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Arguments in the alleged spot-fixing trial of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif began on Wednesday afternoon with the prosecution making its opening address to the jury

Richard Sydenham at Southwark Crown Court05-Oct-2011Arguments in the alleged spot-fixing trial of Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif began on Wednesday afternoon with the prosecution making its opening address to the jury, outlining trappings of an illegal cricket betting industry estimated to be worth between “$40 billion and $50 billion” annually.The second day of the trial at Southwark Crown Court in central London was initially dominated by further legal arguments between the various representatives involved in the case, the details of which cannot be reported. A new jury was sworn in after lunch because of an illness to a member of the initial jury. Like the former jury, though, the new one was also made up of six women and six men.Justice Cooke did not then waste any time in beginning the proceedings and Aftab Jafferjee QC began to present the prosecution’s case to the jury at 2.10 pm. He spoke late into the afternoon before closing for the day at 4.35 pm. He will continue his opening address on Thursday morning, before the ICC’s general manager and chief investigator Ravi Sawani gives evidence.Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, following the Lord’s Test in August 2010, when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.They were exposed by the now-defunct British tabloid in an undercover sting operation. Majeed was filmed revealing when no-balls would be delivered by the bowlers.Jafferjee distributed large plastic folders to the jury so that they could better understand his address. These comprised records of phone and SMS traffic between the involved parties. There were also graphics to help the jury understand the specifics of a no-ball.In fact, because the prosecution realises it cannot presume that all jurors are aware of cricket, Jafferjee spent some time explaining what a no-ball is, what a Test match is and he also outlined how illegal betting has penetrated the world of cricket.”This case reveals a depressing tale of rampant corruption at the heart of international cricket, with the key players being members of the Pakistan cricket team,” was Jafferjee’s opening address to the court.He went on to add, of the underground betting culture in cricket: “You (the jury) will hear that the sums of money involved in the betting market abroad are breathtaking. In just one year, it is conservatively estimated that the amounts turned over in betting in the Asian subcontinent only – covering matches played throughout the cricketing world – are in the region of US$40 and 50 billion. Even if that figure is reduced to a tenth, it not unsurprisingly makes ‘spot’-fixing and match-fixing irresistible to some.”One sensed that to a jury comprising people who would not know cricket all that much, it would have been an arduous afternoon. Even for people who know cricket. Much of what Jafferjee said was already in the public domain through the coverage last year. He explained that whatever opinion people had of that now defunct newspaper, they should not undermine the investigative journalism that went on to expose the allegations being tried in this case.”There are vast amounts of money to be made in any betting activity if the results are known in advance – and all of that was at the expense of the integrity of the game.”Those that were prepared to act in this way involved key players of the Pakistan side, starting with their captain Salman Butt. He and his agent Mazhar Majeed were central to this particular conspiracy. They alone, however, could not ensure that a wide range of corrupt practices would take place without others being part of this particular operation. Their two top-order fast bowlers were involved: Mohammed Asif and Mohammed Amir.”It is the prosecution’s case that all four men were involved and, by the time the last Test match at Lord’s took place, each of them was well at it – the two bowlers being orchestrated by their captain, and the captain’s agent, Majeed, to bowl three no-balls at a pre-arranged point in the game. The bowlers were willing participants so that they could all profit – those lower down the ladder probably profiting less than those at the top.”Much of Jafferjee’s address included details of calls and SMS messages between Butt and Majeed, while Amir also featured heavily in these passages, with Asif less so.Jafferjee even revealed the lengths that investigators had gone to, to expose as much truth in this case as possible. He said that a firm in Canada specialised in exposing deleted messages on Blackberry phones and this tactic had been used.While detail was well chronicled at the time of the alleged offence, such as late night conversations and messaging between Butt and Majeed before the Oval Test match (which preceded Lord’s), some detail that ensued from Jafferjee was not so well known: such as text messages between Amir and an unknown in Pakistan.”How much and what needs to be done?” said one message, read out by the prosecution. “This is going to be too much,” said another message. The Pakistani unknown said in one: “So in first three, bowl however you want, and in the last two, do eight runs?” These messages were translated from Urdu, and were thought to be a repetition of instructions he had received at some point.At another time, Jafferjee told the jury how, when police were raiding the players’ rooms at the Marriot Hotel on August 28, Amir contacted a number on a phone given to him by Azhar Majeed – Mazhar’s older brother and business partner – and asked not to be contacted again and to erase all messagesThe trial will resume at 10.00 am on Thursday, though the court will not sit on Friday.

Shane Watson has threatened to be back to his all-round best when Australia take on South Africa in their upcoming series

Firdose Moonda in Cape Town 11-Oct-2011Shane Watson has threatened to be back to his all-round best when Australia take on South Africa in their upcoming series. Watson did not bowl during New South Wales’ Champions League campaign following a Cricket Australia directive, but will go all out with both bat and ball against South Africa.”After the amount of bowling I did in Sri Lanka, they [the medical staff] thought it would be a good time to just take my bowling workload down a little, but heading into this big series I will be good to go,” Watson said.Watson hopes his return to bowling will have also have a spin-off effect on his batting, after managing only 75 runs in five knocks at the Champions League. “I wasn’t bowling and I wasn’t scoring a run,” he said. “The thing that I love about being an allrounder is that if something is not going exactly as you want it to, you can still make a big contribution to the team’s performance.”I was frustrated throughout the Champions League and it really enforced the reason I love being an allrounder. You don’t always have a good game, and if you have two opportunities to have a good game it puts your mind at rest a little.”His bowling may turn out to have an important part to play in the series, with Australia missing the experience of Brett Lee, who was ruled out of the series with appendicitis. Watson termed Lee’s absence a “big loss” but said it could provide an opportunity to introduce someone new, like the 18-year old Pat Cummins, who has grabbed attention with his pace in the shortest format.Having watched him bowl for NSW, Watson has first-hand insights into what Cummins can offer. “He is a very rare talent at such a young age,” Watson said. “To be able to bowl with the skill and with the pace that he does is special. Pat is a very impressive young guy for an 18-year-old. I know what I was like at 18 and I was still getting a hang of myself. He is a very intelligent, switched on young guy and quite humble.”Australia are yet to name a replacement for Lee, in both the Twenty20 and ODI squads, which means that Cummins is certain to get an opportunity. When he does, Watson believes he will surprise people with his pace. “As soon as he goes out in the ground and runs in and tries to bowl, and bowls fast, I suppose everybody will see how mature a head he has,” he said. “They will see his skill and talent which is as impressive as I have seen in any young guy coming through for the last 10 years.”The South Africa tour will continue Australia’s rebuilding phase after their forgettable home summer, and the disappointing World Cup. “We are still trying to continue our growth after some disappointing performances in the Ashes and the World Cup,” Watson said. “We saw some really good signs throughout the Sri Lanka tour. There’s no doubt that South Africa are in a similar place.”Both countries have had to cope with recent change and there is some fear that the rivalry between them may not be as intense, especially in the T20s, which senior players from both camps will sit out. “In a way it’s a bit disappointing,” Watson said. For example, Jacques Kallis is one of the most consistent T20 batsmen in the world. We’ve got Ricky Ponting, Michael Clarke and Michael Hussey who aren’t playing in our team. It definitely changes the dynamics of our team and I’m sure it does for South Africa as well. I’m sure for their longevity, that’s what they see as the best way to be able to continue to play one-day and Test cricket for as long as they can.”Watson himself knows the importance of staying fit. After battling numerous injuries for many years, he has finally found a formula that works for him and he is relishing every moment. “I am loving the opportunity to play as much as I can because I had probably about six years where I didn’t really play that much, not continuously anyway,” he said. “So now I am trying to make the most of every game that I can play because I missed out on a lot. I’m just loving every opportunity I get to play because I know how quickly it can get taken away.”

The ICC Test Championship will not be held before 2017, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said

ESPNcricinfo staff14-Nov-2011The ICC Test Championship will not be held before 2017, Haroon Lorgat, the ICC chief executive, has said. The tournament was initially scheduled for 2013, but it cannot be conducted before 2017 due to the ICC’s commitments to its broadcaster and sponsors.”I am afraid that [the Test championship] is no longer going to happen in 2013,” Lorgat said in Dubai, where he was attending the second ODI between Sri Lanka and Pakistan. “At the last board meeting we decided the first opportunity to play the Test championship is 2017. I am disappointed it is not going to take place sooner but it is a reality of the commitments we have already got through to 2015.”The ICC’s broadcast partner is ESPN STAR Sports*, with whom they have a contract till 2015. The Champions Trophy, the ICC’s second-most significant one-day tournament, is scheduled to be played in June 2013 in England, but the ICC had hoped to convince all interested parties to switch that tournament to play-offs between the top four Test teams as per the ICC Test rankings.However, after the ICC’s executive board meeting in October, it released a statement saying there would be significant commercial challenges in replacing the Champions Trophy without the support and consent of the ICC’s broadcast partner since the financial implications on the Members would be significant. Changing the tournament from a one-day one to Test play-offs would have required a substantial cut in the broadcast rights fee, which would have repercussions on the Members.Lorgat, on Monday, said the switch would not be possible. “We attempted to switch the Champions Trophy to become a Test championship but that is not going to be possible.”The MCC criticised the ICC’s decision, calling it “disappointing”. “MCC has been very consistent in its support for Test cricket and the need for governing bodies to give the five day game a bit of a boost,” John Stephenson, MCC Head of Cricket, said. “Today’s announcement is a setback for Test cricket, at a time when we need to work to find the optimum balance between all formats of the game.”The Test championship is a concept aimed at increasing the popularity of Test cricket, something the ICC has consistently pledged their commitment to. Lorgat had said ahead of the ICC’s last board meeting that hosting a Test Championship in 2013 would be ideal since “player and public interest in Test match cricket is at an all-time high”. Lorgat, on Monday, maintained his stance that a championship would have been a positive move for Test cricket. “We attempted to form the World Test Championship which I think would have been a very good context in ensuring the primacy of Test cricket but again we will have to wait for 2017 to see that as a reality.”

South Africa should use the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka to deepen their pool of international players, according to the former national selector Hugh Page

Firdose Moonda05-Dec-2011South Africa should use the upcoming three-Test series against Sri Lanka to deepen their pool of international players, according to the former national selector Hugh Page. Sri Lanka travel as the underdogs – not only do they have the historical disadvantage of never recording a Test win in South Africa, but their current form is dismal – they have not managed one Test victory this year. Page sees it as a chance to blood fringe players ahead of a year which includes tours to New Zealand, England and Australia.”If you are going to give guys an opportunity, this is the series to do it,” Page told ESPNcricinfo. “South Africa currently have a very healthy situation, the nursery is full. But, they don’t want a situation where when some of the old guys go; you have five or six totally new players.”Page, who was part of Omar Henry’s selection panel nearly ten years ago, identified two key areas for South Africa’s selectors to zone in on: wicketkeeping and batting. The former is a particularly prickly issue, with no clear successor being earmarked in place of Mark Boucher, who had a poor series against Australia and is under pressure to produce with the bat. Page identified one candidate who could be tried.”Mark Boucher probably does not have a long time left and I like the look of Dane Vilas,” Page said. Vilas plays for the Cobras where he bats in the lower-middle order and boasts a first-class average of 46.62. He scored an authoritative, unbeaten 161 in a match against the Titans in this year’s SuperSport Series.According to Page, South Africa’s top-six could also use a shake-up, which would involve moving Jacques Rudolph down the order. “I would recall Alviro Petersen. He should open the batting and Jacques Rudolph should come in the middle order,” Page said.Petersen was dropped in favour of Rudolph for the two-Test series against Australia. Rudolph topped the SuperSport Series rankings last season and has the same so far, this season. But, Rudolph had an unremarkable return to Test cricket, top-scoring with 30 in four innings. His opening stands with Graeme Smith never lasted more than 40. Petersen and Smith had nine opening stands of at least 50 in the nine Tests they played together. “Petersen and Smith also form that left-right combination which is quite a nice asset to have,” Page said.South Africa’s attack is not a cause of concern for Page, although he would like to see an injection of youth with players such as Wayne Parnell and Marchant de Lange on the radar. de Lange has only played 14 first-class matches but made a big impression in last month’s tour match against the Australians, where he took 5 for 56. Page suggested South Africa emulate their recent rivals when it comes to fast-tracking players. “Look at Australia, their two debutants [Nathan Lyon and Patrick Cummins] took five-wicket hauls in their first series. Same with Vernon Philander. We should do something similar with our youngsters.”Seamers are expected to play a major role in the series, with the hosts likely to prepare pitches that favour pace and bounce. Sri Lanka are depleted in the pace department due to injuries. Suranga Lakmal, Nuwan Kulasekara, Shaminda Eranga and Dhammika Prasad are all injured. “When we go there, they won’t do us any favours, so we shouldn’t do them any over here, especially when they are down,” Page said.While Page was in favour of experimentation in the Test squad, he warned that the ODI leg of the tour may prove trickier. “In the one-dayers, we will have to be wary of them, they are a very good side and we should be sensible in our selections there.” South Africa lost their three-match ODI series against Australia 2-1 and, after crashing out of the World Cup in the quarter-final stage, still have a few unanswered questions about the make-up of their limited-overs squads.The South African selectors have some time before they pick the ODI squad but are expected to announce the Test squad on Tuesday. Sri Lanka’s tour will begin next Friday, with a three-day warm-up match against South African A in Benoni.

While there were murmurs from former players and members of the media questioning the legality of Saeed Ajmal’s action, Matt Prior said the England players were not talking about it

George Dobell in Dubai 17-Jan-2012It was as inevitable as it was regrettable that another absorbing day’s cricket between Pakistan and England should be tarnished by more controversy.At a time when Pakistan’s Saeed Ajmal should have been talking about the career-best bowling spell that had earned his side the initiative in the first Test, he was instead forced to defend the legality of his bowling action in the post-play media conference. It appears that games between these sides will always be plagued by one issue or another.Ajmal, utilising all his skill and variation, claimed 7 for 55 as England were dismissed for just 192. Though Ajmal gained little turn from a sluggish surface, there was just enough movement in each direction to send confusion through the English ranks. It was a masterful performance from a fine cricketer.There were no complaints from the England dressing-room. Matt Prior, the England wicketkeeper, could not have made it clearer. “It’s not something we’re concerned about,” he replied when asked what the England team thought of Ajmal’s action. “It’s not something we talk about. It’s nothing to do with us.”But there were murmurs from former players and members of the media that suggested the issue could well dominate the headlines in the coming days. A waft of sour grapes, perhaps?The debate was sparked by the former England captain turned pundit, Bob Willis. Willis made the point, a quite legitimate point in context, that England are putting themselves at a disadvantage by not encouraging their young cricketers to bowl the doosra, a delivery that is harder to bowl while maintaining the legal margin of 15 degrees of arm straightening.There’s some truth in Willis’ complaint. Very few English coaches encourage the doosra and one of the very few county players who could bowl it with any degree of control and bite, Maurice Holmes, was recently suspended from bowling and released by his county after doubts about his action were raised.”The delivery that I have a problem with is the doosra,” Willis said. “The ICC have accommodated this delivery; they changed the rules to allow these bowlers to bend their elbow 15 degrees, which is what makes it so difficult for the batsmen.”The authorities are now allowing these mystery spinners, unorthodox offspinners to bend their elbow to a degree. If they are going to be allowed to do that then England have to address this and decide whether we should be teaching our young spinners to bowl like that as well.”Prior, whose performance stood head and shoulders above his team-mates, refused to encourage talk about Ajmal’s action. Instead he thought his side had to take responsibility for a poor display with the bat, while acknowledging that any bowler with the ability to turn the ball both ways always presented extra difficulties. Neither did he think that Ajmal’s talk of a mystery new delivery – the teesra – had proved to be a successful mind game.”We have to hold our hands up,” Prior said. “We had a bad day at the office. It was a pretty good batting surface and the ball wasn’t really turning. We just played a few cross-batted shots when we should have played straight.”I don’t think Saaed got in our heads at all. Any spin bowler who spins it both ways is tricky. His wrist is pretty quick when he delivers the ball so it’s pretty difficult to pick him at times and that obviously plays on a batsman’s minds, but we have to deal with him a lot better than we did today.Ajmal also chose to rise above questions on the issue. “I’m just going to concentrate on my bowling,” he said. “Umpires and referees are responsible for judging my action. Such questions were raised with Saqlain Mushtaq [the former Pakistan offspinner], too, but we both played county cricket and there were no problems. It’s no problem for me that someone in England has questioned my action.”This was the best performance of my life. I just bowled wicket to wicket and, while I had a good day, England had a bad one. They are all good players and it would be wrong to say that England doesn’t play spin well. Andrew Strauss should have played off the front foot rather than the back, but I’ve worked hard on my bowling against left-handers and I’m very happy to have dismissed four left-handers today.”

Papua New Guinea have appointed former Queensland and South Australia wicketkeeper Peter Anderson as their new coach

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Feb-2012Papua New Guinea have appointed former Queensland and South Australia wicketkeeper Peter Anderson as their new coach. Anderson replaces Brad Hogg, who resigned as coach of PNG following his recall to Australia’s Twenty20 side.Anderson’s first-class career spanned eight years from 1986 to 1994. He made 1399 runs from 56 matches, averaging 17.93, and effected 172 dismissals. Cricket PNG general manager Greg Campbell said the team was looking for a long-term coach. The big assignment ahead is the World T20 Qualifier in March.”We’re coming into a very important and exciting time for Cricket PNG right now, and needed someone to spend vast periods of time with the team,” Campbell said. We’ve been blessed in recent times to have the both Brad Hogg and Andy Bichel working with the team, but given their reputations in the cricket world, they would always have opportunities knocking at the door. With Peter, we know we’re going to get 100% and the vision and attributes he brings to the team will be great for the boys.”Anderson has been coaching local clubs in Queensland over the last six years and has also been working with wicketkeepers in the ICC Pacific region.”I think Peter will be a great addition to our coaching staff, with many years playing and coaching behind him, I feel we have picked the right man to take us to the next level,” Cricket PNG chairman Mick Nades said. “As a board, we congratulate him on his appointment, and look forward to moving forward together.”Anderson will join the PNG team in Canberra next month.

Playing on uncovered pitches and incentivising wins by tweaking the Ranji Trophy points system were some of the ideas proposed at a BCCI conclave for domestic captains and coaches

Nagraj Gollapudi22-Mar-2012Playing on uncovered pitches, incentivising wins by tweaking the Ranji Trophy points system, scheduling Ranji knockouts at neutral venues, increasing the number of rest days between games, increasing the number of bouncers allowed per over in first-class cricket; these were all ideas proposed at a BCCI conclave for domestic captains and coaches, in Mumbai.With team officials from nearly 27 states in attendance, the meeting was chaired by BCCI president N Srinivasan along with Sanjay Jagdale and Ratnakar Shetty, the board secretary and chief-administrative officer respectively. The conclave, a concept that had been discontinued a few years ago, made a resounding comeback according to some participants, who said there had been fruitful discussions.One of most important discussions in this year’s conclave concerned the revamping of the points system in the Ranji Trophy. WV Raman, the former India opener and current Bengal coach, suggested there was a need to encourage teams to win games outright. Under the current points system, once a team takes the first-innings lead they sit back, he said. “My suggestion was if a team gets a first-innings lead then give them the impetus to go for an outright win by allowing them to retain the three points even if they lose the game. The team that wins will get four points.”According to the existing rules, a team that takes a first-innings lead gets three points if the match ends in a draw, with the opponent getting one point. An outright win is worth five points with an additional bonus point available for an innings victory or ten-wicket win. According to Raman’s formula, a team would secure three points once they took a first-innings lead, regardless of the result, and would then chase a further four points for a win.”It will give the teams the drive to challenge the opponents and make sporting declarations,” Raman said.The other topic which saw animated discussion was that of uncovered pitches. Bishan Singh Bedi, the former India captain and current Jammu & Kashmir coach, said playing on uncovered pitches would toughen up domestic batsmen and simultaneously negate home advantage in matches. The idea met some opposition, particularly, according to Hyderabad coach Sunil Joshi, from the batsmen and coaches at the conclave.”In domestic cricket the quality of bowling is bad while the batsmen continue to bat on for days,” Bedi said. “The uncovered pitches will give the bowlers some encouragement.”According to Joshi, a better idea would be to use uncovered pitches at the Under-19 and Under-22 levels. “That would allow the youngsters to negotiate variable bounce, moisture, dew and a variety of other factors. It could be a good learning experience not only for the youngsters but also for the coaches,” Joshi said.During the BCCI’s technical committee meeting last month, Sourav Ganguly and his nine-member panel had struck down the suggestion of playing Ranji matches at neutral venues, an idea that had come out of the BCCI working committee meeting. The technical committee had recommended carrying on with the existing home-and-away format during the league phase.One advantage of neutral venues would be that sides like Tamil Nadu could avoid playing in Chennai, where several matches are affected by rain•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

During the conclave, many coaches and captains supported the idea of knockout matches being played at neutral grounds, saying it would guard against any bias a home-team curator might have while preparing a pitch. However, Raman pointed out that the home team lost in both semi-finals and the final this Ranji season. “So you can’t take it for granted that the home side will tweak things in their favour,” Raman said. Also, Raman said, the fact that BCCI grounds and pitches committee officials were present to overlook pitch preparations during the knockout phase was a good enough assurance that tracks would be fair to both sides.Raman also suggested at the conclave that fast bowlers be allowed to bowl three bouncers in an over in first-class cricket. “It would give the fast bowlers an added weapon and also help batsman counter short-pitch bowling,” Raman said. It was an extension, Raman said, of the technical committee’s decision to allow two bouncers in an over during domestic one-day tournaments.There was also a unanimous opinion among the captains and coaches that a four-day break between matches during the Ranji season was needed as opposed to the prevailing three-day breaks.Ganguly’s committee had suggested that Kookaburra balls continue being used during the Duleep Trophy. That idea did not find favour at the conclave, as members suggested playing with SG Test balls would be better. “What is the point of playing with a Kookaburra ball when the domestic players play the Ranji season with SG balls,” Joshi said. “Also, in the next 18 months India will be playing only at home so it would be much better to use SG during the Duleep Trophy too.”Kookaburra balls are used for the domestic 50-over and 20-over competitions, and it was recommended that teams be given more balls to practise with, well in advance of the tournaments. “Normally we are given a few Kookaburra balls two days before the tournament. How do you expect the bowlers to get used to it?” one of the coaches said. Another idea discussed was the introduction of a league phase in the Duleep and Deodhar Trophy.Joshi and Hrishikesh Kanitkar, the captain of Rajasthan, winners of the last two Ranji Trophies, proposed the idea of having just one group in both Elite and Plate divisions, increasing the number of games each team would play in the league phase, and thus giving them more chances to qualify for the knockouts. “So you play about 14 matches in the Elite division, and 11 in Plate. Then you could have the top four or the top two from each group progress to the quarterfinals or the semi-finals,” Joshi said.That idea, though, was in contradiction to the agreed-upon notion that players needed more rest. “On the one hand people wanted the rest period increased, but at the same time they were requesting more cricket in an already packed calendar,” one of the captains who attended the meeting said.Edited by Dustin Silgardo

New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill fired Derbyshire into a strong position at the end of the third day against Northamptonshire.

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Apr-2012New Zealand opening batsman Martin Guptill fired Derbyshire into a strong position at the end of the third day against Northamptonshire. With so little to choose between the two sides at the end of the first innings, Guptill set Derbyshire off to the perfect start in their second innings with an authoritative 131 not out as he and partner Paul Borrington put on an unbroken 213 for the first wicket.Northants did not help their own cause by dropping three catches off the pair and, at the close, Derbyshire had an overall lead of 235, having earlier bowled the visitors out for 264.
Borrington’s share of the opening stand was 66 not out in an admirably defiant effort. He has faced 226 balls so far and has hit six boundaries, content to allow Guptill to be the more free-flowing stroke-player but both players had to be exceptionally cautious at the beginning of their innings.With plenty of swing for the seamers in the overcast conditions, the first 20 overs from Northants allowed only 20 runs and the Derbyshire pair had to ride their luck at times as the ball regularly beat the outside edge.But the batsmen began to feel more comfortable shortly after lunch, with Guptill leading the way. He was given a life on 43 when Alex Wakely dropped him at first slip and the same fielder also later spilled another chance in the same position when Borrington was 42.
Guptill brought up his century with a steered single to third man off the last ball of the 51st over. It was his sixth in first-class cricket and his second for Derbyshire, coming off 135 balls with 11 fours and a six.On 108, Guptill was dropped again as substitute fielder Con de Lange put down a steepling chance at deep mid-wicket and, when bad light brought an early close with 15 overs to go, he was edging towards his highest score for the county, which is 143.Derbyshire earlier earned their first-innings lead of 22 when they claimed the last three Northants wickets for 23 runs in the first 10 overs of the morning. James Middlebrook added only five more to his overnight score of 40 when he attempted to force Mark Footitt away off the back foot and was caught by wicketkeeper Tom Poynton to make it 252 for 8 in the fifth over of the day.There were seven fours and a six in Middlebrook’s valuable innings and with him went Northants’ chance of nudging into a lead. Tony Palladino finished them off as Lee Daggett edged to second slip and Jack Brooks to first slip.

Chris Nash and Ed Joyce turned the clock back 12 months with an unbroken stand of 143 before the weather halted a Sussex charge against Worcestershire

18-May-2012Chris Nash and Ed Joyce turned the clock back 12 months with an unbroken stand of 143 before the weather halted a Sussex charge against Worcestershire in the Division One match at New Road.Their first century partnership in a year stretched their team’s lead to a commanding 199 but bad light and light rain wiped out the final session and put declaration plans on hold until the last day.It was a timely resurgence by a pair who lost some of their momentum after starting last season with five three-figure stands, culminating in a stand of 201 in a successful run chase against Somerset at Hove on May 19. Nash has not scored a century since reaching 120 in that match but the trip to Worcester for his 100th appearance in first-class cricket has been highly profitable so far with scores of 84 and 69 not out.Apart from a couple of sketchy shots, notably a top-edged cut parried by Michael Klinger at third slip, Nash played himself into a good rhythm. His driving was particularly impressive with 11 fours before the umpires took the players off at 3.00pm.In cruising to 70 from 118 balls, Joyce was a different player from the one who laboured for more than an hour over 6 runs in the first innings. His timing was spot-on from the outset, with nothing better than an effortless pull for six off David Lucas, and he also notched eight other boundaries.For Worcestershire, the third day, albeit cut short by 44 overs, became increasingly uncomfortable. Last year they stayed in Division One despite losing their first six matches. This year there has been an improvement, with three draws so far, but finding a way to win games will be key to their survival battle.Any hopes they had of matching Sussex’s first innings total of 315 evaporated on the third morning with their dismissal for 259 after losing their last three wickets for the addition of 28 runs. Jack Shantry managed to hold out with 22 not out in his first Championship knock of the season but there was nothing substantial from his partners.Ben Scott was leg-before to Jimmy Anyon, Lucas was run out by Nash’s quick reactions at short leg and Richard Jones scooped up a catch to mid-on as Monty Panesar completed a return of 3 for 65 in 23 overs. In terms of economy Steve Magoffin had the best figures after an immaculate performance in bowling 30 overs for his 2 for 35.

Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan all-rounder Yasir Arafat

ESPNcricinfo staff02-May-2012Lancashire have bolstered their ranks for this season’s Friends Life t20 campaign with the recruitment of Pakistan allrounder Yasir Arafat.Arafat, 30, will join his compatriot Junaid Khan as Lancashire’s second overseas player for the 20-over tournament. Lancashire will be Arafat’s fourth county after spells at Surrey, Sussex and Kent. He has played three Tests for Pakistan as well as 11 ODIs and seven T20Is.Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s director of cricket, said: “The addition of Yasir to our squad emphasises our determination to progress in the Friends Life t20 tournament and we are delighted to have him on board. Our squad doesn’t have the depth that we have been accustomed to and Yasir brings experience and skill to fulfil this important role.”Peter Moores, the head coach, said: “Yasir has a wealth of experience of playing in this country. He is a very experienced one day bowler and a big hitter of the ball down the order.”Arafat, who last played for Pakistan two years ago, told PakPassion.net that his aim was a place in World Twenty20.”I’ve been out of favour with the national side for more than two years and all I can do is to try and perform well and to attempt to impress the selection committee,” he said. “I would dearly love to play in the Twenty20 World Cup later this year.”