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Ryder best halts Glamorgan run of form

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ScorecardJesse Ryder whittled out Glamorgan•Getty Images

Jesse Ryder’s career-best figures put Essex in firm control against Glamorgan at Chelmsford, snapping the visitors’ excellent run of recent form with the bat.Ryder, the New Zealander, picked up 6 for 47 in 15 overs as Glamorgan were bowled out for 162, the first time this season they had failed to get a batting point in a completed innings. Essex were left with a first innings lead of 117 on a day when 46 overs were lost through rain or bad light and they added another 78 runs before the close.In overcast conditions, Ryder used a combination of seam and swing to undermine the visitors’ innings after they had resumed on 40 for 3 and he beat the bat so often that he could have reaped a greater harvest.Ryder claimed the first five wickets of the innings to fall with only 59 on the board and at that stage, Glamorgan were in danger of being asked to follow-on after replying to an Essex total of 279. But they steered clear of having to do so largely through the efforts of Colin Ingram, Mark Wallace and David Lloyd.Ingram adopted a positive approach while gathering 43 from 56 balls with the help of five fours and a six while Wallace’s 21 included five boundaries. Both were eventually dismissed by paceman David Masters who trapped Wallace leg before wicket before he bowled Ingram for 43. Lloyd hit out boldly while making an unbeaten 20 that included a six and three fours.Masters finished with 3 for 53 while Napier picked-up the remaining wicket when Michael Hogan was bowled off his pads to bring Glamorgan’s replay to an end in the 41st over.With Jaik Mickleburgh suffering from back spasms, Liam Dawson, on-loan from Hampshire, was promoted to open the innings with Nick Browne and the pair never looked in any real trouble as they pressed home Essex’s advantage. They defied a succession of bowling changes while raising the fifty stand with some fine strokes on either side of the wicket and they put together the highest partnership of the match so far.They were still together when bad light brought play to an end with the total on 78 without loss. Browne was within eight runs of his half-century while Dawson will resume on 30.Essex have certainly put themselves in a healthy position to inflict upon promotion-chasing Glamorgan their first defeat of the summer, one that would be a blow to their hopes of reaching Division One. But the real winner could yet prove the weather with outbursts of rain, some prolonged, forecast over the next couple of days.All-rounder Liam Dawson admitted that his Essex side are in a good position. “To go into day three almost 200 runs ahead with twn wickets left is a position that you want to be in. I think there is enough in that wicket if you bowl well over a period of time to take wickets. The longer the game goes on and the more runs we get on the board, the more we put the pressure on Glamorgan. When we come to bowl against them again, whether it is late tomorrow or the start of day four, there is plenty in that wicket to encourage us.”Glamorgan head coach Toby Radford added: “It was a disappointing day for us, I thought that Ryder bowled exceptionally well, used the conditions overhead and got a lot from the pitch, swung it and nipped it both ways. I was still disappointed though that we couldn’t get closer to the Essex first innings score and then we failed to take any wickets this evening. So we are under pressure and have to play well over these last two days.”

Finn fires on comeback but Sharjeel seals win

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ScorecardSteven Finn was back in the groove in his comeback performance for England Lions (file photo)•Getty Images

Steven Finn enhanced his prospects of a belated call-up to England’s Test tour of South Africa with a hostile three-wicket comeback performance for England Lions in Dubai, but his efforts were trumped by the Pakistan A opener Sharjeel Khan, whose 70 from 50 balls set his side up for a tense four-wicket victory and a 2-1 lead in the five-match series.Finn, who was withdrawn from the recent Test series against Pakistan due to a stress-related injury in his foot, showed plenty hostility and no signs of discomfort to claim figures of 3 for 22 in four overs, including two wickets in two balls in the second over of his spell.”It just felt nice to be playing again, and I’m very happy with how it went,” Finn said. “Bowling in the nets can’t give you that competitive edge you get in a match. I really enjoyed being back out there. It’s definitely a good starting block.”Defending a target of 143 after another promising start from Dawid Malan and a strong finish from Liam Dawson, Finn found his range in conceding two runs from his opening over before a change-up in pace confounded Sohaib Maqsood, who was bowled round his legs for 3. One ball later, Mohammad Nawaz had no response to a perfect outswinger that curled off his edge and into the gloves of Sam Billings behind the stumps.It was a statement of intent from a bowler whom Alastair Cook, in his departure press conference at Heathrow on Thursday, had admitted was ahead of schedule in his comeback from injury, having spent most of the last month with his left foot in a moon boot. “Steven has made big strides over the last couple of weeks,” Cook said. “That’s really encouraging for him.” On this evidence, he can probably start making plans for a Cape Town New Year.However, Finn’s figures were dented in his third over by Sharjeel, who pulled a four then smeared a six to kick-start his own innings and Pakistan’s run-chase. He galloped along to a 30-ball half-century, with six fours and a six, adding 52 for the third wicket with Iftikhar Ahmed, who played a willing second-fiddle with 15 from 19 balls before flapping a short ball from Jamie Overton to midwicket.Their stand had given Pakistan command of the contest but, at 92 for 3, Finn returned in the 14th over to complete his spell. Sure enough, with his second ball, he beat Babar Azam for pace as Dawson at midwicket collected a top-edged pull.Sharjeel, however, responded immediately with a four through an unguarded fine leg and, one over later, the new batsman, Saad Nasim, lifted Tom Westley over fine leg for six to restore Pakistan’s ascendancy. England’s death bowlers battled valiantly to keep their side in the game but Nasim added two more sixes, including one in the final over off Reece Topley, to all but seal the victory with 33 from 21 balls.Nasim was denied the winning shot when Topley completed a caught-and-bowled with two runs needed for victory, but Saifullah Bangash walloped four to seal the result with two balls to spare.After winning the toss and batting first, England’s innings failed to ignite despite a handful of promising cameos at the top of the order. For the third match running, Malan provided the early impetus, making 35 from 29 balls with three fours and a six over long-on off the spin of Bilal Asif.But at the other end, James Vince fell in the second over, well caught by the diving keeper, Bangash, off Mir Hamza for 6, and though Westley came out swinging with three fours in the space of four balls, he fell in search of his fourth, a miscued pull off Rumman Raees that picked out deep fine leg for 13.Billings was unable to get going in his run-a-ball 15. Although he top-edged his fifth ball, off Raees, over fine leg for six, he then added six more singles in the space of his next ten balls before mowing across the line at Asif and holing out to Ifhikhar at long-on.Malan and Ross Whiteley then fell in the space of six balls to a pair of expertly judged catches – first Azam flung himself full-length at midwicket to intercept Malan’s flat pull before Junaid Khan leapt in the covers to send Whiteley on his way for a third-ball duck, as England slipped to a precarious 76 for 5 in the 12th over.However, Dawson marshalled his side’s recovery with 45 not out from 37 balls, including a final-ball six over fine leg as Junaid strayed on to his pads. He added a restorative 54 runs for the sixth wicket with Ben Foakes, whose 16 from 18 balls ended when he inside-edged Raees on to his stumps, then farmed the strike well with Jamie Overton to give his bowlers a total to defend. Despite Finn’s best efforts, it wasn’t quite enough.

India set 499 to win in Melbourne

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Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Andrew Symonds entertained the crowd with a quick 44 as Australia’s batsmen cruised to a 498-run advantage on the third day © Getty Images

You broke it, you fix it. That might well be the message from India’s bowlers to their batsmen after Australia set them 499 to win despite being challenged again by India’s attack at the MCG. At the close India had reached 0 for 6 with Rahul Dravid on 3 and Wasim Jaffer on 2. Ricky Ponting decided to make India face eight overs late in the day after Michael Clarke top scored in Australia’s 7 for 351 declared.Australia could easily have batted into the fourth day with perfect weather forecast for the rest of the match, as they discovered in Hobart last month that hefty totals can be chased with purpose. In Australia’s most recent Test Sri Lanka needed 507 in the fourth innings and although they fell 96 short, they may well have got there had Kumar Sangakkara’s superb innings not been incorrectly ended by Rudi Koertzen on 192. He was one brilliant batsman; India have several, and will not yet have written off their chances.But they were left to wonder how their strong batting line-up could have been dismissed for 196 on the second day when another 100 runs would have given them a much greater sniff of victory. Instead, they will need something special from the likes of Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and Dravid to avoid defeat as they seek not only the highest fourth-innings total to win a Test but also the largest fourth-innings total ever – winning or losing – in MCG Tests.The efforts of Clarke, Phil Jaques, Matthew Hayden and Andrew Symonds made India’s task the mountain that it is. Wickets were not infrequent through the third day but too often they came when the batsmen had already contributed. RP Singh and Zaheer Khan found some helpful swing – RP had Michael Hussey caught at slip for 36 – and Harbhajan Singh was much more of a threat than in the first innings but India also had a couple of costly moments of poor fortune.One came when Clarke was on 22 and nearly repeated his dismissal from the first innings. RP came around the wicket and gave Clarke a fullish ball well wide of off stump. On Wednesday Clarke did not move his feet while trying to drive and edged to slip – the only difference with today’s shot was that it flew through the vacant third-slip region and left Anil Kumble with his head in his hands.Less costly in terms of runs but better for the MCG crowd was when Billy Bowden played party-pooper for the fielding team for the second time in the match, spoiling India’s celebration with a no-ball call. Zaheer was thrilled after producing a pearler against Symonds on 7, angling across him, pitching on line, staying low and straigtening markedly to shatter his stumps.To add insult to injury Bowden’s call was spotted first by Symonds, who called Clarke through for a single after the ball had hurtled behind the celebrating wicketkeeper and slips. On the second day Dravid was the beneficiary of Bowden’s sharp eyesight – both calls were correct – when he edged Mitchell Johnson to slip. The Dravid case only cost Australia five runs but Symonds added a further 37 before Zaheer trapped him lbw to extract his revenge.

Harbhajan Singh picked up three important wickets but Australia’s lead just kept growing at the MCG © Getty Images

But in the meantime the MCG crowd had received its annual dose of late-December Symonds festivities, as he launched Kumble just over the boundary wide of long on and then made even better connection with a Harbhajan delivery that went ten rows back in the same direction. He added 82 with Clarke, who again proved adept at handling spin from both ends, until he advanced to Kumble, misread the wrong’un and was stumped.Like in the first innings Kumble was the man who had broken through when India needed a boost as he deceived Jaques (51) with a slower one that was driven straight back into his hands. Jaques had only just passed fifty for the sixth consecutive Test innings and he can equal the record of seven set by Everton Weekes, Andy Flower, and Shivnarine Chanderpaul – who just achieved the feat in the South Africa-West Indies Boxing Day Test – if he posts a half-century in the first innings in Sydney.Jaques and Hayden had given Australia another strong start, adding 80 for the first wicket as they tried to crush the spirits of India, who trailed by 147 after the first innings. Hayden made 47 and was in a far more dominating mood than during his first-innings century, using his trademark walk at the bowler to club boundaries straight and through midwicket against Zaheer.But when he tried to use his feet against spin Harbhajan deceived him with a shorter, turning delivery that forced his aerial straight drive higher than intended, allowing Ganguly to run around from long off to take the catch. Harbhajan found a better line and length than in the first innings and finished with 3 for 101 after Adam Gilchrist skied a catch to midwicket for a late 35 before Brad Hogg (35 not out) and Brett Lee (11 not out) closed out the innings.Harbhajan also accounted for Ponting, who fell to offspin for the third time in as many Tests this season after Muttiah Muralitharan caused him problems last month. Ponting was on 3 when he was surprised by extra bounce and the ball caught the edge as he prodded forward, allowing Dravid to snaffle the chance at first slip.When Ponting departed there appeared to be a chance India might rattle through Australia and stop them amassing a match-winning lead – only die-hard India fans would have predicted that at the start of the day – but Australia’s middle order stuck to the original script. India’s middle order might have the tools to fix the situation but the mystery is whether they are sharp enough after one rained-out warm-up match to post a record winning score and stop Australia recording their 15th consecutive Test win.

Speight denies Bermuda is in crisis

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Cricket board chief Neil Speight dismissed talk of a crisis in Bermuda cricket as “nonsense” and insisted that huge strides have been made since Government pledged $11million to the national game.Over the last ten days Bermuda’s teams have set two new records – the lowest ever score in the Stanford 20/20 tournament and the most comprehensive defeat in cricket history at the Women’s World Cup qualifier, where the team was beaten in just four balls. In addition, the Under-19s recorded the lowest score – seventh lowest of all-time – at the Under-19 World Cup.Criticism of the board and the players has been rife in the papers, on talk-shows and in the street. But Speight, chief executive of the board, believes teams should be getting support not ridicule as they challenge the world’s best in a series of David and Goliath battles. He believes learning hard lessons on the international stage is part of process of climbing the steep learning curve that separates the established cricket powerhouses from the emerging nations.He insisted there was no crisis in the sport, Bermuda was just playing against much tougher opponents than it had ever faced in the past – a product of its success at the lower level. “I think its complete rubbish. If there is that perception, then it is wrong. A country should teach its children and it’s athletes to aspire to greatness. If there are people that think ‘don’t go to the next level in case you don’t succeed’ they are teaching the community a very bad lesson.”We could conspire to play Belgium and Mexico to ensure we won every game but we will only continue to improve if we push our programmes and our teams to a higher level… there will be times when we are going to be humbled but that doesn’t mean we’ve got a bad programme.” He accepted that Bermuda had not been at their best against Guyana but added: “to extrapolate that and say the sky is falling in is complete overreaction and nonsense.”Speight also accepted that the fitness of some of the players was not up to scratch at Stanford 20/20 and the World Cup but said that was starting to change as no one could say that about the Under-19 side. “We are changing the shape of Bermuda cricket.”And he reiterated that the government investment was not all about the senior team, pointing out that Bermuda’s overall cricket programme had been deemed the best in the region by the ICC. He cited qualification for two World Cups and the women’s World Cup qualifier, the establishment of under-13 and under-15 national teams, a massive increase in participation at junior level, improved coaching education and a development programme that had led to cricket being taught in every school on the island as some of the principal achievements over the past few years.He also clarified that the board had fully audited financial reports accounting for how every cent of its Government and corporate cash was spent. We’ll publish details on Friday. “From a personal level and a board perspective we are very proud of what has been done.”This article first appeared in the Bermuda Sun

Hafeez, Azhar stay away from camp due to Amir's presence

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Pakistan’s ODI captain Azhar Ali and veteran allrounder Mohammad Hafeez have chosen to stay away from the ongoing conditioning camp in Lahore, apparently due to Mohammad Amir’s inclusion among the probables for the camp. Azhar confirmed that he had stayed away because of Amir and Pakistan’s team media manager, Agha Akbar, said Hafeez’s absence was also apparently for the same reason.Amir, who is in the selection mix after serving a five-year ban for his role in the 2010 spot-fixing scandal, was one of the 26 probables named for the pre-season conditioning camp in the build-up to the New Zealand tour. Both Hafeez and Azhar were playing domestic matches in Karachi and had missed the first three days of the camp which began on December 21. They were scheduled to join the camp on Thursday, but Agha Akbar confirmed that the pair did not train with the side.”Both are not joining the training camp today apparently because of Mohammad Amir,” Akbar told ESPNcricinfo.Azhar was more direct. “I will not attend the camp as long as Amir is there,” he said. “This is my decision and we are open to discuss with the PCB. I don’t want to comment on Hafeez’s decision, but we both have the same stance.'”In November, Hafeez had reportedly turned down an offer in the Bangladesh Premier League from the Chittagong Vikings franchise, who had enlisted Amir. Hafeez told ESPNcricinfo that he could not play “with any player who has tarnished and brought a bad name to the country”, but was open to accepting an offer from a different franchise. He stressed that this was his personal opinion.In November 2011, Amir – along with Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif – was sentenced in a London Court on charges conspiracy to accept corrupt payments and conspiracy to cheat at gambling after a plot was uncovered in a sting operation to bowl deliberate no-balls in a Test against England in 2010. Amir was given a six-month jail sentence and served half of it at the Portland Young Offenders Institution in DorsetHe was also given a five-year ban by the ICC, and his suspension period formally ended on September 1 this year. Amir had been allowed to return to cricket ahead of schedule by the ICC in January and has since featured in Pakistan’s domestic T20 and first-class competitions. He was also a part of the BPL 2015-16, playing nine matches for the Chittagong Vikings franchise.

Tait expects to be dropped

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Shaun Tait expects to be carrying the drinks once more in Adelaide following an underdone performance at the WACA © Getty Images
 

Shaun Tait concedes he has little chance of playing his first Test at his home ground in Adelaide after a disappointing performance in Australia’s loss to India at the WACA. Tait was called into a four-man pace attack having not played Test cricket since the 2005 Ashes, and he said he was underdone heading into the Perth match.Tait, who has played only three first-class matches this season including the Test, said when asked about his preparation that he was “a touch underdone, to be honest”. He went wicketless in 21 overs in his first match in whites since early December.”We are professional cricketers,” he told Adelaide’s Advertiser, “and we are training all the time and there’s probably no reason why we should be underdone. But the fact is I hadn’t had a whole lot of cricket under my belt and, obviously, there were limited opportunities to bowl as well due to over-rates.”He was remaining philosophical about his future at Test level, however, even if it’s not an immediate one. Although Tait has been named in Australia’s squad for Adelaide, Brad Hogg is the red-hot tip for a recall.”There will be another game where I get a chance to do well,” Tait said. “I’m not sure if I’ll keep my spot here. We’ll see how we go in the one-day games. Hopefully I’ll get the chance to be a part of the squad there again. But at the end of the day, it’s only a game and there will be another time where it might be a good day for me and the team as well.”However, Ricky Ponting said Australia had not written off Tait for the Adelaide Test starting on Thursday. “Tait also has the ability to bowl reverse-swing in Adelaide,” Ponting said in the . “With his low arm action and the amount of backspin he imparts on the ball, he usually makes it reverse swing more, and earlier, than other bowlers.”He didn’t have the impact I thought he would [in Perth], but he knows the conditions better than anyone else. He’s done a great job for South Australia there in recent years.”Ponting, however, kept his focus firmly on the future when it came to Tait. “He’s going to be a great asset to our team at some stage,” Ponting said. “The World Cup he had was amazing. I’ve got no doubt he’ll have the same impact as a Test bowler, as well. He’s got unbelievable raw pace. If he can produce that in a Test, he will knock the best players in the world over.”There were echoes here of the same praise he showered on Tait in the lead-up to the Melbourne Test, on Boxing Day, when the bowler was again overlooked as Australia chose to keep with the convention of three fast bowlers and a spinner.Michael Hussey, meanwhile, held out some hope of Tait retaining his place in the side. “I know Taity didn’t get any wickets in Perth but I don’t think they’re going to write him off just because of one performance,” Hussey told . “Obviously they’ve identified Taity as a future bowler for Australia. It’s good for him to get an opportunity in Perth and I’m sure he will come back better and stronger. If he does play in Adelaide in front of his home crowd I’m sure he’ll put in a better performance and then hopefully get a few wickets.”There have been comparisons between Tait and Lee in his earlier days and Hussey seemed to agree. “I think it’s something he’s working hard on and it’s something Brett Lee had to work on to be a bit more consistent. It’s a wonderful package to have in the team because he can crack a game open in the space of 20 minutes, sometimes in the course of a day. He can maybe be going for a few runs and suddenly everything clicks and he can take three or four wickets in a hurry which is incredibly attractive.”

Namibia coach optimistic despite big defeat

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Namibia Under-19s may have slumped to an eight-wicket defeat, but Norbert Manyande, the team’s coach, was happy that Bangladesh Under-19 took his side seriously. Manyande claimed that the grass had been shaved off from the pitch at the Sheikh Kamal International Cricket Stadium in order to counter Namibia’s pace attack.”Bangladesh knew our seam bowling is very good for the way we bowled against South Africa and against Scotland as well,” Manyande said. “We have been here [in Cox’s Bazar] for two weeks and have played in this venue once and today was the first time I saw the pitch without grass. So we definitely gave them something to think about. Whether people will accept that or not, that’s up to them.”Once we give a Test side to think of something like that then we know that we are here not to mess around, we are here to play cricket. And they did their homework, they are the home side and the won the game. There is no doubt that they played really well and we learned a lot out of it as well.”Manyande felt Namibia now go into the quarter-final against India having learned more about playing spin, though they were shot out for 65 in 32.5 overs against Bangladesh.”Moving forward, I don’t think we are going to face any spin attack as good as Bangladesh, as far as we have seen so far. So moving forward we are quite confident that we will still be able to win one or two games and surprise someone again.”We are here to compete. We have learned a lot from spin bowling from the Bangladesh game. In the next game we are looking to improve a lot more facing the spin bowling.”

Misbah, Watson and Ashraful to be auctioned

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Misbah-ul-Haq was not in the fray during the first auction, but is a big draw © Getty Images
 

Pakistan’s Misbah-ul-Haq, Australia’s Shane Watson, and Mohammad Ashraful, the Bangladesh captain, are among 18 players included in the second Indian Premier League (IPL) auction to be held in Mumbai on March 11. The list is made up of seven New Zealanders, four Australians, three Pakistanis, two Bangladeshis, one Sri Lankan and South African each but no English cricketers.The injury-prone Watson has not played for Australia since the ICC World Twenty20 in September 2007 and he has struggled during Queensland’s Pura Cup campaign. He earned a recall to the national side for the CB Series but nagging leg problems forced him out again. Misbah, who was not included for the initial auction, is a big draw given his Twenty20 success in the last season.Mohammad Yousuf and Ashwell Prince, who failed to be picked up by any of the eight franchises last month, will be auctioned again.Western Australia’s Luke Pomersbach, who joins fellow Australians Watson, Brad Hodge and James Hopes in the second auction, said he was willing to play in the IPL for free. “I am pretty excited about it, because I did not think I would have a chance, but I have, and it will be a chance to play with some serious cricketers,” he told . “I would be happy to go over for free and play that standard of cricket and cricketers,” he said. “I will be able to learn so much from them, but I will take anything I can get.”A top BCCI official, on condition of anonymity, told IANS: “There are 13 other foreign players who have shown keen interest to play in the first season”. These include Shaun Tait, on a self-imposed indefinite break from cricket, Brad Hogg, who recently retired, West Indies’ Dwayne Smith, and Yasir Hameed, the Pakistan batsman. Seven other Australians have also apparently expressed interest.The IPL permits each franchise to buy more foreign players outside the list of 18 if they inform the tournament officials about who they are interested in. The IPL organisers would then negotiate the players’ base prices and try and secure No-Objection Certificates (NOCs) from the respective country boards.This auction is expected to be relatively smaller than the first, which was worth US$42 million. The eight franchise owners still have unspent money, a factor which has necessitated a second auction. The amounts are: $374,000 (Bangalore), $23,750 (Chennai), $71,250 (Delhi), $262,500 (Hyderabad), $1,700,000 (Jaipur), $107,500 (Kolkata), $292,250 (Mohali) and $53,750 (Mumbai).”If a team exceeds $5 million [after spending] on players who were initially not available but become available later, the excess expenditure will be ignored,” said the official. “Also, player fees for Indian players who were not in the auction do not count against the $5m purse. There will be no more auctions this season.”All team owners have to finalise their squads 30 days before the start of the 2008 season. The IPL kicks off on April 18.Players for second auction:
Pakistan: Mohammad Yousuf, Misbah-ul-Haq, Mohammad Hafeez; South Africa: Ashwell Prince; New Zealand: Ross Taylor, Peter Fulton, Jamie How, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin, Kyle Mills, James Franklin; Australia: Brad Hodge, Shane Watson, James Hopes, Luke Pomersbach; Sri Lanka: Prasanna Jayawardene; Bangladesh: Mohammad Ashraful, Mashrafe Mortaza.Players who have expressed their interest:
Australia: Shaun Marsh, Brad Hogg, Shaun Tait, Adam Voges, Mick Lewis, Darren Lehmann, Allan Wise, Aiden Blizzard, Adam Crosthwaite; South Africa: Goolam Bodi; Pakistan: Yasir Hameed; West Indies: Kieran Powell, Dwayne Smith.

Sussex ready for strong defence

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Chris Adams: ‘We look a strong squad on paper, but what I can say from behind those closed doors is that we are also strong as a unit’ © Getty Images
 

Sussex begin the defence of their Championship crown against Hampshire at The Rose Bowl on Wednesday aiming to become the first county since Yorkshire in 1968 to claim a hat-trick of titles. It was been a fraught few months at Hove as they sweated over the availability of Mushtaq Ahmed, but their match-winner arrived safely in the country this week as Sussex were taking on MCC at Lord’s.He whirled away in the nets, clearing his throat with some hearty appeals as much as loosening his limbs for the campaign ahead. He has taken an incredible 459 wickets in five years with Sussex – including 192 in the last two successful seasons – and while anyone on the south coast baulks at the suggestion they are a one-man man it is undeniable the role Mushtaq has played.However, Sussex have nothing to feel guilty about even if Mushtaq does provide such a significant advantage. They were clever enough to lure him to Hove in 2003 when his career was threatening to end quietly, and his enthusiasm and spirit runs throughout the squad, which, if anything, looks stronger this season even with the loss of Rana Naved and Richard Montgomerie.The availability of Matt Prior, who is set to bat at No. 6, adds Test-match class to a healthy middle order while Chris Nash and Carl Hopkinson are more than capable of filling Montgomerie’s boots. The bowling depth is there, too. Their new Australian signing, Ryan Harris, caught the attention with four wickets on debut at Lord’s, where Luke Wright also bowled with impressive pace. And on top of all that, there’s James Kirtley waiting in the wings.”It’s been a fantastic time for Sussex in the last four or five years,” said their captain, Chris Adams. “We’ve played really competitive cricket and the nucleus of the squad is very much there. But we also have young players coming through and players coming back from international call-ups. We look a strong squad on paper, but what I can say from behind those closed doors is that we are also strong as a unit. It’s great to have Mushy back and Murray Goodwin, they are two quality players who will only add to what we’ve got.”Goodwin also played a major role in Sussex’s first Championship in 2003, finishing the season with a career-best 335 against Leicestershire to seal the title. Adams believes the side has continued to evolve since then and keeps getting stronger. “Less and less are we relying on one-dimensional players – bowlers who don’t bat – the way our side is now structured includes a lot of players who bowl and bat to a high standard. That’s what the vision has always been, and if that includes players who have come through our system then we are getting to where we wanted to be. Good home grown talent who could play for England.”Crucially, though, the impact of international calls in the near future will be limited. Wright will be part of the one-day squad, but with Prior out of favour and the only other absentee could be Michael Yardy if he pushed his claims in the one-day arena which appears unlikely.However, being the holders and, in many people’s eyes, the favourites Sussex are there to be knocked off. “It’s going to be another tight year. I don’t think one, two or three sides are going to run away with it. It will be another year of everyone beating everyone, I really think the level has got much closer,” said Adams.”Surrey have impressed me with their end-of-season form last year, Lancashire are always strong, Hampshire and Kent as well. Somerset are making a lot of noise, telling us how good they are, so I’m keen to see how good they actually are. They are making a few declarations.”

 
 
Somerset are making a lot of noise, telling us how good they are, so I’m keen to see how good they actually areChris Adams lays down the challenge
 

Adams doesn’t want to look too far ahead with Sussex playing four key Championship matches in the first four weeks. “For me it’s about the next month. If you’re not on the money and properly prepared now you can find yourself with a lot to do. I know Surrey found that last year and were left to rue the start they had.”Two days after the Championship starts the Indian Premier League bursts into life. There is much conjecture about how the future of domestic cricket will look – and there will undoubtedly be change – but Adams believes the current set-up is strong and performing its role of preparing players for the top level.”I think we have a powerful product in domestic cricket, the ECB should be looking to use that,” he said. “In terms of the step up from what we are playing now to international cricket they tell me it’s not too far away now. We have to thank the likes of Murali, Warney and for Peter Moores letting the England players back into county cricket. It’s become quite an intense environment mirroring what you’d expect in Tests.”The international calendar is so packed that it means more Tests or ODIs are never far away and England start their series against New Zealand on May 15. In the meantime, if the IPL hasn’t grabbed your attention then take a look at the Championship over the next month. It might surprise you.

Kerala's woes continue as they slump to 69/4

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Vanka Pratap in the process of giving Hyderabad the upper hand with atimely century, put to shade a good bowling performance by Keralaseamer Tinu Yohannan (6 for 177). Such was the dominance of Hyderabadthat they declared at 489 for 9 well into the second day of theirSouth Zone Ranji Trophy match at the Nuclear Fuel Complex Ground atHyderabad on Thursday. Kerala at stumps were tottering at 69 for 4.Resuming where he left off the previous evening, Vanka Pratap (128)went on to complete his century after a 317 minute stay at the crease.His overnight partner Vinay Kumar (71) was not far behind, reachinghis half century off 85 balls. After forging a 146 run fourth wicketstand with Vanka Pratap, Vinay departed caught by Ananthapadmanabhanoff Ramprakash. Then Vanka Pratap fell leg before to Yohannan afteradding 45 run for the fifth wicket with PR Satwalkar. Stumper MSrinivas joined Satwalkar and put on 56 runs for the sixth wicket.After the fall of Satwalkar, the Hyderabad innings folded up with theaddition of 41 runs. In reply Kerala made a circumspect start with theopeners V Girilal (22) and MP Sorab (24) adding 48 runs. But disasterstruck Kerala when former Indian spinner Venkatapathy Raju wasintroduced into the attack. Raju drew first blood for Hyderabad in the18th over when he trapped Girilal in front. Two balls later he sentback Sorab in much the similar manner. Kerala’s woes were not to endthere as Raju in his very next over picked up the wicket of S Shankar(0) caught by Vinay Kumar. Kanwaljit Singh joined in the act and inhis very first over trapped Sunil Oasis (6) leg before.