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ScorecardEd Joyce posted his first hundred for Sussex and the highest score of the Pro Arch Trophy tournament todate as Sussex thrashed Fly Emirates by 171 runs at the Sharjah Cricket Association Stadium.Throughout his 119-ball 128, Joyce remained cool and calm despite temperatures approaching 90 degrees in the middle – that is, until his first rash shot saw him stumped by a couple of yards when aiming for a fourth six. He was third out with 247 on the board. Joyce featured in stands worth 104 in 16 overs with Rory Hamilton-Brown (47) and then a remarkable third-wicket partnership with Chris Nash of 128 in 19 overs against a relatively toothless Emirates attack. All three Sussex batsmen showed excellent stamina and judgement when running between the wickets.”Coming into this tour I was just looking to establish myself with my new team-mates,” said Joyce, who joined Sussex from Middlesex in the off-season. “I’ve never changed clubs before, so it’s all a fresh experience for me, it’s a new bunch of guys who I didn’t know that well, so it’s been good to introduce myself to them and great to get the monkey off my back by getting a big score under my belt.”I’m glad I did that today and if I play in our next couple of games I’d hope to back up this hundred and give myself a bit of a boost going into the season and maybe earn the respect of my new team-mates.”I was pleased with the patience element to this innings today. It’s tempting, particularly when you open the batting, to tryand dictate and dominate, but Rory (Hamilton-Brown) helped me out with that because he played really positively and that took the pressure off me. I just played my own game.”After Joyce’s demise, Nash took up the attacking mantle to clatter 120 from just 84 balls including seven fours and five sixes, one of which sailed over the Western Union Stand and out onto Airport Road that skirts this stadium of faded grandeur. Nash’s second 50 came from only 25 balls and though he perished soon afterwards, Sussex were already well on their way to an impressive 50-over total of 361 for 6 – a record for this event which is celebrating its third year.Fly Emirates, a team of amateur cricketers who all work for the airline of the same name, went gung ho in pursuit of the 7.2 an overasking rate but lost wickets at regular intervals as a result of their laissez-faire. Acting captain James Kirtley snuck through with two early wickets and then introduced spin at both ends to tease out the rest. Chris Beer, the young legspinner, took 2 for 34 whileNash completed a fine day by taking 2 for 11.

After struggling through the domestic season and missing the home series against West Indies, the good times are back for Chris Martin. When Yuvraj Singh edged him to Tim McIntosh at second slip, Martin became the fifth New Zealand bowler to take 150 Test wickets. He took two more before the end of the day to finish with figures of 3 for 89 and give New Zealand an excellent chance of levelling the series.Looking back at the landmark, Martin said he didn’t expect to get an opportunity this season after question-marks about his form. “Sort of around December I wasn’t thinking that I would be able to get back and get another crack at it. I suppose the graft this summer has been to get on the park against India and do well,” said Martin.He indicated the pitch in Napier did offer some assistance and that the new ball had proved to be crucial. “I think with the new ball occasionally you get one to stand up and do a little bit more than perhaps with the older ball,” he said. “But I think it’s still a pretty good wicket, the odd one I suppose is a little bit low or little bit high, but I don’t think that’s going to come into play yet.”The way the modern player plays is to hit boundaries, and it’s the same with the Indian batsmen. If you put it full enough and out there, they back their ability to hit it to the boundary. I suppose you have got be a little bit more calculative, take your time, and make sure you have got used to the conditions before you play those shots. The new ball definitely put some doubt in the players’ minds.”He believed the big difference in the New Zealand side between the first Test in Hamilton and Napier had been the maturity level in batting. “It’s given everyone a huge life to watch three guys [Jesse Ryder, Ross Taylor and Brendon McCullum] play with the level of confidence and maturity and actually stay at the crease for that amount of time. That has been the major difference, and any side that’s coming in, perhaps with 600 to chase, is going to find it a little bit more tough.He also praised the spin department and their part in edging New Zealand closer to their first Test win in Napier. “[The spinners were] exceptionally important. Dan [Vettori] basically attacks and Jeetan [Patel] operates the same way. If you can keep a quality player from getting his fix from the boundary, it puts a lot of pressure on him. The scoreboard doesn’t go anywhere. When you do pick up wickets, it tends to stagnate sides. I am pretty sure tomorrow will be the same plan and keep the pressure on.”Martin said that despite the heavy defeat in Hamilton, the players still believed they could turn it around before the start of the second Test. “There was belief, but to actually go and do it, and to actually have the best of last three days, is something we all aspire to do,” he said. “We are half there. The hard graft is to actually back it up tomorrow.”

ScorecardLeicestershire managed to secure a creditable draw against the West Indians as Boeta Dippenaar followed up the battling efforts of two young English batsmen on the final day at Grace Road. Matthew Boyce and Josh Cobb both hit half-centuries before the middle order wobbled against Sulieman Benn, but Dippenaar held firm during the final session.While victory would have been a pleasant boost for the West Indians it was of secondary importance to preparing for the Test series with a proper work-out. Although Leicestershire rested a number of key players they provided decent opposition during the three days and their resistance to save the match meant the visiting bowlers earned an extended run.Boyce and Cobb, 23 and 18 respectively, added 104 for the second wicket and managed to see out most of the morning session. Boyce wasn’t always convincing, twice edge wide of gully, and should have been caught at second slip on 33 but Darren Sammy spilled the chance. He finally fell shortly before lunch when he got a leading edge into the covers off Lendl Simmons’ medium pace.Cobb reached his fifty before the break but fell in the first over of the afternoon session when he edged Benn to Denesh Ramdin. It looked as though Leicestershire’s hard work was unravelling when James Taylor edged Benn to slip with the deficit still not erased and Jim Allenby unlikely to bat due to a side strain.However, Dippenaar and Wayne White added 51 to eat into the remaining time before White edged to the keeper shortly before tea to keep the tourists interested. But the bowlers couldn’t wrap up the innings and set up a brief chase during the final session as they failed to dislodge Dippenaar who batted for more than three hours. When Carl Crowe fell to Sammy the lead was 76 and by the time Dippenaar and Jaik Naik carried it into three figures both captains shook hands.The West Indians now continue their preparations for the Test series with another three-day game against Essex, at Chelmsford, which starts on Saturday.

Gavin Hamilton’s England career was a brief and inglorious affair as he bagged a pair on his only Test against South Africa, at Johannesburg, in 1999. However, he has long since put that part of his life behind him is now gearing up for another chance to get one over the Auld Enemy as Scotland prepare for the ICC World Twenty20.Hamilton will lead Scotland in their warm-up game against England, at Trent Bridge on Tuesday, knowing that a strong performance can help raise the profile of the game. “It is as big as it gets,” he said. “Any Scotland-England game, no matter what sport it is, is always a huge event.”The Scotland boys are all really excited about it and it’s a great incentive because we don’t get many opportunities so, when it comes along, the performance levels are raised and the work ethic always goes up.”It is a national thing and Scotland is a very proud country no matter what they’re getting involved in. Scotland performing and doing well against England can only be good for the sport.”It has been a difficult time for Scotland recently after they failed to qualify for the 2011 World Cup, finishing outside the top four at the Qualifiers in South Africa, and on the eve of this tournament there is further unrest in the camp after John Blain walked out.Coupled with those problems is a lack of experience of Twenty20 cricket – they took part in the 2007 Twenty20 World Cup but one game was washed out – and they have had to quickly hone their skills in the days leading up to this event.”We always lack continuity as a side for obvious reasons, such as people working, which means we have probably learned more over the last two or three days than we have over a couple of years,” he said. “For us, it is literally getting some good fixtures against some good players at some good venues and exposing the non full-time players to these kind of games, which is absolutely crucial.”Three Scotland players – Ryan Watson, Dewald Nel, Gordon Goudie – have full-time contracts, but Hamilton works for Caledonian Breweries meaning he has to squeeze his cricket training in during evenings and weekends.”At the moment, guys are going to work Monday to Friday, playing club cricket against 70-mile-per-hour bowlers on a Saturday, then turning up on a Sunday and playing against the world’s best,” he said. “It is not ideal preparation and people tend to lose sight of what guys are up against when they’re in the Scotland side. The more games we play the better we are going to be.”

England’s Twenty20 wicketkeeper James Foster has promised to stay patient and wait for further opportunities after the disappointment of missing out on a place in England’s training squad ahead of next month’s Ashes.Foster spent seven years in the international wilderness before his surprise call-up for England’s recent World Twenty20 campaign, but the quality of his glovework caught the eye during an otherwise disappointing showing, in particular his quicksilver stumping of Yuvraj Singh at a critical moment of their must-win contest in the Super Eights stage at Lord’s.While there was never any prospect of Foster usurping Matt Prior in England’s Ashes line-up, a place in the Lions squad to face Australia in their final warm-up at New Road from July 1-4 seemed a logical reward for his efforts. Instead, that spot has gone to Worcestershire’s Steve Davies, with Prior’s current Test understudy, Tim Ambrose, lining up for Warwickshire in a three-day warm-up game against England at Edgbaston.But Foster, who slotted straight back into Championship action for his county on the morning after England’s elimination from the World Twenty20, is phlegmatic about the snub. “It would have been nice to get into one of those squads of some nature, but it wasn’t to be,” he told Cricinfo. “To play against Australia, the best team in the world, would have been a lovely opportunity. But for now, for myself, it’s just about putting in solid performances for Essex and carrying on pushing my case.”Foster’s five appearances in the Twenty20 tournament were his first in England colours since the Ashes series of 2002-03, when he played the last of his 11 Tests in the penultimate match of the series at Melbourne.”I was absolutely thrilled to be involved in such a high-profile event, it is something I’ve wanted for a long time,” he said. “I was given that chance, and to play against the best players in the world was an amazing experience. I thoroughly enjoyed it and I wanted it to go on and on and on. But unfortunately we didn’t quite get past West Indies.”Nevertheless, Foster made quite an impression during his time in the team. Though his late-order batting left something to be desired, with a disappointing tally of 37 runs from 32 balls, the speed and reliability of his glovework proved a vital foil for England’s spinners, and reignited the debate about the place of specialist wicketkeepers in the modern game.”Twenty20 is a format I’ve played a fair bit in the last few years,” Foster said. “In 50-over and first-class cricket, you build up confidence and rhythm by taking a lot of balls, but as a wicketkeeper in Twenty20s, you don’t take that many, so it can be quite tricky. You know, especially when the spinners are on, that the first time you take the ball, it may well be a chance. But that sort of pressure environment is something I enjoy being involved in.”One such pivotal moment, against India at Lord’s, effectively sealed the match for England when, with the hard-hitting Yuvraj Singh looking ominous on 17 from eight deliveries, Graeme Swann tempted him out of his crease with a full-flighted delivery, and Foster whipped off the bails in a split-second.”When I stand up to seam or spin, I’m always very alert, because I know a chance might come,” Foster said. “It’s about being switched on and training yourself to be ready for when the batsman misses the ball. As it was, Swanny bowled a beauty that lured Yuvraj into the drive, and he dragged the back foot out of the crease. It was just a matter of myself doing the rest – it was really down to Swanny for executing his skills.”As far as Foster is concerned, Twenty20 cricket is far more skilful than it is often given credit for. “When it came in domestically people thought it would be happy-go-lucky, with everybody just having a slog, but it’s by no means like that at all,” he said. “You have to put your skills to the test earlier than you might in 50-over cricket, but it is still all about cricket shots. There will be improvisation and premeditation at times, but it is about being still at the crease, knowing your areas, and knowing where you can score.”If any single factor is likely to have led to Foster being overlooked for the Lions squad, it is his batting, which proved unable to break the shackles effectively in the closing stages of England’s innings in the World Twenty20. “I thought it went okay, but it would have been nice to score a few more boundaries,” he said, “coming in in those last few overs.”But the bowlers I faced were very consistent. They knew their areas, and it was difficult to get the ball away at times. In the last few overs the bowlers really came into their own with all their tricks – yorkers, bumpers, slower-ball bumpers. Batsmen will still have their moments and smack the odd boundary, but I think throughout the tournament the bowlers were very effective in the lower end of an innings.”For the time being, however, Foster is back with Essex, and once again awaiting his opportunity to impress in international cricket. “Personally, I’ve had seven years to improve my batting and wicketkeeping, but it’s all down to taking your chance in a pressurised environment,” he said. “If I get my chance at any stage in the future, I’ll definitely back myself and hopefully put into practice what I’ve worked very hard on in the last few years.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
On a rainy day on a sluggish pitch after a delayed start, Bangladesh reached a comfortable 42 without loss against a second-string West Indies attack before the rain returned to end the proceedings.Tamim Iqbal and Imrul Kayes, the left-handed openers, carefully negotiated a pretty good opening spell from Tino Best and the aggressive Kemar Roach as they eased themselves in.Tamim had a rush of blood in the first over when he slashed a full delivery over second slip but that was the only error from him as he put his head down and started to play the ball on its merit. Kayes was tested by a few bouncers from Roach and Best before he started to find his timing. He got off the mark on the 11th ball he faced before he unfurled couple of square-driven boundaries to get going. His best shot, and the shot of the morning, came against Roach when he stepped forward to square drive aerially over point.For their part, the makeshift attack began well, with Best and Roach managing to squeeze some bounce out of this slow track. The pitch didn’t offer any help to the seamers but they bent their back, hit the right areas and used the bouncers intelligently to test the batsmen.However, once they were taken off the attack – with the medium-pacers Darren Sammy and Dave Bernard in operation – started to look pedestrian. The pitch also appeared benign when rain intervened again to force an early tea.Once the game resumed Sammy started to used the moisture-laden track to seam the ball around and pose couple of uncomfortable moments to the batsmen before a torrential downpour prevented the game from continuing further on day one.

Division One

4th day
Carl Hopkinson reached his century on the final day at Edgbaston as Sussex’s rain-hit match against Warwickshire ended in a draw. Hopkinson was 64 overnight – and Sussex on 276 for 4 – and he carried on to reach 119 after losing his partner Luke Wright for 71. Andy Hodd remained unbeaten on 59 and Sussex declared on 429 for 8 with a first-innings lead of 22. Warwickshire lost opener Ian Westwood early but Ian Bell, who failed in the first innings, scored 55 to steer the hosts to 97 for 2 at the close.1st day
The bowlers ran amok at Old Trafford as Worcestershire first collapsed to 172 all out followed by Lancashire’s crumbling to 119 for 8 at stumps. The damage was done largely due to swing and pitch inspector Mike Denness was happy with the surface. Sajid Mahmood and Kyle Hogg took three wickets apiece as Worcestershire were hindered by a steady fall of wickets. Steve Davies’ 39 and Vikram Solanki’s 35 were the top scores of the innings and Worcestershire lost their last eight wickets for 101 runs. Lancashire fared worse, their out-of-form batting order ripped apart by Michael Mason and Ashley Noffke. Mal Loye’s 24 is the top score of the innings so far and Mason took the lion’s share of the wickets – 5 for 19 – while Noffke claimed 3 for 42. Mason’s first over went for 14, but his next 13 went for a miserly five as he trapped three batsman leg before and claimed two through edges into the cordon. It will be up to Glen Chapple, unbeaten on 22, to take the hosts as close as possible to Worcestershire’s total.An unbeaten century from James Hildreth took Somerset to a position of strength – 368 for 6 – at the end of the first day against Hampshire at Taunton. The visitors also had to content with injury problems as they lost Nic Pothas to a groin strain and Sean Ervine took a blow on his finger in the slips. Pothas’ injury meant John Crawley had to take the gloves before Tom Burrows, the second eleven keeper, arrived. Somerset lost Marcus Trescothick relatively early, at 38 for 1, but were steadied by contributions all the way down the order. Arul Suppiah, the other opener, made 52 while Justin Langer made 30. Hildreth, however, was the rock of the innings with 124 off 176 balls while Peter Trego, fresh from his heroics against Yorkshire, smacked 50 off 52 balls. His was the last wicket to fall shortly before play was stopped by bad light.Click here for John Ward’s report on the first day’s play between Yorkshire v Durham at Headingley.

Division Two

4th day
The batsmen picked up easy runs at at Northampton as the match between Northamptonshire and Derbyshire meandered to a draw. Resuming on 371 for 4 on the final day, Derbyshire soon wiped out their deficit and reached 502 for 9 before declaring with a first-innings lead of 69. Wavell Hinds was dismissed for 148 after adding 15 to his overnight score but James Pipe scored a brisk 63 off 70 balls. Northamptonshire’s openers added 98 in the second innings with Stephen Peters scoring an unbeaten 64 while Ben Howgego was dismissed for 36. The hosts reached 104 for 1 before stumps.Hashim Amla displayed all his class during a match-saving 181 at Chelmsford, an innings that secured a draw for Essex after Glamorgan had begun the day well-poised for victory. Amla, resuming his innings on 44 with Essex still trailing by 183 with six wickets in hand, hit 26 fours in his innings as the visitors paid for dropping him at short leg on 78. Amla and James Foster added 142 for the fifth wicket, a partnership that cut the deficit to 89, before Foster was bowled by Jamie Dalrymple for 64. Glamorgan’s small opening was slammed shut by Ryan ten Doeschate, who forged a 153-run alliance with Amla, one that gave Essex the lead. Amla was eventually lbw to Robert Croft, the victim of the drop earlier in the day, with the score on 379 for 6 but ten Doeschate carried on and was unbeaten on 88.1st day
Sixteen wickets tumbled on the first day between Middlesex and Leicestershire at Grace Road and by the end of it, the hosts were battling for a first-innings lead after skittling out the visitors for 159. Iain O’Brien celebrated his birthday by ripping through the Middlesex batting order by taking 6 for 39, his second consecutive six-wicket haul. Eoin Morgan and Dawid Malan were the only batsmen to pass 20 in the Middlesex innings: Morgan was caught off O’Brien for 30, while Malan remained unbeaten on 67. Leicestershire’s batsmen didn’t fare any better and the trouble started at the top when Steve Finn trapped opener Matthew Boyce for a duck and they crumbled to 53 for 5. Opener Josh Cobb, continuing the form that brought him a double century for England Under-19s last week, held up one end with an unbeaten 65 and was aided by Tom New was they added 73 for the sixth wicket. He was dismissed by Shaun Udal shortly before stumps as the visitors ended the day on 137 for 6.Several Surrey batsmen got starts but only two – Michael Brown and Mark Ramprakash – converted them into half-centuries as the hosts ended the first day against Kent on 342 for 8 at at The Oval. Surrey made a solid start after choosing to bat with their openers adding 105 before both Jonathan Batty and Brown fell in quick succession, leaving the score 114 for 2. Ramprakash was as solid as ever but missed out on his 107th first-class hundred when he was caught in the slips when Justin Kemp found some extra bounce. Before Ramprakash’s dismissal, Surrey were comfortably placed on 255 for 3 but they slipped thereafter to 275 for 6 as Kent’s bowlers chipped away. After Usman Afzaal fell for 46 off 133 balls, Surrey progressed to 329 for 6 before James Tredwell struck twice to dismiss Chris Jordan and Alex Tudor and brought Kent back into the match.

Paul Sheldon, the Surrey chief executive, has tempered speculation of a Mark Ramprakash recall and suggestions the ECB could influence the character of The Oval pitch for the Ashes decider. Reports that Ramprakash could make a return to the Test arena after a seven-year absence gathered momentum on Monday after Geoff Miller, England’s chairman of selectors, refused to rule out the 39-year-old batsman.Ramprakash, ever the model of first-class consistency, has scored 1,209 runs at 100.75 for Surrey in the county second division this season, including scores of 80 and 130 not out in his most recent match against Derbyshire. As of Monday evening, more than 47 percent of readers surveyed by Cricinfo rated Ramprakash a superior option at No. 3 to Ravi Bopara (19 percent), Rob Key (18 percent) and Ian Bell (14 percent), however Sheldon was not confident of a one-off call-up for the 52-Test veteran.”I think it’s very unlikely that the selectors will turn in that direction,” Sheldon told Cricinfo. “Mark has probably been the most complete county player on the circuit for the past two or three seasons, and this year he is in the form of his life. He would do England proud if they picked him, but I think it is unlikely it will work out that way and Mark would probably agree with that assessment. If it were to happen, I’m sure he would so his country, his county and himself proud. But I think Mark would be reluctant to comment on speculate on what might happen.”From August 20, The Oval will play host to the most talked about 22-yard stretch of real estate in the greater London area. Nothing short of a victory will do for England in their bid to wrest back the Ashes from Australia, and recent history bodes well for them in their task. Only three draws have been recorded in the past 13 Test matches at The Oval, and England’s record at the venue since 2000 stands at six wins and three draws.Results of Cricinfo’s survey as of Monday evening•Getty Images

Of some concern is Surrey’s home record this year – four draws from as many first class matches – moving Mike Atherton and Nasser Hussain to comment on the likelihood of England’s authorities pressing for a “result wicket”. Atherton, writing in The Times, said the “call must be made” to produce a pitch that will assist England in their pursuit victory, while Hussain noted “England would want an absolute dustbowl that turns from day one if they want a result.”Sheldon, however, insisted neither he nor his head groundsman, Bill Gordon, would be swayed by the requirements of the England team in producing the pitch for the fifth Test.”Before a Test we always have a good chat with the ECB, and their pitch inspector has a look at the wicket,” he said. “This has been a pitch that favours the bat for the first few days and takes spin later. I am not sure if the ECB have anything in mind, but we will do what we always do. I expect The Oval will play host to another fine contest of bat versus ball.”You can’t compare a Test strip with a four-day one. There is more time and less interruptions to prepare a Test strip. There have been difficulties in getting results here in Championship matches this season, but I believe that is irrelevant to what the Test strip will play like.”

Leicestershire’s 19-year-old batsman, James Taylor, has been named as the Cricket Writers’ Club Young Cricketer of the Year, after a prolific season in which he has scored 1,177 first-class runs in 16 matches at an average of 58.85.That haul included three hundreds and six fifties, with a highest score of 207 not out against Surrey at The Oval in July.The award, which is in its 60th year, is given to players under the age of 23 on 1 May of that year. Former winners include Fred Trueman, Peter May and Stuart Broad, whom Taylor pushed into second place in the poll.Geoff Cook, the Durham coach, took the Peter Smith award for presentation of cricket to the public.

Gautam Gambhir, Delhi Daredevils’ newly appointed captain, has disagreed with the view that IPL sides are at a disadvantage in the Champions League Twenty20 because, unlike other teams who play as a group throughout the year, their players get together only for franchise tournaments.Ray Jennings, the Royal Challengers Bangalore coach, had predicted a tough road for the three IPL teams and stressed about the quality of the opposition, which he felt would be different. While it was a challenge to work on team strategies in such a short period, Gambhir was confident because many of his senior players had been playing international cricket. “Most of our international players have been playing one-day cricket and are in very good nick and that can be used to our advantage,” he said.Despite the absence of AB de Villiers, who withdrew due to a back injury, and concerns over the availability of Paul Collingwood, who suffered a buttock strain in the ICC Champions Trophy, Delhi still have a formidable top order in Virender Sehwag, Tillkaratne Dilshan and Gambhir.David Saker, Delhi’s coach, was confident about his side’s prospects. “Losing AB is a big loss but we probably have got the best two or three batters in any form of the game – Viru [Sehwag], GG [Gambhir]and Dilshan,” Saker said. He said the fielding was the only department where Delhi would miss the agility of de Villiers.Delhi open their campaign against Victoria on October 9 and it could be an interesting duel between the two coaches: Greg Shipperd is Delhi’s head coach in the IPL and Saker, Victoria’s bowling coach, is his deputy. But Shipperd will guide Victoria’s fortunes in the Champions League while Saker temporarily fills in his Delhi role. Asked if Shipperd might pass on some valuable inputs to Victoria, Gambhir said the possibility did not bother him. “It is going to be even as we’ve got David Saker, who will pass on some information about Victoria players. So it is going to be good contest when you have two coaches who know each and every thing about every player.”Saker said the injury concerns to some of the international players had only opened doors for the Indian domestic players to rise to the challenge and get noticed. “Mithun Manhas and Rajat Bhatia have been waiting for an opportunity and now with these injuries there is a chance that they will come in and play a major role,” Saker said.