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Warwickshire Bears will be aiming to consolidate their grip on the First Division of the Norwich Union League when they meet Somerset Sabres at Edgbaston this Sunday. The Bears made short work of Durham Dynamos on Jubilee Day, their third win out of three in the competition, and one that put them four points clear at the head of the table. The Sabres have hardly been rattling this season – they’re one of three Division One teams yet to get points on the board.Worcestershire Royals will also be aiming to build on Jubilee success. Full of confidence after their Headingley win on Tuesday, they have much travelling to do – first to Chelmsford for Thursday’s B & H semi-final, then to Oakham School for Sunday’s NUL game against Leicestershire Foxes, who were snared by Glamorgan Dragons at Grace Road earlier this week in their first defeat of the season.The Dragons themselves, like the Royals unbeaten in two matches, have home advantage on Sunday as they take on Kent Spitfires at Cardiff. The Spitfires’ own season took off on Jubilee Day as they secured their first NUL victory over Notts Outlaws at Tunbridge Wells.The Outlaws are in danger of becoming the outcasts, after three defeats off the reel in Division One. They have home advantage on Sunday, but Yorkshire Phoenix, with two wins out of three despite Tuesday’s defeat, aren’t likely to make it easy for them.In Division Two, the pick of the games looks to be at Northampton, between Northants Steelbacks and Gloucestershire Gladiators, both fresh from Jubilee Day victories. The Steelbacks (two wins out of two) top the table by virtue of their superior run rate, but the Gladiators (two out of three) are never to be under-estimated despite their quarter-final exit from the Benson & Hedges Cup.Second-placed Hampshire Hawks (also two out of two) will be hoping to take the sting out of Derbyshire Scorpions at The Rose Bowl. The Scorpions have lacked bite so far, although they have a win under their belts. An inferior run rate has left them second from bottom in the table.The bottom-placed club, Middlesex Crusaders, are still searching for their first success. They have just two points from an abandoned game as they meet Sussex Sharks (one win out of three) at Lord’s.

Robin Smith played a captains roll with a brave century after watching his middle order collapse around him, at the Rose Bowl on today.

Smith’s vital five hours at the crease on a wicket of uneven bounce was a superb exhibition of defence and attack. He showed an array of shots in his well worn armour, and was helped first by Nic Pothas and then with a century partnership with Shaun Udal.At 86 for five, with the Kent seamers Ben Trott and Martin Saggers moving the ball in both directions, Smith with wicket-keeper Pothas rallied with a partnership of 74. Pothas recently arrived from South Africa has found it difficult to come to terms with English spring conditions. Today he seemed to have mastered these before becoming the first of the admirable Trott’s three wickets. Mascarenhas also went to Trott in the same over, and now it was time for the two Hampshire veterans to pitch together and repel everything the visiting bowlers had to offer.Smith was finally out having reached his 60th first-class century, when he edged the second new ball to Symonds at slip, he fell just 19 runs short of the milestone of 25,000 runs in all first-class matches.Udal, who struck a mighty six off Min Patel, was disappointingly out for 88, adjudged lbw, he departed an unhappy man, but he had seen the 300 posted a figure that did not look possible after the morning session.Martin Saggers with 4 wickets bowled with venom, with able support from Ben Trott, but it may be that Hampshire’s seamers will also be looking forward to the second days play.

As the West Indies were coasting to their 3-1 victory in the Testseries in England in 1963, the critics in their analysis wrote inglowing terms of the victors being a superbly balanced outfit. TheWest Indies line-up was made up of five batsmen, two all-rounders, awicketkeeper and three bowlers. And with one of the all-rounders beingGary Sobers, it was no wonder that the side remained the top team ofthe sixties.Glance at any all-conquering team in history and it will be seen thatit has been graced by the presence of at least one, preferably two allrounders. Warwick Armstrong’s formidable Australian outfit of the1920s had the omnipotent presence of Jack Gregory. One of the reasonsbehind the success of the great Australian side of the late 1940s andearly 1950s was the presence of the dynamic Keith Miller whose greatrival Trevor Bailey was England’s No. 1 all-rounder during thatcountry’s heyday in the midand late-1950s. And as has been mentionedbefore, the incomparable Gary Sobers provided substance and style tothe superbly-balanced West Indies side of the sixties.

Over the last quarter of a century however there have been exceptionswherein the outstanding Test sides of the period have run roughshodover opposition without the presence of a genuine all-rounder. TheAustralians of the 1970s, the West Indians of the 1980s and early1990s and the current Australian side are all examples of this. But inthe cases under study, it will be observed that the batting andbowling have been so strong that even the non-availability of theubiquitous all-rounder has scarcely been felt.Indian cricket has generally never been blessed with so formidable abatting and bowling line-up and so have always depended on their allrounders to lend a helping hand. And fortunately there have been quitea few players who have displayed their skill with both bat and ball.CK Nayudu played an admirable role in the formative years in the1930s, and in the 1940s and 1950s, India had the good fortune ofhaving in their ranks, Vinoo Mankad, Lala Amarnath, Dattu Phadkar andGulabrai Ramchand. In the 1960s, fulfilling this utility role wereChandu Borde, Salim Durrani, Bapu Nadkarni and Rusi Surti. And in the1970s, India could depend on the all-round skills of Abid Ali,Mohinder Amarnath, Madan Lal and Karsan Ghavri.In the late 1970s, Kapil Dev burst upon the scene and for a decade anda half, he bestrode the scene like a colossus. By the time he retiredin 1994, he had run up an all-round record fit to be ranked with thebest of all time. And through the 80s and early 90s, even under theshadow of Kapil Dev, all-rounders like Roger Binny, Ravi Shastri andManoj Prabhakar did make their presence felt.India’s all-round problems commenced with the summary banishment ofPrabhakar in 1996. Over the last half-a-dozen years, the team hassearched in vain for an all-rounder. The lack of a player withomnipresent qualities has worked to the detriment of the team’sfortunes. They have been forced to field six batsmen and four bowlers.And while four bowlers may be good enough to win matches in India, aquartet is just not enough to repeat the trick abroad. The moreattacking policy of five batsmen and five bowlers was tried out for afew matches in the late 1990s but this involved playing wicketkeeperNayan Mongia as an opening batsman. In any case, a more defensiveoutlook took over in the 21st century and for some time now it hasbeen back to six batsmen and four bowlers. There is a crying needright now to fill the breach with a genuine all-rounder.For some time, Sunil Joshi looked to be filling this role. Given hisbig break in England in 1996 following a tremendous domestic season in1995-96 when he became the first player to complete the double of 500runs and 50 wickets in one year in the Ranji Trophy, he did reasonablywell initially but somehow could never consolidate his position asillustrated by his career figures of 41 wickets at 35.85 apiece and abatting average of 20.70 over 15 Tests. This, despite a splendid allround show of eight wickets in the match and a top score of 92 in thevictory over Bangladesh at Dhaka in 2000.Robin Singh then looked to be a candidate but he was tagged as a oneday cricketer and this limited his Test appearances to just one. Thencame Ajit Agarkar towards the end of the 1990s and he seemed to be theanswer to our prayers. But after 11 Tests, he has taken only 26wickets at an average of almost 42 and with a number of ducks to hisname, has a batting average of just 7.81. So, obviously he too hasn’tfitted the bill.At the end of another disappointing campaign in the Caribbean, theexperts are divided whether the batting or the bowling failed us most.In the ultimate analysis, it was perhaps the lack of an all-rounderthat saw India fail in yet another overseas campaign. There is littledoubt that Indian cricket’s most urgent requirement right now is thepresence of an all-rounder. Besides strengthening the batting andbowling, he could also lend stability to the side. With some luck, hecould even help solve the problem at the top of the order, if one goesby the record of players like Mankad, Shastri and Prabhakar. The huntfor such a player has been on for some time but the situation hasnever been so desperate as it is now.

At a time when many counties are bemoaning the fact that their overseas players are arriving late or leaving early to fulfil international commitments, Essex have announced that their 2002 signing, Andy Flower from Zimbabwe, is actually going to arrive early.Australia’s tour to Zimbabwe had been scheduled to take place once the one-day international series against South Africa had been completed. However, with that tour postponed in the light of the political uncertainties in Zimbabwe, Flower has been given permission by the Zimbabwe Cricket Union to travel to England three weeks earlier than expected. He is now scheduled to be in Chelmsford on April 15th.Chief executive of Essex, David East, commented: “We are obviously thrilled that Andy is able to join us early. We were not expecting him to arrive until after the last Test match finished in Zimbabwe on 9th May, but this is a great bonus for the team.”Andy will now be able to take part in the zonal rounds of the Benson and Hedges Cup, together with our early Championship matches against Gloucestershire and Nottinghamshire.”Flower was recently named as on of Wisden’s Five Cricketers of the Year. Although he has experienced league cricket in Birmingham and spent a season coaching the Oxford University side, this is his first season of English county cricket.

Warwickshire’s 19 year-old batsman Ian Bell has been called up to join the England Test squad in New Zealand as cover for the injured Mark Butcher and captain Nasser Hussain. Both sustained their injuries while in the field during England’s 98-run victory over New Zealand in the first Test in Christchurch.Butcher has a cracked bone in his right hand, while Hussain jarred the middle finger on the same hand. Hussain expects to be fit to lead the side in the second Test starting in Wellington on Thursday, while Butcher hopes to be fit for the final Test starting on March 30th in Auckland.Meanwhile Bell is due to fly to Wellington today with the man responsible for his selection, David Graveney. The chairman of selectors has been keeping an eye on the exciting progress of the Coventry-born, right-handed batsman as he has made his way through all the age-group sides.A former England Under-19 captain, he appeared at under 14, 15, 16 and 17 age groups before that and was called up as a replacement for the England A side touring the Caribbean last winter where he made an immediate impression. Put into the team to face the Leeward Islands with a battery of fast bowlers on a bouncy pitch in Anguilla, he played an innings that realised only 31 runs but he survived for three hours. He has been highly recommended by Rod Marsh after his performances with the National Academy in Adelaide this winter.Bell has only played 13 first-class matches, during the first of which he was bowled for a third ball duck. That was in 1999, but he put the disappointment behind him and last season finished ninth in the first-class averages, scoring 836 runs in 11 matches, including 103 against Nottinghamshire at Edgbaston when he became the youngest Warwickshire century-maker in the championship at the age of 19 years and 115 days.That was one of three centuries he scored in his 16 innings as he averaged 64.30. His career average stands at 55.37. He captained the Academy to a 112-run victory over Western Australia in Perth in a match that finished only last Wednesday. He has featured prominently as a batsman with the Academy, and has bowled his right-arm medium pace with good effect.It augurs well for Bell that his first international century came against New Zealand Under-19s at Alexandra during the 1998-99 tour.While it is stressed that he is being taken to New Zealand now as cover for the injured batsmen, there is no reason to believe that he would be over-awed if he does get the chance to play. Failing that, this very mature teenager can only benefit from being around the England dressing room becoming acquainted with the atmosphere of Test cricket. If he does not get his chance now, it can only be a matter of time before he does.

Former captain Dasun Shanaka has been left out of Sri Lanka’s 16-member ODI squad to face Afghanistan. Shanaka’s is one of three omissions from the squad that was named for the series against Zimbabwe last month.Attacking middle-order batter Nuwanidu Fernando and legpsinner Jeffrey Vandersay are the other two to miss out, with allrounder Chamika Karunaratne and opening batter Shevon Daniel coming in.Shanaka’s removal from the one-day side does not come as a surprise, given his poor form in the format – his last 21 innings, stretching back to January 2023, have brought him just one half-century and an average of 12.25.He had been removed as white-ball captain ahead of the Zimbabwe series but had retained a place in the playing XI – he was dropped for the third ODI following scores of 8 and 7 in the first two games.ESPNcricinfo Ltd

Karunaratne, who will likely be his direct replacement, last played for Sri Lanka at the World Cup in October-November. While he doesn’t possess Shanaka’s ceiling as a power-hitter – attested to by strike rates of 78.43 and 106.20 in ODIs and T20Is respectively – his bowling has proved effective in both white-ball formats.Both Fernando and Vandersay, however, might have legitimate grievances after being left out. Fernando did not play a single game against Zimbabwe, while Vandersay picked up respectable figures of 2 for 47 in the only game he got to bowl in during that series.The rest of the squad fills out as expected. Kusal Mendis heads a strong batting unit that includes Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Charith Asalanka, Janith Liyanage – Player of the Series against Zimbabwe – opener Daniel and allrounder Sahan Arachchige.On the bowling front, Wanindu Hasaranga and Maheesh Theekshana head a spin department that also includes Akila Dananjaya and allrounders Dunith Wellalage and Arachchige. Dushmantha Chameera, Dilshan Madushanka, Pramod Madushan and Karunaratne round out the seam-bowling unit.

Sri Lanka squad for ODI series against Afghanistan

Kusal Mendis (capt), Charith Asalanka, Pathum Nissanka, Avishka Fernando, Sadeera Samarawickrama, Sahan Arachchige, Shevon Daniel, Janith Liyanage, Chamika Karunaratne, Maheesh Theekshana, Dilshan Madushanka, Dushmantha Chameera, Dunith Wellalage, Pramod Madushan, Akila Dananjaya, Wanindu Hasaranga

Haris Sohail has been ruled out of the England tour with a grade 3 hamstring injury and will return to Lahore by the first available flight to undergo a four-week rehabilitation programme at the high performance centre. He was meant to make a comeback in ODIs after he was dropped last year after the Zimbabwe series.Pakistan have not named a replacement because they are carrying a large squad and have the options of Sohaib Maqsood, Saud Shakeel and Agha Salman to fill in.Sohail was dropped from the Test side as well after the New Zealand tour earlier this year and since then he only played four List A games – for Balochistan – in January. He scored an unbeaten century in four games in the Pakistan Cup, scoring 164 runs but he missed a big chunk of the tournament when he was in New Zealand. He was picked for the ODIs in England after missing out in the series against South Africa.Pakistan landed in England on June 25, started training on June 28, and Sohail complained about a strain in his leg muscle after two net sessions. He pulled out of the first intra-squad practice game on July 1 and later missed the second one as well. An MRI scan on Wednesday confirmed he had a tear in his hamstring. The PCB said he sustained the injury during a training session in Derby last week.”I was keenly looking forward to the ODIs as part of my objective to contribute in the side’s success and also cement my position in the side,” Sohail said after being ruled out of the tour. “I am disappointed that my tour has been cut short, but I will return to Lahore and undergo a rehabilitation programme so that I can fully recover for the 2021-22 season.”Sohail, who made his international debut in 2013, is considered one of the finest batters in Pakistan but was never able to cement his place. In 2015, he was “spooked” in his Christchurch hotel room and he returned home without playing for Pakistan after the frightful experience.Earlier this year he was named in the Test squad for New Zealand, but he missed the training sessions and practice match owing to a thumb injury. He later turned up to play both the Tests and scored 3, 9, 1 and 15 before being dropped across formats.In the last eight years, he has played 16 Tests (847 runs at 32.57), 42 ODIs (1685 at 46.80) and 14 T20Is (210 at 19.09, strike rate of 102.94).Last year he pulled out of the England tour due to the Covid-19 pandemic as he decided not to stay in isolation, which was a mandatory quarantine period for all foreigners travelling to the UK.Pakistan’s three-match ODI series begins later today in Cardiff, which will be followed by three T20Is on July 16, 18 and 20. The side will depart for the West Indies on July 21 where they will play five T20Is and two Tests from July 27 to August 24.

Alex Davies led Lancashire Lightning to an impressive seven-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast North Group match at Derby.Davies hit 13 fours in an unbeaten 83 off 54 balls as Lancashire chased down a target of 197 with 10 balls to spare.Liam Livingstone, dropped before he scored, smashed four sixes in 45 off 29 balls and Dane Vilas accelerated to an unbeaten 40 from 18 as Lancashire romped to 197 for 3.Leus du Plooy scored a T20 best 92 off 56 balls and Harry Came made 56 from 37 in his third Blast appearance but 196 for 5 proved inadequate.Derbyshire rebuilt after Tom Bailey had Luis Reece caught at mid off and Billy Godleman was bowled in the second over.Came ramped Bailey for six and du Plooy repeated the stroke to take Derbyshire to 49 for 2 in the powerplay before du Plooy drove Tom Hartley onto the roof of the media centre.The pair also ran well between the wickets to take the Falcons to 93 for 2 after 10 overs and the stand was worth 100 in 11 when Came pulled Danny Lamb to long on.Derbyshire were aided by some sloppy ground fielding but there was little they could do when Critchley and du Plooy pulled Lamb for six to take 24 from the 17th over.Critchley holed out to long-on but Wood speared a no-ball down the leg side for four byes in another costly over before du Plooy’s outstanding innings ended when he drilled Bailey to deep midwicket in the last over.Lancashire’s chase began badly with Liam Livingstone dropped at third man by Conor McKerr on his T20 debut before Finn Allen was caught behind for a duck in the first over.Livingstone ramped McKerr for six, pulled George Scrimshaw for two more before twice dispatching Fynn Hudson-Prentice over the ropes as Lancashire ended the powerplay on 72 for 1.Livingstone was threatening to run away with the game when he was well caught by Critchley at long off but Davies reached 50 with his 10th four to leave Lancashire needing 84 off the last 10 overs.Jos Buttler hit two sixes before holing out to deep midwicket attempting a third but Dane Vilas and Davies took 18 off van Beek in the 17th over to settle it.

ScorecardTammy Beaumont made 78 from 79 balls•Getty Images

Tammy Beaumont anchored England’s run-chase with 78 from 79 balls to secure a 3-0 series lead against Sri Lanka in Colombo, with the fourth and final ODI to come at the same venue on Thursday.Despite losing the toss and being asked to field first, England seized control of the contest from the outset, pinning Sri Lanka down to a run-rate of three an over with a disciplined bowling performance in which their three spinners, Laura Marsh, Alex Hartley and Danielle Hazell, each picked up two wickets apiece.Sri Lanka’s innings never really gathered any momentum. Nipuni Hansika, the opening batsman, top-scored with 29 from 66 balls, but she was the second wicket to fall, bowled by Hazell in the 21st over, and England never relinquished their stranglehold. The hosts were all out for 161 with two balls of their innings left unused, having lost their last eight wickets for 82.In reply, England lost Lauren Winfield and Danni Wyatt in the space of six deliveries to slip to 60 for 2, but a fourth-wicket stand of 67 between Beaumont and Fran Wilson (30) carried the team to the brink of victory.Both players fell in the space of two runs to take the gloss off the win – Wilson was caught behind off Chamari Atapattu before Beaumont became Sugandika Kumari’s only wicket of the innings with six runs still required. But Georgia Elwiss and Amy Jones wrapped up the win with 20.3 overs left unused.

Match facts

October 9, 2016
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)

Big picture

Having been clouted to all parts of Centurion, the Wanderers, and most brutally in Durban, Australia’s punch-drunk bowlers will be seeking some respite in Port Elizabeth. Equally, Steven Smith, the touring captain, will be eager to add some respectability to a series score line that is as stark as the contrast between crestfallen Australia and jubilant South Africa on Wednesday night at Kingsmead.Unfortunately for Smith, and coach Darren Lehmann, Australia’s options for an improved line-up are slim. Scott Boland arrived as one of the more experienced members of the attack, but was promptly dropped after game one, while Joe Mennie’s fast-medium pace also lasted only one match before he was shuffled back out. The spectre of defeat invariably leads to players starting to think of their own positions in the team, and it will be critical for Lehmann and Smith to ensure minds remain focused on the task.Lehmann has stated that he believes the biggest problem for Australia’s bowlers has been an inability to replicate training patterns under the spotlight of crowds, television cameras and confident opponents, something for assistant coach David Saker, and Ryan Harris, the bowling assistant, to ponder.”We’ve got to find a way to get some early wickets and put some pressure back on South Africa, and at the moment, we’re not doing that,” Lehmann said after Durban. “And we’re not doing the good things that we do in the nets and taking them out into the middle in front of a packed house. At the end of the day, the blokes have trained really well and prepared well, and bowled really well in the nets, but international cricket is quite pressurised. They’ve just got to get used to that.”For South Africa, Port Elizabeth will be about seeking to avoid a let-down following the heights of Kingsmead and the sealing of the series. Acting captain Faf du Plessis appeared somewhat shocked to have been on the winning end of that match, something for which he had David Miller to thank, with a century that was scored having picked up a groin injury that has proved bad enough to leave him sidelined. The hosts will also be mindful of trying to keep Australia’s batsmen under slightly more control than they managed in game three, even if a mighty total ultimately proved inadequate.

Form guide

South Africa: WWWWL (last five completed matches, most recent first)
Australia: LLLWW

In the spotlight

Early in South Africa’s chase in Durban, Quinton de Kock was subjected to plenty of verballing by the Australians in reference to a slow start that was soaking up balls. That baiting seemed primarily to wake de Kock from his initial slumber, and he went on to hammer 70 from a mere 49 balls to get South Africa off to the start they needed to stand a chance. Off the back of his punishing 178 in the opening game, his wicket looms as vital to Australia’s chances.John Hastings’ reputation for miserly spells has taken something of a hit in recent days, as he has not been able to quell South Africa’s scoring in ways that he has previously managed against other teams. As the most experienced member of the bowling attack on tour, Hastings will be expected to step up in Port Elizabeth and lead a better collective display.

Teams news

The groin injury which Miller sustained during his monumental matchwinning hundred will keep him out of the rest of the series which is likely to mean a recall for Farhaan Behardien. The rest of the recast batting order, which made room for Hashim Amla by shuffling Rilee Rossouw down the order, can be expected to be retained. Dale Steyn, however, may be rested now that the series is decided as could Kagiso Rabada with the possibility of playing an extra spinner.South Africa (possible): 1 Quinton de Kock (wk), 2 Hashim Amla, 3 Faf du Plessis (capt), 4 Rilee Rossouw, 5 JP Duminy, 6 Farhaan Behardien , 7 Dwaine Pretorius, 8 Andile Phehlukwayo, 9 Dale Steyn/Kyle Abbott, 10 Kagiso Rabada/Aaron Phangiso, 11 Imran TahirScott Boland may be in line for a recall by Australia’s tour selectors, after the bowling attack was hard-hit once again in Durban. Usman Khawaja is also waiting for his next chance.Australia: (possible): 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Steve Smith (capt), 4 George Bailey, 5 Travis Head, 6 Mitchell Marsh, 7 Mathew Wade (wk), 8 John Hastings, 9 Adam Zampa, 10 Chris Tremain, 11 Daniel Worrall/Scott Boland

Pitch and conditions

Spin, and pace off the ball will likely play a role on one of South Africa’s slower pitches. The weather forecast for Port Elizabeth is for fine conditions, with periods of cloud cover.

Stats and trivia

• Australia have won four of the seven ODI encounters between the two teams at Port Elizabeth, though South Africa have won the two most recent contests, in 2009 and 2011
• Australia haven’t lost four matches in an ODI series since England won 4-0 with one match rained out in 2012

Quotes

“I think we worked out we’re taking pretty much seven of our first-choice one-day team out of the bowling attack, and when you go through that it’s some high-quality bowling. But it’s an opportunity for the young guys to learn, to learn quickly and learn what they need to do to step up in international cricket. At the moment, we’re failing in that and they’ve got to get better.”