proves or disproves the allegations made. This will include looking for corroboration, speaking to key witnesses and securing all relevant evidential material.”This will not be concluded overnight and we will be working with ACU colleagues from Member countries to investigate every single allegation in full. We will not be making any comment in relation to the identity of any individual names in the dossier whilst this investigation is ongoing.””The allegations are wide ranging and relate to various forms cricket in several countries, including T20 tournaments. We will look closely at all the information as part of our investigation. We ask anyone with information about these allegations to get in touch with the ICC Anti-Corruption Unit via [email protected].”The ACSU’s sentiments were echoed by England and Australia officials. “Cricket Australia takes a zero-tolerance approach against anybody trying to bring the game into disrepute,” said a CA spokesman.”Cricket Australia will co-operate fully with any ICC Anti-Corruption Unit investigation.”Australian cricket has a long-standing, proactive approach to sports integrity management and Cricket Australia has a dedicated Anti-Corruption and Security Unit (ACSU) to prevent corruption within Australian domestic comptetitons, including the BBL.”In addition to this, all players participating in CA sanctioned competitions, including the BBL, are required to complete an anti-corruption education session before they can compete.”CA works closely with the ICC ACU on all international fixtures played in Australia.”Players are able to report any suspicions they have on a confidential basis and in the past there has been a strong Australian player culture to do so.”An ECB spokesman added: “ECB work closely with the ICC and their Anti-Corruption unit to protect the integrity of the international game. We are aware of these allegations and there is no suggestion that any of the England team is involved in any way.”The game’s most high profile spot-fixing scandal was broken by the now-defunct – sister paper to – in 2010, which led to Pakistan’s Salman Butt, Mohammad Amir and Mohammad Asif being given prison sentences for bowling deliberate no-balls in a Test at Lord’s.Marshall confirmed that similar action could be on the cards if deemed appropriate. Recent legislative changes at state and federal levels have made fixing a criminal offence in Australia and New Zealand, while in the UK it is covered under the Bribery Act.”Nothing has been referred [to the police] as yet because we are still assessing the information,” he said. “If we deem that offences have taken place in countries where match-fixing is illegal then yes we will work with the local police and report our concerns and share information to push for prosecution.””As with any investigation we will use all options available to us should we deem it necessary and appropriate. The ability to download mobile phones is one part of the investigative toolkit for us.””We are conducting a live investigation and will do that by focusing on the facts, intelligence and evidence at hand. We will be looking in detail at the allegations, looking for any corroboration of what has been alleged, either from the Sun’s own investigation or our own intelligence, and we will be examining whether there is any evidence which we can now use and take forward. We will do this without further speculation or comment.”Australia’s wicketkeeper Tim Paine said the allegations had not been a distraction to him during the first day of the Test match, and reiterated that he and others in the team had long been educated about the pitfalls of corruption.”I heard very briefly about it this morning, not a lot else about it,” he said. “What I do know is that all of our guys have been educated on that sort of stuff for a long time, I’ve been contracted since I was 16 and been through it every year, so we certainly know what’s right and wrong and I know there’s no-one in our team who’s involved in any way.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAssociated Press

Mahmudullah, sublimely poised while chaos roiled around him, hoisted an Isuru Udana ball over the square leg boundary when six runs were required off the last two balls, propelling Bangladesh to victory in scintillating fashion. It is difficult to overstate the importance of his innings, though the numbers – 43 off 18 balls – bear witness to its quality. Incensed by several mistakes from his team-mates, maintaining his focus even through an ugly final over in which a Bangladesh sub was given a shove by a Sri Lanka player and Shakib Al Hasan seemed intent on bringing his batsmen off the field, Mahmudullah completed the chase of 160 with No. 10 batsman Rubel Hossain at the other end.A year’s worth of nerves and acrimony was packed into the final over. Tension between these teams had been high throughout the tournament, owing partly to the “nagin” [cobra] dance that they had mockingly traded with each other, a childish saga that had begun during Sri Lanka’s tour of Bangladesh. But it was upon the umpires’ failure to call the second delivery of that over a no-ball for height (it was the second bouncer of the over, the first having been a dot ball to Mustafizur Rahman), that the drama really sparked off. Mahmudullah was in the umpires’ faces, imploring them to award a no-ball that would make the requirement 11 off five balls with a free-hit to boot, instead of 12 off 4. Mustafizur, meanwhile, was run out attempting a bye at the other end.While Mahmudullah was arguing with the umpires, a fracas had boiled over elsewhere. A Bangladesh substitute who had come on to the field with drinks had become embroiled in an argument with the Sri Lanka players. It was when one of the Sri Lanka fielders gave the sub a push – not an almighty shove, but not a gentle prod either – that the Bangladesh dressing room became truly incensed. In a flash, Shakib came down the stairs and to the boundary, where after after speaking animatedly with the fourth umpire, he summoned Mahmudullah and Rubel off the field.In the end, after things had seemed to settle slightly, Mahmudullah carved a four over cover the first ball after resumption, then hit two to deep midwicket and gloriously lifted that leg-side six, with Udana having overpitched. His euphoric team-mates charged the field to embrace him, dusted off a group version of the nagin dance, and were celebrating when another unseemly altercation ensued. This time Kusal Mendis was yelling at the Bangladesh players and gesturing animatedly, while Tamim Iqbal put an arm around his shoulder and attempted to calm him down. In a month in which player behaviour has been under the microscope, all this made for especially disagreeable viewing.Celebrations in the Bangladesh dressing room in Colombo went a little down the wrong direction•Andrew Fernando/ESPNcricinfo

It was a pity that the theatrics marred what was otherwise an incredibly riveting game: a T20 that had had a top-order collapse, a stirring recovery, wonderful bowling, baffling dismissals, and a myriad dramatic moments even before that denouement. This was a match in which Bangladesh had justifiably installed two slips to Thisara Perera in the ninth over of Sri Lanka’s innings, after the hosts had found themselves 41 for 5, the collapse engineered by Mustafizur, Shakib and Mehedi, with a run-out thrown into the mix. Kusal Perera was the only top order batsman to survive this mayhem, and together with Thisara, forged a courageous 97-run stand that yanked a side on the brink of being annihilated, to a respectable score.Beautifully did the Pereras dovetail, Thisara laying low and digging in early in their association, while Kusal struck vital, boundaries to keep run rate above water. His scorching cut off Mahmudullah in the 10th over produced the first boundary in 25 deliveries. After two more fours off Rubel Hossain, Kusal took a mighty gamble – he attacked Mustafizur who had taken two wickets and conceded only four runs in his first two overs. That over – the 13th of the innings – would yield 18 runs, and energy would re-enter the Sri Lanka batting effort. Boundaries began to be found regularly, and twos were desperately run in between – the pair forever flirting with another run out, but just escaping. Thanks largely to the Pereras, Sri Lanka managed 69 off the last six overs – their 159 for 7 just about a par score on a slower deck.Akila Dananjaya made two breakthroughs in the Powerplay, to have the chase wobbling at 33 for 2 in the fourth over, but Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal combined for 64 runs off 52 balls, and ensured the chase stayed on track – Tamim hitting an important 50 off 42 balls. Bangladesh’s senior batsmen perhaps banked on being able to score quickly towards the end of the match, because one of Sri Lanka’s frontline bowlers – Nuwan Pradeep – sustained a game-ending leg injury in the field, after he had delivered only one over.Associated Press

Mushfiqur was out to Aponso in the 13th over, the bowler playing an imaginary snake-charmer’s flute in celebration, which was perhaps the only piece of real wit throughout the exchange between the two teams. When Tamim was out next over, and Soumya Sarkar soon after that, Bangladesh were in a little discomfort, with 51 still required off 31 balls, and only five wickets in hand.Mahmudullah eased himself into this innings. His first boundary came via a misfield at long-on in the 16th over. His next was a six down the ground off Jeevan Mendis, to bring the equation to 31 required off 21 – very gettable, so long as this senior pair saw them home. Shakib, however, would hole out to long leg with two overs to go, off a leg side half-volley, leaving Mahmudullah visibly angry.He would be even more irate at Mehidy Hasan at the end of the penultimate over, after Mehedi failed to dive at the end of a risky run, and was found to be short of his ground. As important as his nerveless boundary hitting was Mahmudullah’s running between the wickets, and his ability to place his shots between fielders. His innings contained six twos and a three, as well as four singles. He failed to score off only one dot ball. In purely cricketing terms, this was an outstanding T20 finish. His innings only glows brighter for having come amid such rancour.

ScorecardOn a Bank Holiday afternoon made for hammock-ease and somnolence Lancashire and Somerset concocted cricket worthy of everyone’s close attention at Emirates Old Trafford. That the game would end in a draw only became apparent in the evening session when Somerset’s eighth-wicket pair, Jack Leach and Tim Groenewald, extended their side’s lead beyond 175 with the overs slipping gently away.Leach was eventually bowled for a career-best 66 when he played inside the line to Matt Parkinson but apart from giving the legspinner his fifth wicket of the innings, that wicket was little more than the prelude to stalemate. The outcome became even more probable in retrospect, as it were, when it was discovered that Marcus Trescothick would have batted with a broken foot had he been required to do so.All the same, until Leach and Groenewald’s 69-run stand either side of tea the visitors’ regular loss of wickets and the possibility of a hectic run-chase kept the crowd involved in a match where all outcomes, including a Somerset victory, were possible. Lancashire’s main honours were taken by that cheery scamp of a legspinner Parkinson, who took 5 for 101 and often extracted plenty of turn and bounce from this fourth-day Old Trafford wicket. Already an England Lion, Parkinson ended the game with career-best match figures of 8 for 181. He should be grateful he was offered four warm days in Manchester and close to ideal conditions in which to wheel away for 56.2 overs.Watching Parkinson bowl to the bespectacled Leach, who looked as if he might have been more at home in Deansgate’s John Rylands Library, put one in mind of Staff matches at schools when optimistic fifth formers are put in their place by merciless masters. In fact, there are only five years or so between the pair and when Leach lifted Parkinson for a straight six the realities of professional cricket dispelled such airy notions.But for at least two sessions there was nothing at all fanciful about Lancashire’s chances of victory. Four wickets fell in the morning session and two more in the first three overs after lunch. When Tom Abell was leg before to Parkinson, his side were 145 for 6 and Lancashire were probably a few good balls from their first victory of the season. By contrast, the morning began poorly for Somerset and did not get better until Leach joined Craig Overton in a 52-run seventh-wicket stand early in the second session.Lancashire had made their first breakthrough with the eighth ball of the morning when two profoundly undistinguished pieces of cricket were followed by a brief moment of competence. Parkinson bowled a dirty great waist-high full-toss which Matt Renshaw tried to smear away towards Altrincham. Sadly for the honour of the Southern Cross, however, he merely skied the ball towards mid-on where Tom Bailey first made to run away from the thing before entering new co-ordinates in his CatchNav and taking a good two-handed pouch. A couple of overs later James Anderson took his only wicket of the game when he snared George Bartlett leg before on the back foot for 6, and when Steve Davies gave a bat and pad catch to Steven Croft off Parkinson, the bowler’s pumping fists reinforced the significance of the wicket.Next over the fists were clenched again when James Hildreth was leg before on the front dog and by early afternoon Lancashire supporters were wondering if they were about to celebrate a triumph. They did not do so because Jack Leach is made of tough stuff. In a county not short of love, he is a favoured son and the five points he helped Somerset gain this afternoon may yet count for something glorious in September.