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“I helped build that ground,” said the taxi-driver, “Leastways I helped smooth the outfield and bloody stony it was, too. That’s over thirty years ago now and they tell me it’s settled down nicely. The old field used to be next to the football pitch and was slap in the middle of town but the Buckminster Estate sold it off to Sainsburys and gave the cricket club land out of town. Mind you, there’s a lovely view over the Vale of Belvoir and you can sometimes see Belvoir Castle.”So there is and so, apparently, you can. Fittingly enough I’d only been in Grantham five minutes before being reminded of the power of the market economy. But places transcend the imprint of even their most famous daughters and Gorse Lane certainly deserved what became a day in the sun. Two years ago Nottinghamshire hosted Durham here only to the extent of turning up and watching torrential wash the game away. Covid-19 took care of the two matches scheduled in 2020 so this was fourth time lucky for the ground on the hill.Perhaps it was fourth time lucky for many of the spectators who ringed this field, sometimes six-deep, and if so, they also deserved what became a climax to cherish when Dane Paterson thrashed Ben Sanderson for a straight six to secure the two-wicket win that ends Northamptonshire’s interest in the Royal London Cup but leaves Nottinghamshire to battle for a qualification place on Thursday.Six runs were needed off three balls when Paterson got out the long handle but there had been many other times in the previous half-hour or so when nerves had informed the shot selection of a Nottinghamshire side whose bright-badged caps and fresh faces betray the inexperience of youth. As wickets were lost and dot balls surrendered to the Steelbacks’ three spinners it seemed probable that the match would hinge, unfairly perhaps, on the moments earlier in the game when Ben Slater swung Tom Taylor to James Sales at deep square leg and Ben Compton was bowled round his legs by Saif Zaib.Taylor had made 53 and Compton 71. Notts were 154 for three in the 39th over and needed another 57 runs when the second of those vital wickets fell. It hardly required much insight to conclude that his team had wanted Compton to take them home. Once he and Slater were gone they needed Brett Hutton’s big six off Zaib and 19 runs from a Sunderland-born bowling all-rounder whose 22 years make him almost an old pro in the current Notts dressing room. For yes, if this was a day Grantham CC will always treasure, it will surely also be one on which Liam Patterson-White revealed his wide-ranging ability to affect cricket matches. And it has not always been thus…When Patterson-White made his Nottinghamshire debut against Somerset two seasons and a world ago he was so ill on the first day of the game that he took no part in it. Once recovered, he followed a four-ball nought with a five-wicket return but could not prevent his team losing by 132 runs in a season that ended, so we thought, with their relegation. One or two things have happened since those blissful afternoons in Taunton. Most notably for our present purpose, Patterson-White has taken another 32 first-class wickets and 13 in List A cricket, the last five of which came at a cost of 19 runs this afternoon at Grantham, where the pitch was plainly not averse to turning.Northamptonshire were 112 for 3 in the 22nd over when Patterson-White came on at the Gorse Lane End. By the time he had completed an accurate ten-over spell replete with subtle changes of flight and pace, the visitors were 175 for eight and it needed some shrewd batting from Sanderson and Sales to see them struggle to 210. The slow left-armer was assisted by two factors: the first was a surface that offered help; the second was the presence at the Pavilion End of another slow-left-armer Fateh Singh, who conceded only 33 runs from ten overs in his third List A game. Between them the two spinners constricted the flow of runs that had seemed so free, first when Emilio Gay was batting and later when Luke Procter was making 44, his side’s top score. But the batters were complicit, too: Gay slashed Tom Barber to Slater at deep point and Procter swept Patterson-White straight to Paterson at square leg. Even on a frisky wicket, just the sort of surface that should be used for more List A games, the Steelbacks’ total was perhaps 25 light. It was a deficiency that returned to hurt them.The crowd appreciated it all, of course. We had hardly got beyond the first Powerplay before the festival atmosphere that outground cricket so often engenders was present at Grantham.The pylons beyond Wyville Road may be dull and one could also manage without the growl of traffic on the A1, yet when all these irksome assaults have been considered Gorse Lane remains a lovely home of cricket, a club in which its members obviously take great pride. They will have planned hard and worked long for this day and, as so often, the cricket did not let them down, Nottinghamshire should need no urging to return here and Liam Patterson-White may be especially keen to do so.

England’s spinners combined to secure a series-levelling victory in the second T20I of the series against Pakistan in Leeds. Adil Rashid, Matt Parkinson and Moeen Ali claimed five wickets for 87 runs in their 11 overs combined as England defended a total of 200 to secure a 45-run win.It means the series will be decided in the third and final game to be played at Emirates Old Trafford on Tuesday.For much of the afternoon, this was a pitch that looked full of runs. Certainly seamers gained little joy from it, with England’s total of 200 appearing little better than par when Pakistan’s openers started their chase by plundering 43 from their first five overs.But England’s spinners gained a surprising amount of assistance from the surface. Sohaib Maqsood and Azam Khan were both stumped off Rashid and Parkinson respectively, while Fakhar Zaman was bowled by a beauty from Moeen, which gripped, turned and took his off stump. With Mohammad Rizwan hitting a full toss back at Rashid and Mohammad Hafeez mishitting to the leg-side boundary, Pakistan lost 5 for 34 in six overs in the middle of their innings, which effectively defined the game.On a surface on which seamers experienced little other than heartache – Chris Jordan bowled only one over in the Pakistan innings – it was a performance that showed the depth and versatility of England’s bowling attack and will, perhaps, provide some encouragement ahead of the T20 World Cup on the slow, dry wickets of the UAEEarlier, a high-quality half-century from Jos Buttler helped England to a competitive total of 200 on another decent batting track. Buttler had not played a game since sustaining a calf injury during the victory over Sri Lanka in Cardiff almost a month ago, but you would never have known it to watch him.Timing the ball beautifully, Buttler produced a series of conventional – if unusually sweetly hit – strokes off front and back foot, as well as scooping Mohammad Hasnain for a six over fine leg.Although nobody went on to make an especially large individual score, Player of the Match Moeen Ali’s 36 from 16 balls followed by Liam Livingstone’s 38 from 23 ensured the innings retained momentum and England ended the 14th over with 150 on the board.While the innings fell away a little from that point – England subsided from 137-3 to 200 all-out, managing only 10 from the final two overs of their innings – it proved more than enough as Pakistan’s batters struggled against the spin.What next for Morgan?
As a key character in the revolution that took England from world chumps to World Champs, Eoin Morgan’s reputation is assured. He remains a figure of huge authority within the England set-up, too, and will probably remain once after his playing days are over.But his decision to leave himself out for this match was intriguing. While he had indicated ahead of the first game of this series that England intended to use it to take a look at different combinations and options, the fact is he has reached 30 only twice in his 17 most-recent international innings. And in his last 15 T20Is, he is averaging 12.10 at a strike-rate of 124.74.None of this means his place in the side is in immediate doubt. Batting in the middle order is notoriously tough in T20 cricket and England have very few contenders for the spot. Morgan has a vast amount of credit in the bank.But, given the competition for places among England batters – the likes of Alex Hales, Joe Root and Tom Banton are among those currently unable to break into the side and Ben is Stokes currently out as he continues his rehabilitation from a finger injury – and Jos Buttler’s presence a natural replacement as captain, that is a run of form that is bound to start raising concerns.Moeen Ali played an aggressive cameo•Getty Images

Imad’s contribution
At first glance, Imad Wasim’s figures of 2 for 37 don’t look especially pretty. He conceded almost 10 an over, after all, and was struck for three sixes. At one stage in his first over, he had bowled only three legitimate deliveries and already conceded 11 runs; he could have been forgiven for thinking he was in for a rough afternoon.But he also claimed two important wickets. And, despite bowling two overs in the Powerplay, delivered 11 dot balls. Nobody in the game bowled more. On another flat surface with relatively short boundaries, it was an impressive contribution and, on another day, those early wickets of Jason Roy and Dawid Malan could have proved decisive.Tailing off
One of the characteristics of England’s limited-overs cricket in recent years has been their commitment to the positive approach. This has routinely seen the lower-middle order continue to attack even if the top order have been blown away with batters as good as Adil Rashid (who has 10 first-class centuries) sometimes coming in as low as No. 11.Might that be changing a little? While there is no obvious alteration in England’s approach – they continue to attack all the way down the order – there are, perhaps, one or two questions about the depth of their batting.In this side, for example, Tom Curran came in at No. 7 (he had only batted as high in one previous T20I) and Rashid came in at No. 9. It meant the top order didn’t have quite the same safety net as before and might, in time, result in them playing slightly more careful cricket.This was not England’s first choice side, of course. The likes of Sam Curran and Chris Woakes might well come into the side ahead of the T20 World Cup. But the fact that they were bowled out in successive matches for the first time in their T20I history – albeit having made 200 on each occasion – was a reminder, perhaps, about the value of such batting depth.Eyes on Livingstone
So vital a player has Liam Livingstone suddenly become in this side, that even his dismissals are entertaining. Having just hit a vast six – the ball disappeared over the top of the new stand which borders the rugby ground; as big a hit as most have seen – he was run out when an attempted scoop somehow found its way to square leg. And while Haris Rauf had knocked off one bail with his elbow before completing the run-out, the other one remained in place to ensure the stumps could still be broken. The groan that went round the ground suggested that Livingstone has quickly become something of a crowd favourite – a remarkable thing for a Lancashire man in Leeds.

Yorkshire Vikings have secured the services of Australian batsman Shaun Marsh as an overseas player for this summer’s NatWest T20 Blast competition.Marsh, a 33-year-old left-hander, has recently completed a 10th successive Indian Premier League campaign, for Kings XI Punjab.Yorkshire had to find a replacement for Travis Head, who stood down after winning an international call-up by Australia A through July and August.”I’ll be looking to bring some experience to the group and obviously some runs would be nice too,” Marsh said. “I’ve played in a lot of T20 competitions now and hopefully I can bring most of what I’ve learned over the years to the group and have a really successful campaign together.”I think we’ve got a really experienced team with a lot of talented players. Hopefully we can get some momentum going early. Having never played at Headingley, I’m really excited by the prospect of that too.”Martyn Moxon, Yorkshire’s director of cricket, said: “It was obviously a bit of a blow to see Travis pull out, but to secure the services of Shaun is a massive coup for us. To get someone of his calibre, with his ability in both formats of the game – in T20 and potentially red ball cricket as well – and at such short notice is fantastic news for us.”Marsh, who has represented Australia in all three forms of the game, has topped the runscorers lists in both the IPL and the BBL in 2008 and 2013 respectively. He averages 39.59 in T20 cricket.”Shaun has had a really good IPL campaign and, with the quality he’s shown throughout his career, he became a really attractive proposition,” Moxon said. “His stats stack up really well and on current form he’s in a really good place. We’re delighted he’s joining and we look forward to him having an enjoyable and successful time with us.”The Western Australia batsman, who was omitted from Australia’s 15-man squad for the Champions Trophy, will be looking to impress throughout the summer as he bids to regain his national team spot.

Match Facts

April 1, 2017
Start time: 0930 local (0400GMT)Kusal Mendis, who hit his maiden century in Dambulla, has shown signs of his desire to be a leading batsman in world cricket•AFP

Big Picture

Sri Lanka would have felt hard done by after rain ruined the second ODI, when they put up a total of 311. No team had ever won a 50-over game on the island after being set a target over 300.But after taking Sri Lanka’s last six wickets in the final five overs, Bangladesh must have thought they were in the contest. Taskin Ahmed’s hat-trick would have charged them up even further and considering they had made their highest total away from home in the first ODI – 324 – things had been shaping up brilliantly before the weather intervened.Bangladesh may be 1-0 up and eyeing a series win, but with Kusal Mendis living up to his promise and the rest of the Sri Lankan line-up batting around his maiden hundred Tuesday, the hosts would feel like they have got their menace back. Upul Tharanga made an eye-catching half-century as well, but the team management would want him to play a longer innings, while also hoping Thisara Perera’s 9 in Dambulla was a one-off low score. The big-hitting allrounder made 55 off 35 balls only a week ago and another such display could help them end a six-match losing streak.With the action moving to the SSC, and its slow and dry surfaces, Bangladesh would have an easier time putting behind their bowling performance from the last game. They can expect grip for Mustafizur Rahman’s cutters and turn for Mehedi Hasan’s offbreaks. So should the weather hold up well, a contest with a lot of context is on the cards.

Form guide

Sri Lanka LLLLL (completed matches, most recent first)
Bangladesh WLLLL

In the spotlight

After his Test century in Galle earlier this month, Kusal Mendis had said that he wanted to be a leading batsman in world cricket and his 107 off 107 balls in Dambulla was another reminder of this young batsman’s ambition. He was very much on-side dependent but that was mostly because the Bangladesh bowlers preferred to attack his stumps. Sri Lanka would expect more runs from their No. 3, especially in a crunch situation.He didn’t get going in the first ODI but Mushfiqur Rahim had a pretty good day behind the stumps, despite missing one stumping. He held a fine running catch to dismiss Danushka Gunathilaka, helped in the Tharanga’s run-out and then produced direct hits to end Dilruwan Perera and Thisara Perera’s stay in the middle. All he needs no are some runs.Mehedi Hasan and the rest of the spinners will look to extract purchase from a usually-response SSC pitch•AFP

Team news

Sri Lanka made three changes to their XI in the second ODI but while their batting clicked, the newly-formed bowling attack couldn’t be tested. They are likely to remain unchanged, but there is a chance Seekkuge Prasanna will enter the XI.Sri Lanka (possible): 1 Upul Tharanga (capt), 2 Danushka Gunathilaka, 3 Kusal Mendis, 4 Dinesh Chandimal (wk), 5 Asela Gunaratne, 6 Milinda Siriwardana, 7 Thisara Perera, 8 Dilruwan Perera, 9 Suranga Lakmal, 10 Nuwan Kulasekara, 11 Nuwan PradeepBangladesh have Imrul Kayes, Rubel Hossain, Nurul Hasan, Shuvagata Hom, Subashis Roy and newcomer Sunzamul Islam on the bench but it is unlikely that they would break their winning combination in the third ODI.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Soumya Sarkar, 3 Sabbir Rahman, 4 Mushfiqur Rahim (wk), 5 Shakib Al Hasan, 6 Mosaddek Hossain, 7 Mahmudullah, 8 Mehedi Hasan, 9 Mashrafe Mortaza (capt), 10 Mustafizur Rahman, 11 Taskin Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

An ODI hasn’t been played at the SSC in six years, but in the interim, it has hosted plenty of List-A games. The average score for the team batting first those games is a remarkably low 146. Sri Lanka’s cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha said he expected this particular track to be batting friendly. Chandika Hathurusingha was slightly surprised that the pitch looked underprepared even two days before the ODI. Weather in Colombo could be troublesome on match day too, with chances of a late-afternoon shower.

Stats and trivia

• The last ODI played at the SSC was before the 2011 World Cup, while Bangladesh’s last ODI here was in 2005.
• The rained-out second ODI hurt Bangladesh more as they lost the chance to go up to No. 6 in the ICC ODI rankings. The two teams will retain their places at on the table – Sri Lanka at No. 6 and Bangladesh at No. 7 – regardless of the how the third ODI pans out.

Quotes

“The seniors have responded to [the responsibility of getting a big score] really well. It comes with the belief and maturity of the players. They are really confident in their preparation now.

South Africa Women restricted Sri Lanka Women to 142 for 9 and chased the target down with nine wickets and 83 balls to spare at the P Sara Oval. The big win helped South Africa qualify for the Women’s World Cup to be held in England and Wales from 24 June to 23 July.Lizelle Lee and Laura Wolvaardt laid the platform for the chase with a 46-run opening partnership. The stand ended when Eshani Lokusuriyage had Lee caught by Chamari Atapattu in the ninth over. Wolvaardt and Suné Luus, however, hit unbeaten half-centuries to seal the win.Luus was at it with the ball too, taking 3 for 40 in 10 overs with her legspin. Dane van Niekerk, the other legspinner, complemented her with 2 for 14 in 10 overs, including four maidens. Sri Lanka lost wickets in a heap with only four of their batsmen reaching double-figures. Opener Nipuni Hansika top scored with 48 off 96 balls, including six fours.”It was a very important match for us, not just to qualify but I think for us to keep the pressure off the next game as well,” Luus said after the game. “The pace bowlers set the match up nicely and the batters could just do their job.”Fielding is something we need to improve and we are busy working on it. We are a much better side than we are displaying at the moment. This [qualification] is what we have been working for. I think we are going to celebrate tonight but also not lose sight of what’s coming. We are playing Ireland next and hopefully a final!”File photo – Mithali Raj struck her 43rd ODI fifty•ICC

An unbroken 136-run stand between opener Mona Meshram (78*) and her captain Mithali Raj (73*) helped India Women canter to a nine-wicket victory over Bangladesh Women at the Nondescripts Cricket Club Ground in Colombo. After their bowlers, led by seamer Mansi Joshi’s 3 for 25, limited Bangladesh to 155 for 8, India aced the chase with nearly 100 balls to spare. The win assured India of a spot in the Women’s World Cup.Having opted to bowl, India made light work of the Bangladesh top order thanks to Joshi. Sharmin Akhter (35) and Fargana Hoque (50) then mounted some resistance by adding 62 runs in 140 balls, but the rest of the batting line-up fell away.Deepti Sharma exited early in the chase, but Raj, who made her 43rd ODI half-century, and Meshram, who hit her second ODI half-century, powered India home.Meshram, who the bagged the Player-of-the-match award, said: “Mithali’s experience helps when you bat with her. The pressure is released when she plays her shots.”Fifties from opener Nahida Khan and Javeria Khan led Pakistan Women to 271, a total they defended by 86 runs against Ireland Women at the Colombo cricket ground.Having opted to bat, Pakistan lost Ayesha Zafar early, but Nahida and Javeria took the score to 155 before Javeria retired hurt on 65. She returned to add 25 more to her tally, while Nahida was dismissed for 72. Late cameos from Nain Abidi and captain Sana Mir then pushed the total past 270.In reply, Ireland were bowled out for 185 in 48.5 overs. Their major source of resistance came from a 74-run stand for the second wicket between Cecelia Joyce and Kim Garth. Apart from them, only Isobel Joyce passed 15. Nashra Sandhu, Sana Mir, and Sadia Yousuf picked up two wickets each for Pakistan.

ScorecardElyse Villani struck 73 runs off 47 balls at a strike rate of more than 150•Getty Images

A firecracker of an innings from Elyse Villani set the Australia on the path to a comfortable victory over New Zealandin the opening match of their T20I series at the MCG.Villani’s 73 from a mere 47 deliveries powered the hosts to 151 from their allotted 20 overs, largely in partnership with the captain and reigning Belinda Clark medallist Meg Lanning.New Zealand struggled in response, never threatening to match the required run rate while losing regular wickets. The absence of Ellyse Perry, Australia’s star allrounder, was no great handicap to Lanning’s side, with the young legspinner Amanda-Jade Wellington stepping up admirably with three wickets.The visiting captain Suzie Bates had chosen to send the Australians in to bat upon winning the toss, and the early wickets of Beth Mooney and the debutant Ashleigh Gardner – run out after facing just a single ball – handed the early momentum to the tourists.However Lanning’s composure was important in settling the innings down, avoiding further wickets while building a stand with Villani. So effectively did the pair accelerate that Australia were able to pile up no fewer than 97 runs from their final 11 overs, having been a relatively sedate 2 for 54 after nine overs.New Zealand’s reply began serviceably enough, but from the moment Rachel Priest offered a catch to Lanning off the bowling of Molly Strano they were always pushing up hill. The loss of Bates in the 11th over was a critical blow, and Amy Satterthwaite’s determined rearguard served mainly to reduce the margin of defeat.The second T20I takes place at Geelong’s Kardinia Park on Sunday.

Twenty-year-old Lungi Ngidi, who has taken six wickets in his first two T20 Internationals, has earned a maiden call-up to South Africa’s ODI squad for the first three matches against Sri Lanka, which start on January 28. AB de Villiers, who has not played an ODI for South Africa since June last year, because of an elbow injury, will return to lead the side while Chris Morris, who missed South Africa’s last ODI assignment against Australia in October with a knee problem, is also back.

South Africa squad

AB de Villiers (capt), Hashim Amla, Farhaan Behardien, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Faf du Plessis, Imran Tahir, David Miller, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Lungi Ngidi, Andile Phehlukwayo, Dwaine Pretorius, Kagiso Rabada, Tabraiz Shamsi
In Lungi Ngidi, AB de Villiers, Chris Morris
Out Kyle Abbott, Rilee Rossouw, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn

Kyle Abbott and Rilee Rossouw – who were also part of the 5-0 win over Australia – could not be considered because both have signed Kolpak deals while Dale Steyn remains sidelined as he recovers shoulder surgery.South Africa’s attack is also without Morne Morkel, who has not played for them since June when he sustained a back injury. Morkel has been on the comeback trial since August but his progress has been especially slow and concerns over his future are growing. Left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso was left out in favour of left-arm wrist spinner bowler Tabraiz Shamsi, as South Africa trial combinations ahead of the Champions Trophy.South Africa have 10 ODIs in the next six weeks in preparation for the tournament, followed by three more matches in England in May and convener of selectors Linda Zondi is confident they will be ready. “We can’t ask for more in terms of preparation. Our one-day squad is coming together really nicely and we are especially happy that we have AB de Villiers back as captain,” Zondi told ESPNcricinfo.De Villiers will take over from Faf du Plessis, who led South Africa against Australia and has succeeded de Villiers as Test skipper, with a view to taking the team to the 2019 World Cup which he has described as a “top priority.” So much so that de Villiers had opted out of Test cricket for most of 2017 in order to manage his workload ahead of the next World Cup. CSA CEO Haroon Lorgat confirmed de Villiers will be obliged to play in every ODI leading up to that event.He will hold together a well-oiled batting line-up which will see Hashim Amla, no longer under threat from Rossouw, and Quinton de Kock open while du Plessis, Duminy and David Miller make up the rest of the top six. Farhaan Behardien, who was made T20 captain for the ongoing three-match series against Sri Lanka that will be decided on Wednesday, is the reserve batsman in the squad.South Africa have four allrounders in their squad in Morris, Wayne Parnell, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo and Zondi was particularly excited about the depth they will add. “If you just think back to a few years ago, we were talking about how much we were struggling to move on from Jacques Kallis and how the cupboard was bare, but now we have a lot of choice. The same can be said for the spin department. For the first time in years, we have three or four different players to choose from.”Legspinner Imran Tahir remains South Africa’s No.1 choice but has received assistance from Phangiso in the T20 series and now Shamsi in ODIs. Zondi said Test spinner Keshav Maharaj was also on the radar. “We’re not at all saying Phangiso should only play T20s and Shamsi only ODIs. We just want to see how this combination works out and then we will take it from there,” Zondi said.But the most important experiment will be with the new ball. In Steyn and Morkel’s expected absence, Abbott was being earmarked to open the bowling at the Champions Trophy and Russell Domingo even lamented the lack of time South Africa have to find a suitable replacement when it was revealed Abbott’s international career was over in the first week of January. Now, Ngidi has emerged as a candidate to partner Rabada at the tournament.Ngidi bowls quickly, aggressively and accurately but Zondi does not want to put too much expectation on him just yet. “We need to take it one step at a time with him and see how he develops but we are very pleased with what we have seen so far. To have guys like Ngidi, Dwaine Pretorius and Andile Phehlukwayo coming through proves to us that our pipeline is producing.”

Hyderabad held on after being aided by a fog delay to draw their match against Andhra in Lucknow and seal the second knockout qualification spot from Group C.Hyderabad had gone to stumps on the third day on 13 for 1 after a bold declaration by Andhra – who would have qualified with an outright win – had set them a target of 219. However, the entire first session was lost due to fog on the fourth day and only 40 overs were possible after that. It wasn’t enough for Andhra to force a result even though they made a match of it. by picking five wickets. Hyderabad then shut shop and walked away with the one point they needed to qualify. They were reduced to 36 for 5, but captain S Badrinath and wicketkeeper K Sumanth batted together for nearly 20 overs, and added as many runs, to avoid further damage and take them through.Himachal Pradesh‘s spinners, led by offspinner Gurvinder Singh, took eight wickets between them to dismiss Goa for 286 and set up a seven-wicket win on the last day of the group stage in Mumbai.Gurvinder took four wickets, including that of Darshan Misal (119) who scored his second century of the match. Sumiran Amonkar (55) was the only other batsman to make a significant contribution, but he had fallen in the second over of the day that Goa had begun on 99 for 2. They lost regular wickets as Bipul Sharma (2-36) and Mayank Dagar (2-77) joined Gurvinder in bowling 60.4 of the 84.4 overs Goa batted before being bowled out for 286, setting HP 139 to win.HP went about the chase in similar batting fashion to their first innings – striking at over five runs per over – and chased it down in the 28th over. Paras Dogra led their chase with an unbeaten 55 off 69 balls.Amandeep Khare scored his second century of the match as Chhattisgarh ended their debut season with first-innings points against Jammu & Kashmir in Gwalior. Khare, who was also making his Ranji debut this season, finished as Chhattisgarh’s top-scorer.Chhattisgarh had ended the third day on 101 for 1 having taken a first-innings lead of 128. Their overnight pair of Khare and Manoj Singh (85) extended their partnership to 161, before Manoj was dismissed by Parvez Rasool. Chhattisgarh struck at nearly five runs per over in their bid to set J&K a decent target. Khare completed his century off 79 balls and was unbeaten on 117 off 91 when Chhattisgarh declared on 264 for 3. Set 393, J&K held on for 78 overs, thanks mainly to half-centuries from Shubham Khajuria (72), Pranav Gupta (65) and Rasool (66), three of only four batsmen to score in double digits. Left-arm spinners Sumit Ruikar and Ajay Mandal took three wickets each for Chhattisgarh.Kerala batted through all 64 overs of the day without losing a wicket to secure first-innings points against Services in Delhi.Kerala began the day on 271 for 5, needing 52 more to get past Services’ first-innings total of 322. Overnight batsmen Sachin Baby and Akshay Chandran put on an unbroken 257-run sixth-wicket partnership as both notched up career-best scores. Baby, who had begun the day on 112, was unbeaten on 250 at, while Chandran (102*) raised his maiden century just before Kerala declared on 518 for 5 and stumps were drawn.

New Zealand doesn’t quite have Sri Lanka’s reputation in producing result pitches, but you have to go back seven Tests – to February 2014 – to find the most-recent draw in the country. Little surprise then, that a batting approach gaining credence in Sri Lanka (13 Tests without a draw) may come to be here as well: “get runs before the good ball gets you”.Having mustered only 304 in Christchurch, Pakistan had introspected as they prepared for the Test at Seddon Park. A more adventurous outlook might see them prosper on this pitch, middle-order batsman Asad Shafiq said.”As batsmen we have to play positive and aggressive on this wicket,” he said. “That was missing in the last match. We have to go for some runs, because on a wicket like this it’s very difficult to stop the ball all the time because this kind of wicket seams and swings a bit. It’s just a matter of time until you get a good delivery. Before that you have to take it on.”Perhaps Pakistan have sought to take cues from their top-scorer in Christchurch: Sohail Khan, who hit 40 runs off 39 balls. On similarly difficult pitches, strokemakers have also succeeded in upsetting bowlers’ rhythms – something Pakistan could not do despite having collectively spent 78.4 overs at the crease in the second innings of the first Test.”It’s a lesson that we had learned in the last game – that on these types of wickets we have to spend time, but as soon as we are spending time, we have to score some runs. If we’re not scoring runs, we are standing at the same place – we are not going forward.”Chief among those Pakistan will look to for leadership in this approach is Younis Khan, who made scores of 2 and 1 in the first Test. He averages 51.11 in New Zealand, however, with three half centuries and a 149 not out in 10 innings in the country.”Younis is one of the great batsmen Pakistan has ever produced, and he’s gone through a lot of times in his career like this – when he hasn’t scored runs in the first match, but he always bounces back,” Shafiq said. “He has that ability. I’m sure he will score runs in this match.”Seddon Park will also hold pleasant memories for Shafiq who, in 2011, top-scored in a Pakistan victory at the ground with 83. That had been only his second Test innings.” I remember that innings well – I played good, positive cricket. It feels really good to be back at the same ground. It really helps a lot as a batsman.”

Harbhajan Singh, India’s most successful offspinner at the moment, has opposed the kind of surfaces the team has played on at home over the last ‘four’ years. He’s stated as much in several interviews. He used the hash tag ‘tailor-made conditions for spinners’ while referring to the Indore surface. He went on to say his and Anil Kumble’s wickets tally would have been “something else” if they had bowled more on such pitches. Virat Kohli, to whom the mention of the word ‘pitch’ is a red rag, was told of Harbhajan’s comments after India had completed the whitewash of New Zealand inside four days in Indore.Kohli was then asked if he attributed these wins to pitches or “something else”. “Who made that statement?” Kohli shot back. “Harbhajan Singh,” he was told. “Oh? Okay,” he stopped.It must be mentioned that while the conversation around pitches has been subdued this season because they haven’t been as dramatic as they were against South Africa last season. Kolkata, in fact, was a seaming pitch, which brought the New Zealand fast bowlers into the game. However, Harbhajan’s is the first instance of someone criticising the pitches from inside the system. He is an active cricketer who was a part of the India squad in the Asia Cup played in Bangladesh earlier this year. Kohli refrained from directly reacting to Harbhajan’s statement although he did sound a little taken aback.”Obviously, I mean,” Kohli paused. “See even if it is a turning pitch you have to bowl well. There is no… spin doesn’t happen only off the pitch. Spin is about how many revs you impart off the shoulder first. And then the ball will do something off the pitch. I quite clearly remember after we lost to New Zealand in the World T20, suddenly their spinners were quality and we were found out. I don’t see anyone talking about that now. The same spinners have played. Why have they not been able to pick wickets? It is as simple as that. Our fast bowlers picked wickets everywhere. We never complained about anything. So… see you can give a guy a cement track to bat on. He [still] needs to have the mindset to score runs. It is as simple as that.”Earlier when asked about complete team performances on three different tracks and how much confidence that gives India for the England series, Kohli once spoke about the pitches. “Well, we knew before the series that people are going to start talking about pitches,” Kohli said. “But we made it a point that we… we knew that there are monsoons everywhere, wickets are not going to be as dry. Especially in Kolkata, we knew that it wouldn’t be dry; it was a newly laid wicket. We didn’t say anything once. We believe in our abilities, we should be good enough to do it on any surface and against any team.”That is a step in the right direction as far as our team is concerned. We believe in our skill much more, and not focus on creating atmosphere or conditions that might suit us partially. We just wanted to express ourselves the way we can on a cricket field. We finished two games in four days on perfectly fine Test cricket pitches. That gives us a lot of confidence.”