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Dean Brownlie, the New Zealand batsman, has been diagnosed with a fractured finger and is likely to miss the rest of the limited-overs series against Zimbabwe. Brownlie, who made his one-day debut in the first ODI against Zimbabwe in Dunedin, sustained the injury while fielding in the second match in Whangarei on February 6.The New Zealand physio, Paul Close, said Brownlie would meet with orthopaedic surgeon before a recovery plan was drawn up. “Dean complained of soreness with the hand becoming more painful and swollen today,” Close said. “An x-ray this evening confirmed a fracture.”He is expected to miss the remainder of the Zimbabwe series but it’s a bit early to tell how long he will be out. His return to cricket will be based on how quickly the fracture heals and we should have clearer idea of the timeframe and best course of treatment after he meets with the orthopaedic surgeon tomorrow.”No decision has been made as yet on a replacement for Brownlie. New Zealand play one more 50-over game against Zimbabwe, followed by two Twenty20s.Brownlie made his Test debut against Zimbabwe in Bulawayo in November last year, and went on to become only the third New Zealand player to score a half-century in each of his first three Tests.

David Warner may soon captain Australia in Twenty20 internationals but the head coach Mickey Arthur has said he has the potential to lead his country “in any form of the game”.A poor run of scores in the Big Bash League has the incumbent T20 captain Cameron White looking over his shoulder, and Warner has advanced his leadership credentials greatly by leading the Sydney Thunder. He was also named captain of a Cricket Australia Chairman’s XI for one of India’s pre-series warm-up matches in Canberra, proof that the national selectors are not blind to the possibility.Add to that a barnstorming 180 in Perth to set the course of the third Test and Warner’s stock is rising fast. Arthur, also a selector, said his own perceptions of Warner as a brash T20 merchant had been confounded by working closely with him since his Test debut against New Zealand in Brisbane.”Davey has leadership potential. He has the ability to lead any Australian team in any form of the game at some stage,” Arthur said. “Whether that’s in the next couple of weeks or whether that’s in a year or five years time I’m not sure.”He has a very good cricket brain. He leads a lot by example. He trains the house down. The perceptions that everybody had of David Warner and the reality of David Warner the person are poles apart.”Arthur further believes that Shaun Marsh can arrest his slump in the fourth Test in Adelaide after he saw signs of improvement in Marsh’s batting at the WACA. Arthur also hinted that Shane Watson was more likely to make his comeback from injury in next month’s limited-overs matches rather than in the Adelaide Test, where the offspinner Nathan Lyon might be the only inclusion.While Lyon’s return will force a reshuffle of the fast-bowling line-up, the batting group is unlikely to change, which will give the struggling Marsh and Brad Haddin a chance to regain their form. Marsh has made 0, 3, 0 and 11 in this series and he is the only one of the top six who has not made a significant contribution to Australia’s 3-0 lead.Cricket Australia has also cleared Marsh and Haddin, along with Lyon and Mitchell Starc, to play in the Big Bash League before the Adelaide Test, a sign that they are the few men who need more time in the middle. The rest of the Test players will remain out of the Twenty20 tournament while they prepare for the fourth Test.”The stars have aligned for us in the whole series except in the No.3 position,” Arthur said. “We haven’t got anywhere near selecting the squad that’s going to go down there. If Shaun gets that opportunity, which I’m hoping he does, I’m pretty sure he’ll go out there and perform well.”I saw signs of him coming back. I saw signs of his movement being a lot crisper. His weight transfer was a lot better. He looked really good at a point in this innings [in Perth]. I’m just hoping he gets through it and gets a score, because if he gets a score, Shaun is a player who, once he gets on a roll, is hard to bowl at. Hopefully Adelaide is the catalyst for him.”Marsh has a fine record at Adelaide Oval, where he has made two centuries and two fifties from five first-class matches and averages 64.44. Another big score there would ease the pressure on him after his lean patch, which followed a six-week lay-off due to a serious back injury that he picked up while batting in the Cape Town Test in November.”We just thought he was tentative in the first two Test matches,” Arthur said. “By his own admission he was as well. It’s hard when you’re coming back into the team after an injury, it’s always tough. You need to get going, you start doubting yourself and your ability. You just need a score and he hasn’t got that yet. Hopefully Adelaide is the place and hopefully he takes that into the Twenty20s and one-dayers.”Those shorter-format games, which begin with a T20 against India in Sydney on February 1, could also mark the return of Watson, who has not played a home Test so far this summer due to his injury problems. Watson has been battling hamstring and calf injuries this season, and whenever he returns to the Test side, it will mean a reshuffle for the batting order with David Warner and Ed Cowan having established a promising opening combination.”We’re wanting a fit and firing Shane Watson for the T20s and one-day series and I’m pretty sure we’re going to have that,” Arthur said. “Whether he plays in Adelaide or not, I’m not sure. But I do know that Shane Watson will be around our Twenty20 and one-day side.”I don’t see the need to change too much right now. I think we’ve got some really good momentum. We’ve had a lot of success with this squad.”The one change that does seem certain for the Adelaide Test, which starts on Tuesday next week, is the return of Lyon for one of the fast bowlers. Peter Siddle and Ben Hilfenhaus appear to be certain starters, especially with such a long break between matches, while Starc and Ryan Harris are the two men in danger of losing their place.”All indications are in Adelaide you’re going to play a spinner, there’s no doubt about that,” Arthur said. “Mitchell Starc came into the squad this time and he performed really well. It’s part of us broadening the base of our quick bowlers. We’ll have a look at how all the guys pull up.”The early finish to the Perth Test, where Australia regained the Border-Gavaskar Trophy, has given most of the players a chance to fly home before they reconvene in Adelaide.

ScorecardRamaswamy Prasanna helped Tamil Nadu recover from 139 for 6•Fotocorp

About an hour before close of play on the first day at the Wankhede, Ramesh Powar tossed one up on Ramaswamy Prasanna’s off stump. The ball pitched on a length, bounced a little, and drifted away slightly before taking an edge off the shoulder of Prasanna’s bat. It flew to the right of the first slip, but the fielder, Suryakumar Yadav, was for some reason standing a little wider when he should have been clearly fine, considering the pitch was not spinning much. An annoyed Powar skipped in the air, clapping his hands in disgust as he turned back.Prasanna got an easy four and ended the day 19 short of what could be his second century for TN. More importantly, his painfully constructed unbroken 111-run stand for the seventh wicket with Yo Mahesh helped the visitors recover from the depths at 139 for 6 to a modest 250 for 6 at stumps.The Wankhede pitch has never been generous to spinners on the first day. But Mumbai’s slow bowlers faltered with their lack of patience and poor lines. Powar, who usually flights the ball generously, was too slow in the air and offered width. Ankit Chavan, the left-arm spinner, was happy bowling either on the legs or too full. Prasanna and Mahesh used that indiscipline to their advantage as they resolutely rebuilt the innings and played out most of the final two sessions.This was in total contrast to the pre-lunch passage that Mumbai dominated, after TN had lost their own ‘Fab Four’. In the third over of the morning, Abhinav Mukund went chasing an angled delivery from Dhawal Kulkarni that was going wide of the off stump. The moisture in the pitch made the ball grip the surface, but Mukund, the second-highest run-getter of the season, stayed too far back and played away from his body, only to chop it onto the stumps.TN came close to losing a wicket off the very next ball, when Kulkarni nipped one into S Badrinath’s pads, but the inside edge saved the batsman. Badrinath quickly got into the saddle and was severe on Balwinder Sandhu, whom he took for four off-side boundaries in an over. TN crossed 60 runs in the first hour and Sandhu was duly removed from the attack. His first spell read 6-0-38-0.Both Kulkarni and Sandhu, who was playing his third first-class match, initially failed to capitalise on the moisture by bowling short on a pitch where the ideal length was full. In Mumbai’s last match at the ground, Sandhu had bagged a five-for against Punjab in his debut innings by resorting to fuller lengths, and moving the ball both ways.It was an ideal situation for TN to take total control. But for some reason Badri was stuck on 49 for 12 deliveries. Even though he dispatched a Chavan full toss over mid-on for four, the sudden lull in scoring had distracted TN’s most experienced batsman. Sandhu, coming in from the pavilion for his third spell, seamed a ball away from a length. Badrinath needlessly reached out to tap the ball to point, and played on.More trouble followed off the very next deilivery. Sandhu bowled full and swung the ball into Dinesh Karthik, who lunged forward to defend. The ball had hit him in line with the leg stump, and was clearly moving down the leg side. Yet, umpire K Hariharan upheld Sandhu’s appeal. The entire TN dressing room raised their arms in disbelief and let out a collective cry of frustration on seeing the replay over the video analyst’s laptop, which highlighted Hariharan’s mistake.Then M Vijay, who had been moving through the gears, was smartly deceived by Kulkarni, with a ball that pitched on a full length and moved out. Onkar Gurav moved swiftly to his right to finish the catch.This was familiar territory for Prasanna. He steadily erased Mumbai’s illusion of control over the rest of the afternoon. Against Bengal, TN were in a similar position at 140 for 5 with only K Vasudevadas and Prasanna, the last recognised pair, remaining. Prasanna had scored a steady 67, in a 160-run stand for the fifth wicket, which was instrumental in TN reaching 391 and setting up a ten-wicket win.Mahesh, who had 270 runs including two fifties going into the semis, had also been a valuable lower-order contributor for TN, and his presence spurred Prasanna on. Against Delhi both men had stood strong to rebuild the TN innings from 88 for 5, with Abhinav retired hurt. Their 86-run stand for the sixth wicket had stabilised the visitors before Mukund returned to take over and help them take the first-innings lead.Once again today, Prasanna and Mahesh played the fire-fighting role convincingly.

Ricky Ponting and Michael Hussey still have plenty to offer the Australian middle order and will play in the Boxing Day Test against India, according to Mickey Arthur, the team’s coach. Arthur, who is also a selector, said there had been no discussions by the new selection panel on how to plan for the exits of Ponting and Hussey, the two oldest members of Australia’s side.Ponting, who will be 37 by Boxing Day, is still searching for his first Test hundred in nearly two years. His two dismissals in the loss to New Zealand in Hobart reignited debate over his position in the side, after a pair of half-centuries in the previous two Tests had eased the pressure on him. Hussey, 36, had a terrific tour of Sri Lanka but just endured the two least productive series of his career.However, despite the fragility of Australia’s batting at Bellerive Oval, where David Warner was the only man to pass fifty, Australia are reluctant to make too many changes ahead of the India series. Shane Watson is expected to return from a hamstring injury but Shaun Marsh now appears unlikely to reclaim his place after being withdrawn from the tour match against India due to his ongoing back problem.Phillip Hughes is expected to be axed, but Hughes for Watson might now be the only alteration to the batting order. It had been expected that one of the other batsmen, possibly Usman Khawaja, would have made way for Marsh. A likely Australian top six for Boxing Day appears to be Watson, Warner, Khawaja, Ponting, Michael Clarke and Hussey.”I think he should [play on],” Arthur said of Ponting after the Hobart Test. “I’ve had a chat already to [selector] Rod Marsh . . . we’re trying to give ourselves a bit of direction to Boxing Day. I still think Ricky fits very firmly in that picture.”We’re certainly not managing yet how they [Ponting and Hussey] go out of the side. In my opinion they’ve still got big roles to play because we do need some experience within our middle order, there’s no doubt about it. They bring that experience that we need. We haven’t even come to any thought on how we manage any exit on any of those players. The key for us is the get them up firing … on Boxing Day, because they’re key.”The anticipated return of Watson will be a boost to Australia’s team balance, provided he is fully fit to bowl, and they are planning to have Watson fly to Melbourne early to be assessed. Key to that assessment will be determining how much of a bowling load they can give Watson, who hurt his hamstring while bowling in last month’s Johannesburg Test.Arthur said the time had come for the Australian team management to decide what role Watson needed to play in the Test side. He has been one of the most important bowlers over the past year and a half, with his ability to swing the ball and make the batsmen play, but his bowling workload appears to have affected his batting. Arthur said there might come a time when Watson has to move down the order.”It’s been speculated a huge amount,” Arthur said. “I think we’ve got to come to a point now where we make a decision on where Shane is going to bat in the batting order, and how many overs we expect of Shane so there can be no more debate around the issue. We probably need to give him role definition before the Boxing Day Test match.”The Australians flew out of Hobart on Tuesday after their shock seven-run loss to New Zealand knowing that plenty of work remains before they take on India. There were some positives, notably the emergence of Warner and James Pattinson as strong Test players, and they are expected to play significant roles in the four-Test series against India.But the brittle top and middle order is the major concern. And unless the two oldest players in the team stand up, it will remain that way.

Morne van Wyk’s 136 off 144 balls led Knights to 318 for 5, a total large enough to secure a nine-run victory in a rain-affected game against Lions in Kimberley. van Wyk, who is Knights’ opening batsman, captain and wicketkeeper, anchored his team and provided momentum after choosing to bat, hitting 13 fours and a six in an innings that ended only in the 49th over. He was supported by Dean Elgar, who made 48, while Ryan Bailey provided a strong finish by scoring 47 off 30 balls. Left-arm spinner Jean Symes was Lions’ best bowler, taking 2 for 36 in a ten-over spell. Lions had reached 91 for 2 after 16 overs, when their chase was interrupted for the first time by rain. Three overs were lost. Alviro Petersen and Neil McKenzie kept the innings on course, before Petersen was dismissed for 62 in the 26th over. There was another rain interruption in the next over, with Lions on 154 for 3, and seven overs were lost. The revised target was 269 in 40 overs, which meant Lions needed 115 off 79 balls. While McKenzie was at the crease, Lions had a chance of victory. But he was dismissed for 72 off 58 balls in the 37th over, when 43 were needed. Cliffe Deacon smacked three sixes during his 19 off 7 balls but Lions fell nine short.Chasing 206 in 48 overs against Warriors, Cape Cobras had reached 172 for 7 in 39.5 overs, three runs ahead of the D/L par score, when rain brought an end to the game in Port Elizabeth. JP Duminy remained unbeaten on 43 off 68 balls, steering Cobras’ tricky chase as wickets fell around him. The most vital boundary, however, was the four Rory Kleinveldt hit off Wayne Parnell moments before the players went off the field. That stroke took the Cobras past the D/L target. Duminy’s innings had pulled his team out of trouble after they had slipped from 66 for 1 to 80 for 4 and then 128 for 6. Nicky Boje took 3 for 26 in 10 overs for Warriors. Earlier in the match, Charl Langeveldt’s 4 for 46 had cut through the middle order to limit Warriors to 201 for 9 in 48.3 overs. The spinners Robin Peterson and Duminy picked up two wickets apiece as well. Opening batsman JJ Smuts was Warriors’ top-scorer with 49. Though seven of his team-mates made double figures, no one went past 30.Loots Bosman’s century was at the centre of a strong chase as Dolphins overhauled a target of 316 against Titans in Centurion. Dolphins made a strong start as their captain Imraan Khan scored 60 off 50 balls during an opening partnership of 94 with Bosman, off 12.1 overs. They had a strong second-wicket stand as well, with Bosman and wicketkeeper Daryn Smit adding 166. Bosman scored 112 off 102 balls, with seven fours and four sixes, while Smith contributed 95 off 111 balls. Though both batsmen were dismissed within a short time of each other, they had done enough to ensure victory. Cameron Delport blitzed 20 off 5 balls to achieve the target with five balls to spare and six wickets in hand. Titans’ innings did not have as strong a start as Dolphins’ did. They were 24 for 2 after 6.1 overs before a steadying 89-run stand between Henry Davids and Faf du Plessis, who went on to score 120 off 115 balls. The middle order made useful contributions as well, with David Weise remaining unbeaten on 46 off 24 balls to take his team to 315 for 6 in 50 overs.Points table

Mohsin Khan, Pakistan’s chief selector and interim coach, has said that Umar Akmal needs to “stop being selfish” and learn how to convert starts into substantial innings in Test cricket. Akmal, a middle-order batsman, was dropped for the Test series against Sri Lanka in the UAE and advised to improve his game by playing domestic cricket.”There is no doubt over his [Akmal’s] potential or talent. But he has not done enough to remain in the team,” Mohsin said. “Basically we have given him a message. ‘Go and play domestic cricket and learn to play big innings. Learn to turn your thirties and forties into hundreds for the team. Stop being selfish.'”Akmal began the 2011-12 domestic season by scoring 95, 20 and 165 for Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited in their first two Quaid-e-Azam trophy matches. On the international circuit, however, he had not scored a Test century since his hugely impressive debut in 2009.After poor performances in 2010, when he averaged 24.33, Akmal was left out of the XI for the two Tests in New Zealand. He returned to the side for the Tests in the West Indies, but was dropped from the Test squad against Sri Lanka after scoring only one half-century in 2011, and struggling to play long innings in ODIs as well.”To tell you the truth, I was chief selector when we dropped Umar for the Test series [against Sri Lanka], but even if I had been the coach I would have still dropped him,” Mohsin said. “He would not have found a place in my team.””It is not my team or the PCB’s team. It is Pakistan’s team and those who are selected must justify themselves no matter how good they are.”Mohsin was appointed Pakistan’s interim coach to temporarily fill the vacancy created by Waqar Younis’ resignation after the tour of Zimbabwe. The PCB is in the process of finding a new coach for the national team. Mohsin has also served as chief selector since March 2010.”My aim has always been, like the Australians, to have equally capable players competing for one position in the national team and I think the selectors have succeeded in doing that,” he said. “I always wanted to coach the Pakistan team and for me it is a big challenge to also succeed as coach.”

Mohammad Yousuf, the Pakistan batsman, has pulled out of the upcoming Faysal Bank T20 tournament, citing personal commitments. Allrounder Abdul Razzaq will take over the captaincy of Lahore Lions from Yousuf.”My decision was purely based on my personal commitments,” said Yousuf. “I don’t know why [people are] portraying my ouster negatively but I can confirm that I am fit and still have the passion to play cricket.”Reports have surfaced from time to time suggesting that Yousuf has taken a silent retirement from all formats – and not for the first time – following the PCB’s snub to him when handing out central contracts for the second half of the year. However, Yousuf has confirmed that he doesn’t have any immediate intentions of retiring.Yousuf, 37, a veteran of 90 Tests and 288 one-day internationals, last played for Pakistan in 2010 against South Africa, returning home midway due to fitness issues. “My fitness is no more a concern and if anyone wants to test my fitness level I have no issue as I been playing county cricket and recently returned after playing league cricket.”The Lahore City Cricket Association (LCCA) called Yousuf’s decision to pull out a ‘disappointing one’. “This is purely his own decision, we wanted him to play,” LCCA president Khawja Nadeem said. “He was in the Lahore squad after [he agreed to play] and now he withdraws for personal reasons. The decision he conveyed today [Thursday] cited his personal commitments and nothing else. It’s obviously disappointing news for us to miss a veteran batsman in our squad but still we have variety of batsman in our line-up. After Yousuf, now [Abdul] Razzaq wil captain the side.”Yousuf, scored 72, 109, 68 and 74* in four of his last six innings for Warwickshire on the English county circuit in May. Last year he left WAPDA and joined Lahore after a fallout with team-mate Rana Naved-ul-Hasan. However, WAPDA’s head of sports, Naveed Akram Cheema, still remains optimistic about Yousuf’s return to the department side while another department ZTBL are keen to have Yousuf for the upcoming season.

ScorecardMiddlesex’s hopes of forcing a victory over County Championship Division Two leaders Northamptonshire were dashed as the final day’s play of their Wantage Road clash was washed out.Northamptonshire had ended day three on 22 without loss, 181 runs behind their opponents, but second-placed Middlesex were deprived of the chance to press home their advantage as play was abandoned at 2pm. They would have had high hopes after declaring on 479 for 8 yesterday in reply to Northamptonshire’s 276 all out, but have to settle for 10 points from the draw, which puts them 18 points off the pace with a game in hand.Northamptonshire come out of this match with six points and will look to take a giant step towards promotion against Surrey at Wantage Road next week whilst Middlesex face bottom club Leicestershire at Lord’s.

Scorecard
Tom New hit an unbeaten 51 on a rain-affected third day to put Leicestershire in a strong position against Kent in the County Championship Division Two match at Grace Road. Although only 22.4 overs were possible wicketkeeper New struck 50 off 61 balls with seven boundaries to steer Leicestershire to 227 for 5 and a lead of 265 before play was called off for the day.New was ably supported by 17-year-old Shiv Thakor on his Championship debut. Thakor, an England Under-19 international, gave an assured performance as he contributed 24 off 81 balls to an unbroken sixth-wicket stand of 79.Persistent light rain throughout the morning delayed the start until 2pm with Leicestershire resuming at 148 for 5 leading by 186 runs. The sixth-wicket pair made good progress with New timing the ball well and as he struck two glorious cover drives to the boundary off Adam Ball and Azhar Mahmood.With the seamers getting little out of the pitch offspinner James Tredwell was brought into the attack but he too failed to trouble the batsman with New and Thakor posting a half-century partnership in 16 overs. But their progress was halted by another rain shower with the scoreboard reading 201 for 5. A further seven overs were lost and an early tea was takenwith play resuming at 4pm.New was soon back into his stride with another excellent cover drive off Wahab Riaz taking him to a splendid fifty. The rain returned again with Leicestershire on 227 for 5 and after furtherinspections by umpires Peter Hartley and Trevor Jesty play was called off for the day shortly after 5.30pm.Leicestershire will now look to score some quick runs on the final day to set Kent a run chase and bid for their first Championship win since beating Glamorgan in the opening match of the season.

ScorecardUsually when Derbyshire are in the news, it’s because some halfwit is claiming they are just the sort of club which should be bull-dozed in an attempt to ‘improve the intensity’ of the county game.While that argument might not hold much water, Derbyshire haven’t always helped themselves. They have not produced an England player since Dominic Cork (who some might argue was a product of Staffordshire), have not played in the top division of the County Championship since 2000 – the first year of two divisions – and they are the only team in the land to never achieve promotion in either limited-overs or first-class cricket. They have, for a while, struggled to justify their existence. It’s harsh to state, but they’ve flirted with irrelevance.Perhaps, however, all that is starting to change. Just two months after they sacked their former director of cricket, Jon Morris, the signs are that the ‘new’ team is emerging as genuine promotion candidates. Indeed, if they win this game, they will have put themselves right in the thick of the promotion chase. It would not be too much of an exaggeration to state that their whole season could be defined by the final day of this game.The simple fact is this: going into the last day, they lead by 260 runs. While that might not sound too impressive, it should be understood that the pitch is showing increasing signs of uneven bounce and batting last could prove very tricky. Had 23 overs not been lost to rain and bad light on the end of the third day, their position would have been even stronger.If they do go on to win, they will be particularly grateful for the contribution of Mark Turner. The 26-year-old fast bowler, now with his third county, produced the first five-wicket haul of a first class career that began in 2005 to help earn his side an 89-run lead on first innings.While Turner has often bowled with pace, here he also demonstrated excellent control, claiming his last four wickets at the cost of just two runs, including a spell of three for none in 18 balls. The wickets of Niall O’Brien and Lee Daggett, stumps sent flying by swinging yorkers, were especially pleasing.Wes Durston also batted well. Durston, another former Somerset man, took several painful blows on the arms as the ball reared horribly, but thrashed a run-a-ball half-century to snuff out Northants’ hopes of a counter-attack. Hitting the ball with unusual power, Durston wasparticularly severe on the spin of Rob White and James Middlebrook, plundering 41 off them in their four overs including an enormous straight six off the latter.Northants didn’t really help themselves. Chaminda Vaas, who is starting to look every one of his 37 years, has bowled 10 no-balls in this match, with the most costly of them inducing an edge from Wayne Madsen that was comfortably taken at slip. Madsen, on 7 at the time, went on to score 48 and added 87 with Durston.Daggett bowled well, however. Hitting a better length than his colleagues, he was able to exploit the uneven bounce and, with his first delivery, dismissed Martin Guptill, caught off the glove from a brute of a ball that reared, before Durston’s valuable innings was ended by a similar delivery.Northants’ season is also at something of a crossroads. Their lead at the top of the Division Two table – a lead that looked unassailable a few weeks ago – is starting to look precarious, with the team having surrendered their unbeaten record in all competitions and enduring ahorrible run of form in the FLt20.It appears increasingly unlikely that fast bowler Jack Brooks will be with them next year, too. Northants have now received five formal 28-day approaches from other counties keen to talk to Brooks and Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, was at Wantage Road on the third day to take a closer look.It was not, perhaps, the most distinguished performance of Brook’s season, but he has proved himself a decent performer over the last year or so and has bowled as well as anyone in county cricket this season. The clamour for his services also says something about the scarcity of fast bowlers in the county game at present.There was one more notable visitor at Wantage Road. Winston Davis, the former West Indies fast bowler who spent fours season with Northants between 1987 and 1990 returned to the club to attend the annual former players’ day.Sadly the years since have not been as kind to Davis as they might have been. Davis, who memorably took 7 for 51 against Australia in the 1983 World Cup, suffered horrific injuries after he fell from a tree in 1998 and was paralysed from the neck down. Needless to say, hewas afforded a very warm welcome on his return to the club.