Abdur Rehman finished with match figures of 14 for 101 as Somerset clinched runners-up spot in Division One

13-Sep-2012
ScorecardAbdur Rehman finished with match figures of 14 for 101 as Somerset clinched runners-up spot in Division One with victory over relegated Worcestershire by an innings and 148 runs at Taunton.Rehman took 5 for 36 as the visitors stumbled to 152 all out in their second innings, Alexei Kervezee top-scoring with 76 and Peter Trego claiming his 50th first-class wicket of the season.The hosts took 23 points to Worcestershire’s two as their players guaranteed themselves a share in a £162,000 cheque for finishing second behind champions Warwickshire.Somerset had batted on at the start of the day before declaring their first innings on 512 for 9, with a lead of 300. Nick Compton finished unbeaten on 155, just six short of 1,500 first-class runs. Compton, who faced 322 balls and hit 15 fours and a six, was left with a first-class average of 99.60 when the declaration came. Six more runs would have left him averaging 100.Moeen Ali returned figures of 4 for 143, but by far the best Worcestershire bowler was Alan Richardson, who claimed his 500th first-class victim when pinning Alfonso Thomas lbw for 17, and finished with 4 for 100 from 41 overs.A three-day finish always looked likely and Worcestershire lost two wickets in scoring 39 before lunch. Phil Hughes edged Trego to wicketkeeper Steve Snell and Daryl Mitchell was caught at slip off Rehman.The Hughes wicket sparked wild celebrations among the fielders as they all mobbed Trego for whom it was a notable milestone in his career. The 31-year-old all-rounder had never threatened to take 50 wickets before, but has bowled more overs than ever for Somerset because of injuries this season.After lunch there was a predictable procession of batsmen. Thomas trapped Neil Pinner leg before for 14 and Craig Overton struck in his first over as Marcus Trescothick took a sharp catch at second slip to send back Moeen for 24.Rehman then produced perfectly pitched turning deliveries to bowl Aneesh Kapil and Brett D’Olivera, both pushing forward defensively, before Ben Cox fell to a brilliant catch at mid-wicket by Arul Suppiah as he pulled a short ball from Steve Kirby.It was 129 for 8 when Chris Russell was snapped up at leg-slip by Trego off a Rehman arm-ball, having made only a single. Kervezee stood defiant, reaching his half-century off 64 balls with six fours, although he was steadily running out of partners as Nick Harrison played on to Thomas and departed for a duck.Kervezee was the last wicket to fall, pouched at slip by Trescothick off Man-of-the-Match Rehman.

Tim Bresnan said that Kevin Pietersen’s return for his first England appearance in almost three months was no different to having a player come back into the side following an injury

ESPNcricinfo staff30-Oct-2012Tim Bresnan said that Kevin Pietersen’s return for his first England appearance in almost three months, after a destabilising episode that threatened to see the batsman cast into the international wilderness, was no different to having a player come back into the side following an injury.Pietersen was part of the England XI taking on India A in a three-day tour match and took a catch off Bresnan’s bowling to help remove Ajinkya Rahane in the first session. Pietersen last featured for England in the second Test against South Africa at Headingley at the start of August but Bresnan described his team-mate as the “same old Kev” and said it was good to have him back.”For the lads it’s nothing different to having a player come back to the squad who has been missing for a while,” Bresnan said. “There’s not been much made of it. Everyone in the know of what’s being going on, they’ve sat down and spoke about things and I guess a few of the senior players have spoken, but for the rest of the boys it’s pretty much been like having someone who’s been injured come back in the side, it’s not been exceptionally different.”It’s been the same old Kev. The energy in the field he showed today, all day, it was just Kev to be honest. It’s been good.”Despite losing Steven Finn to a thigh problem early in the day, England’s bowlers made regular breakthroughs after being asked to bowl in their first tour outing. Bresnan was the pick of the attack, with 3 for 59, while Graeme Swann also picked up three wickets as India A closed on 369 for 9, Manoj Tiwary top-scoring with 93.”Overs under the belt is key in warm-up games, especially when we’re playing Twenty20 cricket for quite a spell over the last month or so,” Bresnan said. “So definitely, get a day out there, get a day in the legs, a day in the field.Tim Bresnan was England’s most successful bowler on day one against India A•AFP

“You can get value for your shots out there, if it’s past the infield, it’s pretty much four. There’s not much margin for error short or full so I think that’s a bit of rustiness but you expect that first day out.”They played nicely, Tiwary played lovely but it seems like a nice wicket to bat on and obviously we’ll know more after we have a go on it but it wasn’t doing particularly much. And they dug in for a partnership when the going was good so that’s part of what cricket’s about.”The biggest stand of the day came when Tiwary put on 110 with Irfan Pathan for the seventh wicket. Tiwary was eventually the eighth man out, the first of two in two deliveries for Bresnan, who said that he had enjoyed bowling with the SG ball. “We’ve been using them a bit in Dubai the last couple of day,” he said. “I like the balls here, they’re nice to bowl with, swing a bit early on and reverse a bit later on, the spinners like them. It’s a lot like a Dukes, but not a Dukes.”

Graeme Swann, England’s premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15.

George Dobell07-Nov-2012Graeme Swann, England’s premier spinner, has flown home ahead of the final tour match against Haryana to spend time with his daughter who is unwell. He is expected to return before the first Test on November 15 in Ahmedabad.”This is a personal matter and we would ask for everyone to give Graeme and his family privacy. We will not be making any further comment at this time,” the ECB said in a statement.The development means England will be without three of their first choice four-man attack in the final warm-up match ahead of the first Test against India with Stuart Broad and Steven Finn both suffering from injury.Neither Broad or Finn are expected to play in the match against Haryana that starts on Thursday, meaning that, even if they recover in time for the Test that starts on November 15, they will have had very little preparation. Finn, who has a thigh strain, managed just four overs in the first warm-up match before he was forced from the pitch, while Broad, who has a bruised heel, missed the first game and bowled only 10 overs in the second. Finn’s injury is thought to be the more serious and he must be considered most unlikely to play in the first Test.England may also decide to rest James Anderson for the final warm-up match. Anderson, Broad and Finn were expected to play as part of a three-man seam attack in the Test series. With Anderson, who has played in both of the first two matches, the last man standing, his importance to the team has grown even further. England have called-up Surrey fast bowler Stuart Meaker as back-up and it is likely that he will come into the team to play Haryana. Graham Onions and Tim Bresnan are the other seamers with the squad.”It’s unlikely that Broad or Finn will be considered for this game,” Graham Gooch, England’s batting coach said. “They’ve both got injuries, and I don’t think they’re going to be ready for this game.”With a bruised heel, it is something that can be very annoying and can take time to clear up. You’ve got to see how it goes each day, whether it gets better with the rest – keep checking it and see how it comes on. There’s no other way of going about it really.”There was better news for England in the form of Kevin Pietersen. England were given a day-off on Wednesday, but Pietersen was among three players – Meaker and Samit Patel were the others – to take advantage of some extra batting practise. Certainly Gooch has been impressed by Pietersen’s determination to prove his worth upon his return to the team.With fences mended and differences made up, Pietersen’s determination is renewed and his motivation high. “I know Kevin is focused,” Gooch said. “I’ve seen the way he’s been practising. A fit and strong Kevin Pietersen is a player to be reckoned with.”He’s looking forward. What’s in the past is in the past. The only thing that counts is what’s in the future – what he’s going to do, how he’s going to interact with the team, what sort of performances he’s looking to give.”I don’t think it’s an issue with Kevin. All the things have been done and dusted. From my conversations with him and from the way he is working, he’s looking forward to this tour.”While it is anticipated that England’s batsmen will face a trial by spin in India, Gooch is taking nothing for granted against India’s seam attack. But as well as preparing batsmen for the cricketing challenges, the England management also prepared them for the noise and hostility they anticipate by playing crowd noise from loudspeakers and the team psychologist, Mark Bawden, occupying the net next to the batsmen and testing their ability to ignore distractions by clapping, appealing and shouting.”We’re not majoring on spin,” Gooch said. “That’s not the only type of bowling we’re going to face. They’ve got two very good opening bowlers, two out of three from Umesh Yadav, Zaheer Khan or Ishant Sharma, and two spinners.”Our build-up has gone to plan. People have got runs; there’s been some wickets. Some of our players have learned a little bit in the couple of weeks we’ve been here.”Nowadays, when you are trying to stimulate players with training, you come up with different ideas. There’s a bit of noise there, a little idea to make it slightly different. You’re looking to motivate, to push the players to get the very best out of them. You come up with different ideas. It’s not a major thing, just something that’s a little bit different.”I think coming to India is one of the greatest challenges. It’s a wonderful place to play cricket. The enthusiasm for the game – with the advent of the IPL – has created even more excitement. We know India are a top side in their own country. Not long ago they were rated number one, and you don’t do that without putting on consistent performances. But we’ve come here to win the series; we’ve not come here to make up the numbers.”While only one new face – probably Nick Compton – is anticipated in the team for the first Test, there is likely to be an opportunity for another specialist batsmen in the second Test with Ian Bell expected to return to England to be present at the birth of his first child.”It’s going to be quite a difficult selection,” Gooch said. “Our guys are pretty much all experienced Test players: Alastair Cook; Jonathan Trott; Kevin Pietersen; Ian Bell and Matt Prior. There will be maybe one new face.”Nick Compton and Joe Root are two very good players, obviously at different levels of their career. One has been in the first-class game for quite a while. Compton has gained experience and found his mark. He has found the way he can score runs and been very successful over the last couple of years for Somerset.”The other lad is obviously a young, exciting player. He has a good technique from what I’ve seen – this is the first time I’ve seen him close up – and he bowls a bit. So it’s going to be quite a difficult selection.”Then you’ve got Eoin Morgan, Jonny Bairstow, Samit Patel all bidding for places. But I like competition for places. You want that. You want people to be putting their hand up and saying ‘I want that place in the side’.”

Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December

Firdose Moonda13-Dec-2012Faf du Plessis will lead South Africa in the three Twenty20 internationals against New Zealand in December. AB de Villiers, South Africa’s regular limited-overs captain, is part of the squad but won’t captain because his workload will be managed over the summer.The T20 squad has four new players, including a new wicketkeeper to relieve de Villiers of his burden. Quinton de Kock, who turns 20 on Monday and was part of South Africa’s most recent under-19 World Cup squad, will don the gloves.De Kock is seen as one of the options for a permanent wicketkeeper to replace Mark Boucher in all formats. “We need to find a long-term solution because ultimately we [want] to find a top-six batter in the mould of an Adam Gilchirst to do the job in Tests,” Andrew Hudson, convenor of selectors, told ESPNCricinfo.”AB may eventually end up batting No.4 in Tests, when Jacques Kallis is not around, and if he has to take on a more senior batting role, we will need someone else to keep. It will be nice to try Quinton out – he has shown glimpses of talent and we are going to have a look at him in the shorter versions. But, that’s not to say to the other keepers in the country that we have passed them by, the door is still very much open.”But it seems to have closed on Thami Tsolekile. Lions’ gloveman was nationally contracted in February and touted as Boucher’s replacement, but has not played since then. A source close to team management said Tsolekile would be given a run against New Zealand, but the selectors have decided otherwise. He travelled to England and Australia but was left out of the Test squad, which was also named today.Despite all indications to the contrary, Hudson said Tsolekile remains in the plans. “He has not fallen out of favour. If anything were to happen to AB, he will play.” De Villiers has had a history of lower-back problems which recurred after the England series in August, but he has declared himself fully fit.

South Africa squads

Twenty20 squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Farhaan Behardien, Henry Davids, Quinton de Kock, AB de Villiers, Rory Kleinveldt, Richard Levi, David Miller, Morne Morkel, Chris Morris, Wayne Parnell, Robin Peterson, Aaron Phangiso, Dale Steyn, Lonwabo Tsotsobe.

Test squad: Graeme Smith (capt), Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers, Faf du Plessis, Dean Elgar, Jacques Kallis, Rory Kleinveldt, Morne Morkel, Alviro Petersen, Robin Peterson, Vernon Philander, Jacques Rudolph, Dale Steyn.

He played for Titans in their one-day cup playoff match on Sunday, and although he admitted to being “a bit stiff,” he maintained that he experienced no pain. In fact, he said being in the field in that match (Heino Kuhn had the gloves) was harder on his body than wicketkeeping.He will have to embrace fielding in the shorter formats though, with de Kock set to take over that role as part of a more youthful T20 squad. Richard Levi has been retained in the squad but with Hashim Amla rested, could open the batting with du Plessis or new-comer Henry Davids. The Titans limited-overs captain made a name for himself during the Champions League T20 as an aggressive batsman and is second on the one-day cup batting charts.The CLT20 also shone a spotlight on left-arm spinner Aaron Phangiso. He finished as the joint second highest wicket-taker and bowled miserly spells for the Lions. Phangiso has been picked as an additional slow-bowling option to Robin Peterson. Johan Botha, who has relocated to Australia, was not considered for selection.The Lions reached the final of the Champions League Twenty20, and will also play in the final of the one-day cup, so it’s no surprise that their players are getting recognition. Allrounder Chris Morris, who travelled with the South African squad for the unofficial T20 tri-series in Zimbabwe in June, is also part of the national squad. Morris, also a big hitter, has bowled consistently in the mid-140kph this season and is the only fast-bowling all-rounder in the squad.Wayne Parnell, who has been working on his batting, is also in the squad along with fellow left-arm seamer Lonwabo Tsotsobe. There has been a recall for middle-order batsman David Miller in the absence of the injured JP Duminy.Hudson said South Africa will use the series against New Zealand to concentrate on their combinations, with an eye on the 2014 World Twenty20. “The mix is going to be key. There will be some of the older players that maybe we will move on from. Going into the tournament in two years’ time, we want to have a mix of core and some youngsters. We need some flair and we need to bring something different to the party as opposed to just a regular side,” he said.The Test squad, though, is focused on consistency, with the same squad that defeated Australia in Perth retained for the two fixtures against New Zealand. Jacques Rudolph, who was dropped for the final match, has been picked but is unlikely to play. “We will probably look to play Dean [Elgar] and Jacques is the reserve batsman,” Hudson said.The only casualty besides Tsolekile is legspinner Imran Tahir, whose performance in Adelaide has left him needing to do some soul searching. Tahir finished with figures of 0 for 260, the most expensive figures without a wicket in Test history and was replaced with Robin Peterson, who took six wickets in Perth. “Robbie has just gone ahead of Imran, but he remains part of our plans in future,” Hudson said.South Africa have two injury concerns. Jacques Kallis is recovering from a hamstring strain, but is expected to be fit to play in the Tests as an allrounder, and Graeme Smith has bruising on his elbow. Smith was hit in the nets in the lead-up to the one-day cup playoff and will not be fit to play in the final for the Cobras, but the team management is confident he will be ready for the New Year’s Test.

A round-up of the second day of Ranji Trophy’s Group C matches on December 16, 2012

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Dec-2012
ScorecardRajat Paliwal scored his third century this season to provide Services with a handy first-innings lead against Jammu and Kashmir in Delhi, before their bowlers, led by Suraj Yadav, reduced their opponents to 136 for 6 at stumps, giving them the upper hand. The second day was not as rewarding as the first, on which 16 wickets had fallen, but batsmen didn’t flourish effortlessly either.Resuming at 150 for 6 after having bowled J&K out for 85 on the previous day, Paliwal and Sarabjit Singh stuck together for another 7.3 overs before Sarabjit was out, breaking a 138-run stand. The remaining batsmen couldn’t provide much resistance, and Paliwal struggled to find partners. After scoring 120, his was the final wicket to fall. J&K began positively as their openers put on 40 runs, but wickets started falling thereafter through seamers Suraj Yadav and Nishan Singh, punctuated by small partnerships. Opener Ian Dev Singh featured in four of those, and reached a half-century before being dismissed. At stumps, their team had erased the deficit, but at the cost of six wickets.
ScorecardKerala turned its screws on Tripura by piling a total of 400, led by captain Rohan Prem’s big century, and reducing them to 55 for 4 at stumps on the second day in Agartala. Prem added 65 runs to his overnight score of 105, striking three partnerships, the most prolific one worth 88 with comeback India seamer Sreesanth, who is returning from a rehabilitation following a toe surgery. The duo helped their team reach 400.Their bowlers built on the advantage of the big score by taking early wickets. By the 18th over, four top-order wickets had fallen, all claimed by seamer Unnikrishnan Manukrishnan in his third first-class game. Opener Shubhrajit Roy and Abhijit Dey added 34 runs before close of play.
ScorecardAndhra marginally held the advantage in their battle against Jharkhand, who were taken to a middling score of 257 by their middle-order batsman Saurabh Tiwary, and then milked for 45 overs so Andhra could end the day within 125 runs of the total. Tiwary, unbeaten on 73 overnight, scored a crucial century, and struck a productive stand of 74 with captain Shahbaz Nadeem, who scored a fifty.In reply, Andhra were four down for 54 in the 23rd over, but Amol Muzumdar and AG Pradeep set about rebuilding the innings.
ScorecardIn Porvorim, Goa laid the foundation for a strong first-innings total after bowling Himachal Pradesh out for 338. Their openers had added 58 runs 28.5 overs before the stand was broken, but Asnodkar went on to score a half-century in the company of No. 3 Amogh Sunil Desai, to take his team to 118 for 1 at close of play.This was after their bowlers toiled to end Himachal’s innings. Himachal’s lower order, especially, Rishi Dhawan, Karanveer Singh and No. 10 Rahul Singh stretched their total after they had been reduced to 243 for 8.

A round-up of the last round matches in the Zimbabwe Pro50 Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Jan-2013
ScorecardThe match between the top two teams of the Pro50 Championship could not produce a result as it was abandoned to due to rain after 11.2 overs at the Kwekwe Sports Club. Matabeleland Tuskers chose to bat after winning the toss and lost their captain Keegan Meth on the first ball of the match. No. 3 Bilal Shafayat also departed soon, leaving them at 9 for 2. Craig Ervine steadied the innings from there along with the other opener Brian Chari before rain interrupted play. Both the teams got two points each and continued their lead at the top of the table which means the final on January 19 will be played between the same two teams.Not a single ball was bowled in the other match between the bottom two teams of the table which had to be played at the Triangle Country Club. Even the toss could not take place due to rains and the match was washed out.

The changes made to the 50-overs game’s fielding-restrictions rules could be the biggest challenge for the bowlers going into the New Zealand-England ODIs, fast bowler Kyle Mills believes

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Feb-2013The changes made to the 50-overs game’s fielding-restrictions rules could be the biggest challenge for the bowlers going into the New Zealand-England ODIs, fast bowler Kyle Mills believes.As per the new rules that took effect from October 30, 2012, only four fielders can be placed beyond the 30-yards circle even outside of the Powerplay overs. This, Mills said, made things particularly difficult for the fielding team at the compact New Zealand grounds.”That [four fielders outside the circle] is pretty hard to bowl to,” Mills told the . “And I imagine even more so on New Zealand grounds. Having only four out at Eden Park [Auckland], Hamilton and even Napier is going to be a real test of bowlers’ skills. It’s going to be a huge challenge for all the bowlers in the series.”New Zealand are coming off a 2-1 defeat to England in the Twenty20 series, but Mills said that will not have a negative impact on the hosts. He pointed to New Zealand’s one-day series victory in South Africa last month, which followed a thrashing in the Tests, as evidence that previous results hold no sway over the team’s mindset. “I guess we didn’t have the battle scars from what happened in the Tests. The nature of international cricket now is, when you’re chopping from series to series, and different formats, you can often put things that happened previously to bed quite quickly.”Captain Brendon McCullum also said he expected his team to recover quickly from the loss. “We expected to win the T20 series coming in to it. So to lose it, we are obviously disappointed about that,” he said. “But I thought we bounced back straightaway in the second T20 [after losing the first] and I expect us to bounce back strongly in the first game of the one-dayers too.”That’s a characteristic of this team at the moment, our ability to bounce back, and we are going to have to do so in that little while because England will obviously be reasonably confident after the T20 performance, albeit with a new squad of theirs coming in.”The one-day format, McCullum said, suited New Zealand best. “Given our recent results, I think it is [our best format]. I think it’s a form that’s not so frenetic as well. You can actually play okay in periods of the game, but you’re never necessarily out of it.”In one-day cricket, because it lasts a fraction longer, you are able to fight your way back in to the game. I think we’ve got a reasonable game plan in one-day cricket as well, especially with our batting.”New Zealand play the first ODI of their three-match series against England on Sunday in Hamilton.

After Karachi Blues beat Sialkot to win the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy, their captain Khurram Manzoor credited the all-round effort of his side, which wasn’t too formidable on paper, for the victory

Umar Farooq in Lahore28-Feb-2013The Quaid-e-Azam Trophy is back in Karachi after two seasons, as Karachi Blues outclassed Sialkot in a one-sided contest to win Pakistan’s premium first-class tournament. Blues captain Khurram Manzoor credited the all-round effort of his side, which wasn’t too formidable on paper, for the winning the title.Although there were no fireworks or cheers in the deserted stands of Gaddafi Stadium, there was jubilant celebration by the players. When Manzoor lofted the ball to the midwicket boundary to score the winning runs, the Blues players, who were waiting at the boundary rope, erupted screaming onto the field to embrace their captain. They had another reason for joy: the team had remained unbeaten over the course of ten matches and two months.”It was the moment we have been waiting for,” Manzoor said while standing in front of a sombre Sialkot dressing room. “This is a result of the hard work put in by all of our players and the coaching staff. I am very happy as a player and as a captain – this is a significant achievement for me. They are all happy and want people to know that. I can’t explain in words how happy I am and that’s why we are screaming loud. This is all about the victory.”We didn’t have big names on paper but we played like a family. Sometime there were heated arguments, differences, we quarrelled on various occasions, but it was merely on how to attain the best result on the field. It was all teamwork. In the end, it is the result that matters, and so it’s a moment of joy. I love to be a part of such a talented side.”The key was the planning of our short-term goals instead of setting a big goal. We had a plan for each hour, each session to keep the players on their toes and didn’t burden them to achieve bigger goal. The motto is to win every day to keep the momentum on, and this helped us against complacency. We knew if the plan worked the title wouldn’t be far from us. If we have strong belief, we can win.”One of the key men who contributed to the win was Akbar-ur-Rehman, who topped the run-charts with 986 runs in ten games, with three fifties and three centuries, one of which was a double. He scored a century in the final, too; his 178 in the first innings helped his side gain a decisive 199-run lead.”I simply call him a one-man army and I am proud of him,” Manzoor said. “He played his role and his presence in the middle was a relief for me. He was the backbone of our batting and performed well when it matters and I wish him very best of luck for his future.”

Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said that his side’s progress can be measured by their performance in the forthcoming tour to Zimbabwe

Mohammad Isam03-Apr-2013Bangladesh captain Mushfiqur Rahim said that his side’s progress can be measured by their performance in the forthcoming tour to Zimbabwe. This is the first time that Mushfiqur will lead the side against the lesser-ranked opposition and he stressed on the importance of the tour for the team.”How far we have improved as a team can be determined in Zimbabwe,” Mushfiqur said after Bangladesh arrived after their tour of Sri Lanka. “We are ready to take up the challenge. We don’t have a good record in Harare where we lost the Test match in 2011. It is our duty to change the record, by taking forward the consistency that we have found in Sri Lanka.”Bangladesh play two Tests, three ODIs and two Twenty20s in a month-long tour which starts on April 17. There will be a short camp ahead of the tour, although no practice matches have been scheduled so far. Bangladesh have never won a Test in Zimbabwe, losing four of the five matches played there. The defeat in Harare in 2011 cost Shakib Al Hasan his captaincy. Their ODI record is better with 12 wins in 27 matches played in Zimbabwe.The team was given a warm welcome on their return to Dhaka – a reaction to the drawn Test in Galle and the 1-1 draw in the ODI series – and the results look significant given the number of players who have suffered injuries since February. Mushfiqur said the absence of key players spurred on those who were fit to play.”We lost players at the start of the series and were told that we hardly have a chance of doing well, with a second-string side,” he said. “We were keen to do well as a result. So we were doubly motivated.”

Steven Crook claimed four wickets and captain Stephen Peters cracked a half-century to put Northamptonshire in a strong position at the end of the first day in Cardiff.

10-Apr-2013
ScorecardSteven Crook took 4 for 30 as Glamorgan’s first innings lasted just 50 overs•Getty Images

Steven Crook claimed four wickets and captain Stephen Peters cracked a half-century to put Northamptonshire in a strong position at the end of the first day in Cardiff.After being put into bat Glamorgan were bowled out for 134 in 50 overs with the last nine wickets accruing only 76. Crook took 4 for 30 in 12 overs. Northamptonshire responded with 108 for 3, a deficit of 26, with 20.3 overs of the day remaining when rain brought a premature close with Peters on 60 not out.Glamorgan, who gave debuts to Murray Goodwin, the former Sussex batsman, and Australian Michael Hogan, struggled to 74 for 4 at lunch. Ben Wright was caught behind by wicketkeeper David Murphy off David Willey in the third over before opener Will Bragg and Stewart Walters looked as if they had weathered the threat of the new ball putting on 51 in 20 overs before Northamptonshire struck to take three wickets in the space of 17 balls.Bragg was caught at square leg by Kyle Coetzer off Crook before Walters was trapped lbw by Andrew Hall, who pulled off a sharp catch at first slip to remove Marcus North to give Crook his second victim.It did not get much better after lunch as they slumped further to 117 for 7. Much had been expected of Goodwin but he went for just eight in the sixth over after the break, caught behind off Willey. Jim Allenby lasted only another six balls before he was trapped leg before by Trent Copeland.Some positive batting from Mark Wallace gave Glamorgan brief respite before the captain was bowled not offering a shot to Crook. Dean Cosker hung around for 18 balls without scoring, acting as a foil to the hard-hitting Wagg, before he was bowled by Hall. Wagg was Glamorgan’s last hope of posting a half-respectable score but after reaching 26 from 36 balls he edged to Copeland at third slip to give Crook his fourth victim and Hogan was last man out.In reply, Northamptonshire had reached 17 when they lost their first wicket when Kyle Coetzer was bowled by Hogan and after tea Reed claimed two wickets in two balls. David Sales was caught in the gully before Alex Wakely was trapped lbw.