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Ravi Bopara underlined his liking for the Kent attack when he hammered six sixes in an unbeaten 81 to lead Essex to their third successive NatWest T20 Blast victory.

ECB Reporters Network01-Jul-2016
ScorecardRavi Bopara’s unbeaten 81 sealed victory•Getty Images

Ravi Bopara underlined his liking for the Kent attack when he hammered six sixes in an unbeaten 81 to lead Essex to their third successive NatWest T20 Blast victory.The Essex captain, who also posted 74 not out when the two teams met in the Royal London Cup two-and-a-half weeks ago, was on fire, and was particularly harsh on Mitch Claydon, who he deposited for two maximums in the final over of the innings.Bopara, who batted for 43 balls with six fours as well as those half-a-dozen sixes, put on an unbeaten 131 off 10.2 overs with Ashar Zaidi, who was in similar form himself. Zaidi finished unbeaten on 54 off 33 balls with five fours and three sixes.And all this after Kent put Essex in and Jesse Ryder went third ball, beaten for pace by Kagiso Rabada and edging to wicketkeeper Sam Billings without scoring.Kent started their reply in brisk fashion, landing a succession of sixes themselves, eight in the final analysis, but they became becalmed mid-innings as the required run-rate topped 14 with seven overs remaining and kept growing.After the departure of Ryder, the Essex innings was sparked into action by Tom Westley and Kishen Velani. Westley drove Rabada through the covers two balls into his innings and pulled another boundary through midwicket when the young South African dropped one short.Velani was no less punishing, twice giving himself room to chop Claydon through the covers and then greeting Ivan Thomas with a controlled, lofted edge to third man for another four.The second-wicket partnership had put on 42 in 4.5 overs when the pair collided midwicket chasing a second run and Velani failed to beat Sam Northeast’s throw into the wicketkeeper’s gloves.Bopara had just deposited James Tredwell over cow corner for six when, two balls later, the bowler held a sharp caught-and-bowled to dismiss Westley for 33 from 31 balls.Bopara’s second six, swept over midwicket, ruined Fabian Cowdrey’s figures. The spinner’s first three overs had gone for 13, but his last went for 14.Zaidi was in typically hard-hitting mode, bouncing down the wicket to thump Thomas over cow for six and then lofting Tredwell over long leg for a second.Bopara and Zaidi passed fifty in five overs together when Bopara got an inside-edge for four that left Thomas flat on the floor in his follow-through, and hitting the ground in frustration.It didn’t not get any better for Thomas as Bopara hit the last two balls of his spell for a straight, flat six and then paddled a four to reach his personal fifty off 32 balls.Bopara’s fourth six, clouting Rabada over his head high into the black sightscreen behind the bowler, also brought up the hundred partnership for the fourth wicket inside 10 overs.Zaidi reached his fifty off 33 balls from a loose full-toss by Claydon which was sent towering over midwicket. The bowler received similar treatment by Bopara who hit his fifth and sixth sixes off the same over, the first straight, the second over long-on.The home crowd, already pumped up by the display of six-hitting by Bopara and Zaidi, were soon celebrating a wicket. Joe Denly departed for a first-ball duck when he was beaten all ends up to provide Paul Walter with his first senior wicket for Essex.But Kent were soon hitting sixes for fun themselves. Dan Lawrence went for two in an over, Tom Latham hooking the first over midwicket and another straight. Sam Northeast then eased Matt Quinn over cow corner as Kent reached 49 off the first five overs.But from the first ball of the next over, Northeast swished at Graham Napier and was caught behind. Since Napier had taken two Surrey wickets with his last two deliveries at The Oval on Saturday, it meant he had taken a hat-trick, albeit six days apart. More importantly he put the brakes on Kent’s onslaught, conceding just two runs in the over, and then had Latham caught by Ryder backward of square.Billings did not last much longer, run out by a direct hit from Ryder in the middle of a maiden over from Ryan ten Doeschate. Stevens also fell to another direct-hit run-out as Bopara fielded off his own bowling before Alex Blake was caught by ten Doeschate on his knees at long-on for a 31-ball 37, including two sixes.Rabada went second ball to a catch behind off Quinn, Cowdrey was caught-and-bowled by Walter and Tredwell became Walter’s third victim, caught on the fine-leg boundary by Lawrence.

Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the final Test of the series against Pakistan due to a calf injury sustained during the second Test at Old Trafford

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Aug-2016Ben Stokes has been ruled out of the final Test against Pakistan due to a calf injury sustained during the second Test at Old Trafford, although England still hope he could be involved in the limited-overs series that follows.Stokes, who missed most of the series against Sri Lanka after suffering a knee injury that required surgery, was making his comeback in Manchester. But he was forced off the pitch midway through a spell of bowling on the fourth day and scans subsequently showed he had torn his right calf. As a result he missed the third Test at Edgbaston and will not play at The Oval.While an ECB spokesman said Stokes would “work towards being available for selection for the Royal London ODI series starting later this month”, England will be taking no risks with his recovery.Alastair Cook, England’s Test captain, suggested on Tuesday that Stokes’ latest injury “was in some way related to his previous one” – perhaps indicating that he might have required more time to retain peak physical condition before returning to international cricket – and stated that England should “treat him with care and let’s get him back 100 percent before we start talking of him playing again”.Following the Tests, England’s five-match ODI series against Pakistan starts on August 24 before a one-off T20 on September 7 completes the international season. Pending security assessments they then leave for the tour of Bangladesh at the end of September – a trip that includes three ODIs and two Tests – before a five-match Test series in India.Stokes will be vital to the balance of the side on the subcontinent where England will likely want to field two spinners. The performances of Chris Woakes since his comeback against Sri Lanka mean that they are not without another all-round option, but their combined skills mean England could at some stage field a six-man bowling attack with Stokes considered a good enough batsman to play in the top five.England also confirmed that Adil Rashid had been released to play in Yorkshire’s Championship match against Warwickshire, starting at Headingley on Thursday. Rashid and Jake Ball were the unused players in England’s squad of 13 for Edgbaston.

As a number of former and current players criticise Steven Smith for leaving the Sri Lanka tour early, his stand-in as captain, David Warner, has come to his defence

Andrew Fidel Fernando27-Aug-2016Mahela Jayawardene wondered on Twitter whether previous Australia captains would have left a tour early, as Steven Smith has done. Graeme Smith has echoed those sentiments publicly. Angelo Mathews was typically diplomatic, but as he prepares to play a side led by David Warner now, even he admits to being perplexed.”I think they have their own player management system, but honestly, if it was me, I wouldn’t have [left], because it’s a tough tour,” Mathews said. “You need the captain alongside the playing XI. They decided to rest him – well, I don’t think we as players have any issues with that.”Smith’s own team-mates have – not surprisingly – been more understanding of his departure, despite the ODI series still hanging in the balance. Warner said regular breaks for players were required because of cricket’s hectic modern schedules. Smith had also been leading Australia across all formats, taking over the ODI team after last year’s World Cup, and the Test and T20 sides since.”I can feel for Steve and the amount of cricket he has been playing,” Warner said. “It is going to very, very tough with the scheduling these days to play all three forms and every single game possible. Players are getting rested here and there. Everyone has to adapt, and we’ve got [to remember] that everyone is human.”While Warner attempts to fill the gap in leadership that Smith has left behind, Australia will also need to replace the man who has been ODI cricket’s most prolific run-scorer over the past year. Usman Khawaja and Shaun Marsh are in line to step into the XI. Warner suggested Smith’s output makes a break from cricket particularly well-deserved.”The stats he has on the board, runs-wise and the world’s best batter and player, I think he deserves a break whether or not it was during the series or before the series.”There were times there when I may have been leaning towards having a break and then you have a bit of misfortune by getting injured and that has sort of been my freshen-up.” [Warner broke a finger while fielding in June, and missed the end of the tri-series in the West Indies.]Warner is set to become Australia’s 23rd ODI captain, and said it had not been in his “wildest dreams” to lead the side. “I feel honoured and thrilled,” he said. “I’m really pumped to get out there, help the guys and lead from the front.”Though he has never led a national side, Warner has had captaincy success in the IPL, leading Sunrisers Hyderabad to this year’s title. Allrounder James Faulkner, who plays for the Gujarat Lions IPL franchise, suggested that experience would assist Warner’s captaincy at the international level.”David’s got lot of experience in all three formats – in IPL and BBL as well,” Faulkner said. “I know one thing – that he is pretty honest, and he’s going to back each and every one of us. Much as the same with Smithy – very good leaders. They let their presence be felt in the middle. I’m sure David will fill the position really well.”

Gary Wilson, the Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman, has agreed to join Derbyshire on a three-year contract

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Sep-2016Gary Wilson, the Ireland wicketkeeper-batsman, has agreed to join Derbyshire on a three-year contract. Wilson made his Surrey debut in 2008 and captained the club in 2014 but lost the gloves this season to Ben Foakes.Wilson, 30, was a regular in Surrey’s four-day side between 2013 and 2015, scoring more than 2000 runs and averaging 42.90. He took over as wicketkeeper in early 2014, with Steven Davies looking to focus on his batting, and was then handed the captaincy after Graeme Smith’s injury-enforced departure.He went on to lead Surrey to a mid-table finish in Division Two, scoring a career-best 160 not out against Leicestershire, but was replaced as captain by Gareth Batty ahead of the 2015 season. Ireland commitments impacted on his availability this season and Foakes became first-choice behind the stumps, with Davies moving to Somerset for 2017.”Gary is a very talented cricketer who has performed consistently with the bat and behind the stumps for Surrey and Ireland. He will bring real experience to the side,” Derbyshire’s head coach, John Sadler, said. “He has enjoyed success, securing promotion in 2015 and reaching the Royal London Cup final in the same season, and knows how to win games.”Derbyshire have endured a difficult season, with Graeme Welch stepping down as coach in June. They are winless in the Championship with one game of the season to go and guaranteed to finish bottom of Division Two. In the limited-overs competitions they twice finish sixth in the North Group.Wilson’s arrival will provide heft to the middle-order, as well as wicketkeeping back-up to Harvey Hosein after the retirement of Tom Poynton earlier this year.”I know Derbyshire captain Billy Godleman really well and I’ve heard plenty about what he wants to achieve,” Wilson said. “I can’t wait to get started. There’s a lot of talent at the club and they are learning and improving all the time. I’m keen to play a part as a senior player in ensuring that the squad’s potential is turned into success on the field.”

Warwickshire’s lead of 67 on first innings should give them a better than even chance of winning, which they must do if they are to be sure of avoiding relegation for the first time since 2007. For Lancashire the news is not so good

Jon Culley at Edgbaston21-Sep-2016
ScorecardKeith Barker made early inroads for Warwickshire•Getty Images

On what is likely to be a pitch of diminishing returns, you would expect Warwickshire’s lead of 67 on first innings to have given them a better than even chance of winning, which they must do if they are to be sure of avoiding relegation for the first time since 2007.The news for Lancashire is not so good. Lose here and a Hampshire win would send them down.Intriguingly, Warwickshire were relegated that year at Old Trafford, beaten by nine wickets in what would be Mark Greatbatch’s last match as coach. They bounced straight back, winning the Division Two title under Greatbatch’s successor, Ashley Giles.Giles, now Lancashire’s coach, will be reasonably confident that his new side will be capable of something similar should they go down, although he has been having trouble convincing some disgruntled Lancastrians that they should share his optimism and enthusiasm.Three wins in the first five Championship matches led some of them to believe there was a serious chance they could be going toe-to-toe with their rivals from across the Pennines, so no wins in 10 subsequently has come as something of a let-down.Yet by other measures, Giles can claim an outstanding season, given that his brief was to dismantle an ageing team and restock it with vibrant youth. This season, three of the four young players to whom he has given first-class debuts – Liam Livingstone, Rob Jones, Matthew Parkinson and Saqib Mahmood – have made a first-class century or taken five wickets in an innings. And Haseeb Hameed, introduced only in August last year, is already on the brink of a Test call-up.A draw here would quieten the natives in any event, guaranteeing that Lancashire finish ahead of Warwickshire and therefore not in the bottom two, even if Hampshire win. It is going to take some getting, though.Dismissing Warwickshire for 219 did not look a bad effort but, after reaching 134 for 5 midway through the afternoon session, Lancashire’s reply fell away rapidly as the combination of Keith Barker and Jeetan Patel claimed the last five wickets with only 18 added to the total.Lancashire supporters began to feel twitchy in the 10th over of the day after the introduction of Rikki Clarke in the first change of the morning drew a quick dividend for Warwickshire, the big one as far as they were concerned, when Hameed was leg before trying to flick one off his legs.In the blink of an eye 35 for 1 became 37 for 4, Chris Wright striking in consecutive overs to remove Jones and Karl Brown with a couple more lbws. On a hazy morning with still plenty of cloud there was clearly something in the conditions for Warwickshire’s bowlers to exploit and when Lancashire lost Luke Procter, the left-hander succumbing to a beautiful outswinger from Barker that drew him into the drive and took the edge, they had lost four wickets for four runs in 35 deliveries.This was followed by a recovery of sorts engineered by Steven Croft and Livingstone, who have both looked to be aggressive. Yet that recovery was punctured in the last over of the morning when Livingstone whipped one off his pads against Oliver Hannon-Dalby only to plonk it straight into the hands of Barker at shortish midwicket, leaving Lancashire to take lunch contemplating where they might go from 79 for 5.In the event they rebuilt promisingly, Croft and Jordan Clark continuing to push the score along and adding 55 in 18 overs before Barker, coming round the wicket, bowled Croft with one came back as he shaped to play him off the back foot. Croft’s 45, the second highest innings of the match so far, was a good innings in the circumstances, a positive counter-attacking effort that made the scorecard look somewhat healthier.But this breakthrough gave Patel his first sight of a long Lancashire tail and there are few spin bowlers more adept at cleaning up when conditions are in his favour, the New Zealand off-spinner bamboozling Arron Lilley before having Tom Bailey caught sharply at leg slip by Ian Bell.Barker then claimed a give-away wicket when Clark swung at him with more hope than control and finished by uprooting Kyle Jarvis’s off-stump to finish with 4 for 30, taking his haul for the season to 58 in Division One, eight behind Patel, who leads the field with 66.It is the quality, variety and experience that makes up the Warwickshire attack that will probably see them across the line, although there is no escaping the more sobering statistic of their season, which is that they have won only two matches, the same number as Hampshire and one fewer than Lancashire. If they did go down, it would hardly be an injustice.Warwickshire had added 12 to their lead without loss when bad light, quickly followed by rain, prevented further play.

A round-up of the fourth day’s play from the third round of Group B matches in Ranji Trophy 2016-17

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Oct-2016Jharkhand overcame a stubborn 87-run partnership for the ninth wicket from Rajasthan batsmen Chetan Bist and Aniket Choudhary to complete a 42-run victory in Vadodara. Their second win in three matches hauled Jharkhand to the top of Group B, after they bowled Rajasthan out for 237.Rajasthan resumed their chase of 280 from an overnight score of 67 for 3 but soon slumped to 137 for 8, losing wickets to left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and offspinner Sunny Gupta. Bist and Choudhary then resisted for 27.3 overs, hauling the score past 200 before the stand was broken. Eight overs after Choudhary was dismissed for 32, Jharkhand broke Bist’s defiance, with the batsman falling for a 136-ball 77 which included six fours and a six. Nadeem, who had taken two wickets on the third day, completed his five-for, taking his match haul to 12 for 168.Assam salvaged a draw, reaching 73 for 2 in their second innings after Vidarbha enforced the follow-on on the final day in Thumba. Resuming on 98 for 3 on Sunday, Assam were bowled out for 227 as left-arm spinner Aditya Sarwate ran through the middle and lower order, taking 5 for 72. Assam’s batsmen got off to starts but the top score, of 44 not out, came from Swarupam Purkayastha at No. 9. Having taken a 189-run lead, Vidarbha asked Assam to bat again and the pair of Rahul Hazarika and Amit Verma saw the side through after they lost two wickets.Saurashtra required eight wickets on the last day to register an innings win against Maharashtra, but a debut century from Murtaza Trunkwala and a stubborn lower order ended the match in a draw in Vizianagaram. Left-arm spinner Dharmendrasinh Jadeja took four wickets, but Saurashtra could only take six of the eight wickets they needed as Maharashtra ended on 345 for 8.Resuming their second innings on 114 for 2, after following-on, they were led by Trunkwala’s 117 before he fell in the 33rd over of the day. Further contributions from the middle order, led by No. 4 Ankit Bawne’s 60, helped them hang on and salvage one point compared to Saurashtra’s three. Maharashtra were 230 for 5 when Bawne was bowled by Jadeja, with over 50 overs left in the day, but Chirag Khurana (44), Vishant More (39) and Shrikant Mundhe (24) led them to the draw even as Jadeja ended with a match haul of 9 for 105.

India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar said Mohammed Shami was suffering from muscular cramps, not a hamstring issue, which was the reason he continued to bowl at the end of the first day in Rajkot

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Nov-20161:30

‘Dropped catches set us back’ – Sanjay Bangar

On a day that India lost the toss and conceded 311 for 4, there was little consolation for them at the end. Mohammed Shami, who had hobbled off during the middle session with what at the time looked like a hamstring issue, came back in the final session to continue bowling despite obvious discomfort. That he was even taking the risk, suggested it was not a hamstring trouble. India’s batting coach Sanjay Bangar confirmed at the end of the day that it was a cramp, and that Shami was expected to bowl on day two.”As the physio has told us, it was actually muscular cramps,” Bangar said. “And he took an ice bath in that break [when Shami went off before tea]. He was fine to bowl after that. He is being monitored closely. And apart from the cramps, I don’t think there is much to it. Hopefully he will be fresher tomorrow. He will be fitter and raring to go tomorrow in the first session.”That Shami was available in the final session was part of the reason why India didn’t take the new ball even though they bowled 93 overs. In what should be a good sign for England, the ball was reversing even at 80 overs old, which was why India persisted with it, according to Bangar.”You must have noticed that at that time there was a lot of reverse swing on offer,” Bangar said. “Mohammed Shami was available to bowl, even Umesh Yadav put in a valiant effort. Once Shami was not available before tea and after tea for a particular amount of time, Umesh ran in well and got us that breakthrough [Root’s wicket on 124]. He was pretty impressive, getting the ball to reverse both ways. So was Shami. That was the reason we felt that the wicket-taking possibility with the old ball was higher at that point.”India dropped both openers in the slip cordon early on the first morning•AFP

Bangar was hopeful India could turn things around on the second morning. “The game changes very quickly,” Bangar said. “A couple of wickets – obviously they are four down at the moment – a couple of wickets and we could make inroads quickly and wrap them up hopefully within a session and a half. So you never know in cricket. It’s just day one and we would have still been in a good position had we taken probably six wickets and conceded 30 or 40 fewer runs.”Instead of the second morning, though, India had the chance of making those early inroads on the first day when they dropped both the openers early. “The first session of day one of a Test match, there is always something in the wicket,” he said. “Whether you bat first or bowl first you have to make the first session count. Send the right message across. Couple of dropped chances unfortunately didn’t allow us to make those early dents into their batting. They have been actually losing their openers pretty quickly in the couple of Test matches they have played [in Bangladesh]. That set us back a little bit. By lunch we still managed to take three wickets, but we would have taken that at the start of the Test.”On a day that questions were asked of India’s bowling on a pitch that was not turning big, fielders dropping catches and a few of them generally looking listless, the batting coach was left to answer the press conference. He put up a brave face, saying England made the most of the conditions, but also ended it with a rider “on day one”, which could suggest conditions are expected to get worse for batting significantly. “Had we taken those catches our bowlers would have asked questions about their middle order pretty early in the innings,” Bangar said. “Apart from that, due credit to their batsmen who applied themselves really well and made full use of the conditions on offer here on day one.”

Centuries from B Indrajith and captain Abhinav Mukund led Tamil Nadu’s frenetic push for runs on day four, before they declared 255 ahead

The Report by Arun Venugopal in Rajkot04-Jan-2017
ScorecardFile photo – Abhinav Mukund scored his 26th first-class ton•PTI

Centuries from B Indrajith and captain Abhinav Mukund led Tamil Nadu’s frenetic push for runs, before they declared their innings late on the fourth evening 255 ahead; they were pushing for an outright win, having conceded the first-innings lead on the third day. Facing five tricky overs before stumps, Mumbai’s openers, Praful Waghela and 17-year-old debutant Prithvi Shaw, defended stoutly to end an absorbing day on 5 for 0.Mumbai’s first-innings total was revised to 411 when they were awarded five penalty runs due to Tamil Nadu’s batsmen running on the pitch in the 74th over. That meant their target became 251 from the 256 Tamil Nadu had set.Having entered the fourth day with a 101-run deficit, Tamil Nadu had to make the play and they didn’t falter. Their top order ensured there was no let up in momentum at any stage, and by the time the innings was declared close, their run-rate was 4.56. Mumbai’s fielding, on the other hand, was patchy after it was put under pressure once too often.Tamil Nadu bristled with intent right from the outset, with openers Abhinav and debutant Ganga Sridhar Raju alternating between running tight singles and scoring fluent boundaries. Raju played a few cuts and a cute-looking tuck off his pad, while Abhinav unfurled the upper cut, one of his favourite strokes, for a four.They showed restraint wherever necessary, though. When Abhishek Nayar tried to tempt Raju outside off, the batsman left well and played out a maiden. However, in the 13th over, when Raju was tempted the second time, he slashed at Nayar but the ball went over a wide second slip. Meanwhile, Abhinav, unlike in the first innings, stood well outside the crease to neutralise the swing, and drove powerfully whenever the ball was in his range.While the run rate hovered around three in the first half of the morning session – Tamil Nadu were on 60 for no loss in 20 overs – Indrajith’s arrival, after Raju was trapped in front by Balwinder Sandhu, amped up the innings. Indrajith, promoted ahead of Kaushik Gandhi, threw Mumbai’s spin duo – offspinner Akshay Girap and left-armer Vijay Gohil – off gear. While he didn’t predetermine the charge, he often stepped out to drive the ball, and in the process played with the bowlers’ lengths and minds. When they adjusted by landing the ball short, he went back and whipped it powerfully off his hips.Strangely, Mumbai didn’t persist with their seamers enough in the first session – although Sandhu bowled 10 overs, Nayar and Shardul Thakur, their most successful bowlers in the first innings, bowled only four and five overs respectively. Mumbai coach Chandrakant Pandit later reasoned that they had to be discontinued as they weren’t able to check the flow of runs. Abhinav and Indrajith, meanwhile, wiped out the deficit and took Tamil Nadu to 124 for 1, with Indrajith scoring 41 at nearly a run-a-ball by lunch.Mumbai spread out the field in the second session – at one stage, they only had four fielders not in deep positions – and introduced part-time spinners like Siddhesh Lad. They also bowled wide of off stump and the left-arm spinner Gohil tried to land his deliveries on the rough outside leg stump in an attempt to choke the scoring. While they strung together a few quiet overs, Tamil Nadu invariably managed to find release through a few boundaries. Mumbai were also hurt by their fielding lapses, as Abhinav was let off twice in successive deliveries in the 42nd over. First, Tare missed a stumping off Gohil, who then fluffed a return chance off the next delivery.Abhinav completed his fourth hundred of the season, and, by the time he slashed a catch to slip in the pursuit of quick runs, he and Indrajith had put on 185 runs. Dinesh Karthik walked in at No. 4, and his fidgety, street-smart presence accelerated the pace of scoring. An over after he was warned for running on the pitch, Karthik carted Sandhu for three slog-swept boundaries. Karthik also forced the fielding side to make mistakes by attempting a few impossible runs; on one occasion, he had backed up too far and had given up, but the throw from backward point missed the stumps at the non-striker’s end.Indrajith, meanwhile, completed his fourth first-class hundred, and an over after Karthik’s dismissal – his uppish cut off Sandhu was caught at point – had a reprieve as his miscued hoick was dropped by Lad. Vijay Shankar came in next and tonked the bowling, too, but, during a tense passage of play that was marked by frequent conversations involving players from both sides and the umpires, he was penalised for having run on the danger area. That, however, didn’t seem to affect Shankar and Indrajith, who scored the bulk of the 39 runs that Tamil Nadu made in the last four overs they faced before the declaration.

Ed Cowan’s unbeaten 134 off 267 balls enabled New South Wales to end the second day of their Sheffield Shield match against Victoria with a 42-run advantage

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Feb-2017
ScorecardEd Cowan made his first first-class century in 23 innings•Getty Images

Ed Cowan’s 23rd first-class century gave New South Wales a healthy lead at stumps on the second day against Victoria at the MCG, where the Blues finished at 4 for 300. Replying to Victoria’s first-day score of 258, New South Wales had a 42-run advantage at stumps and plenty of opportunity to extend that lead further yet, with Cowan at the crease on 134 and Peter Nevill on 18.Victoria’s new-ball bowlers, Jake Reed and Scott Boland, dismissed the New South Wales openers Daniel Hughes and Nick Larkin within the first 10 overs of the innings. But Cowan, batting at No. 3, settled in for a series of partnerships that frustrated the Victorians, first a 141-run combination with Kurtis Patterson, who made 61.Moises Henriques then put on a 92-run stand with Cowan which ended when Henriques was lbw to Reed for 51, and by the close of play the Cowan-Nevill partnership had reached 50. It was Cowan’s first hundred at first-class level since October 2015, ending a drought of 23 innings without reaching triple-figures.

Tom Latham, the New Zealand batsman, will join Durham as their overseas player for the second half of the season

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jan-2017Tom Latham, the New Zealand batsman, will join Durham as their overseas player for the second half of the season.Latham will arrive after the Champions Trophy and will be available in the County Championship and the NatWest T20 Blast. He will replace Stephen Cook, the South Africa opener, who has been signed for the first stage of the summer before linking up with South Africa for their Test series against England.Durham, who were relegated to Division Two of the Championship as part of the sanctions for an ECB financial bailout, have focused on their top order in the off-season following the departures of Mark Stoneman and Scott Borthwick to Surrey.Latham’s arrival will also help cover for the potential absence of Keaton Jennings, who could be part of England’s Test side following his century on debut against India. Latham has strong links with Durham having played for the academy side in 2010 and also had spells in the North East Premier League with Gateshead Fell in 2010 and South Shields in 2013.”Tom is someone who we know well and we were very keen to renew the relationship,” Jon Lewis, the Durham coach, said. “He has potential to build on his excellent record up to now and we are looking forward to welcoming him back to the club.”Last season, Latham had a spell with Kent where he scored 374 runs at 46.75 in the County Championship, although his T20 output was less eye-catching with 128 runs from six innings.Latham’s recent form for New Zealand has been impressive with 302 runs in the two-Test series against Bangladesh, which has pushed his average above 40.