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England captain hopes senior pair will put themselves back in mix in early English season

Matt Roller23-Feb-20221:52

Root: Nobody saying this is the end for Anderson and Broad

Joe Root has insisted that James Anderson and Stuart Broad can win back their places in England’s Test side after they were left out of the squad for the upcoming series against West Indies, as Anderson revealed he was “praying that this isn’t the end” of his international career.Anderson addressed his omission publicly for the first time on Wednesday, saying that he had experienced “shock and disappointment” and that “a five-minute phone call [with interim ECB managing director Andrew Strauss] doesn’t really clear much up”, after Broad had described feeling “confused and angry” in a newspaper column.Root stressed that while he saw the tour of the Caribbean as “an exciting challenge” and a “real opportunity” for the rest of England’s seamers – Chris Woakes and Mark Wood in particular – to lead the bowling attack, he hopes to see Anderson and Broad “very much in the mix” for selection at the start of the English summer.”The fact they’re not there means there are different roles others have to fill,” Root said. “They’ve taken the new ball for such a long time in English cricket, they’ve been leaders of the attack, had a lot of success and deserve a huge amount of respect for it. But this is an opportunity for other guys to step into that space and become leaders as well.”Over time, [Woakes] has not played a huge amount of cricket away from home in the recent past,” he added. “He’s constantly been our first-change bowler or second-change bowler, he’s not had the opportunity to bowl with the new ball away from home.”That change in role and mindset might have a massive difference. He’s someone that’s done it in the white-ball game and grown massively from it, and gained a huge amount of confidence and ability from stepping into that void, and there’s no reason why he can’t do it with the red ball in hand as well.”Other guys can step up as well. Mark Wood had a fantastic tour of Australia, he bowled with heart, great passion, speed, endurance, being able to do it for long periods of time. It’s a chance for him to grow and develop as a player as well. And really, I want those guys step into that void and enjoy that challenge, and enjoy becoming more senior within the group.”Joe Root insists the door is not closed for James Anderson [pictured] or Stuart Broad•AFP/Getty Images

While Root is not officially involved in selection meetings, he was consulted by the interim panel of Strauss, Paul Collingwood and James Taylor. He said that Anderson and Broad’s omission had been “a discussion point for a long period of time” but added that England have been “slightly too honest” regarding selection in the past and that he believes “certain things should stay in the room”.”I’ve spoken both to Stuart and Jimmy and they’re obviously disappointed, angry, and Stuart in particular has voiced that quite publicly,” Root said in a press conference the day before England’s departure to the Caribbean ahead of the first Test in Antigua on March 8. “You’d expect that. I’ve got a huge amount of respect for both of them. It’s been made very clear: no-one is saying this is the end for them. It would be great to see Stuart and Jimmy very much in the mix at the start of the summer as well.”At no stage has anyone said it’s the end for them. It would be great to see them starting the season and putting themselves in the mix for selection. You don’t want to look too far ahead. Ultimately, we’ve got to look after what’s right in front of us. And that’s this tour and making sure we get as much of that right as we possibly can.”If we’re in a position where they can come back into this team, then great, that’s only going to strengthen things. A lot can happen between now and then. But no-one’s been told that it’s the end of the road.”Related

• James Anderson, Stuart Broad dropped from England Test squad for West Indies

• Joe Root instigates move up to No. 3 for England's West Indies tour

• Anderson-Broad absence a chance to grow leadership options – Andrew Strauss

• Stuart Broad on being dropped by England: 'It has hit me pretty hard'

Speaking on his BBC podcast , Anderson confirmed his intention to play for Lancashire in the early round of the County Championship this season, insisting that he has “one more go at digging deep” and adding: “I still love playing the game.””There is likely to be a new director of cricket and a new head coach in the summer so I just hope that whatever decision is made, it’s talked about in the way that it should be,” Anderson said. “Another frustration for me over the last couple of weeks is a five-minute phone call doesn’t really clear much up for you.”I managed to get back to Burnley and spent the day playing golf and having a few drinks with my mates which I think just helps that bit. I’m praying that this isn’t the end, but if I never play for England again I know I’ve got amazing people around me to support me and that’s really important to me. I want to keep playing, I want to keep bowling and we’ll just see what happens in the future.”I’ve got to try and focus on stuff that I can control and that’s playing cricket and showing people what I can do with a ball in my hand. [There have] been quite a few texts between myself and Broady in particular, getting some initial frustration and anger out, but I think once that was gone, now it’s really trying to look to stuff that we can affect.”Anderson took eight wickets at 23.37 across his three Tests in England’s 4-0 defeat in Australia this winter, conceding just 1.79 runs per over but struggling for penetration. He insisted that he was happy with his performances on the tour, and highlighted his record since turning 35 in July 2017 – 160 wickets at 21.72 – as evidence that he is “not slowing down”.”It was obviously a difficult tour of Australia but I was happy with the way I bowled,” he said. “I thought I put in some decent performances out there. I had a few days off when I was home and then I was straight back trying to work in the gym at my fitness, trying to get my body back to where I want it to be and start bowling again, getting ready again for that West Indies tour. I felt in good shape and I still do.”I’ve just got to look to the summer and try and show people what I can do because I still feel like I’ve got the hunger and passion to play. I feel in great shape, I just want to keep bowling. When age is spoken about, actually, I’ve got better. Since I was 35, my record’s got even better. I know that I’m not slowing down, I’m not losing anything as people often say – ‘oh, he’s lost a yard of pace’ – but I don’t feel like I’m doing that.”

South Africa’s centurion accepted the reality of sport after Pakistan beat them off the last ball, but he was still disappointed

Firdose Moonda02-Apr-2021″”
Rassie van der DussenLike the moment he outside edged Shaheen Shah Afridi wide of second slip and the ball beat Asif Ali’s dive. Van der Dussen was on 0 at that point and went on to score an undefeated 123, his first international hundred and one ensured South Africa had something to defend against Pakistan in the Centurion ODI.Or the moment in the penultimate over when Shadab Khan skied the ball in van der Dussen’s direction at deep midwicket and he made good ground to get there but could not hold on. Khan went on to correctly ask for the next ball – a waist-high full toss – to be looked at and called a no-ball – which it it was – hit four off the resultant free hit and took three off the final ball to leave Pakistan needing three runs off the last over.Asked if he would rather score the hundred or take the catch to win a game, van der Dussen wished both were possible. “I’d do both,” he said. “That catch was a half chance that could have gone our way had I got under it a little earlier. But in the twilight, I never got in a good position to catch it and I barely got a fingertip to it. A hundred overs can come down to one moment. That’s not cruel. It’s just sport; it’s just life. As a professional sportsman you’ve got to be ready for that moment every time.”Van der Dussen recognised that the first ODI was a “game of fine margins,” but said the toss played a bigger role than usual on the Highveld, given the time of year and that all the matches are being played as day games because of South Africa’s Coronavirus-necessitated curfew. “We all know the toss plays a big role in day games here. After losing the toss we were always under pressure,” he said. “The pitch gets a lot better to bat on as Imam (ul-Haq) and Babar (Azam) showed. The pitch became more true and consistent.”He stopped short of apologising to South Africa’s attack, who clawed them back into the game after Azam’s century, and kept them in it until the final ball but praised them for their resilience. “Credit must go to the bowlers. It’s disappointing for us not to get over the line because I feel like they deserved it,” van der Dussen said. “The bowlers fought brilliantly to give us a chance to come close. The way Anrich (Nortje) came in and the team rallied behind him was really positive.”Nortje took four wickets for six runs in 18 balls to give South Africa a chance before Lungi Ngidi and Andile Phehlukwayo fell just short of defending 19 off the last three overs. Van der Dussen thought their fielding performance, rather than batting effort, was more reflective of the overall mood of the South African camp, which is under new leadership in Temba Bavuma, who has his vote of confidence.”It is a bit of a clean slate, with Temba coming in,” van der Dussen said. “The guys are hungry to win games and to perform. That’s what makes it very disappointing tonight. I’ve played under Temba for a long time. He is a brilliant captain and leader. The guys respect him a lot. He leads from the front and he will just ge better and better.”As for van der Dussen himself, he described reaching his first century as a “relief,” after it came in trying circumstances. “I’ve been playing for two-and-a-half-years and had a few chances (to score a hundred) and didn’t quite get there. I was relieved. As a player you want to perform under pressure and we were under pressure early,” he said.South Africa went from 34 for 0 to 44 for 3 and then 55 for 4 and that is a margin too big to satisfy van der Dussen. “Losing three wickets in a cluster is something we don’t want to do. We are all aware with the ODI championship, you play for points. To lose at the end is disappointing.”

Umesh Yadav came into India’s XI as a fifth bowler, but with match figures of 6 for 59 ensured the match practice he got with India A after requesting the selectors, paid off

Karthik Krishnaswamy in Pune13-Oct-20193:10

Catches like Saha’s boost the team – Umesh

Umesh Yadav bowled more overs in Test cricket than any other Indian fast bowler in 2016 and 2017. Since then, though, he has slipped to fourth – or even fifth – sometimes in India’s pace pecking order, and had featured in only five of their last 18 matches before the Pune Test against South Africa.It can be difficult for a fast bowler to stay positive, and keep himself in rhythm in times like this, but that’s exactly what Yadav has sought to do.”This is part and parcel [of the game], it will keep happening as long as I play cricket,” he said after picking up match figures of 6 for 59 in India’s innings win. “These situations will keep coming, and I know I have to be ready when I get my chance. For that, it’s important to stay positive, keep playing the game, and stay focused.

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“So, I always make sure I keep getting match practice, whether it’s Ranji Trophy or India A or anything else. These are the things that give me positivity, and my focus remains sharp because the more matches you play, the more match practice you have, which is very important, because as much as you may bowl in the nets, it’s different when you play matches, and know how you’re supposed to bowl, what planning you need to do.”These things (selection) aren’t in my hands. I can’t say, ‘no, I need to play every Test match’. All the bowlers are good, all of them are doing well, and there’s healthy competition. Whoever does well will keep playing. At some stage, each of us will get chances, and when that happens, I need to be ready, positive, and focused.”ALSO READ: ‘We’re not going to take the foot off the gas in the third Test’ – KohliYadav wasn’t originally part of India’s squad for this series, and only came in when Jasprit Bumrah suffered a stress fracture. He was part of India’s previous squad, in the West Indies, but didn’t feature in either of the Tests. With the knowledge that he wouldn’t get regular games for India, especially since he is not usually part of the ODI and T20I squads either, he requested the selectors, during the West Indies tour, that they pick him for India A as often as possible.”In the West Indies, when I was not playing, the selectors picked me [in the India A team that was concurrently touring the region],” Yadav said. “I knew I wasn’t getting that many matches, even in the T20s and one-dayers that were happening in between. So there was a gap, and I had told the selectors that I’d like to play whenever possible for India A because match practice for me is very important.Umesh Yadav and Virat Kohli celebrate a wicket•BCCI

“At that stage it was a fully off-season for me because there was no Ranji Trophy, no one-dayers, nothing. So, I asked them [to pick me], and told them I wanted to play matches, and they said, ‘Okay’. If you’re playing matches, your mindset and planning and focus remain sharp.”Suddenly, if you’re just practising at home or wherever, and you have to directly play a match, it becomes difficult, because as a fast bowler you’re out of the game. Bowling in a match and bowling in the nets are very different.”Before the Pune Test, therefore, Yadav kept himself in rhythm by playing four multi-day matches against international opposition, two of them first-class. The rhythm showed in the way he troubled South Africa’s top order in both innings, running in with intensity and swinging the new ball at pace. India enforced the follow-on after taking a first-innings lead of 326, and Yadav said he was only too happy to bowl again.ALSO READ: The fast bowler’s snarl ft. Mohammed Shami and Umesh Yadav“From my point of view, I felt, I don’t know about the others, but I need to bowl,” he said. “All bowlers said that we are ready if follow-on is enforced as we didn’t feel the need to rest. The intent was to win, and not, ‘Let’s bat a bit and stretch the game’.”The wicket wasn’t difficult to bat on. Fast bowlers didn’t have much help as there was no seam or swing movement. The ball only swung for a few overs. There was no pace off the pitch and you needed to hit the deck. If we get some breakthroughs with new ball, it becomes easier for the spinners.”Yadav came into India’s XI as a fifth bowler, and he was pleased that the selection had worked as planned.”We had to bowl with 100% effort,” he said. “There was bounce, but the pitch lacked pace. We had to hit the deck hard to extract the pace.”If you bowl long spells, you will get tired quickly and if you have five bowlers, you have options. We could come in, bowl [spells of] three overs with full intensity, and then the spinners would come in. I think this (playing five bowlers) was a good idea, and we could execute it as we had planned.”

The full schedule likely in February but Chennai will host the tournament opener and the final

Nagraj Gollapudi08-Jan-2019The 2019 edition of the IPL will take place entirely in India, and will start on March 23, the BCCI said on Tuesday. The venue had been the subject of speculation given that the dates clash with the general elections, which are expected to take place in April-May. However, a BCCI release said the date and venue had been decided on by the Committee of Administrators after discussions with federal and state officials.It is likely that the full IPL schedule will be out in early February. In addition to the home bases of the eight franchises, around four to six additional grounds have been shortlisted as back-up. Once the Election Commission of India announces the final dates for the polls, the IPL will consider if any of these venues would need changing.Although the IPL has not announced the date for the final, it is likely to be between May 12 and 15. As per norm the defending champion gets the rights to host the tournament opener and the final. So Chennai will get both those key matches. More clarity on the situation is expected once the poll dates in the city are made public.ESPNcricinfo understands that the information has been passed on to, and received by, the franchises.In a press release the BCCI said that decision to conduct the tournament in India was “based on the preliminary discussions with the appropriate central and state agencies / authorities”. A detailed schedule, the BCCI said, “will be finalised in consultation with the appropriate authorities”, after which the Committee of Administrators will have a “detailed discussion” with all the stakeholders.In 2009 and 2014 – the last two seasons that clashed with general elections – the IPL had been moved to South Africa and the UAE (first half of the season) respectively. This time, too, the IPL had been proactive about keeping alternate plan in place. The first priority was always to keep the entire tournament in India but South Africa and the UAE were again shortlisted as alternate venues. Before the auction, held on December 18, the IPL briefed the franchises about the various plans it had chalked out in case the tournament had to be moved out of the country.The biggest challenge for the franchises next season is that the IPL will end a couple of weeks before the World Cup begins on May 30 in England. As a result, the availability of overseas players towards the tail-end of the season is a bit unclear.

This is the same venue where play had to be stopped last year when spectators threw empty bottles onto the ground as India closed in on victory

Andrew Fidel Fernando09-Aug-2018Groups of spectators have helped collect rubbish discarded in the stadium following both Sri Lanka-South Africa ODIs at Pallekele – the same venue where play had to be stopped last year when spectators threw empty bottles onto the ground as India closed in on victory.A group of students from the island’s South Eastern University is believed to have begun the cleaning initiative after the third ODI on Sunday. But the rubbish collection also happened following the fourth ODI on Wednesday, which had finished close to midnight due to repeated rain delays.The students’ efforts have been noticed by Kumar Sangakkara, who is currently in England commentating on India’s tour, with the former captain voicing his appreciation on Twitter. Sri Lanka Cricket has also released a short video praising the students.This is not the first time spectators have helped clear rubbish at sports events. In June, Japan football fans were seen sweeping and clearing trash in a stadium in Saransk, Russia, following their team’s World Cup victory over Colombia.

JP Duminy was considering retiring from Test cricket in January, when he was dropped for the New Year’s Test against England, before he was talked out of it by Ashwell Prince

Firdose Moonda05-Nov-2016South Africa batsman JP Duminy was considering retiring from Test cricket in January, when he was dropped for the New Year’s Test against England, before he was talked out of it by Ashwell Prince, who was a selector at the time. Duminy ended a run of patchy form by scoring 141 in the second innings to give South Africa a 300-plus lead over Australia in the ongoing Perth Test.”When he was dropped in January, he was considering retiring from Test cricket,” Prince told ESPNcricinfo in Perth. “He had the conversation with me because the convener of selectors was not at the Cape Town Test, so I had to go and take him the news that he won’t be playing.”At that time, he was at a real low point and he was being honest and giving his feelings. As a selector, and with him being an important player to South African cricket, you try and convince him to think about it. I’m sure when he thinks back about that conversation this afternoon or this evening, he will know how he was feeling then and with the feeling he is having now, he will be happy that he carried on.”Duminy admitted that at that time he lacked direction, especially in Tests. “There was indifferent feelings. I wasn’t sure where I was going in terms of my career but I am very grateful to get another opportunity.”He had gone 12 innings without a hundred when he was dropped, and in that time he had only passed fifty once. Like his team-mates, he struggled in India and with South African cricket itself on the wane, had several reasons to walk away. “It’s difficult to pinpoint exactly what it was but he was out of form,” Prince said. “With the type of calendar that they have these days, he has got a young baby, a young family, all that might have played a role.”That was when Prince reminded Duminy, who had replaced him in the 2008 Perth Test and made a half-century in a famous victory, of the prestige of the longest format. “I was talking to him as a friend, rather than a selector. I was making him understand how important Test cricket is for a player. You can play hundreds of ODIs and T20 and make millions but when you are done playing, you always think about what you did in the Test-match arena,” Prince said. “You can play fifty ODIs quickly and not remember anything. These type of performances, that’s what the game is all about.”During the conversation, Prince said Duminy told him that he needed “a bit of a break,” and was going to take the New Year’s week off but then he decided to play in a franchise first-class match. He scored a career-best 260. “I don’t know what changed from him wanting a break and then playing in that match but he got 250 straight away and I think the next Test he was back in.”Faf du Plessis was dropped for the next game and Duminy returned but not with much success. He scored 19 and 29 against England at SuperSport Park and it was only when he struck 88 against New Zealand seven months later that it seemed he had found form again. Then, Duminy was able to realign his goals with his performances.”The change came for me just before the West Indies tour,” Duminy said. “I sat down and reassessed my goals. Test cricket has always been a big part of my goal setting and I knew I was at a crossroads in my Test career. I wanted to leave my Test career knowing that I’ve given it my all, and I committed to myself that I was going to give myself the best chance, so that was the difference. It was a personal thing. I didn’t necessarily speak to anyone about it. I just sat down, wrote a few things down, where I want to go, what I still want to achieve.”In that match, played without the injured AB de Villiers, Duminy was moved to No. 4, which is where he has batted in this Perth Test, and the change of position might have led to a change in fortune.”If you are at No. 6, 90% of the time, you are batting with the bowlers so you will always have to try and think how am I going to marshall my way through this innings,” Prince said. “Do I trust them? Are they looking good on the day or are they looking like it’s going to be a matter of time? You are taking everything into consideration, whether it’s spinning, whether they are getting in line behind the ball. Maybe upfront he is a lot more relaxed, he has a lot more time to bat, he doesn’t have to think should I attack more, should I defend more, or how the tail is lining up. He just has to bat.”For Duminy, the move to No. 4 refreshed his approach. “I was pleased with the opportunity. It is something I have always enjoyed in the first-class arena. To be given the nod to go ahead, especially with it being such a crucial position in the South African team, was a big positive for me and I knew I had to step up and fill some big boots. You had Kallis and AB de Villiers batting there before. Today [in Perth] was a step in the right direction.”But more than the change of position, Prince believed it was a mental shift that did the trick for Duminy. “I think its 100% mindset. I think maybe he has thought about and committed to wanting to do more in his Test career,” Prince said. “In the first innings [in Perth] he came out looking to play more positively and maybe once or twice was a little loose, in the second innings he came out positive again but a lot more selective. His shot selection and his stroke play has been sublime.”

Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal has termed Saturday’s one-day match against Australia a “big occasion” for the team

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Aug-2012Afghanistan captain Nawroz Mangal has termed Saturday’s one-day match against Australia a “big occasion” for the team. The match is Afghanistan’s only second against a Full Member country after becoming eligible for ODI cricket.”Definitely, it’s a big occasion for us and we want to make the best use of it,” Mangal said. “We have done well against Scotland and Ireland but given a chance against Australia is a big thing and we are excited about it.”Afghanistan have played 22 ODIs in the last three years, winning 12. But their only previous match against a Full Member side was when they played Pakistan in Sharjah in February this year. Australia, who are playing a limited-overs series against Pakistan in the UAE from August 28, agreed to play the match against Afghanistan in an effort to assist with their cricketing development.”We are thankful to Australia and to the ICC for making this possible,” Mangal said. “Australia are real champions and hopefully we can put up a good show. Definitely it’s our dream to play matches against top teams and if we get such chances regularly our players will improve.”Afghanistan have made good progress in the recent years. They played World Twenty20 in 2010 and will appear in this year’s event in Sri Lanka in September. However, the chief executive of the Afghanistan Cricket Board, Hamid Shinwari, said that the team would need continued support from the cricketing world to develop the game in the country.”The support of the ACC and the ICC is very helpful in developing the game in Afghanistan but we expect more from the world because cricket is more than a game in Afghanistan,” Shinwari said. “Cricket gives hope to millions of people in our country and we want to improve in this game.”

Pakistan’s regional cricket associations have proposed that they been given a stronger voice in the PCB and larger role in developing the sport at the grass-root level

Umar Farooq12-Nov-2011Pakistan’s regional cricket associations have proposed that they been given a stronger voice in the PCB and larger role in developing the sport at the grass-root level.The PCB’s governing board comprises 15 members, nine of who are directly appointed by the patron, the president of Pakistan, while the other six require the patron’s approval. There are only five elected representatives from regional associations on the governing board and they have a smaller role than members appointed directly by the patron.The heads of ten regional associations met with the PCB chairman Zaka Ashraf on November 10 and discussed the issues affecting them – lack of infrastructure at the grass-root level and financial constraints.”I find him [Ashraf] a keen personality who is trying to understand the system,” Wisal Muhammad Durrani, the president of the Peshawar cricket association, told ESPNcricinfo. “He isn’t from a cricketing background but looked very enthusiastic. I only wish that whatever was promised in the meeting should be implemented for the betterment of cricket.”At its annual conference in June, the ICC had given its member boards two years to become democratised and free from government and political interference in a bid to improve governance within the game. Pakistan’s regional associations are welcoming this move because it will empower them.”Regional associations, which are the primary production house for cricketers, need to be empowered for the betterment of cricket instead of having their rights snubbed,” a regional association head said. “We are serving as nurseries for developing talent and all of us are doing our job as honorary. We need a system and obviously the system needs us.”Another regional head said, “We are coming up through a process of election but for some reason regions aren’t given the importance they deserve. The idea is to have an elected body from bottom to top – a requirement by the ICC as well, which isn’t a unfair call at all.”The ICC’s Pakistan Task Team (PTT) had also recommended changes to the way cricket was run in the country, including the way the PCB functions. It also called for the regional associations to be given more authority.While the associations are being run democratically, the level of competency could be raised. The associations, however, said the PCB needed to help them improve. “Each one of the association heads is well educated and competent enough to handle cricketing matters,” Khawaja Nadeem Ahmed, the Lahore City Cricket Association head, said. “I think it’s about the confidence and helping the regions to rise – a practice that never was practiced. It’s a wrong perception about regions and their low capacity. All of them have good reputations.”

Tillakaratne Dilshan has been retained as Sri Lanka captain for the home series against Australia

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jul-2011Tillakaratne Dilshan has been retained as Sri Lanka captain for the home series against Australia beginning in August. Sri Lanka Cricket named a pool of 20 players in contention for spots in the ODI and Twenty20 squads, and left out Thilina Kandamby, who was vice-captain in the ODIs in England. Dilshan had led Sri Lanka on the tour of England in the wake of Kumar Sangakarra’s decision to resign after the 2011 World Cup.Dilhara Fernando, who picked up an injury in the third Test at the Rose Bowl and subsequently missed the ODI series in England, was also left out, but the pool included the rest of the 50-overs squad. Offspinner Sachithra Senanayake was the only uncapped player in the pool.Sri Lanka are scheduled to play five ODIs and two Twenty20 internationals against Australia, as well as three Tests. The series begins with a T20I on August 6.Sri Lanka pool: Tillakaratne Dilshan, Mahela Jayawardena, Kumar Sangakkara, Angelo Mathews, Chamara Kapugedera, Jeevan Mendis, Chamara Silva, Dinesh Chandimal, Dimuth Karunaratne, Thisara Perera, Lasith Malinga, Suranga Lakmal, Dhammika Prasad, Nuwan Kulasekera, Isuru Udana, Suraj Randiv, Ajantha Mendis, Rangana Herath, Malinga Bandara, Sachithra Senanayake

A round-up of games from the Clydesdale Bank 40

25-Jul-2010A Jim Allenby half-century and 4 for 33 from Dean Cosker helped Glamorgan towards only their second Clydesdale Bank 40 victory of the season with a three wicket success over Sussex at Swansea. The defeat is a setback to Sussex’s chances of reaching the competition semi-finals and was not the best way to warm up for Monday’s Friends Provident t20 clash against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge.Alex Hales returned to haunt Durham by smashing an unbeaten 96 in Nottinghamshire’s five-wicket Clydesdale Bank 40 triumph at Chester-le-Street. On his last visit to the ground, 21-year-old Hales held a controversial boundary catch which turned a Twenty20 match in his side’s favour. He insisted the catch was clean and Dale Benkenstein, who was on 40, took his word for it when a six had been signalled.Ravi Bopara put his England snub behind him by hitting a superb half-century as the Essex cruised to a nine-wicket Clydesdale Bank 40 victory over the Northamptonshire at Wantage Road. Young opening batsman Rob Newton blasted his first half-century in senior cricket, making 66 off 78 balls, but some indifferent batting from his team-mates meant the Steelbacks could only reach 198 for 9 off their 40 overs.Veteran seamer and Hampshire captain Dominic Cork held his nerve in a last-ball finish in Canterbury to clinch a tense two-run win over Group C rivals Kent. Chasing Hampshire’s par-for-the-course 40-over total of 238 for 7 on a tricky St Lawrence pitch, Kent needed 13 off Cork’s final over of the game with six wickets still intact. Home opener Joe Denly chipped a single from the first ball to reach a 107-ball century – the first by a Kent player in this year’s competition – but it was Cork who kept his cool.Mike O’Shea hit 90 to help the Unicorns pull off a shock three-wicket victory over stunned Worcestershire in a thrilling match at Kidderminster. Needing 278 to win, they reached their target with two balls to spare. O’Shea was the hero with his best one-day score which included five sixes and seven fours off 62 balls. He put on 115 in 13.3 overs for the fourth wicket with Keith Parsons who made 47 to leave embarrassed Worcestershire still searching for their first Group A win of the season after seven attempts.Ajmal Shahzad marked his selection in the England Test squad with a four-wicket haul as Yorkshire maintained their 100% winning record with an eight-wicket win over Middlesex. The 24-year-old, selected in the 12-man Test squad to face Pakistan on Thursday, took 4 for 34 as Yorkshire coasted to a comfortable victory. Shahzad’s efforts together with a fine unbeaten innings of 86 by Jacques Rudolph means Yorkshire top Group B with five wins from as many games.A Marcus Trescothick cameo helped Somerset maintain their 100% record in this season’s Clydesdale Bank 40 with a crushing 94-run victory over Surrey to stay top of Group A after six matches. Batting first on a magnificent pitch at The Oval, the Sabres posted a massive 303 for five thanks to a whirlwind 69 off 47 balls from Trescothick and a stand of 145 in 19 overs between Zander de Bruyn and James Hildreth – a Somerset record for the fourth wicket in one-day cricket against Surrey.Warwickshire strengthened their grip at the top of the Group C table with a 25-run victory over Leicestershire, despite a brilliant unbeaten century and career-best bowling figures from James Taylor. Warwickshire opener Neil Carter laid the foundations for the Bears’ win with the third limited-overs century of his career, scoring 101 out of their challenging total of 272 for 8.