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Hampshire believe they are on the verge of securing the services of Kyle Abbott on a long-term deal as a Kolpak registration, despite his recent success at international level with South Africa.Abbott, a member of South Africa’s Test team currently playing Sri Lanka in Cape Town and a key performer in the series victory over Australia, is understood by ESPNcricinfo to have agreed to a three or four-year deal with Hampshire that will realistically end his international career.While Abbott is believed to have agonised over the move for some time – Hampshire remain fearful he could change his mind over a deal agreed some weeks ago having belatedly enjoyed a run in the Test team – he is expected to announce his international retirement later this month. Cricket South Africa are not understood to be aware of the deal.With Simon Harmer and Hardus Viljoen also having agreed similar deals with Essex and Derbyshire respectively, Abbott’s decision might be interpreted as part of a new wave of Kolpak registrations. The UK’s decision to vote for Brexit threatens to close the loophole that permits such signings in the coming months though it is anticipated that all deals made ahead of that time will be honoured. Hampshire are also understood to be in talks with Rilee Rossouw.As recently as last week, during the first Test against Sri Lanka, Abbott spoke about finally earning a run in the South Africa Test team.”Being out of the side and sitting on the sidelines for so long and now getting the opportunity and doing well, is a great feeling. It’s a long period of hard work that is starting to pay off and now I am getting opportunity at this level to showcase my skills,” he said. “The team is in a great space and so am I, and it’s exciting to see what’s going to come. There’s only around 90 of us or so that have played so I count myself incredibly lucky.”The temptation for a player like Abbott is not hard to understand. Aged 29 and only recently established in the South Africa side – he is currently playing his 11th Test – his decision to embrace a long-term county deal offers something approaching financial security. He can expect to earn more than £100,000 a year from the deal, with insurance cover built into the deal, and should still be free to play in some of the T20 leagues around the world.It may be relevant, too, that Abbott was the man to make way for Vernon Philander in the World Cup semi-final a year ago. Whatever the merits and reasons for that decision, it has left some South African cricketers uncertain of their futures.The news will not be entirely welcome in England, either. The ECB has been trying to crack down on Kolpak loopholes for several years in an attempt to provide more opportunities for home-grown players and is understood to have prevented at least one such signing in recent months. The player involved agreed a deal as an overseas registration instead.But the attraction for Hampshire is obvious. They avoided relegation by the skin of their teeth last season (having finished in the bottom two of Division One, they won a reprieve when Durham were punished for their financial problems by relegation) with a key problem their lack of potency with the ball.Ryan McLaren, who has subsequently left for Lancashire, was their top wicket-taker in the Championship with 32 at a cost of 38.81. The addition of Abbott, a bowler of pace, skill and persistence, with recent international experience in all three formats of the game, should be quite an asset. He first played for the county in 2014, helping them win promotion by claiming 36 Championship wickets at a cost of 20.33.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:43

Compton: India have a slight advantage

Fightback followed fightback during an absorbing final session on the second day in Mohali. India closed within touching distance of a lead after England had revived their prospects on the back of two inspired pieces of fielding which highlighted a stirring post-tea response. India lost 3 for 8 in a frenetic passage and their position worsened when Virat Kohli fell for 62, but R Ashwin and Ravindra Jadeja prevented an all-out collapse to take India to within 12 of England’s total by the close.India had established a position of strength when Kohli and Cheteshwar Pujara added 75 for the third wicket, seemingly putting England’s 283 into context. But, two balls into the final session, Pujara pulled a long hop from Rashid towards deep midwicket where Chris Woakes did remarkably well to make the ground then dive low for the catch. Even better, though, was to follow when Jos Buttler pulled off a stunning stop and shy – from his knees – at backward point to send back debutant Karun Nair.Between those two moments of individual brilliance Ajinkya Rahane had failed to pick a googly from Rashid and Kohli edged Ben Stokes, which led to Stokes intimating silence in his celebration following his ICC fine for his verbals towards Kohli when he was dismissed on the second day. India were 204 for 6 and England had visions of batting before the close with a useful lead, but they were thwarted by Ashwin and Jadeja who picked their moment before the second new ball to take on the spinners.Ashwin, who was not moving comfortably between the wickets, went to his third fifty of the series with his seventh boundary and Jadeja went from 8 off 34 to 31 off 59 as the pair reached stumps with an unbroken stand of 67. England will cling to the fact that they are bowling last on the surface, but it has held together well so far, while India will fancy the vulnerability of England’s batting even if the lead is smaller than they would have wanted.

Hameed finger injury causes concern

Haseeb Hameed will have a scan on a finger injury after the Mohali Test finishes and did not field throughout the second day.
Hameed experienced pain in the little finger of his left hand after taking a number of blows during the series, including his first-innings dismissal in this match.
If he is found to have a significant injury which puts him in doubt for the Mumbai Test, England may need to consider calling up an extra player to the squad from the Lions team currently in Dubai. Nick Gubbins, the Middlesex left hander, or Durham’s Keaton Jennings – who both had prolific Championship seasons – would probably head the queue as like-for-like openers.

England were bowled out within four overs of the resumption this morning and, initially, signs were ominous as the new ball did not swing for James Anderson and Chris Woakes. When M Vijay was dropped at midwicket – Buttler unable to cling on to a flick off Moeen Ali – England needed a pick-me-up and, as so often, it came from Stokes. With his fourth ball he draw Vijay into a flat-footed poke outside off and although the umpire Chris Gaffaney did not raise his finger Vijay walked knowing the replay would confirm the edge.It had been a curious, half-hearted, stay for Vijay who was also involved in an intriguing moment when he defended a delivery back to Anderson, who spotted the batsman had held his pose outside the crease. Anderson shied at the stumps and hit Vijay’s pads, leading to a query for obstructing the field, but it was rightly ruled that Vijay had not moved from his position to block the throw.England thought they had removed Parthiv Patel, caught down the leg side when he had 12, but the DRS showed the ball had only flicked his shirt. In his first Test for eight years, and thrust to the top of the order after KL Rahul’s injury, it was an impressive performance from Parthiv to quickly adjust to the challenge.His dismissal was a very modern lbw. Using his feet to Adil Rashid he was beaten by the turn but, having come down the pitch, the umpire understandably said not out. Jonny Bairstow, though, was convinced of the value of the review and he was vindicated when the ball was shown to be hitting leg stump.And so the Kohli-Pujara double-act was back together. They soaked up the pressure of England’s quicks and the ever-improving Rashid, who bowled consecutive maidens for the first time in his Test career, and began to profit towards the end of the second session when Gareth Batty’s brief, and delayed, entry to the attack proved expensive.There had also been a missed chance – albeit a difficult one – to break the stand when Pujara, on 35, glanced Stokes down the leg side but Bairstow could not hold on, low to his left, with one hand. Pujara went to his fifty from 100 balls to continue a golden run which has included two centuries in this series and, as he and Kohli strode in together at tea, a pivotal final session for England’s series prospects loomed.Sure enough, a momentary misjudgment transformed their prospects. In Vizag, Pujara had reached his century with a six over midwicket – to bring comparisons with Virender Sehwag – but on this occasion he will have wished he had left it to Viru. To be fair, though, the ball was there to whack, but he did not connect cleanly. Woakes’ sprint and dive provided the boost England needed.It also took Rashid’s bowling average below 40 for the first time in his career. It was notable how much faith Alastair Cook put in his legspinner: Batty did not bowl until the 47th over and Moeen bowled only nine overs all day. Partly that will have been because of the right-handers being at the crease, but it was not long ago that even that fact would not have elicited trust from Cook. That faith was rewarded again when Rahane, whose series has not got going, was befuddled by Rashid’s googly.It takes a lot to knock Kohli’s equilibrium at the crease, but a combination of the two quick wickets then Buttler’s reflexes at point led him to sell Nair a dummy came closer than most scenarios. Yet it still needed a brilliant piece of opportunism to throw down the stumps. To Kohli’s credit he refocused and reached a 111-ball fifty as he and Ashwin responded with a counter-attacking stand of 48 in 10 overs.By now, Cook had returned to Stokes and he hung the ball just far enough outside off to tempt Kohli who had profited from the glide to third man. In attempting such a shot, he played away from his body to give England the wicket they craved. As his team-mates hooped and hollered, Stokes silenced himself while Kohli made a swift about-turn.India were in danger of conceding a deficit that was more than just an irritant, but not for the first time the depth of their batting – much like England’s – came to the fore. Ashwin timed the ball beautifully despite having to battle discomfort from what appeared to be a leg problem. Like Stokes for England, a shudder is surely felt whenever Ashwin appears in pain. He and Jadeja have kept India on an even keel at worst: it is unlikely to be their last telling contribution of this match.

Definitions of what constitutes “unfair bowling” should be clarified by cricket’s lawmakers, the New South Wales coronial inquest into the death of Phillip Hughes has heard on an emotion-charged final day.Counsel assisting the coroner, Kristina Stern SC, submitted that the inquest should conclude that this was a case of “accidental death”, which was not made more likely by the nature of play on the day of the Sheffield Shield match at the SCG. Hughes was struck in the side of the neck on day one of the match, November 25, 2014, suffering an arterial injury that resulted in his death at St Vincent’s Hospital two days later.However both Stern and Greg Melick SC, for the Hughes family, recommended that the wording of the laws around unfair bowling should be examined in light of the episode, citing earlier testimony from former umpire and ICC umpires training manager Simon Taufel. Law 42.2.1 of Sheffield Shield playing conditions, adapted from the MCC’s laws of cricket, states as follows:

“A bowler shall be limited to two fast short pitched deliveries per over. A fast short pitched delivery is defined as a ball, which after pitching, passes or would have passed above the shoulder height of the striker standing upright at the crease. The umpire at the bowler’s end shall advise the bowler and the batsman on strike when each fast short-pitched delivery has been bowled.”

Following his own independent analysis, Taufel had told the inquest that of 23 short balls bowled on the day, 20 had been directed at Hughes. However he also submitted that many of these deliveries did not meet the definition of a “fast short-pitched delivery” because they would not have passed Hughes above shoulder height.The gulf between Hughes’ family and Cricket Australia was starkly illustrated when his father Greg, mother Virginia and sister Megan all left the courtroom in the midst of CA counsel Bruce Hodgkinson’s final submissions, leaving his brother Jason to audibly register his incredulity at proceedings.Hodgkinson had recommended to the coroner, Michael Barnes QC, that the “unsworn and unsubstantiated” statement submitted by the Mosman cricket captain Matthew Day on Wednesday be disregarded when he deliberates over the events of the day and how the game of cricket might be made safer. Hodgkinson also insisted that the players who took the stand this week were honest witnesses.Melick had earlier questioned the veracity of the evidence submitted by players on the field that day: Brad Haddin, Doug Bollinger, Tom Cooper and David Warner. Melick stated that while “words didn’t kill Phillip Hughes”, their denials of any sledging cast doubt on other evidence about the nature of play. Later, Melick clarified his final submission by stating that he didn’t mean to suggest players had “fabricated” evidence.Though Melick acknowledged that the use of short-pitched bowling was a “legitimate tactic”, he contended that the volume of short balls bowled to Hughes, including an estimate of nine in a row in the lead-up to the ball that struck him, was “going too far”. These words followed on from letters from the Hughes family, which formed part of the inquest and were published on Friday in the . In his letter, Greg Hughes wrote:”Their tactics changed after lunch, which started to slow the run rate down, and this was by bowling short at my son for a good majority of the time. This certainly did restrict the run flow and started to change the game… The umpires did not call them ‘no-balls’ under the Sheffield Shield cricket laws. Those laws are different to the MCC rules. By those balls not getting pulled up, of course this kept the bowlers continuing to target my son in an ungentlemanly way.”Among other recommendations made by the Hughes family were a desire to see neck guards on the back of batting helmets made mandatory, and also the removal of any dismissals for “hit wicket”, should a neck guard detach from the helmet and fall onto the stumps.Stern had recommended wider first aid training, and also work towards greater clarity in signalling between players and officials on the field and medical staff off it. The fact that ambulance services had reached the scene only 20 minutes after the incident illustrated the need for this. However she also concluded that Hughes’ death was inevitable from the moment he was hit and should be ruled accidental.”It is abundantly clear that once the tragic accident had occurred, there was nothing that could have been done to prevent Phillip’s death,” Stern said. She also went on to say that neither the number of short balls bowled to Hughes, nor any alleged instances of sledging, had exacerbated the risk to the batsman, and submitted that no recommendations should be made over the nature of play that day.Outside court, CA’s head of team performance, Pat Howard, spoke about events of the week and defended the conduct of the players who spoke at the inquest. He also stated that the game’s governing body would continue to offer whatever support it could to the Hughes family.”This week provided a confronting reminder of the sad reality that Phillip Hughes is no longer with us,” Howard said. “Our thoughts continue to be with the Hughes family during what is a difficult time for them. Our thoughts are also with Phillip’s cricket friends and his team-mates, all of whom have had to deal with the loss of a great mate as well as the ordeal of being on the field at the time of the incident. I’m very proud of the conduct of the players, the officials and staff throughout.”Formal findings from the coronial inquest are set to be handed down on November 4.

Peter Nevill is open to a promotion in Australia’s batting order ahead of Mitchell Marsh, as the captain Steven Smith and the coach Darren Lehmann ponder how to get the best out of a middle-order duo who are yet to place their stamp on a Test match with the bat.As highlighted by the selection chairman Rod Marsh’s reference to Jackson Bird’s batting as a factor in his non-selection, Australia need to find a way to get more out of their lower-order batting on the days when the top five do not make the desired tallies of runs.It was a weakness exploited ruthlessly by Sri Lanka’s spinners during their recent clean sweep of a Test series, and a South African attack led by Dale Steyn will be eager to do likewise down under, this time with pace. Neither Marsh (averaging 24 after 18 Tests) nor Nevill (20.88 after 15 Tests) have been able to impose themselves, too often opening the door to the Australian tail.While conventional wisdom has it that allrounders tend to bat at No. 6 and wicketkeepers at No. 7, Nevill and Marsh appear stylistically suited in opposite roles. Nevill’s busy but not overly histrionic batting has been most successful at No. 6 for New South Wales, where he averages 42.73 with six centuries and a highest score of 235 not out.Meanwhile, Marsh is much more of a free-spirited hitter, capable of changing the momentum of a game after the fashion of Nevill’s predecessor Brad Haddin or, in earlier years, Andrew Symonds. Nevill said he would happily move up the order, should Smith decide this was a better balance for the Test team.Peter Nevill averages 20.88 after 18 Tests and has two fifties•Getty Images

“I’d happily do whatever the skipper asked me to do,” Nevill told ESPNcricinfo. “Wherever’s best for the team I’m happy to bat wherever. Your role at No. 7 is either the team’s going really well and you need to go out there and look to push the game along with an eye on a declaration.”You’re either that or five for not too many and you need to go out there and guts it out and put a partnerships together with whoever you’ve got at the other end, and batting with the tail as well. So it’s usually one of those two scenarios I’ve found being in the Australian team.”For his part, Marsh is aware his place is under plenty of scrutiny going into this week. He is trying to focus on positive thoughts and an aggressive batting plan, the better to exploit his obvious power with the willow. “There’s no doubt I’m probably under a little bit of pressure, but I think if I go into the week thinking like that I’m probably not going to enjoy it,” he said.”It’s a home Test match, I’m going to prepare as best as I ever have, and go out there and really enjoy myself and not focus on myself to much. I really just want to play for this team and play to win. Every time you bat you just try to bat as long as you can. For me it’s more about trying to score runs and being positive, and when I’m doing that my feet move better and I get into better positions even to leave the ball, so that’s my focus.”While indicating an eagerness to hang onto his No. 6 berth, Marsh did agree his seam and swing had evolved to a point that a lower order commission would be plausible in the context of a greater bowling load in the field.”I certainly want to remain an allrounder, I bat at six. But if that did come up I’d be happy to do it,” he said. “I feel like my bowling’s improved a lot over the last 18 months, and it’s gotten to a point now where I’ve had a few occasions where blokes have gone down and I’ve had to step up to the third seamer role. I’ve done it before, but I really enjoy batting at No. 6 and want to stay there as long as I can.”

JP Duminy still has designs on becoming a full-fledged allrounder for South Africa, especially in shorter formats. After his career-best 4 for 16 in the one-off match against Ireland, Duminy admitted he has been working on his bowling and hopes it will be used more in future.”I want to be able to contribute a lot more, especially in the shorter formats,” Duminy said. “I want to be able to bowl 10 overs in a one-day game and four overs in a T20. That will also help the team in terms of how we go about the dynamic.”Duminy has bowled 10 overs in an ODI four times before, always with success. Against Australia in Sydney in January 2009, Duminy took 1 for 52, in the return series at home in Johannesburg that April, he took 3 for 48. Four years later, in a Champions Trophy match against India in Cardiff, Duminy’s returns were 1 for 42 and later that year against Sri Lanka in Pallekele, he kept things tight with 0 for 34.Although Duminy has not been seen much with the ball in ODIs this year – he has played 11 matches and bowled in six of those, totalling 23 overs – he was asked to do the job more in 2015. In 17 matches, Duminy only didn’t bowl in once and he bowled more than five overs nine times.Should Duminy become a genuine allrounder, he will join a slew of current South African limited-overs with dual ability. Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius, Andile Phehlukwayo, Chris Morris (currently injured) and to a lesser extent Farhaan Behardien can all offer both disciplines, which stand-in captain Faf du Plessis said will be key to South Africa’s hopes of winning trophies. “We’ve always said that we really need allrounders to come through to make the balance of our team easier,” du Plessis had said, before the Ireland match.But team balance is on du Plessis and Duminy’s minds for other reasons, and in another format. With AB de Villiers’ out of action for the next two months as he undergoes elbow surgery, both du Plessis, who is likely to captain, and Duminy can consider their Test places safe after they were dropped at different stages of last season.They would not have feared as much in shorter formats, although they have both also come under fire there too. Duminy’s unbeaten 52 against Ireland was his first half-century in 12 ODI innings dating back to July last year and while du Plessis has scored three fifties in his last nine innings, he is often criticised for a slow strike-rate, something which was evident in the Ireland game.For the first seven overs of du Plessis’ time at the crease, South Africa’s run rate slowed significantly: it was 6.6 when he came in at the start of the 25th, and the team scored at a rate of 4.1 for the next seven. That was likely the difference between a score of 400 and a score of 350 – which anyway did not matter in the end given the margin of defeat – but Duminy has identified that period as an area in which South Africa need to be more proactive.”It’s an area of the game we have identified to improve on in one-day cricket. We’ve discussed a few options of how we can go about it better,” Duminy said. “It depends on how many wickets are down and the situation of the game, but it is a crucial part in terms of winning big games. Capitalising on that period. We’ve spoken about it, we’ve put plans in place, now we’ve got to put in the performance.”

ScorecardStuart Meaker runs through to celebrate Kumar Sangakkara’s catch•PA Photos

Stuart Meaker can be a thrilling sight. His run-up oozes effort and intent, a bowler hurling everything of himself at his opponent. His action is powerful and muscular, and what comes next is very, very quick: at Loughbrough, Meaker was once famously clocked at 96mph.Add in a penchant for reverse swing, an incisive yorker and an awkward bouncer, and it is little wonder that England’s selectors have been interested in Meaker for many years. Rumours of his pace, which sometimes gained a few mph in the telling, were swirling from his 20th birthday.But, as of now, aged 27, he has made just two ODI and to T20I appearances and has spent much of the last four years a frustrated man. He lost a little of his zip and, perhaps, a little more of his self-belief. Last season a sad ritual would be the sight of Meaker, unselected, bowling on the outfield striving to relocate rhythm. By the summer’s end, all he had to show for his efforts were five Division Two wickets at 56.20 apiece.Then, just to cap it, after an injury-free pre-season, came a freak groin injury at the end of March, sustained when Meaker refrained from wearing a box in the nets.This unfortunate injury delayed Meaker’s comeback, but it did not deprive him of his vim. After missing Surrey’s opening five matches, Meaker announced his return with 4 for 78 at Old Trafford in May, even as Surrey succumbed to an innings defeat. He has not missed a Championship match since; his oomph has returned, and been rewarded by a new two-year contract.On a resplendent summer’s day at The Oval, Meaker provided a distillation of the essence of his bowling. If there were regular four-balls – there invariably are – there was also unerring menace. By the innings’ end Meaker had taken 3 for 83 – giving him a day’s average of 27.67, set against a season’s average of 27.51 – and an economy rate of just over four an over, compared to one of just under four this season.If these seem relatively unremarkable figures, they do not convey Meaker’s skill in extracting pace and bounce. As Haseeb Hameed, Lancashire’s impenetrable wall, was harried out by a surprise quicker ball, and with an older ball Jordan Clark and Arron Lilley edged when well-set, perturbed by Meaker’s extra pace, it was easy to see why England’s selectors have found Meaker’s gifts alluring and why they may yet again.”It’s a great role to have, when the captain says bowl 90mph – happy days. I don’t mind the odd boundary. It does ease the pressure at the top of the mark, thinking boundaries don’t matter,” Meaker said.He is empowered to “try to knock peoples’ heads off,” though he does not reckon he is yet quite back to his best. “Pace-wise it’s as good as ever. Before my injuries my skills were a lot more honed and a lot better than what they have been so far this year: I’d be able to swing it away form right-handers, and then reverse it round and be able to swing it back into them.”But as intoxicating as Meaker’s bowling was, his role in the dismissal of Clark seemed incidental: the wicket belonged to Meaker, but really it was all Kumar Sangakkara’s, who dived to his right at first slip, snaring the ball at full stretch, and celebrated with a nonchalance that belief the moment of brilliance.”That was out and out the best slip catch I’ve ever had taken off me,” Meaker gushed. “It was a full length dive – I don’t think he could even have got a fingertip further than that. It was just amazing.”How Surrey needed it, too: Clark had counter-attacked pugnaciously to lift Lancashire from the debris of 99 for 5. Pyrotechnics from Lilley, who smeared Meaker and Sam Curran over long-on for sixes, and twice scythed Meaker over third man too, then a last-wicket stand of 48 lifted Lancashire to 287, though it felt considerably short of par.That impression was confirmed by the ease with which Surrey batted in the evening session, at least until Rory Burns was spilled off Clark at second slip on 33, from the penultimate ball of the day.A thoroughly contented Surrey had cause to laud the variety of their attack. “It’s probably one of the most balanced bowling attacks we’ve had,” Meaker said. “We’ve got so much depth that it allows people to have a bit of a break between their spells. When it’s started to turn we’ve had the spin twins; on a pitch like this, where there’s not much turn but a bit of inconsistent bounce, the seamers have knuckled down and done the work.”For all the brilliance of Sangakkara’s catch, another Surrey wicketkeeper could also toast a fine day. Ben Foakes took five smart catches, even though these were interspersed with the occasional moment of shoddy glovework. He is already a taker of great catches; but he is not yet a great wicketkeeper.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsPakistan celebrate the key wicket of Jonny Bairstow•Getty Images

Pakistan took a 1-0 lead in the series after beating England by 75 runs at Lord’s. That is the simple version but there were multitudes contained within as Misbah-ul-Haq’s irrepressible side took the ten wickets they required for victory on the fourth day, four of them going to the talismanic Yasir Shah on the way to match figures of 10 for 141 in his first Test match outside of Asia.Set 283 to win – a target only one side had previously achieved on the ground – after dismissing Pakistan inside the first ten minutes of the morning session, England’s batsmen struggled to build partnerships. Only when Jonny Bairstow and Chris Woakes were putting together a stand of 56 over 31.4 gruelling overs did Misbah have to seriously ponder where a wicket was coming from.The breakthrough came from Yasir, although there was little sleight of hand about a long hop that Bairstow simply missed attempting to swat through the leg side. His distraught reaction, head bowed over his bat as the Pakistan players celebrated around him, provided an illustration of England’s disappointment at losing a match in which they were always slightly behind but refused to abandon as beyond their powers of recovery.Yasir’s tenth wicket practically sparked a playground bundle as Woakes was taken at slip trying to hit out with the No. 10, Steven Finn, for company and 79 still required. Mohammad Amir rattled Jake Ball’s stumps an over later to put the final seal on an emotional comeback six years after his previous Test appearance.This was a gripping encounter, fought in excellent spirit and holding the attention of a packed crowd throughout. A sizeable contingent of Pakistan supporters cheered every wicket as their side pushed for a first Test triumph at Lord’s since Waqar Younis and Mushtaq Ahmed’s exploits in 1996. When the Pakistan team lined up afterwards to do a series of celebratory push-ups in front of the pavilion – a salute to the military fitness camp undergone by the players before the tour – the whole ground was in raptures.England may have been primed to the threat posed by Yasir and Amir but it was Rahat Ali who gave Pakistan the early advantage. England lost their top three in little more than an hour of batting and although the rejigged middle order that had been considered a weakness resisted admirably there was too much left for them to do against a constantly probing attack.Yet while Bairstow remained in the company of Woakes – a man with nine first-class centuries, not to mention 11 wickets in the match – England could imagine that the improbable was still possible. With the bowling tight and scoring opportunities scarce, the seventh-wicket pair resolved to soak up the pressure and fight for every inch.Nothing seemed to be happening in the middle, yet at the same time, everything was happening. Wahab Riaz threw himself into a five-over spell after tea that yielded 0 for 8 but saw the ball repeatedly swerve late past the outside edge. Both batsmen edged short of catchers in the cordon – Woakes a matter of millimetres in front of Asad Shafiq at third slip – and Wahab ended up lying in the dust as he strained for a breakthrough. He was also warned twice by the umpires for running on the pitch.At the other end, rewards were not as readily forthcoming for Yasir as had been expected after his first-innings six-for. There was turn – as Gary Ballance discovered when a delivery beat his front pad and attempted flick to end his dogged 43 – but the pitch was placid enough for Woakes and Bairstow to survive as long as they eschewed risk. When Yasir won an lbw decision from Joel Wilson against Woakes, the batsman confidently reviewed in the knowledge that his bat had intervened first.England had initially recovered through a 49-run partnership between Ballance and James Vince, who made his best Test score before being dismissed by Wahab, flinging his hands at a drive shortly after lunch. Wahab had begun to make the ball reverse away down the slope and a thick edge flew to Younis Khan at second slip, who this time held on to the catch at the second attempt, having unsuccessfully juggled a much tougher chance with Vince on 9.Ballance, in the second innings of his comeback Test, seemed to grow in confidence, totting up runs with nudges and nurdles. He was vulnerable to Wahab’s probing outside off stump but generally played the ball softly and late, other than when slashing a four over the slips. He and Bairstow added another 39 runs in 13 overs of careful batting when Yasir, having changed to bowling from the Nursery End, struck for the first time.The man identified as Pakistan’s likeliest match-winner had to wait until his 13th over but, for aficionados of legspin, it was undoubtedly worth it. Ballance had just pulled a sharply turning delivery through square leg for his sixth boundary; the next ball was a little fuller, spun a little harder down the slope and darted like a swallow past Ballance’s attempted flick to hit leg stump. If the shot was questionable, the overall effect was reminiscent Shane Warne’s dismissal of Andrew Strauss at Edgbaston in 2005.Moeen Ali did not last long, waltzing out of his ground and aiming a heave across the line at Yasir, only for the ball to spin between bat and pad to hit the top of middle. At 139 for 6, England were still less than halfway to their target; Pakistan were more than halfway to theirs.After the third day’s play, Pakistan’s coach Mickey Arthur was hoping his side could “sneak another 19-20” more runs. They managed just a single from Amir as England took the last two wickets in 13 balls, though that was enough to push the requirement up above the 282 achieved by Michael Vaughan’s side against New Zealand in 2004. Stuart Broad picked up both, Yasir and Amir caught behind, to become the third England bowler to pass 350 Test wickets.Adrenaline coursed through initial stages of England’s assault. Cook chopped the opening delivery for four through point as England raced to 19 for 0 from three overs before hitting their first speed bump: Rahat found his line and the tiniest contact with Cook’s outside edge, a kiss goodbye for the England captain who turned away ruefully as Kumar Dharmasena’s finger went up.Rahat bagged and tagged the next two as well. Alex Hales attempted to force a cut, a thick top edge flying quickly to be well held by Mohammad Hafeez at first slip; then a misbegotten pull from Joe Root sent a top edge out to the grateful Yasir, jogging to his right to take the catch some 20 yards in from the boundary at deep square leg. It was just one of a multitude of joyous individual and collective moments for Pakistan on a ground where they experienced such pain when the spot-fixing scandal erupted six years ago. They have fresh memories now.

South Africa batsman Farhaan Behardien has said they were confident at the halfway mark of their match against Australia that their total of 189 would be “tough” to surpass. South Africa opted to bat at the Providence Stadium and were struggling at 112 for 6 in the 29th over, before Behardien’s 62 pushed them to a more competitive score.”The chat [during innings break] was to hang in there and we had a score to bowl at,” Behardien said. “We knew that the Aussie team is full of confidence but we knew that 190 would be tough. They didn’t struggle too much getting the score the other night against the West Indies but it was tough. [Today], the first eight overs, Parnell and Kagiso bowled really well and got those three wickets which put Australia on the back foot. So the chat halfway through was that we had given ourselves a chance and if you bowl really well, which we did tonight, we can win the game and I’m very glad that we did. It’s not easy beating the Australian team.”I thought it was one of those wickets where there was quite a lot happening. Finchy played an unbelievable innings considering the conditions. But we always felt that we were in the game. We went with quite a bold game plan with three spinners, and it paid off on a wicket that offers some assistance for the spinners.”Behardien top-scored for his team with his fifth ODI half-century by building partnerships with the lower order. He first put on 37 with Aaron Phangiso, who scored 9 off 41, for the seventh wicket and then 39 with Kagiso Rabada, who stayed unbeaten on 15. Behardien was satisfied to show a gutsy performance on a pitch that was not easy to bat on.”It’s nice to get a score for the team,” Behardien said. “There was a middle-order collapse against Sunil Narine, he kind of got stuck into us on that particular day. Personally, to be out there and grind it out for nearly 30 overs and…the trend of white-ball cricket over the last year has just been of big scores and free-flowing batting innings and sixes and fours. So for me to pull out that performance was pretty satisfying.”Even as teams have struggled to put on big scores at the bowler-friendly Providence Stadium pitches, Behardien hoped the forthcoming matches in the tri-series would be more batsmen-friendly.”Apparently, St Kitts and Barbados offer a bit more pace and bounce, even and through bounce,” he said. “Guyana was obviously low and slow so they brought all the spinners into play. Similarly, our spinners did really well. Phangi took three wickets against the West Indies the other night and Shamsi, Imran [Tahir] and Phangiso again did really well tonight. There’s a big emphasis on playing spin. Hopefully the tracks will be a little more in favour of the batters in St Kitts and Barbados.”Behardien also sang praises for debutant and chinaman bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, who struck in his first over with the wicket of Glenn Maxwell and finished with an impressive 1 for 36 from eight overs that included a maiden. Shamsi had two lbw appeals in his first over – against Finch and Maxwell – but got only one in his favour.”He brings new energy to the group. He made his debut today against the world champions so we had chucked him in the deep end straightaway,” Behardien said. “I played with him at the Titans, my state franchise side, in South Africa. There’s a little bit of mystery to him.”We’ve seen wrist spinners coming to the fore in the shorter formats – [Adam] Zampa’s coming, a lot of the IPL teams have one or two wrist spinners who turn the ball both ways. I think that’s the key going forward as to try and get some back-up for Imran Tahir. And we need somebody to be groomed by him. Tabraiz Shamsi offers a left-arm chinaman in the mould of Brad Hogg, bit of fire in his belly, always up for the game, always keen to put a performance in. It’s always gold dust to have a guy who turns the ball both ways.”He is tough to pick and I hope he will be tough to pick for the next couple of weeks. Like I said, he’s new so teams won’t have too much footage on him and hopefully the wickets will assist him little bit. But as I’ve heard that the wickets in Barbados and St Kitts are a bit more batter-friendly, he’ll have to work hard and work on his lengths. As a team we’re really excited about a left-arm wrist spinner playing in our starting XI. Hopefully he can be a member of our side for the years to come.”

Ajinkya Rahane, India’s Test vice-captain, has joined the chorus of pink-ball supporters, and suggested he was keen to try it out in the Duleep Trophy, which will be played as a day-night tournament this season. While Rahane has played with a pink ball of a different brand in the past, he felt the dynamics of playing with the Kookaburra ball were different and that the Duleep Trophy would help players get a feel of it.”[I am] really excited about this pink ball,” Rahane told ESPNcricinfo in Mumbai. “A long time back, I think, in an Emerging [Players] tournament we played with a pink ball, we played with fluorescent, green ball,” he said. “But that was a different company – we played with Platypus ball [then], but this Kookaburra is different and we will get an idea in the Duleep Trophy [as to] how it is behaving, what the bounce is like.”I saw this club match [Mohun Bagan v Bhowanipore] on TV. The ball was doing a bit, swinging [more] than red ball, bounce was slightly more than red ball, but once we play, once we practice with that, then only we will get an idea of how to go about it.”Rahane’s observations come two days after former India captain Rahul Dravid told ESPNcricinfo that players needed to keep an open mind about day-night Test cricket with the pink ball. Other India players like Mohammad Shami and Wriddhiman Saha, who played in the country’s maiden pink-ball game in Kolkata, have provided positive appraisals as well.Rahane also gave a thumbs up to the BCCI technical committee’s recommendation to play Ranji Trophy matches at neutral venues. While some former players, coaches and administrators have expressed reservations over the suggestion, Rahane felt playing at neutral centres would help players become mentally tougher.”I think the decision which BCCI made is really good. It is challenging when you play at neutral venues,” he said. “Players will learn about their game, they will get to know how to go about it. You are actually thinking more about your game, your preparation will be more [and] your strategies before the game will be slightly different. Because, when you play home games you know your home conditions, but when you play neutral games I think players will get mentally tougher.”On the personal front, Rahane used the downtime after the IPL to enjoy a brief vacation in Thailand before resuming practice a week ago ahead of the West Indies tour next month. He has been practising with wet rubber balls and tennis balls to get used to the varying pace found on different surfaces in the Caribbean.”[A] few wickets [in West Indies], they have good bounce and pace. Jamaica has good bounce. Few wickets, there might be some turn, some help for the spinners,” Rahane said. “It’s rainy season in Mumbai, so we cannot practise outdoors so I am just practising indoors, but just simulating whatever conditions I am going to face.”I was practising with wet rubber balls, just to get my reaction right, my hand-eye co-ordination right. Because sometimes wickets are softer, two-paced wickets, it [also] helps to practice with a tennis ball. The tennis ball comes [on to the batsman] slightly slower than a rubber ball. So I have been practising with tennis ball, rubber ball and leather ball.”Rahane also said he was excited and motivated by BCCI’s decision to name him vice-captain for the tour. “Whenever I am on the field I always try and think that ‘if I am the captain what should be my field, what I am going to do in certain situation, certain conditions.’ I always think that way so that whenever opportunity comes I am ready for that,” he said.According to him, the camaraderie in the team helped the players get the best out of themselves. He said there was no competition among the likes of himself, Kohli, Rohit Sharma and Shikhar Dhawan, and instead there was a culture of looking out for one another. “Competing with each other would be the wrong word. I think we help each other. That’s the right word,” Rahane said. “During our fitness sessions, during our net sessions, we try and help each other to improve our game and improve our fitness. We motivate each other, that’s the important thing. If you are willing to help your team-mate, if you are willing to improve your team-mate’s game, eventually your team will go up and you are helping yourself also.”This group has been playing together for the last two to two and a half years together. We have a good combination not only on the field but off the field [too]. We go out for dinner, go out for lunch, sometimes we just have some discussion not only on cricket but in general about what’s going on in the world. I think that journey together is what we have. We enjoy each other’s success in the team.”

Suzie Bates staged a batting masterclass as Durham beat Somerset by 105 runs in a one-sided Metro Bank One Day Cup contest at the Cooper Associates Ground, Taunton.The 37-year-old Kiwi registered a superb career-best innings of 163, eclipsing her previous highest List-A score of 151 made for New Zealand against Ireland in Dublin in 2018, as Durham raised an imposing 315 for 9 after winning the toss. At her imperious best, Bates amassed 18 fours and three sixes and shared in stands of 71 with Hollie Armitage, 66 with Beth Heath and 78 with Phoebe Turner for the second, fifth and sixth wickets respectively to make it a day to forget for Somerset’s bowlers, who conceded 38 boundaries in all.The pick of Durham’s bowlers, Phoebe Turner claimed 3 for 45, Katie Levick took 3 for 57 and Mady Villiers 3 for 30 as Somerset were dismissed for 210 in 40.2 overs, Jess Hazell top-scoring with a 55-ball 50 and Bex Odgers contributing 47 in a losing cause.There was little evidence of what was to come when Mollie Robbins had Emma Marlow held at backward point with the score on 22 in the fifth over. Initially playing and missing on a surface offering early assistance to seam, Bates had to wait six overs to post a boundary, scoring the majority of her runs in an arc between point and third man as she battled to establish herself.But Somerset’s seamers found the going tougher thereafter, Bates and Armitage posting a 50 stand in 56 balls to build momentum and advance the score to 93-1 inside 20 overs. Only when Somerset turned to spin, did they begin to make headway, Chloe Skelton bowling Armitage and Emily Windsor and Liv Barnes having Mady Villiers stumped, three wickets falling in four overs as the visitors lurched to 107 for 4.Beth Heath announced herself by plundering sixes at the expense of Alex Griffiths and Elllie Anderson as Durham quickly reasserted themselves, the fifth wicket realising 50 in just 39 balls as the pendulum swung back again. By the time the hard-hitting Heath chopped on and lost leg stump to Laura Jackson, she had contributed a run-a-ball 32 and helped force the home bowlers onto the back foot once more.Having raised 50 from 64 deliveries, Bates then moved up through the gears, dominating a partnership of 78 with Phoebe Turner, who expertly rotated the strike in contributing 25. By now hitting through the ball cleanly, Bates moved to three figures via 112 balls, raising that landmark with a leg-side single off Mollie Robbins. By the time Anderson had Turner held in the deep, Durham were 251 for 6 in the 45th and flying.Bates lifted Robbins over the rope behind square to equal the 148 she scored for Hampshire against Warwickshire at Basingstoke in 2018 – her highest score in England – and then hit the same bowler over the mid-wicket boundary to go to 150 in fine style.Having faced 140 balls and scored more than her team’s runs, Bates succumbed in the 48th over, holing out to short fine leg off the bowling of Laura Jackson with the score 290 for 7. Even then there was no respite for the hosts, lusty hitting from Katherine Fraser and Sophia Turner serving to carry Durham out of sight.Somerset made a decent start to their reply, reaching 49 for the loss of Niamh Holland in 10 overs, but their progress was slowed by spin thereafter, Katie Levick and Villiers restricting scoring to build pressure and force the required rate up above seven an over for the first time. Villiers then struck an important blow, pinning Sophie Luff in the crease for 19 with the score 75 for 2.Odgers had played nicely in raising three sixes and a brace of fours and advancing her score to 47 when she was bowled by a startling Phoebe Turner yorker. Turner struck again later in the same over, Fraser taking off to hold a brilliant diving catch at backward point and send back Fran Wilson as the home side slipped to 88 for 4 in the 18th.When Fraser found the outside edge and Griffiths was caught at the wicket, Somerset were 108 for 5 in the 23rd, requiring a further 208 to win at just under eight an over. It proved too big an ask, despite Hazell and Jackson staging a defiant sixth wicket stand of 53 to hold up Durham and deny them a bonus point.