All posts by n8rngtd.top

A round-up of all the Ranji Trophy quarter-final matches on February 5, 2016

ESPNcricinfo staff05-Feb-2016
ScorecardJaydev Unadkat’s nine-wicket haul helped Saurashtra wrap up a one-sided contest inside three days in Valsad•Getty Images

Saurashtra thrashed Vidarbha by an innings and 85 runs to book their place in the Ranji Trophy semifinal for the first time in three seasons. Jaydev Unadkat, the left-arm seamer, picked up four wickets in the second innings to take his match tally to 9 for 116 as Vidarbha were bowled out for 139 shortly after tea on Day 3. Deepak Punia, the medium pacer, took three wickets in the second innings.Vidarbha, who resumed on 17 without loss after Saurashtra took a 224-run lead, lost wickets in clumps, with the highest partnership of the innings being the 44-run fifth-wicket stand between Ravi Jangid and Wasim Jaffer, who top scored with 48. Umesh Yadav, who picked up five wickets in the first innings, was absent hurt after injuring his ankle on the field on Thursday.
ScorecardAssam collapsed to 101 in their second innings but seamer Arup Das’ 6 for 82 took them closer to a semi-final spot, wrecking Punjab’s chase of 288 on the third day in Valsad. Punjab had reached 224 for 8 by close of play, and need another 64 runs with two wickets in hand.Arup cut through Punjab’s top order, sending back the openers and No. 3 batsman Uday Kaul by the 10th over to leave the side at 26 for 3. Gurkeerat Singh and Mandeep Singh resisted briefly with a 70-run partnership for the fourth wicket but both batsmen fell to pacer Dheeraj Goswami. Gurkeerat fell after compiling a brisk 64 off 55 deliveries with 12 fours and two sixes. Arup then returned to prise out the lower order, getting rid of Mayank Sidhana, Harbhajan Singh and Siddarth Kaul.Punjab might have fancied their chances of a semi-final spot after they had bowled Assam out for 101. The batting side, who had a first-innings lead of 186, had resumed the third day at a shaky 23 for 4 and were soon tottering at 53 for 8. Arup had a handy contribution with the bat, too, scoring a rapid 31 off 18 deliveries with three fours and two sixes. His innings nudged Assam past the 100-run mark, eventually setting Punjab a target of 288. Assam lost all their wickets to pacers – Barinder Sran took 5 for 43, Siddarth Kaul had returns of 4 for 25, his second four-for in the game, and left-arm pacer Deepak Bansal chipped in with one wicket.
ScorecardJharkhand were faced with an uphill climb, with Mumbai holding the aces in their quarterfinal fixture in Mysore. After deciding against enforcing a follow-on, Mumbai, who took a 244-run lead, pressed forward courtesy Shreyas Iyer. The 20-year old struck nine fours and two sixes in his 106-ball 81. In doing so, he became the third youngest Mumbai batsman after Rusi Modi and Ajinkya Rahane to score 1000 runs in a Ranji Trophy season. Abhishek Nayar, the stand-in captain, built on the ground work laid by Iyer with a sprightly 43 even as Samar Qadri, the legspinner, took 5 for 62 to bring an end to Mumbai’s innings on 245.Set 490 to win, Jharkhand, who were bowled out for 173 in the first innings, lost Anand Singh early as Iqbal Abdulla, the left-arm spinner, had him caught by Iyer. Shiv Gautam and Virat Singh saw off a nervous 20-minute passage through to stumps as Jharkhand ended the day on 28 for 1.

BK Garudachar, India’s oldest first-class cricketer, who represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay, died in Bangalore on Friday aged 99

Arun Venugopal26-Feb-2016BK Garudachar, India’s oldest living first-class cricketer, who represented Mysore (as Karnataka was called till 1974), United Province and Bombay, died in Bangalore on Friday aged 99.A right-hand batsman and a leg-break bowler, Garudachar scored 1126 runs at an average of 29.63 from 27 matches in first-class cricket between 1935 and 1946. Born on January 13, 1917 in Chikamagalur, Karnataka, Garudachar graduated in engineering from the Benares University, and started playing for Mysore before turning out for United Province and Bombay in the 1940s.As a bowler, Garudachar finished his career with exactly 100 wickets, which included seven five-fors and three ten-wicket match hauls. His solitary century came against the Holkar team in the 1946 Ranji Trophy semi-final. That 164 held a pride of place for Garudachar, who captained Mysore against a side led by CK Nayudu. That match against Holkar also turned out to be Garudachar’s farewell to
first-class cricket.”We never knew the kind of leather hunt we were in for. Holkar played for two-and-a-half days and destroyed our attack to score 912 for 8
declared,” Garudachar told journalist ES Ramachandran in the 1980s, during an interview. “Six of the first eight Holkar batsmen scored centuries with Mushtaq Ali who rarely ever failed, being caught and bowled for 2!”I felt, if we had run all the way to Bangalore we would have reached earlier than the time we took running around the field fetching the ball
from the boundary.”Former India and Karnataka batsman GR Viswanath called Garudachar’s death a sad day for Karnataka cricket. “[It is] very unfortunate that he couldn’t complete his century there and I could make out that he wanted to live a 100 years,” Viswanath told ESPNcricinfo.”I have never watched him play, but whenever I met former cricketers they used to mention his name. He was a very versatile cricketer and everyone felt he should have played for the country. I have met him quite a few times and listening to him you could make out his knowledge about the game.”Viswanath said he always made it a point to listen to the anecdotes that Garudachar would recount: “He himself would tell: ‘Vishu, I used to bowl fast-ish offspinners but in between I used to bowl the googly and the batsman would think it was a leg break. They used to play for a leg break and it used to go in. I got quite a few wickets like that.’ It used to amaze me because you always hear about googly bowlers being legspinners but it was strange to see an offspinner bowling a googly.”Whenever I have met him he was very jovial. I used to go and sit next to him because I wanted to hear stories of cricket from his era. He used to say how my batting style was similar to [former Mysore batsman] CJ Ramdev. When people of that stature say such things it will be with you throughout.”Former India offspinner Erapalli Prasanna felt Garudachar’s contributions did not receive enough credit. “He has done a lot of yeoman service for the Mysore State Cricket Association when he was playing,” Prasanna told ESPNcricinfo. “In spite of his achievements and his contributions, he was very simple and straightforward. The only time I have met him was in one of the KSCA functions when he was given some award. At that point of time I congratulated him even though the appreciation was not in direct proportion to the contribution that he had done for the state.”

Marcus Trescothick ended a run of four ducks with a welcome return to form bit it failed to bring Somerset an anticipated victory against Worcestershire

Ivo Tennant14-Jul-2013
ScorecardMarcus Trescothick returned to form but it failed to bring Somerset victory•PA Photos

A return to form by Marcus Trescothick and some six-hitting by Jos Buttler entirely in keeping with his reputation should have resulted in a reasonably straightforward victory by Somerset. That Worcestershire won by eight runs emphasised how lesser talents, through the eternal values of line and length and competent catching, can still prevail.Needing 169 to win, Somerset needed 70 off 43 balls – virtually ten an over – when Trescothick was dismissed. His 49 from 38 balls had satisfied requirements, but throughout the innings only Buttler managed to pose the same threat.Trescothick was on the back of four ducks, a fact that led him to respond to mild Taunton barracking in the Championship defeat against Sussex by raising his bat in acknowledgment, encouraging fanciful theories that he might be about to enter retirement.He played more confidently here, not least against Gareth Andrew, his former team-mate. One six over long on smacked of timing of old and a chipped four over the head of extra cover off Moeen Ali was calculated through precise knowledge of the field placings.The Somerset captain had been stoutly defended on Twitter in the morning by Andy Nash, the Somerset chairman who, unusually for a cricket administrator, is prepared to vent his feelings on social media. “Don’t you dare write off Tres,” he threatened any critics. “The man is a legend and has my unconditional 100 per cent support. Period.”The danger with such comments is that they raise more questions than answers, particularly when he says he would rather Somerset were relegated from the first division of the Championship with him than stay up without him.But it was a pointless debate. Nobody could seriously have doubted that Trescothick’s form would pick up. He had made struck six fours and that six when he was caught at deep cover off Jack Shantry.Craig Kieswetter had gone in the first over, caught at short third man, and Nick Compton, whose technique, as we know, is not suited to this form of the game, was held at deep mid wicket. The catching and athleticism of Andre Russell, who caught both Trego and Compoton, was inspirational throughout the innings.Two sixes off Andrew by Buttler, one whistling past a balcony window in the Ondaatje Pavilion, brought the asking rate down to 34 off three overs, which was feasible if Buttler stayed in. For once, though, one of his scoops did not come off and James Hildreth went in the same over, to Joe Leach’s medium pace.The centrepiece of Worcestershire’s innings was 53 off 42 balls by Alexei Kervezee, who struck Steve Kirby for six over long on. Wickets fell about him, but Moeen Ali always appeared elegant, even when having to beetle on. Max Waller – surely his leg spin should be utilised more often, especially now the pitches are dry – bowled Daryl Mitchell with what appeared to be a top spinner, and had Russell caught at deep square leg.Somerset, at any rate on paper, have a considerably more powerful batting line-up than Worcestershire, and it did not seem to make sense to have Compton coming in at a stage of the innings when the scoring rate had to be improved. In other words, have him opening or held back to stave off a collapse. Somerset of yesteryear – and there have been many good ones – surely would have won this match.

Pakistan Test opener will continue to stay in Karachi as he has been advised against travelling as a precautionary measure for two weeks

ESPNcricinfo staff27-Dec-2021Pakistan Test opener Abid Ali has begun his rehabilitation after undergoing two angioplasty procedures last week.He has been discharged from the hospital and since shifted to a hotel where he has begun his post-surgery rehabilitation. He will continue to stay in Karachi, away from his home in Lahore, as he has been advised against travelling as a precautionary measure for two weeks.Abid, 34, was withdrawn from a Quaid-e-Azam Trophy match abruptly after he complained of chest pain while batting on 61 against Khyber Pakhtunkhwa last week and was taken to hospital. He was diagnosed with a case of Acute Coronary Syndrome (ACS) and underwent a stenting procedure in his artery.Related

• James Taylor forced to retire with serious heart condition

• Abid Ali undergoes angioplasty day after being hospitalised

• Abid Ali diagnosed with heart condition

On Monday he tweeted a video that showed him walking on a treadmill. “Alhumdulilah, getting back in the momentum as per the doctor’s instructions,” he wrote. “A big thank you for the immense love and support shown by my family, friends and followers. I will recover soon. Keep praying.”The PCB medical team is liaising with an interventional cardiologist in Karachi to follow up on Abid’s treatment as he is a centrally contracted player and one of the key fixtures in the Pakistan Test line-up. He recently had a successful outing in Bangladesh, where he was Player of the Series after scoring 263 runs at 87.66.In Karachi, he was playing for Central Punjab in his sixth first-class game this season and had scored 778 runs at an average of 86.44 with three hundreds. On the last day of a game at UBL Complex in Karachi, he had crossed a half-century when he had shown discomfort around his shoulder and chest area before he was rushed to the hospital.Abid has been the highest run-getter in Tests for Pakistan since his debut in 2019, and in 2021 he is fifth in the world with a tally of 695 from nine matches, including a double-hundred against Zimbabwe in Harare. He made his debut in Rawalpindi in 2019 after spending 12 years in domestic cricket for 7116 runs in 106 first-class games. He made his Test debut at the age of 31 and began with a century, and also became the only player in history to reach three figures on both Test and ODI debuts.Neither the PCB nor Abid has made any comment yet about his future in the game. The PCB refused to divulge the exact nature of his medical condition but previously James Taylor, the former England batter, was forced to retire from cricket immediately after being diagnosed with a serious heart condition called ARVC (Arrhythmogenic Right Ventricular Cardiomyopathy).

A round up of the first day of Ranji Trophy’s Group C matches held on December 15, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2012
ScorecardServices progressed marginally ahead of Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi on a day in which 16 wickets fell. A combined effective bowling performance ensured J&K were bowled out for 85, and an unbeaten partnership of 111 runs, led by Rajat Paliwal, allowed Services to recover from 39 for 6 to a position of strength at stumps.Services lost quick wickets in their reply, and at 39 for 6, were in danger of conceding a lead. The openers were dismissed cheaply by seamer Ram Dayal, who went on to take four wickets, before two other seamers, Mohammad Mudhasir and Sahil Sharma, also joined in to help dismiss Services’ six batsmen before half the J&K total was scored. Paliwal, who has been one of Ranji Trophy’s prolific run-getters this season, dominated a stand with wicketkeeper Sarabjit Singh, playing 37.2 overs before stumps and regaining their team’s advantage in the game.J&K’s innings, on the contrary, didn’t have any such resistance shown by any batsman. Dayal top scored with an unbeaten 18, and there were six single-digit scores. Suraj Yadav, Nishan Singh and Shadab Nazar, all pacers, shared all the wickets between them.
ScorecardIn Dhanbad, only 71 overs were bowled due to bad light, in which Saurabh Tiwary’s unbeaten 73 mitigated the damage done to Jharkhand by Andhra’s bowlers, who dominated them on the first day. Andhra’s Syed Sahabuddin inflicted the most damage, taking three of the first four wickets to fall, as Jharkhand were, at a stage, 71 for 6 before recovering to 153 for 6 at stumps.After being put in to bat, the home side lost three wickets in the first five overs. Ishank Jaggi, and later Amir Hashmi, besides Tiwary, provided some resistance. But at 47 for 5, Tiwary, who had been retired hurt when on 15, returned to bolster the innings. He added 82 runs with keeper Shiv Gautam before close of play.
ScorecardHimachal Pradesh made a similar poor start to their innings against Goa, after they won the toss and batted, in Porvorim before a revival by middle-order batsmen Amit Kumar and Mukesh Sharma took them to 210 for 5. After Himachal were pegged back at 36 for 4, the duo added 154 runs for the fifth wicket to take their side to a relatively healthy position.However, 4.5 overs before stumps, Mukesh got out for 73 and the stand was broken. His partner was unbeaten on 76 at stumps. Medium-pacer Gauresh Gawas and spinner Shadab Jakati were the most productive bowlers, taking a couple of wickets each, all in the first session.
ScorecardKerala managed the best start to their first innings among Group C games, as all their top-order batsmen contributed to a decent first-day total of 275 for 5, with middle-order batsman Rohan Prem going on to score an unbeaten century.The openers put on 72 runs, before both were dismissed quickly. Prem, then added 57 with No. 3 Robert Fernandez, and later 110 with Pallam Anfal. Besides Prem, no one scored beyond 36 runs. Tripura also gave away 35 runs in extras.

Health concerns in England camp will have no immediate effect on touring party

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Jul-2021The Indian squad on tour in the UK will be receiving their second round of the Covid-19 vaccine on July 7 and 9. While this is in accordance with long-planned BCCI countermeasures to keep their players safe, it assumes greater significance given the developments in the England team.Three of England’s players and four of their support staff tested positive for Covid-19 in Bristol on Tuesday, prompting the entire ODI squad to face Pakistan two days from now to go into isolation. The Indian management are “aware of the situation” but as yet have not been asked to make any changes to their existing security measures.”Obviously, ECB and the local health authorities will provide us with any change in existing health safety protocols and that will be strictly followed,” a senior BCCI official told PTI. “But we haven’t been told anything as of now. The players have not yet been told to cut short their downtime.”Virat Kohli and his men are currently on holiday after playing in the World Test Championship final last month, and are expected to re-assemble in London on July 14. Then they travel to Durham for two weeks of training before a practice match.”Most of the players are in and around London. All this was planned well in advance. All those who have had Covishield as their first jabs in India are now ready to get their second doses,” a senior BCCI source was quoted as saying by PTI.Should everything go as planned, India’s players may enjoy greater freedoms when it comes to quarantine. The UK government is working towards reducing Covid-19 restrictions and from August 16 – the last day of the second Test – double-vaccinated people may be exempt from self-isolating even if they come in contact with a carrier of the virus.When asked if that would indeed be the case, managing director of England’s men’s teams Ashley Giles said, “I haven’t got that far, but I’m not worried right now.”I think it’s important we work closely with BCCI. We’re all hopeful that as this summer moves forward we will be able to reduce the restrictions around the teams and one of the important things around that is getting everyone double vaccinated then we should be able to enjoy more freedoms.”We’ve got a group of very young, fit people many of whom will be asymptomatic even if they catch this. I think I heard to government talk about treating this as flu eventually and we’re gonna get to that stage. At the moment we’re operating at odds with that, it’s tough to manage but we’re doing the best possible job we can with it.”India play five Tests against England, the first of which kicks off at Trent Bridge on August 4.

Australia were made to rue the fact that they had not appealed to have whirlwind centurion Shikhar Dhawan Mankaded before the first ball of the India innings was even bowled

Sharda Ugra16-Mar-2013As he put together his whirlwind debut century, Shikhar Dhawan had it in the back of his head that he could have been run out without facing a ball.As Mitchell Starc ran in to open the bowling in the Indian innings, the ball slipped out of his hand and fell onto the stumps at the non-striker’s end. Dhawan, at that time, was a foot outside the crease.It is debatable if he had been given out had Australia appealed. The umpires would have had to consider an important part of the manakading playing condition, which says, “The bowler is permitted, before releasing the ball and provided he has not completed his usual delivery swing, to attempt to run out the non-striker.” Since the ball had slipped out of his hand unintentionally, they could have concluded “an attempt had not been made”.*However, Dhawan thought he was gone. He found himself laughing, while the Australia captain Michael Clark made signs to the umpires to go up to the TV umpire in jest, and the incident passed without rancour.Dhawan, who was batting on 185 at stumps on day three, said after play: “It was lunch after that over. I was laughing in the dressing room, that history could have been created, that without facing a ball I would have been out and back in the dressing room.”He returned after the break and, in the matter of a single session, rewrote history. He produced one of the most breathtaking of debut centuries in recent times: it was the fastest ever by a Test debutant (85 balls) and the highest score on debut for India, surpassing Gundappa Viswanath’s 137 in Kanpur against Australia in 1969.He was given his Test cap by Sachin Tendulkar before the match and Dhawan said Tendulkar’s words to him had been simple: “He told me that we all have known you as a gutsy player, and you’ve been performing well on the domestic circuit. We’d like to see your gutsy nature and shots over here.”And so he did. Dhawan’s strike rate so far in this Test innings has been just over 110, the numbers closer to 50-overs and T20 cricket. But Dhawan said he was in no hurry to score at a particular rate, nor did it form part of any larger team strategy. “I wasn’t really playing in a hurry. The fours were coming on their own after the ball hit the bat. But I guess I was in good flow today. I felt my shot selection was good and I played according to how I’d assessed the wicket. I didn’t feel that I rushed things. There was no strategy, I was hitting the ball well, I was middling the ball very nicely and the runs came on their own. My only focus was that I’d play the ball on merit.”He admitted to being nervous, remembering his ODI debut against Australia on October 20, 2010, where he was bowled by Clink McKay off the second ball he faced. “This time I was nervous, that it was again Australia on my Test debut, because I’d scored zero then. But everything went well and I was really happy that I grabbed this opportunity and scored a century… It was a very satisfying feeling.”After his disastrous ODI debut, captain MS Dhoni and Suresh Raina had offered Dhawan solace, which had stayed in his mind. “They told me that the players who’ve got out on zero for India on debut, they went really big.”Dhawan last played for India in June 2011, and was dropped after five ODI appearances. “I worked really hard and changed myself, and became a more mature player. I was waiting for a chance. I did very well on the domestic circuit, and was waiting for a chance to play in international cricket. I guess then that went my way.”Apart from Test and ODI debuts against the Australians, Dhawan’s other Australian connection is personal. His wife, Aesha Mukherjee, a British-Asian, currently lives in Melbourne with her two daughters. After returning to the dressing room, Dhawan said: “I called my wife first. I knew she’d been praying for me, so it was an emotional moment for my wife. It’s a great moment for me and my family.”Dhawan’s nickname amongst his peers is Jaat-jee, which comes from his Jaat heritage. The Jaats come from a largely rural community in North India, concentrated in Haryana and portions of western Uttar Pradesh, surrounding Delhi. Dhawan’s distinctive and carefully maintained moustache owes some allegiance to that heritage. As he walked off the field at tea and then at stumps, he twirled his moustache upwards, in a somewhat old-fashioned but instantly-recognisable gesture of bragging-rights ownership. On Saturday, he couldn¹t be denied.*07.20pm GMT, March 16: The article has been updated after reviewing the laws of the game.

The ICC has admitted its Playing Control Team (PCT) made “an honest error” while applying the DRS to the Jacques Kallis review on the second day of the Newlands Test and that the batsman was erroneously given out

Firdose Moonda at Newlands15-Feb-2013The ICC has admitted its Playing Control Team (PCT) made “an honest error” while applying the DRS to the Jacques Kallis review on the second day of the Newlands Test and that the batsman was erroneously given out.Kallis was given out after an appeal that Pakistan coach Dav Whatmore confirmed was for a bat-pad catch off Saeed Ajmal’s bowling. Umpire Steve Davis upheld the appeal but the batsman immediately asked for a review.Hot Spot replays indicated there was no bat involved, so it couldn’t be out caught, but the ball had both pitched and hit Kallis’ pad well in line with the stumps and the ball-tracking indicated that it would have clipped leg stump, which was shown to be an umpire’s call. As a result, Kallis was instead given out lbw, after input from the third umpire, Billy Bowden.The playing conditions allow for the method of dismissal to be changed during a review but have specific terms under which that can be done.Point 3.3 (f) in the playing conditions states: “The third umpire shall not withhold any factual information which may help in the decision making process, even if the information is not directly prompted by the on-field umpire’s questions. In particular, in reviewing a dismissal, if the third umpire believes that the batsman may instead be out by any other mode of dismissal, he shall advise the on-field umpire accordingly. The process of consultation described in this paragraph in respect of such other mode of dismissal shall then be conducted as if the batsman has been given not out.”So when it was evident Kallis could not be out caught, because he had not hit the ball, the evidence for an lbw decision should have been considered from the point of view that the on-field umpire had ruled it not out. The projected path of the ball – clipping leg stump – was then an umpire’s call, according to the DRS, and Kallis would have been not out.”The PCT made an honest error in this extremely rare situation,” the ICC said in a release. “The umpires followed usual umpiring principles in giving Kallis out lbw on umpire’s call the review was for the batsman out caught. This is because the normal principle is that an appeal covers all forms of dismissal.”However, the playing conditions state that when the third umpire observes that the batsman could be out by another mode of dismissal, the decision being reviewed using DRS should be as if the batsman had been originally given not out. Therefore, in this instance Kallis, as the point of impact was umpire’s call, should not have been given out lbw.”South Africa’s team management was “happy with the explanation” they were given, though Kallis had appeared confused about the mode of his dismissal at the time and had held a lengthy conversation with Davis before leaving the field. Team manager, Mohammed Moosajee confirmed South Africa had been involved in discussions with the umpires but said they would not take the matter further.”There is a code of conduct which we need to abide by when it comes to DRS. We sought clarity from the umpire and we were happy with the explanation,” Moosajee said. “We understand that if a batsman is given out for something and the technology shows something else, the third umpire is within his rights to make that decision.”Whatmore interpreted the dismissal in the same way. “My understanding is that when a decision is referred to the TV umpire, he can make his own decision,” he said.This is the second time in the series that DRS has come under discussion. At the Wanderers, Pakistan were unhappy with the use of Hotspot after four decisions went against them. They indicated they would write a report to the ICC and Whatmore said any grievances would be addressed through the channels provided, although nothing further was heard about the issue.Whatmore remained a backer of DRS in spite of the recent incidents. “I have always been a supporter of technology assisting umpires to make the right decisions. We are very pleased to have DRS. We had a series a few months ago in which we didn’t have DRS and it was very frustrating.”South Africa were also in favour of technology. Graeme Smith previously went on record advocating that DRS be used across the board. Kallis, however, had an outburst about ball-tracking technology on South Africa’s tour of New Zealand last March in which he said “99% of cricketers,” do not trust it.

Steve Patterson and Duanne Olivier share four wickets as Sussex are pegged back

Alan Gardner23-Apr-2021 Yorkshire 150 and 163 for 5 (Lyth 66, Ballance 36*, Carson 3-35) lead Sussex 221 (Haines 86, Patterson 4-26) by 92 runsYorkshire and Sussex were grappling for the ascendancy as their match threatened to dissolve into a three-day dogfight at Hove. Yorkshire’s lead was approaching three figures, with the reassuringly solid figure of Gary Ballance booking in for an overnight stay, but Jack Carson, Sussex’s 20-year-old offspinner, snapped up three second-innings wickets – including that of England captain Joe Root – to keep tails wagging in the home dressing room.Yorkshire’s fightback began with the ball, Duanne Olivier and Steve Patterson collecting contrasting four-fors as Sussex lost their last seven wicket for 53. Adam Lyth then made his third half-century of the season, to go with two centuries, as Yorkshire overturned a 71-run deficit. But, having carved out a slender advantage through another solid opening stand, a middle-order wobble during the evening session, which included the much-prized wicket of Root, left the game in the balance… and the Ballance.With Sean Hunt unable to bowl after sustaining a side strain, an even greater weight fell on the shoulders of Ollie Robinson, Sussex’s attack leader and a man with the bit between his teeth in pursuit of higher honours. Robinson sent back Lyth during a searching spell but that was his sole success, while George Garton could not find his first-innings spark despite claiming the wicket of Harry Brook.Garton let slip on the first evening that Robinson had gone into this match declaring his intention of bagging Root twice, as a means of pushing his case to win a Test debut this summer. In the end, he only managed to bowl a total of four balls at the England captain, before Carson had an appeal upheld for caught behind – not that Root appeared to agree with Paul Pollard’s decision.Carson wasn’t hanging around, taking off on a dash across the square – “I went for the old Alan Shearer wheel-away, I couldn’t really contain my excitement” – and he celebrated each of his wickets with abandon. “Bowling to someone of that calibre, a little bit of nerves can creep in, but the off stump’s still the off stump, doesn’t matter who it is,” he said. “It’s just about trying to land it in there as much as I can and let the wicket do the rest.”Born in Northern Ireland but on Sussex’s books from the age of 11, Carson has impressed with his flight and control in only his seventh first-class match. Tom Kohler-Cadmore was deceived into walking past one to be stumped and Jonny Tattersall edged to slip late in the day; Carson also saw Lyth dropped at deep square leg off a drag-down. With increasing purchase for spin, his success could point to a pivotal role for Dom Bess in the fourth innings.For the second day running, it seemed as if Lyth would be the story. At the age of 33, the left-hander may be unlikely to add to his seven Test appearances, but in passing 50 for the fifth time in six innings he continued a fine start to the season. He began this round of the Championship as the competition’s leading run-scorer and, although David Bedingham’s double-hundred at Chester-le-Street has relegated him to second spot, he was within sight of 500 for the campaign when Robinson speared one into his front pad.Related

• Daniel Bell-Drummond hundred drives Kent's fight for survival

• George Garton finds the fire as England's bigwigs head for the seaside

• Olly Stone's pace rocks Essex to send Ashes signal

• Mohammad Abbas targets Pakistan recall after taking County Championship by storm

• Centurions Danny Lamb, Luke Wood put Lancashire in command with record partnership

No one has scored 1000 first-class runs before the end of May since Graeme Hick in 1988 – although Nick Compton came close nine years ago, when rain at Worcester delayed him from reaching four figures until June 1. But with five more rounds of the Championship to be played after this one, and runs flowing around the country, there could be several challengers to join a select group, which includes WG Grace, Wally Hammond, Don Bradman and Glenn Turner, as well as Hick.Although Lyth managed a tally of 108 runs in this match, and Tom Haines held Sussex’s first innings together with 86, wickets have fallen in rat-a-tat salvoes throughout, with pace on offer for the seamers and just a smidge of turn.The day began calmly enough, as Sussex programmed their TomTom to steer them into a first-innings lead. Tom Clark was the more fluent, clipping back-to-back fours off David Willey and swatting away Olivier’s short stuff, while Haines set about grinding towards what would have been a third first-class hundred in seven innings. But, having gone past Yorkshire’s first-innings 150 three down, the contest suddenly came to life during the second hour.First Olivier found some inward movement from round the wicket to pluck Clark’s off stump though the gate. In the subsequent over, from the Sea End, Bess finally gained reward for his early-season toil as the left-handed Haines was bowled attempting to cut a delivery that drifted in and cramped him for room. It was Bess’ first wicket since joining Yorkshire permanently, in his 84th over, and brought a roar of relief – possibly followed by a wince of discomfort, due to a rib problem sustained on the first day.Bess made light of the issue to send down 25 overs, taking 1 for 55 – modest figures but useful enough in the first innings and indicative of the control he gave Yorkshire as they attempted to parlay a way back into the game. They might have been more impressive still, had Ben Brown, the Sussex captain, not taken him for five fours in 17 balls, including a trio of reverse-biffs to the short boundary.Olivier picked up his fourth of the innings when Delray Rawlins spooned a drive into the covers, where Root threw himself for a diving catch, but Sussex rallied through Brown, only to then lose their last four wickets for the addition of nine runs. Patterson, the “Beverley Flyer”, chugged in from the Cromwell Road End and found a troublesome spot on a length to have Brown lbw and Robinson castled first ball, before coming back after lunch to round up the rest for spick-and-span figures of 4 for 26.

No official BCB word yet on reduction of his ban, but he played a Dhaka Premier Division match on Saturday

Mohammad Isam05-Jun-2021Bangladesh fast bowler Shahadat Hossain, banned in November 2019 for five years for slapping a team-mate during a first-class match, played in a Dhaka Premier Division game on Saturday, despite there being no official statement from the BCB on the reduction of his ban.ESPNcricinfo has learnt Hossain, who bowled two wicketless overs for Partex Sporting Club on his return against Old DOHS Sports Club, will not need to serve any more than the 18 months he has already completed in his five-year ban.Related

• DPL review – All that went right and all that went wrong

• Shahadat Hossain among the best of Bangladesh

• Shahadat Hossain banned for five years for assaulting team-mate

Hossain had appealed to the BCB in February that his ban be reduced, so he can resume his career and take care of the expenses relating to his mother’s cancer treatment. BCB cricket operations chairman Akram Khan had said at the time that he had taken up Hossain’s case with the board higher-ups.”He is in a lot of problem in his family,” Khan told in March. “His mother is diagnosed with cancer. He is not playing cricket now so when he called me, I spoke to a few directors. We have requested the BCB’s disciplinary committee. We are hopeful to get a positive result from them. I have also informed the board president, who is also positive about him. , we hope that he can play in the NCL (National Cricket League).”In November 2019, Hossain had slapped team-mate Arafat Sunny Jr during an NCL match in Khulna, after the latter refused to shine the ball for the fast bowler. After being withdrawn from the match, he was charged with a Level-4 offence, which amounted to a fine of BDT 100,000 (US $1200 approx.) and a five-year ban with two years as suspended sentencing.In March, Hossain had said his primary motivation to return to competitive cricket before the completion of his five-year ban was his mother’s treatment.”I regret my actions. I was wrong, and I will try not to do it again. I won’t have any problem for the rest of my career. My mother is a cancer patient. I want to return to cricket, to help my mother’s treatment,” he had said during a press conference.Hossain didn’t appear in the NCL edition that ran earlier this year for two rounds before being postponed in April owing to a second wave of Covid-19 infections in Bangladesh.Hossain played the last of his 95 international matches in May 2015. He remains Bangladesh’s second-highest wicket-taker in Tests among fast bowlers.