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The WACA Selectors have released the Retravision Warriors Second XI for the Cricket Australia Cup match against Tasmania at the WACA Ground.The four-day fixture begins on Monday.The Second XI team is:
Scott Meuleman (Captain), Kade Harvey, Sam Howman, Andrew James, Brett Jones, Shaun Marsh, Dimitri Mascarenhas, Luke Ronchi, Craig Simmons, John Taylor, Michael Thistle and Adam Voges.The team includes Vodafone Cup players Sam Howman from Subiaco-Floreat and Dimitri Mascarenhas from Melville.Swing bowler Howman was the Vodafone Cup’s most prolific wicket-taker last season with 56 victims.All-rounder Mascarenhas is a star in English County cricket. He has played over 100 games for Hampshire.

Otago opening batsman Brendon McCullum has forced his way into the CLEAR Black Caps side to compete in the VB tri-series with Australia and South Africa starting next week.It is a rapid rise for McCullum from the New Zealand Under-19 side which he led so capably last summer in a home series against South Africa where he dominated with the bat.He is a graduate of New Zealand’s Cricket Academy in 2001 and recently achieved his maiden first-class century for his Otago side in the State Championship.He has been preferred to Mathew Sinclair who the selection panel chairman Sir Richard Hadlee said had to address some problems with his technique.”He has been very vulnerable with the new ball and taking him back to Australia and the hostile environment of the two teams [Australia and South Africa] is not a good option at this stage,” he said.The selectors were looking further down the track with McCullum’s selection and the panel were keen to test him in the VB environment.”We are not apologetic about introducing youth,” Hadlee said.The team is: Stephen Fleming (captain), Andre Adams, Shane Bond, Chris Cairns, Chris Harris, Brendon McCullum, Craig McMillan, Kyle Mills, Dion Nash, Adam Parore, Mark Richardson, Scott Styris, Daniel Vettori, Lou Vincent.Whether McCullum plays in many of the matches on the tour would depend on the tour selection committee.”Brendon has been scoring prolifically for the State Otago Volts and at a strike rate of over 90.”He’s young and talented and it’s his challenge now to take the step up to the highest level,” Hadlee said.The selection of Adam Parore as the preferred wicket-keeper ahead of Chris Nevin was in response to Parore’s own reaction to being excluded from the team named to tour Pakistan.”We put the pressure on him and gave him reasons why he had not been selected. He is the best ‘keeper in world cricket at the moment and he is back into some sort of batting form,” he said.Hadlee said the selectors had been on the phone all day and there had been one or two split decisions in the selection but they were all agreed on the side now.There would be some disappointed players, like Chris Martin, Sinclair, James Franklin and others but there were just not enough places to put all these players in the side.Hadlee also announced there was a much more pleasing prognosis on Nathan Astle’s broken hand and there was every indication that he would be ready to prove his fitness in some State Shield games being played on January 20 and 22.Astle would be asked to take part in those games and if he came through them satisfactorily he would probably join the side as New Zealand’s 15th player for the back-to-back games in Adelaide later that week.Mark Richardson has also been included in the one-day side for the first time.Hadlee said the selectors had not wanted to complicate things for Richardson after he made his Test debut last summer.However, this season the selectors felt his range of stroke play had broadened and he was in good form.”He deserves his opportunity,” Hadlee said.”Mark has been very consistent and he has shown us that he has increased his range of scoring shots.”He really wants to play one-day cricket and he now has the opportunity to prove his worth,” Hadlee said.The options for an opening partner for him centred on Lou Vincent or McCullum. Either player could also bat No 6 in the order.Kyle Mills has also been included. He had gone through some difficult times recently and Hadlee was hopeful the expression of faith given him by the selectors would be a boost for him.Andre Adams has also been included and with his outstanding play this summer is shaping as a central player in New Zealand’s strategy for the future.”As well as being an aggressive middle to lower order batsman, we believe Andre will have an important role to play bowling at the death.”It’s our belief in his ability to bowl with control in that situation that gave him the edge over some other contenders.”

Hemalatha helped Indian Railways to a comfortable seven wicket winwith 9.3 overs to spare against South Zone in the CricInfo Rani JhansiTrophy women’s tournament at the Southern Railway ground in Chennai onWednesday. This was the fourth straight defeat for South Zone in thetournament.Having to score 170 for a win, Railways started in real earnest whenopeners Balvir Kaur and Purnima Choudary. Though Balvir thrashed twoconsecutive square cuts in the first over, she was adjudged leg beforeto Swarnalaxmi at the score of 16 in the fourth over. Rajni Venugopaljoined Purnima but the partnership did not last long. Purnima wascaught behind off Mamta in the ninth over while trying to steer theball to backward square leg.Purnima’s dismissal brought together Rajni and Hemalatha. Both werelooking to play their shots, especially Hemalatha. They chose theballs to be hit and never hesitated to run the singles hard. But Rajniin a rare misjudgement, found herself short of the crease when Mamtathrew the stumps down with a direct hit.Shyama now joined Hemalatha in a fruitful partnership. They added anunbeaten 101 runs for the fourth wicket in 24.1 overs. The two puttheir heads down and steered the score to 109 at the second drinksbreak in the 27th over. Hemalatha was more sensible in the selectionof her shots and her placement than Shyama who was moreflamboyant. But the two in tandem were more than a handful for themediocre South Zone attack. During the last stretch, Shyama tried tofinish off in style by hitting two crisply struck boundaries.Earlier, South put up a poor batting display. Openers Vanita and SudhaRani started their innings by conceding a maiden. With a predominantlyoff side field, the Railways bowlers Sunita and Umesh bowled far toomany balls down the leg side. But the openers were not able tocapitalise on this. Vanita was willing to go for her shots but all shecould find were the Railways’ fielders.The twelfth over saw a double change in the bowling as off-spinnerRupanjali and left arm-spinner Neetu David replaced Sunita andUmesh. They struck a good line and length and restricted the Southopeners to mostly singles. At the first drinks break after the 19thover, both Neetu and Rupanjali had conceded only eleven runs in eightovers between them. Soon after the drinks break, the openers tried toget out of the rut and tried making some lofted shots. But that speltdisaster as South soon lost Vanita when she mistimed a drive andspooned an easy catch to Shyama Shah at point.The entry of Karuna saw some good running between the wickets. Theystarted to take some good singles, peppered with boundary hits. Aftera good spell of bowling by the two spinners Neetu (1 for 19 in 10overs) and Rupanjali (none for 20 in 10 overs) Diana replaced Neetuand continued in the same vien. In the 35th over Diana had Karuna legbefore, when she was starting to look good.After holding the South inings together during a fine innings of 52,Sudha was run out in the 39th over. Her departure prompted both Harshaand Manjula to go for some risky running between the wickets and itwas only a matter of time before both of them were dismissed. Towardsthe closing stages of the innings, South did make an attempt to stepup the scoring rate but instead they lost wickets in a flurry. Thelast ten overs saw 55 runs being scored but for the loss of eightwickets. The innings folded up in the 50th over at the score of170. There were six run outs, ample proof of the fine performance byIndian Railways on the field.

West Brom have been in horrendous form, picking up just one point from their last seven games, and new manager Steve Bruce will be hoping that he can capitalise on Hull City’s inconsistency to seal all three points when his side travel to Humberside this afternoon.

Despite the injury picture remaining mostly unchanged, with Daryl Dike, Matt Phillips and Kenneth Zohore all still unavailable for selection, the former Newcastle boss will be able to bring more experience back into the side, with Jake Livermore returning from suspension for the match against the Tigers.

With that in mind, here is how Football FanCast expect to see West Brom line up against Hull today…

We expect to see three changes to the team which lost 2-0 to Swansea City on Monday night, as Bruce has hinted at making a few changes in his pre-match press conference.

The first change we expect to see is the addition of Taylor Gardner-Hickman in the backline for his first starting appearance since the 61-year-old was appointed as Albion manager last month. The 20-year-old – who was hailed as “bright” by Chris Lepkowski – was handed a permanent contract by the club at the end of 2021 after impressing former Baggies manager Valerien Ismael.

If Bruce’s comments are anything to go by, the youngster will get his opportunity to impress once again today against Hull City, with the Albion boss telling the press on Friday: “Certainly, he will get his opportunity and he is right in my thoughts for tomorrow.”

The second change we predict is the return of Livermore in the starting XI, returning from suspension following a four-match ban due to receiving his second red card of the season.

The 32-year-old worked with his current manager, coincidentally at Hull, and it would be no surprise at all to see him instantly restored to the starting XI, with the ineffective Adam Reach axed to accommodate his return and Jayson Molumby moved over into the left central midfield position.

The third and final predicted change to the starting line-up is the return of Karlan Grant, replacing Grady Diangana in the forward line just behind Andy Carroll in an attempt to freshen up the attacking threat after the disappointing defeat at The Hawthorns earlier this week.

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Grant is currently the Baggies’ top scorer this season, with 10 goals in the current campaign, and he will be hoping that Bruce will give him the opportunity to start against Hull today to prove that he can get back to his goalscoring ways, having failed to find the net since West Brom’s last victory in January against Peterborough.

A win for the Baggies this afternoon is an absolute must, as they has now fallen to 13th in the Championship and are running out of time to gain a play-off place, and Bruce will be hoping to secure his first win at the club to take the pressure off amid some question marks over his appointment.

In other news: Steve Madeley has dropped a worrying update on this Baggies gem

Alastair Cook has admitted England will be taking “a risk” if they select James Anderson in their team for the second Test against South Africa in Cape Town.Anderson missed the first Test after sustaining a mild calf strain and, though he is confident he should be fit for this match, has not been able to deliver the overs he would have liked before heading into a major match. He bowled just five overs in the tour match in Potchefstroom and, while he bowled in training over the last couple of days in Durban, he usually does very little the day before a Test in order to ensure he is fresh.With England having seen Dale Steyn break down during the first Test after coming into the match having recently recovered from injury, they will be very keen not to make the same mistake.”We have to be really careful with heart and head,” Cook said. “He’s desperate to play but we just have to make sure it’s the right decision for him. We don’t want to hinder ourselves and have an injury caused that we could have prevented. Obviously there will be a bit of a risk about it.”Ultimately, it seems Anderson will be trusted to make the decision himself. As a highly experienced bowler who knows his body, the management are confident that his heart will not rule his head. He bowled at full pace and batted in the nets on Friday and all things considered, he looks likely to play.”If he’s fit to go, then he’ll play,” Cook said. “It’s an interesting call because of how many overs he’s bowled so far on this tour – it’s not a huge amount – and the conditions will be tough for all of us. We’ll have a good chat in the changing room and see how he feels.”You want your best players playing. If he’s fit and ready and confident, then he’ll be opening the bowling. But we have to make sure we’re right.”England’s other concern is their consistency over recent times. In 2015, they won six and lost six Tests sometimes following an excellent performance (Grenada and Cardiff) with a pretty wretched one (Barbados and Lord’s).”I certainly haven’t got to the bottom of why we’ve been so inconsistent as a side over the last ten months,” Cook admitted. “Have we as a side learned? Can we be more consistent and harder to beat?”If South Africa play out of their skin and we hit the same standards then I’ll be happy. But we have to hit the same standard. In Durban, we set a benchmark. It’s just a case of whether we have the same hunger in us to do that again.”In the longer term, England have some scheduling concerns. Both sides go into this match with just a two-day turnaround between games – it seems incredible to think that Tests used to contain rest days – and it starts a year when England are scheduled to play 17 Tests (though it is rumoured the five Test series in India could be reduced to a four-Test series).Such a schedule – and that is before ODIs and the World T20 is considered – gives England’s top players little chance to play at their optimum. Given more rest and care, Anderson and Stuart Broad might still be capable of producing their sharpest spells more often.Equally Graeme Swann’s elbow might not have caused so many problems and Jonathan Trott may have had time to recover his equilibrium. Andy Flower, too, may reflect that the relentless pressure of the England coaching role saw him change, over time, and become, for a while, a less positive figure.Many of the players have their families with them at present – one of the coaching staff saw his family at Christmas for the first time since September – but there is a concern that the demands on those involved now stretch to around 300 days a year and create strains on family life that cannot be fully compensated by a large salary. International careers are becoming shorter; the demands are unsustainable.”A two-day turnaround isn’t great for the players,” Cook said. “If we’d bowled 140 overs in the dirt in Durban and then had a two-day turnaround in 40 degrees, which it has been here, that’s a gruelling ask to keep the standards up. Hopefully, this is just a one-off and people see sense. You need a couple more days between Tests.”We started in April saying that we had 17 Test matches and it was a gruelling schedule. But we certainly won’t be using that as an excuse at the end of this week if we don’t play well.”The players, like the coaches, are pawns in a game that sees the ECB demanding more to sustain a business model that is creaking under the weight of the demands upon it. It is not easy for the ECB: pay any less and players may prefer a future in T20 leagues; play any less and the money may not be there for the academies, the development tours, the county system and salaries. But the current demands on the players are too great and, in time, will become self-defeating.

Nepal have qualified for next year’s Under-19 World Cup in Malaysia after defeating a spirited Afghanistan side by 48 runs in the final of the Asian Cricket Council Under-19 Elite Cup at the Kinrara Oval. Nepal successfully defended a modest of 172 to bowl out Afghanistan, who lost their last four wickets for three runs in 11 balls.The tournament also served as the Asian qualifier and by virtue of winning it, Nepal joined Papua New Guinea (from the East Asia-Pacific region), Ireland (from the Europe region), Bermuda (from the Americas region), the ICC’s 10 Full Members and hosts Malaysia at the 16-team World Cup to be played from February 17 to March 2, 2008.Deciding to bat first, Nepal found the going tough against the disciplined Afghanistan bowlers who continued to take wickets at regular intervals. The only partnership of any substance was for the sixth wicket between Sagar Khadka and Aakash Kumar Gupta who added 61 runs after Nepal had slumped to 60 for 5 in the 22nd over.Khadka scored a painstaking 32 from 79 balls with one four while Gupta scored run-a-ball 48 with six fours and a six. Captain Paras Khadka was other notable run-getter with 28. For Afghanistan, Asghar Hussain, Obaidullah Kunari and Aimal Wafa took two wickets each.Afghanistan began in similar style and fell to 67 for 5, but couldn’t produce the same sort of fightback. Shir Shirazi and Shabir Noori tried to stabilise the innings, however, Shirazi’s departure opened floodgates as Afghanistan lost their last five wickets for 16 runs.Roy Dias, Nepal’s coach, was delighted with the success of his team which also gives him the unprecedented honour of appearing at his fourth U-19 World Cup. “These kids have shown that they are tough and can come through against any opposition and in any conditions,” he said.”We were not given any realistic chance of qualifying this time because we could hardly practice in Nepal because of rain. However, we were rescued by Sri Lanka Cricket who funded our week-long tour [in August]. And although we lost a couple of matches, it was a big tour in terms that the boys got match practice and managed to fine-tune their talent.”Dias felt the key stage of the final was the sixth-wicket stand between Khadka and Gupta. “I think that was the turning point because that partnership made sure we had enough runs on the board. And once we picked up Afghanistan opener Sajed Khan very early in the innings, we knew we had the match under control because bowling was our strength and we showed tremendous discipline in that department throughout the tournament.”

Lisa Sthalekar drove Australia’s total with an important 51 in her 50th match © Getty Images

Australia gave Karen Rolton and Cathryn Fitzpatrick the perfect result to celebrate their 100th games for their country with a nail-biting one-run win in the opening match of the Rose Bowl Series in Brisbane. Chasing 202 for victory, New Zealand wanted 21 from the last 18 balls and seven from the final over, but it took the last-ball run-out of Sarah Burke to end the valiant attempt.A fine 71 from Aimee Mason, who hit ten fours and a six, kept the visitors in sight of the target and when she was another of the four run-outs Anna Dodd struck 15 off 10 balls to ensure a thrilling conclusion. Fitzpatrick finished with figures of 2 for 49 while Rolton, the captain, contributed with a brisk 44 after winning the toss.Lisa Sthalekar marked her 50th one-day international by top scoring with 51 and she passed another milestone by becoming the eighth Australian to reach 1000 career runs. Melissa Bulow picked up 29 at the top of the order and some late contributions from Jodie Purves and Julie Hayes pushed Australia to 9 for 201. The second match of the five-game series is at Allan Border Field on Sunday.

Andrew Flintoff: geared up for the first match of 2005© Getty Images

It’s always the same in England-South Africa series. Just when you think you’ve got the script nailed, it gets dispatched off to Hollywood for a glamorous makeover, and all your pre-series plotlines are scattered to the wind.In 1994, South won a famous victory at Lord’s by the not-inconsiderablemargin of 356 runs, and were well set to wrap up the series at The Oval,only for Fanie de Villiers to aim that injudicious bouncer at DevonMalcolm’s head. Two years later at Cape Town, however, Malcolm was thescapegoat, as the last pair of Dave Richardson and Paul Adams belted SouthAfrica to an unassailable lead in a low-scoring decider.And then of course, there was the 1998 series. This time, South Africa were one-up and cruising in the third Test, and, as Tim de Lisle wrote in the following year’s Wisden, it was England who were “clinging to a precipice, in a hurricane, by one finger, while the baddie [took] leisurely aim, from a sheltered vantage-point, with an automatic weapon.” Not only did South Africa muff the shot, they allowed Robert Croft, Darren Gough and the No. 11 Angus Fraser to haul themselves back from the brink and, ultimately, back into a series that they went on to win 2-1.Leaving aside the twist of an altogether more sinister nature at Centurionin 1999-2000, it has been a fair bet that the side in command will relinquish the incentive before the series is up. The difference on this occasion, however, is that no-one is quite sure who took what out of that seesaw draw at Durban.In the immediate aftermath of the match, they was little doubt who wasmore pleased with the result. “South Africa got out of jail,” declaredMichael Vaughan, and Graeme Smith could hardly disagree: “We got a bitlucky at the end there.”Two days and one New Year hangover later, however, there may be somereassessment taking place in both camps. England did remarkably well tohaul themselves back from 139 all out on the first day, but as JacquesKallis demonstrated and Marcus Tresothick and Andrew Strass belatedlyrealised, there was no need for England to have slipped into quite such apredicament in the first place.Though he could hardly be faulted for his batting, the loss of AshleyGiles to a back spasm was a significant factor in England’s conceding afirst-innings lead of 193. Once the shine had gone off the new ball,England had no-one reliable to hold up an end, and so the effectiveness ofthe seamers was more or less halved. Giles did not bowl at his best in thesecond innings at Durban, but in mitigation, it was his first competitiveday of bowling in more than a week, and, spasms permitting, he is sure tohave a big role on a Newlands pitch that is expected to turn.Of greater concern to England, however, is the form of Mark Butcher, andto a lesser extent, Vaughan himself, who has managed just 53 runs in his first four innings of the series. Butcher was recalled after injuryahead of Robert Key, the man who had cashed in with 221 and an unbeaten 93not out against West Indies, but aside from an unflattering 79 at PortElizabeth he has struggled, and the vultures must surely be circling.Butcher himself feels a big score “is just around the corner”, and for themoment he retains the faith of his captain. “Butch played well in PortElizabeth for his 79,” said Vaughan, “although since then he hasn’tgot many runs. But I think we’ve seen over the last few years that he’s been agood player for us and pretty consistent.” Even so, his last Test hundredcame at Trent Bridge in August 2003, 16 matches ago.The issue of back-to-back Tests is sure to raise its ugly head again, especially with England expected to field the same XI for the third match running. But no matter how much of a strain it is for England’s seamers, no-one will be feeling the pinch – quite literally – like Shaun Pollock. In the closing stages at Durban, he suffered two agonising blows in consecutive balls from Steve Harmison, one on each index finger, but he was today passed fit with nothing more drastic than bruising.But even allowing for Pollock’s recovery, South Africa will still not be able to field the same team twice in two matches. Boeta Dippenaar, who struck an obdurate 110 at Port Elizabeth, has recovered from a knee injury, and takes the place of Martin van Jaarsveld, who batted with determination for his second-innings 49. Hashim Amla, who managed 1 and 0 in front of his home fans, earns a reprieve, while there could be a long-awaited debut for Charl Langeveldt, whose seven wickets for South Africa A destroyed England at Potchefstroom.If they are honest with themselves, South Africa might well have accepted this situation at the start of the series, especially now that they believe their great escape has stolen the initiative back from England. “We are the most relaxed we’ve been this series,” claimed Smith after a gentle early-morning workout. “We’ve had a nice practice here – it’s a bit cooler than in Durban – but every time you arrive at the ground you have to be on the button. We hope we can get it together for five days starting tomorrow.”South Africa (probable) 1 Graeme Smith (capt), 2 Herschelle Gibbs,3 Jacques Rudolph, 4 Jacques Kallis, 5 Boeta Dippenaar, 6 Hashim Amla, 7AB de Villiers (wk), 8 Shaun Pollock, 9 Nicky Boje, 10 Makhaya Ntini, 11 Dale Steyn.England (probable) 1 Marcus Trescothick, 2 Andrew Strauss, 3 MarkButcher, 4 Michael Vaughan (capt), 5 Graham Thorpe, 6 Andrew Flintoff, 7Geraint Jones (wk), 8 Ashley Giles, 9 Simon Jones, 10 Matthew Hoggard, 11Steve Harmison.

Phil Jaques: impressive form has earned him a 2005 contract© Getty Images

The Australian batsman Phil Jaques will join Yorkshire for the 2005 season after the county fought off competition from other clubs for his signature.Jaques, 25, has already played for Yorkshire this season, when he was brought in to cover Darren Lehmann’s international duties for Australia. And he established himself quickly, averaging over 58 in 19 innings in the Division Two championship, while he has also performed well in the one-day form of the game.”I thoroughly enjoyed my time in Yorkshire and I’m delighted to be going back next summer,” Jaques told the Stellar Group Website.”Everyone at the club made me feel very welcome and I was pleased to be able to repay them in some way with the runs I managed to score,” he added.”Hopefully next season we will be able to improve and launch a promotion challenge in both the four-day and the one-day games.”

Frizzell County Championship Division OneSussex 521 for 8 v Essex at Colchester
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Murray Goodwin maintained Sussex’s momentum at the top of the County Championship with a superb 210, as Essex’s bowlers were thrashed to all corners of Colchester on a brutal day of run-scoring. Goodwin’s innings was the cornerstone of a puzzlingly all-or-nothing effort from Sussex. He opened up with a 202-run stand with Richard Montgomerie (97), and added a further 113 for the sixth wicket with Matt Prior (104 not out), but until Jason Lewry joined Prior towards the end of a tiring day, none of Sussex’s batsmen got a look-in. The main reason was the menacing presence of Mohammad Akram, the only Essex bowler with any bite, who took 5 for 98, including four batsmen in single figures.Nottinghamshire 177 v Kent 242 at Trent Bridge
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Another astonishing innings from Kevin Pietersen, the Graeme Hick de nos jours, could not prevent Kent from taking a first-innings lead on another substandard Trent Bridge pitch. Twenty wickets fell in the day, five of them to Kent’s Martin Saggers (who on this week’s evidence can expect his long-awaited England call-up in roughly 2008), as Notts were bundled out for 177 in 40.5 overs, and Kent replied with 242, their last wicket falling to the final ball of the day. Nottinghamshire’s innings, however, owed everything to Pietersen, who thumped 18 fours and two sixes in his 99-ball 100. Only two other batsmen managed double figures. Kent were under no illusions about the state of the wicket, and sure enough they struggled when their turn came to bat. Mark Ealham fared the best, thumping 11 fours and a six in his 83, but once again there were only two other scores of note. But, if the recent Test is anything to go by, Kent’s first-innings lead is likely to be decisive.Frizzell County Championship Division TwoSomerset 296 v Worcestershire 86 for 2 at Worcester
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Somerset’s captain, Michael Burns, top-scored with 89 to give his side a competitive total against the Division Two leaders, Worcestershire, on the first day of their match at New Road. By the close, Worcestershire had lost Anurag Singh and Graeme Hick, both to Aaron Laraman, but Stephen Peters had helped the score along to a healthy 86 for 2, with a composed 44. Somerset had earlier been bowled out for 296, with Nantie Hayward showing the sort of wicket-taking form that might, one day, earn him a recall to the South African Test team. He finished with 3 for 53, including Burns himself in a brisk second spell, and Matt Mason also impressed with 3 for 56. Gareth Batty, overlooked by England this week, took wickets and a bit of tap in his 25 overs, while Steve Rhodes picked up five catches behind the stumps.Derbyshire 138 v Northamptonshire 224 for 1 at Derby
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Fresh from his unbeaten triple-century against Somerset, Mike Hussey continued his eye-popping vein of form with an unbeaten 103, to take his runs tally in his last three Championship innings to a Graeme-Smith-esque 534 (for once out). He was joined by the barely-less prolific Phil Jaques, who closed on 99 not out, as Derbyshire faced up to yet another drubbing at the Racecourse Ground. They had earlier been decimated for 138, the only resistance coming from their No. 3 Rawait Khan, whose 76 was his second Championship half-century. Andre Nel started the damage with the wickets of both openers, and Jeff Cook swung through the middle-order with 4 for 35.Durham 388 for 7 v Hampshire at Chester-le-Street
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Martin Love converted his first century of the season into a magnificent unbeaten 181, as Durham took charge against Hampshire at the Riverside. Love’s labours tidied up a ragged start to the innings for Durham, for whom Paul Collingwood was making his first start of the season. He didn’t last long, making just 9, but Love and Gary Pratt (66) added 161 for the fourth wicket to swing the day away from Hampshire. Dmitri Mascarenhas kept plugging away with 3 for 59, but Hampshire have it all to do on the second day.Second Division – Day 2Gloucestershire 237 for 7 v Glamorgan 331 at Bristol
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Glamorgan remained on top by the end of another tense day’s play in their Second Division promotion battle at Bristol, as Gloucestershire’s batsmen made heavy weather of their first innings. The morning session had belonged to Gloucestershire, after Jon Lewis had revived their prospects by wrapping up all four of Glamorgan’s remaining first-innings wickets in double-quick time, but runs were equally hard to come by in Gloucestershire’s innings. Phil Weston and Tim Hancock added a steady 98 for the second wicket after the early loss of Craig Spearman, but wickets fell at regular intervals thereafter. Hancock made 64, and Alex Gidman reached the close on a vital 63 not out.