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India go into this game 1-0 up in the series, having secured a record innings win in the previous match in Kanpur and eyeing a leapfrog over Sri Lanka and South Africa to the No 1 spot. Yet there is one gaping hole they must contend with – the absence of Gautam Gambhir, India’s form player of the year and of this series too.MS Dhoni did not comment on Gambhir’s decision to place his sister’s wedding ahead of a crucial encounter, saying only it was an “individual’s decision”. But Dhoni knows only too well that the opener’s absence has given Sri Lanka a toehold in the game.Such has been Gambhir’s impact over the last two years that he has converted half his starts into hundreds. In the 14 games he’s played since the end of 2007 – he only played one Test that year – he has scored seven hundreds to tally 1869 runs at an average of 72. Gambhir’s figures are staggering considering the next batsman, Sachin Tendulkar, who averages 54 in 27 Tests since the start of 2007, has just one more century to his name.Sri Lanka captain Kumar Sangakkara was also keen to take advantage of the situation. “The absence of a quality player like that leaves a gap, but it also means that the new guy coming in will be really hungry to make a mark. To exploit it is our responsibility.”However, Dhoni believed Gambhir’s replacement Murali Vijay, who had a solid debut last year in Nagpur against Australia, would be up for the challenge. “The last time he [Vijay] played he did well for us,” Dhoni said. “In the domestic games also he has done well so we are hoping that he gets off to a good start and gives us a good start as well.”A good beginning is crucial, as demonstrated in Kanpur, when the belligerent opening stand between Gambhir and Virender Sehwag helped India raise a 400-plus total on the first day and put Sri Lanka immediately under the pump, from which they never recovered. Luckily, despite the slow nature of the Green Park pitch, Sreesanth bowled with purpose to force the visitors into meek surrender.Even if 11 of the 17 Tests played at the Brabourne Stadium have yielded no result, the pitch this time around looks promising, with both captains describing it as lively. Dhoni was confident that if his bowlers could prosper on unhelpful pitches in Ahmedabad and Kanpur, they could definitely take advantage of the helpful Brabourne track. “The first session would be crucial, as well as the evening one (where) the fast bowlers, If they maintain the ball, would be able to swing in the last half hour.”So far in the series, India have been lucky on a few fronts: Dhoni has won the toss twice, Sehwag was dropped twice early on and made the visitors pay for their errors with a fifty on the first occasion and a breathtaking hundred in Kanpur. But India had done the hard yards to make those breaks count, and they will have to repeat it one more time in Mumbai to claim their place at the top of the Test pile.

Jonathan Batty, the 35-year old Surrey wicketkeeper, has been signed by Gloucestershire on a three-year contract.”It is an exciting opportunity to take on a new challenge,” Batty said. “I am looking forward to joining up with John Bracewell, Jack Russell and the Gloucestershire team.”Director of cricket John Bracewell said: “We are delighted that Jonathan has signed for us and I have no doubt that he is the missing link between the first and second division. His ability to bat anywhere from one to seven gives our batting great flexibility for all competitions.”Gloucestershire had released their wicketkeeper-batsman Steve Adshead earlier in the week.

Group A

MIsbah-ul-Haq starred with an unbeaten 153 to put SNGPL on top•AFP

Misbah-ul-Haq, dropped for the New Zealand series, answered his critics, smashing an unbeaten 153 off 206 balls to put Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited on top against Lahore Shalimar at the Lahore City Cricket Association Ground. Misbah was joined by Usman Arshad with his team in a difficult situation at 104 for 4, but the pair scored centuries and adding an unbeaten 281 for the fourth wicket to take their team to 385 for 4 at stumps. Misbah’s innings was laced with 25 fours, while Arshad struck 14 boundaries on his way to 115.An unbeaten 101 from wicketkeeper Ahmed Said put Water and Power Development Authority in a strong position against Habib Bank Limited at the Gaddafi Stadium. Said was involved in a century-stand for the first wicket with opener Mohammad Asif (48) and added a unbeaten 55 with captain Aamer Sajjad (30 not out) to take his team to 214 for 3 at stumps.Khan Research Laboratories reached a dominant position at stumps on day one against Karachi Whites at the National Stadium. Seamer Mohammad Irfan starred again, taking 5 for 27, and was supported by Akthar Ayub, who picked up three wickets, to derail Karachi, who were skittled out for 87. Opener Naved Khan top scored with 24, while the others struggled. The KRL batsmen ensured the advantage remained with them, as each chipped in to take the team to 214 for thee at the end of the day, with a lead of 127. Zulfiqur Jan, the wicketkeeper, hit an 80-ball 57, while captain Mohammad Wasim batted through the end with an unbeaten 69.Pakistan’s fast bowling duo rose to the occasion for National Bank of Pakistan to give them the edge against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited in Faisalabad. Mohammad Asif starred with a five-wicket haul, taking 5 for 35, and was well backed up by Mohammed Aamer (3 for 22), as ZTBL were shot out for 115. Only Shahid Yousuf offered any sound resistance, making 53. Abdul Razzaq, however, ensured NBP would not completely dominate, taking 3 for 42 to leave them at 155 for 5 at stumps. NBP were struggling at 97 for 5 at one stage, but an unbeaten 46 by Kamran Akmal, with good support from Qaiser Abbas (25 not out), kept them in control.Pakistan Customs ended the day on even terms against Pakistan International Airlines in Karachi. They had limped to 106 for 5 but opener Jibran Khan (93) and Mohammad Nabi (64 not out) staged an excellent recovery, adding 105. The day would have ended in Pakistan Customs’ favour had they not lost Khan just before stumps; they finished on 216 for 6. For PIA, wicketkeeper Sarfraz Ahmed took five catches.

Group B

Nineties from captain Adnan Raees and Riaz Kail took Abbottabad to a commanding 309 for 7 against Hyderabad at the Abbottabad Cricket Stadium. Put in by the visitors, openers Hammad Ali and Ghulam Mohammad put on a solid opening stand of 67, before both fell to slow left-arm spinner Pir Zulfiqar, who finished with 3 for 55. While Kail departed for a well-made 94, comprising 12 boundaries, Raees held fort with a 177-ball 90, including 11 boundaries to see Abbottabad through to stumps.A five-for for right-arm fast bowler Ahmed Hayat along with fellow paceman’s Zahoor Khan’s 4 for 84 helped Fasialabad shoot out Peshawar for 232 in Sargodha. There were four catches for wicketkeeper Mohammad Salman as well, with his opposite number Mohammad Rizwan (53) and Azam Jan (50) providing the fight for Faisalabad. During the reply though, Faisalabad lost Zeeshan Asif for a duck, and ended the day on 3 for 1.Sheharyar Ghani’s brilliant 159 helped table-toppers Karachi Blues take the honours on day one against Islamabad at the Diamond Club Ground. Ghani was in top form, striking 24 fours during his 224-ball knock, and combining well with Asad Shafiq. The third-wicket stand yielded 226, with Shafiq hitting 89 off 155 balls, including ten fours. Shehzad Azam, who had accounted for the openers, returned to pick up two late wickets before wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor guided Karachi to stumps, unbeaten on 30.Babar Naeem gave Rawalpindi the upper hand in their game against bottom-of-the-table Quetta at the National Ground. The left-handed opener hit a well-paced 117, comprising 22 fours and a six to lead the way. Usman Saeed and captain Naved Ashraf followe dup the act by scoring fluent fifties. Ashraf remained unbeaten on 60, hitting six fours and a six en route as Rawalpindi ended the day on a strong 309 for 4.It was right-arm fast bowler Abdur Rauf’s contribution with the bat that helped Quetta post 278 first up against Sialkot at the Jinnah Stadium. Quetta lost Fayyaz-ul-Hasan for no score, but were supported by fighting forties from Ghulam Fareed and Babar Ali, before they were both sent back by Suleman Ali (3 for 67), Sialkot’s hero with the ball. At 140 for 6, it was captain Rauf who held the reins. He smashed a quick 86, including 13 fours and a six, and put on 89 with Rizwan Haider (32) to take them to a fighting total. Nayyer Abbas and Naved Arif completed the formalities, ending with two wickets apiece.

Division Two

Rikki Clarke punches the air after seeing Warwickshire over the line at Old Trafford•Getty Images

Warwickshire clinched the Division Two title with a last-ball, three-wicket victory against Lancashire at Old Trafford as Rikki Clarke held his nerve to hit the winning single. The home side could only managed 166 as Keith Barker took 3 for 23 and Jonathan Trott marshalled the chase with a composed 86 from 122 balls after he was dropped at slip early on. However, Trott was caught at midwicket at the start of the last over and Ant Botha was run out before Clarke sealed the silverware as Warwickshire jumped above Middlesex.Tom Maynard rounded off his season with an unbeaten 69 as he carried Glamorgan to a five-wicket victory against Derbyshire at Derby after Jim Allenby hit a 58-ball 60 to give the chase momentum. Derbyshire were captained by wicketkeeper Jamie Pipe in his final match before retirement to become the club physio.In a battle of the youngsters at Grace Road, Surrey came out on top against Leicestershire as Matthew Spriegel (81 not out) and Tom Smith (65) produced a stand of 123 to carry the visitors home. Surrey had stumbled to 94 for 5 after Wayne White claimed two wickets. For Leicestershire, James Taylor ended his impressive season on a high with an unbeaten 83 off 66 deliveries.Northamptonshire put the disappointment of missing out on Championship promotion behind them to win by 99 runs against Kent at Canterbury. Stephen Peters and Niall O’Brien added 101 for the first wicket and O’Brien finished with 72 from 52 balls. Rob White then made 70 from 80 balls as Northamptonshire reached 244, which Kent never threatened to chase down. David Lucas, who took a seven-wicket haul in the Championship on Friday, claimed four and Greg White collected three.

Division One

Justin Langer’s Somerset career ended with a defeat against Somerset which denied his team the title•Getty Images

Sussex were easily beaten by Worcestershire at New Road, but still took the title after Somerset (see below) couldn’t beat Durham. For a full report of the New Road match, click here.Somerset couldn’t quite give Justin Langer a winning farewell at Taunton as they went down by two-wickets against Durham when victory would have given them the title after Sussex’s defeat at New Road. Somerset’s chance only came about during the final stages as news from Worcester filtered through, but Durham had the chase in hand after an opening stand of 79 in seven overs between Phil Mustard and Ian Blackwell. The home side battled back as Charl Willoughby removed both openers, but Gordon Muchall controlled the middle of the innings with a well-paced 61. However, when he chipped to midwicket Somerset sensed a chance, especially with Alfonso Thomas and Ben Phillips applying pressure. Gareth Breese, though, kept a cool head and Scott Borthwick pushed his second ball through midwicket to seal the win. Somerset’s innings had been a stop-start affair from the moment Marcus Trescothick fell in the first over. de Bruyn provided the anchor in the middle with 55 off 66 balls and the late charge came from Arul Suppiah who clubbed 52 from 29 balls. Langer, in his final innings for the county, was caught behind for 13 and left to a warm ovation…but no trophy.Nottinghamshire ended the season on a flat note as they capitulated for 57 – their lowest one-day total – against Gloucestershire to finish at the bottom of the table at Trent Bridge. Akhil Patel hit 41 of those runs – including 20 off four balls against Jon Lewis – and no else got passed 6. Anthony Ireland and David Payne both claimed 3 for 10 while Mark Ealham, in his final innings before retirement, fell for a second-ball duck. Gloucestershire needed just 7.3 overs to knock off the runs and victory was wrapped up by 3pm.Mark Pettini followed his vital innings in Essex’s successful Championship promotion chase with an unbeaten 101 as his side rounded off the season with a seven-wicket win against Yorkshire at Headingley. Graham Napier earlier took four wickets while, for Yorkshire, 18-year-old Joe Root hit 63 on his debut.

A brace of three-wicket hauls from Muttiah Muralitharan and Ajantha Mendis, along with a half-century from Mahela Jayawardene led Sri Lanka to a comfortable five-wicket victory in their warm-up match against West Indies in Pretoria. After conceding 306 runs against Pakistan on Friday, Sri Lanka’s bowlers were more effective against a weak West Indies. Dale Richards and Devon Smith scored half-centuries but, apart from Darren Sammy, no one else got to double figures. They had reached a respectable 121 for 2 before Murali and Mendis went about dismantling the middle and lower order. Murali took 3 for 17 and Mendis claimed 3 for 31 as West Indies were bowled out for 201 in the 46th over.Sri Lanka began the chase shakily, with Tillakaratne Dilshan and Sanath Jayasuriya falling within the first ten overs, but Jayawardene steadied the innings by scoring 67 before he was out hit wicket to Gavin Tonge. There were also useful contributions from Kumar Sangakkara (35) and Thilina Kandamby (44) not out and Sri Lanka reached the target in the 48th over.Fresh off their meeting during the Compaq Cup in Sri Lanka, New Zealand turned the tables and pulled off an impressive 103-run victory against India at Potchefstroom. Martin Guptill (63) and Jesse Ryder (57) set a strong platform, adding 60 for the second wicket, before Neil Broom let loose. Broom smashed 66 off 46 balls, comprising five boundaries and four sixes, and figured in two crucial 40-plus partnerships with Grant Elliott and Daniel Vettori. The Indian fast bowlers were largely ineffective in the face of the onslaught with Yusuf Pathan ending as India’s most successful bowler with 3 for 46.Chasing 302, the Indian top order never capitalised on their starts. Abhishek Nayar provided some fight, scoring a quick 41, which included six fours. New Zealand shared the wickets around with Jacob Oram, Daniel Vettori and Shane Bond taking two apiece, as India were bowled out in the 41st over.An unbeaten 130 from Shoaib Malik guided Pakistan to a six-wicket victory against Warriors at Benoni. He added 110 with Mohammad Yousuf and 96 with Misbah-ul-Haq as the runs were knocked off with 19 balls to spare.

ScorecardThere was something both magnificent and poignant about the sight of Marcus Trescothick butchering the bowling at Edgbaston on the final day of the Championship match against Warwickshire. While it’s impossible not to marvel at Trescothick’s batting, it’s also hard not to think about what might have been.For while England struggled to save the fourth Test in Leeds, Trescothick provided another demonstration of the tremendous ability that might, but for cruel fortune, have helped England regain the Ashes. How England could do with him at The Oval.To say Trescothick dominated here is an understatement. His century – his second of the game – contained a barrage of thunderous drives, an array of murderous slog sweeps and a selection of dismissive pulls and cuts that intimidated the bowlers in a way very few can. And while he made an increasingly brutal 107, his colleagues struggled to prosper against the moving ball and could muster only 37 between them. He might just be the best batsman Somerset have ever produced.The stats don’t quite back up that claim. Somewhat surprisingly, Trescothick’s career average remains below 40. Yet, since he retired from international cricket and found peace at Taunton, his consistency has been remarkable. From the start of 2007 he averages a fraction under 60 in first-class cricket. England’s loss is Somerset’s gain. And he’s still improving.Certainly he’s enjoying a remarkable season. He has now passed 50 in 12 of his 18 championship innings and amassed six centuries. He’s been dismissed in the 90s four times, too. This was the second time in his career that he had scored a century in each innings. The other occasion was also at Edgbaston, in a Test against the West Indies in 2004.Trescothick’s innings enlivened an otherwise prosaic day at Edgbaston. Though Somerset were keen to reach an agreement might have engineered a fourth-innings run-chase, Warwickshire were having none of it.Trescothick punished their conservatism. There were times – such as the ferocious straight drive that almost took the head off the bowler, Rikki Clarke, and brought up his century (100 balls, 15 fours and a six) that – when the close fielders appeared in danger, though at other times – such as a delightful late cut off Ant Botha – when Trescothick showed his class and range.Conditions were not easy for batting. With Boyd Rankin bowling with pace and Warwickshire’s remaining bowlers finding movement, none of the other batsman could manage more than 11. Arul Suppiah was undone by bounce, James Hildreth cut to point, Zander de Bruyn missed a sweep and Crag Kieswetter fell over a straight one.Earlier Andy Caddick and Alfonso Thomas bowled unchanged through the first session to precipitate a sharp decline in Warwickshire’s innings. At one stage Thomas, bowling a probing line and gaining sharp movement off the seam and in the air, claimed three wickets in seven balls without conceding a run, as Warwickshire lost their last seven wickets for the addition of just 58 runs.By then Jonathan Trott and Tony Frost had made the game safe, however. The pair added 142 in 28 overs before Frost, with a century in sight, edged a beauty that bounced and left him. Tim Ambrose could not capitalise on his first ball let-off and edged an outswinger, before Clarke was brilliantly caught by a diving Kieswetter off the next delivery.Caddick also bowled well. He delivered 14 overs in succession, bowling Ant Botha with a full ball and inducing Trott to follow a wide one. It was a fine spell from a 40 year-old who retires in a few weeks with the possibility of being the last seamer with 1,000 first-class wickets and 10,000 overs under his belt. We may never see his like again.The result consolidates Warwickshire’s position in mid-table, but hammers another nail in Somerset’s title aspirations. They now trial Durham by 22 points having played a game more, though the two sides do still have to meet at Chester-le-Street.Warwickshire, meanwhile, have been boosted by the arrival of Sreesanth. The Indian fast bowler will make his debut in the Pro40 match against Leicestershire and then play in the Championship game at Trent Bridge starting on Tuesday.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsMarcus North continued Australia’s top-order dominance at Cardiff as they moved into the lead•Getty Images

Michael Clarke is destined to follow Ricky Ponting as captain of Australia and he took the lead of the current skipper on the third day in Cardiff to guide the visitors ahead by 44 runs. Clarke and Marcus North added 143 for the fifth wicket after England had threatened a fightback during the morning session, but any hope the home side had of remaining on level terms was remorselessly pounded into the Welsh dust.Clarke appeared set to become the third century-maker of the innings before gloving a pull off Stuart Broad, during the first period of Test cricket in England and Wales played under floodlights, after the players returned following a two-hour rain break. More wet weather is forecast for Saturday and could yet have a major say in the route and outcome of this match. However, the more time that is lost means makes Australia the only side that can take a positive result from this opening encounter.Ponting and Katich carried their second-wicket partnership to 239 before Katich fell for 122 and when Ponting dragged Monty Panesar into his stumps for 150 Australia were still more than 100 behind. England harboured hopes of first-innings parity, but they couldn’t break through during the afternoon session as the attack laboured on a surface that made the five-man unit appear unthreatening.Clarke is Ponting’s heir apparent in so many ways and his innings bore many similarities with that of his captain. There was a swiftness of footwork against the spinners and conviction of strokeplay especially with his driving. He lofted Panesar straight over long-off for six and brought up his half century from 100 balls when he drove the Graeme Swann past mid-off before repeating the dose from the next delivery.North settled into his first Ashes innings and the talk of his uncertain early-tour form now seems a long time ago. Buoyed by the 191 he made against England Lions last week he watchfully negotiated the early part of his stay before expanding his range. He slog-swept the spinners through and over the leg side and when they tried to go wider outside off he cut through the covers.

Clarke took Australia into the lead with a meaty pull off Flintoff and North reached his half-century from 107 balls. Apart from when the ball was new England’s attack posed little threat with Broad leaking runs at more than four-an-over and the spinners unable to build sustained pressure. At least Broad’s mood brighten in the evening gloom when he enticed Clarke into a pull that brushed the glove, two overs before the players were off again, but it was another concerning day of hard toil for the home attack.There were nine overs until the second new ball when play began and if Andrew Strauss was in any doubt whether to take it his mind was soon made up as Panesar and Swann leaked boundaries. Ponting’s swift footwork created scoring opportunities against Panesar who had a tendency to bowl too short, while Swann continued to pitch too full with two full tosses racing to the boundary.The harder ball immediately provided more of a threat although it also raced off the bat as Ponting drove supremely through cover. Finally, after 70 overs, England found a way through as Anderson speared in a yorker at Katich and most importantly for the bowler the ball swung late to end a superb display of concentration and application.The intensity lifted as Flintoff steamed in and struck Michael Hussey on the helmet, while Anderson was now moving the ball in both directions. Anderson’s second scalp came with another full delivery which lured Hussey into a flat-footed drive and Matt Prior took a low catch. England now had the advantage of bowling at two right-handers and Anderson gave Clarke’s technique an early probing, but unlike the 2005 version he withstood the test impressively.Ponting was continuing along his classy path, only occasionally being discomforted by Anderson’s late swing and a beauty from Flintoff that beat the outside edge, although he did top-edge a six over Panesar at long-leg as went to 150 from 221 deliveries.With the ball still hard Panesar was recalled for another spell and the move paid off handsomely when Ponting got a bottom edge into the stumps. He had played so solidly that it was almost a shock to see him walking back, but it was far from the end of England’s problems.

Ricky Ponting insisted he was not let down by Australia’s dramatic near miss after watching an impregnable position turn into a gut-wrenching draw. The tourists were speeding towards a 1-0 Ashes lead until England’s final pair of James Anderson and Monty Panesar held on for 11.3 overs, sending 11 dispirited fielders to the dressing room.Ponting was disappointed with the failure to take the final wicket but will not mope in the lead-up to the second Test at Lord’s from Thursday. “It depends how you look at it, I’m not looking at this as a let-down,” he said. “I’m disappointed that we didn’t win, but I’m not let down by the way we played. From the time we started batting there was only one team that could have won the game. From an hour left in the day’s play, everyone here thought we would do that.”The result was still in doubt 15 minutes before the scheduled end, with Australia likely to have reached the required 13 runs if only they could have knocked over that last wicket. “We gave ourselves a great opportunity, we got extremely close, but stumbled at the last hurdle,” Ponting said. “But I’m very proud of what the guys achieved. We proved a lot to ourselves.”This was the first Ashes Test for seven of Australia’s men and they dominated their more experienced rivals on a surface offering slow turn and little for the fast bowlers. Nathan Hauritz led the side with 3 for 63 from 37 overs, proving his credentials as an international spinner, and Ben Hilfenhaus also grabbed three victims, although he was the least-used of the specialists.Needing 239 to make Australia bat again, England were in desperate trouble at 159 for 7, but the resistance grew in strength when Graeme Swann joined Paul Collingwood. From there none of the wickets came easily and the visitors started to fluster before the match finished with England 252 for 9.For the final five overs Ponting used a tired Hauritz in combination with the part-time offspinner Marcus North, instead of continuing with Peter Siddle or recalling Hilfenhaus or Mitchell Johnson. The tactic didn’t work and Anderson and Panesar were able to defend or stay out of danger. “When they put North on, I thought we’ve got a good chance,” Anderson said. “Monty was playing very well and we were communicating well.””We were running a bit short of time,” Ponting said of the decisions. “Once they forged that last partnership we needed to get as many balls into their batsmen. A few other minutes were being taken up by other things. With two left-handers being in, and two offspinners being on, I thought we could create some chances.”If Andrew Strauss was in charge he would have waved to Johnson. “I could understand what [Ponting] was doing but personally I thought Mitchell Johnson would have been harder for these two to face,” he said. “Each captain sees things differently, I suppose.”Australia held on by a wicket at Old Trafford on their last visit to England, but by the next Test at Trent Bridge the hosts had re-grouped and won to take the series lead. Ponting hopes this result will galvanise his team for Lord’s.”We’ve got to realise how well we played, it will be hard for the guys to realise that over the next hour,” he said. “That’s what I’ll be saying. We just have to have a good attitude around the ground when we start training again on Tuesday.”He felt England would have the greater problems heading into Lord’s despite the strength of their late rally. “I’m not sure if they look at it like a win, they’re not 1-0 up, and they’ve been outplayed for four days,” Ponting said. “They’ll have more soul-searching and selection issues than we will.”

Division One

Eighteen wickets tumbled on a sensational second day at Chester-le-Street, as the county champions, Durham, seized the initiative against Lancashire, only to have their dominance undermined late in the day by Sajid Mahmood and his fellow seamers. By the close, Durham had collapsed to 122 for 6 in their second innings, but still held an important lead of 250 thanks to Graham Onions and Steve Harmison, who claimed four wickets apiece in Lancashire’s meagre 116 all out. Only one batsman really got the measure of the conditions all day – Durham’s Ian Blackwell, who hoisted his side from a Mahmood-inflicted 10 for 4 with a hard-hitting 65 not out. Andrew Flintoff, still firing after his first-innings four-for, was once again on target with 1 for 17 from 12 overs.Mike Yardy clubbed his second hundred in four days as Sussex dominated the second day against Worcestershire at New Road. Yardy, who didn’t reach three figures in a Championship at all last season, was fourth man out for a magnificent 152, sharing in significant partnerships with Chris Nash (52) and, in particular, Matt Prior who blitzed 82 from 87 balls. Yardy was dropped in the second over of the day and Worcestershire already appear to be heading for their fourth loss of the season, as they struggle to reach the demands of Division One cricket following their promotion last season.For a report from the second day at The Rose Bowl between Nottinghamshire and Hampshire, click here.Click here for John Ward’s report on the second day at Headingley, where Yorkshire took on Somerset.

Division Two

Jamie Dalrymple cracked his third hundred of the season to stitch together Glamorgan’s reply on the second day against Derbyshire at Derby. The hosts had the better of the morning as Tim Groenewald (24) and Ian Hunter (33*), Nos. 10 and 11, extended Derbyshire’s first innings to 307. Their bowlers then grabbed early wickets as Glamorgan slipped to a precipitous 35 for 3. Enter Dalrymple, who found good support in Gareth Rees (42), sharing in an 82-run fourth-wicket stand. Greg Smith picked up two wickets as Derbyshire’s seamers continued to threaten, leaving Dalrymple to hold the fort on an unbeaten 105. At stumps, however, Glamorgan still trailed by 82 with just four wickets in hand.Usman Afzaal’s unbeaten 156 put Surrey in complete control of their match against Northamptonshire on the second day at Northampton. Resuming on 113 for 4, Batty and Afzaal set the tone for the day with a fifth-wicket stand of 130. Batty fell for 48, caught behind off the persistent David Lucas, but Ryan Harris stuck by Afzaal in another sizeable partnership of 149. Afzaal brought up his hundred by smashing the wicketless Monty Panesar over the top for six, while Harris, who made 94, reached his fifty from a speedy 58 balls to pile more pain on the home side.

Sachin Tendulkar has said he is confident about India defending its World Twenty20 title and expects the pace attack to come good in English conditions. “It is on par with the best,” he told . “Zaheer [Khan], Ishant [Sharma] and RP Singh form a lethal combination, particularly in English conditions. Our seam attack has a lot of variety and would come handy in such conditions. On our day, we can demolish any batting side.”Tendulkar, who will not take part in the World Twenty20, had stressed the need for the Indian players to get adequate rest ahead of the competition after an intense IPL. He had singled out India’s opening combination, Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, which had struggled in the IPL, to fight fatigue in the lead-up to the tournament in England.When asked about Sehwag’s poor run, Tendulkar said: “Every player has ups and downs in his career and Viru [Sehwag] is no exception. But an on-song Viru is a delight to watch. If he gets one cover drive right, he’ll mesmerise everybody and will again be back to his best. The bowlers will be at his mercy then. He is a superb striker of the ball … on his day, he can do anything.”Tendulkar tipped India as the favourites for competition, for he felt that rather than just some individuals making the difference, the team is the best balanced outfit around. “We come as a package,” he said. “I am certain this package is the best in business at the moment. This package has everything which is necessary to make us world champions once again.”India is the most balanced side in the world and there is no doubt we can defend the title. We have very good cricketers in our side and we have proved that this combination is the deadliest.”