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Misbah-ul-Haq has been signed by Rangpur to play in the third edition of the Bangladesh Premier League which begins from November 22. Misbah has not played international T20 cricket since he stepped down as Pakistan captain in 2012, but he has been a consistent feature in domestic T20s and foreign leagues.Misbah, 41, recently led Pakistan to No. 2 in the Test rankings after a 2-0 defeat of England in the UAE. He had hinted at retiring after the series but the PCB had asked him to delay those plans.So that means his next assignment would be a tour of England in July 2016. The remainder of Pakistan’s Test specialists will play plenty of limited-overs cricket, including the Asia Cup and the World T20 next year, but Misbah who has retired from both the shorter formats, is hoping to keep himself match-ready by playing the Quaid-E-Azam trophy, Pakistan’s premier first-class tournament, and later the Bangladesh Premier League.”I have signed with BPL,” Misbah told ESPNcricinfo. “I want to carry on and keep myself motivated and maintain my fitness. So whatever cricket comes in I want to play to avoid being complacent.”Pakistan’s domestic season will conclude in February next year. The first Test at Lord’s is in July, four months later. So Misbah is keen to secure a contract with an English county to make sure he doesn’t turn up undercooked.”I love the game and want to play it,” Misbah had said after the England Test series. “It’s really difficult when you have not played any competitive cricket for six, seven, eight months and suddenly you come and play against top players. So this is a period you need to motivate yourself.”I can still play domestic cricket and be ready for that kind of challenge, but that’s not easy. I have mentioned that before because after retiring from ODIs, I can feel that whenever the Tests come the first game is always difficult and the body mechanism is not working. I feel that I am playing after a long time and it takes one or two innings to settle and if you are getting out early it could be horrible for you so these things are there so I am just trying to rethink and work out.”

Of its two NatWest Series fixtures so far, the Pakistan team has won the first and lost the second, while Aussies have won both theirs. Against England in the first match, Pakistan seemed to be in an all-conquering mood, and made it their business to demolish the demoralised hosts in their second successive outing. In such form, the Pakistanis look really threatening. Unfortunately, they let it slip a bit against the Aussies, who ultimately proved why they are the best side in the world, as they made no fuss in reaching a competitive target with relative ease.

First, let’s look at the England game, whom Pakistan meet again on Tuesday. Pakistan batted well, and posted enough runs on the board, with Saeed Anwar for the first time on this tour finding form and Inzamam continuing to plaster the England attack. Both added 150 for the third wicket, and while 273 in the end seemed to be a few runs less than Pakistan may have expected, it seemed good enough. Then with all the Pakistan bowlers, Wasim Akram being the sole exception, getting amongst the wickets, England capitulated for the second time in the week to lose by a huge margin – an identical 108 to Old Trafford Test.England was depleted in the absence of Graham Thorpe and Andrew Caddick, with Nasser Hussain already out, but even that is no excuse keeping in view the margin of defeat.This was a remarkable win, and showed that Pakistan’s ascendancy at Old Trafford was no fluke. More so because Pakistan seemed superior in all departments in that game. In my view the only disappointing things in that match were Razzaq and Youhana getting run out.

In the second match, against Australia, I was frankly disappointed. I thought with the newly-inculcated fighting spirit and with Aussies not having been in great form and with injuries to a couple of their bowlers, evident from their outings against the counties, Pakistan stood a better chance of winning the game. But then Pakistan gave it away, with Razzaq and Inzamam gifting their wickets to a rather overweight and ordinary looking Shane Warne.Azhar Mahmood followed suit, and Saeed Anwar having done the hard work gave his wicket away too, rather casually. Younis Khan was given leg before by Peter Willey when he was not; the star-crossed Younis must be wondering what he has to do to get the umpires to rule in his favour! That too, when he is in form and can make a really useful contribution.Since he has been ‘adjudged’ three times in last five visits to the crease, I do hope he does not lose confidence or start believing in conspiracy theories.A word about Inzamam. The way he got out trying to blast Warne out of the ground was really distressing. He is the vice-captain and a batsman on whom the team banks on to perform. He should show more responsibility, and especially because he is in fine fettle these days. He has made the most of it so far, but he shouldn’t loose his composure, even once.

That Pakistan eventually posted a somewhat competitive total was thanks to Yousuf Youhana (unconquered 91) and Rashid Latif (66 off 68 deliveries). Both were simply magnificent, and saved their side many a blushes. They were helped in their task a bit by Steve Waugh quite inexplicably, as he didn’t employ a fielder at long leg, where both these batsmen scored many a run turning the full length deliveries into flicks and milking the spinners on sweeps.Rashid Latif has more than justified his selection by his performance, both in front of the wicket and behind it. He is a tremendous fighter who never says die. This is also one reason why he keeps resurrecting his career when it seems to be all but over. But he seems to have health problems at this point and it would be advisable to keep a replacement handy. I think Moin Khan in the circumstances deserves a recall, and the selectors should look into sending him over to England.The Aussies, thorough professionals as they are, went about the task of getting the runs by going after the Pakistan attack. They were helped along by the fact that with Shoaib and Waqar’s pace, batsmen only need to get a reasonable touch and the ball disappears to the boundary, particularly in the first 15 overs. Waqar should have brought Saqlain Mushtaq on much earlier than he did, and once the off-spinner was given the ball he removed Ricky Ponting but by then the horse had bolted.As Pakistan seem determined to do well, when they take on England on Tuesday, they would need to keep things tight while bowling and the batting order requires a change or two as well. For instance, why not promote Younis up the order, to number three? Razzaq has not been contributing many runs, and Younis with his characteristic aggression may make a difference. Going up the order may also change his luck with the umpires. It might relieve Razzaq too, for down the order he may discover the form while batting aggressively, which he perhaps cannot, going into a defensive groove at number three.

Ed:Salahuddin Ahmed (Sallu) is a former Test cricketer, and has served as a PCB selector nine times; his last stint (1999-2000) was as chief selector.

NOTTINGHAM, England – Australian cricket captain Steve Waugh has brandedthose who threw a firecracker at one of his players during their 36-runday-night loss to Pakistan here tonight as “idiots”.It narrowly missed Australian speedster Brett Lee, but prompted Waugh tolead his team off the pitch, delaying the game for almost 20 minutesbefore they returned after being assured it would not happen again.Security at Trent Bridge had been stepped up for the game after previousugly scenes at Edgbaston and Headingley.A steward was detained in hospital in Leeds on Sunday after beinginjured during an invasion of supporters after Pakistan’s convincingvictory over England.Speaking after the game, Waugh said: “The stewards tried their best tocontain things but you can’t control idiots, can you?”I took the players off and until I felt reassured about their safety wewere not going to go back out there.”Today there was an improvement in the way things were dealt with but itwas still not an ideal situation.”They put up fences but I don’t think I would have been too keen if Ihad been a steward stood behind them.”There were 350 stewards on duty at Trent Bridge and plastic mesh wasused to try to prevent the crowd swarming onto the pitch.Australian team manager Steve Bernard told reporters that the problemwould never be truly solved until the England and Wales Cricket Board(ECB) received the legal backing they are urgently seeking from theBritish government.Britain’s new sports minister Richard Caborn, who consulted ECBofficials about security over the last two days, has for the time beingsidestepped the ECB’s call for legislation.ECB chief executive Tim Lamb has insisted that legislation to stoptrespassing is the only way to prevent a repeat incident.But, so far, the British government appears to be stalling on a positiveresponse.”We’ll talk to the ECB, no doubt,” Bernard said.”I’m sure the ECB are committed to making this as safe as possible forus.”But, as we’ve said before, the problem stems from the parameters inwhich they work.”There is no legislation in cricket here that allows them to take actionagainst people who come on to the field — it’s as simple as that.”So, at the end of the day, they’re trying all these other measureswhich, as good as they are, are never going to do the job which needs tobe done.”Pakistan coach Richard Pybus said: “If there had been a second incidenttoday, we would have been off the field and that would have been the endof the game.”But, after the initial incident, the crowd quietened down and I wouldlike to give credit to Notts County Cricket Club.”I thought their organisation was superb.”

World renowned star batsman, Sir Isaac Vivian Alexander Richards ofAntigua was inducted into the Cricket Hall of Fame in a gala ceremonyheld at the Radisson Hotel, Cromwell, Connecticut, Saturday, September29. The former West Indies’ captain was hailed as one of the greatestWest Indies players ever, and a fitting role model for youths toemulate. The large turnout stood and applauded Sir Vivian followinghis induction.Sir Vivian joins such past inductees as Sir Garfield Sobers, GeorgeHeadley, Sir Leonard Hutton, Sir Frank Worrell, Sir Everton Weekes,Sir Clyde Walcott, Sir Conrad Hunte, Alfred Valentine, Lance Gibbs,Rev. Wesley Hall, Clive Lloyd, Hanif Mohammed and umpire Tom Ewart tothe prestigious halls.Master of Ceremonies Attorney Rudolph Cohen, also a former member ofthe West Indies cricket team, relived some of the feats of the WestIndian hero, who tore the hearts out of Australian speed demons DennisLillee and Jeffery Thompson, during a tour of that country in 1975-76.One of the most important aspects of Sir Vivian’s career, Cohen said,is that after he became captain of the West Indies’ team, he continuedhis performance as a leader, never losing a series.Stating that it was a great honour to have Sir Vivian in our presence,Cohen explained how great a character Sir Vivian is by recalling aresponse he gave to a question during an interview. Asked about analleged catch taken at the wicket during one of his innings, Cohensaid that Sir Vivian replied that he is playing the game long enoughto know when he hit the ball.Sir Vivian paid tribute to all the people who helped him along theway, in particular his older brother Donald, and fellow AntiguanCharles Henry, whom he said took him to see his first Test match.Thanking the Cricket Hall of Fame’s committee for the honour bestowedon him, The Master Blaster,as he is affectionately called, saidthat despite his now known feats he was just as nervous going to thewicket as any other player. He lamented, however, that he had to comeall the way to North America to receive this honour, something whichhe believes should be done in the Caribbean.In responding to a question from the audience, Sir Vivian paid tributeto former player Lawrence Rowe, whom he described as one of thecoolest individuals that he has ever come across and said that as faras the game is concerned Rowe will always be his hero. Rowe, he said,always whistles while batting, but during a tour of Australia whilethey were at the wicket facing the speedsters’ Thompson and Lillee, henoticed that the whistling was missing. He said that he calmly wentdown the wicket to Rowe to enquire what was wrong in which Rowereplied that the men were dishing out fire today.To a question about his thoughts on the present state of West Indiescricket, Sir Vivian put the blame at the leadership of the West IndiesCricket Board, which he said needs to be united. Like the economy weare in a down cycle at the moment. It will take hard work andcalculated decisions to get us out of it, and when that is done, thenwe will have something to shout about again, he said.We have the talent, he said, but in order for us to go forward, theyoungsters coming into the fold must realize that we must know wherewe are coming from in order to know where we are going,he said.Luckily for me, we had people to look up to, emulate and follow after,he added, stating that it is quite easy for us to forget that we haveto crawl before we can walk.During the ceremony two proclamations were received, one fromConnecticut Governor John G. Rowland and the other from the city ofHartford’s Council declaring the day Sir Vivian’s Day in the state andcity respectively.Earlier that day Sir Vivian attended a reception held in his honour atthe Hartford Public Library, visited the Cricket Hall of Fame and acricket match at the city’s Keney Park between a visiting English teamand current the local champions, the West Indian Social Club.Receiving presidential awards for their services to the game andsupport for the Cricket Hall of Fame was The Weekly Gleaner, The WestIndian/American Newspaper, U.S. Cricketer International and Torontobased comedian Norman Sabu Grant, who kept the audience in stitchesat the start of the program.

A score of 172 in 45 overs does not suggest particularly proficient batting, but it was more than enough for Warwickshire to see Middlesex off in a crucial National League Division Two game. The Bears’ victory condemns the Crusaders to another season in Division Two.All this said, it was a desperately dull game. The only light points were that Lord’s let kids in free, and also – shock horror – allowed to play on the outfield at tea-time.Not only was this game dull, it was of poor quality. Some accurate bowling was combated with some of the most appalling batting. The Crusaders won the toss, and put the Bears in on a decent looking track. Openers Mark Wagh and Anurag Singh made a steady, dour start, putting on 72 for the first wicket. Wagh was trapped leg before for 24, attempting to pull Simon Cook. Skipper Neil Smith came and went, run-out by his younger partner. Ostler was castled by Johnson, Hemp well caught by keeper Alleyne, and Penney bowled by seamer Tim Bloomfield.At the other end, Singh was batting neatly. A firm hitter of the ball, his drive is particularly flamboyant. His 74 came from 125 balls, much slower than usual, and his dismissal gave Johnson his second wicket. It was all down hill from there on, with wickets falling in a hurry. Donald played what must have been one of the most irresponsible shots of his career, aiming a wild slog at Cook, only to see his off stump flattened. The Bears were eventually skittled for 172, with Johnson (3-26) and Cook (3-22), the pick of the bowlers.Unfortunately for the Crusaders, they only have two consistent batsmen. Ramprakash and Langer were at the crease a lot earlier than they would have hoped, after Strauss was leg before to Dagnall for one, and Alleyne caught going for a rash pull shot for four. Langer played one glorious trademark pull shot, before he was run out thanks to a Trevor Penney direct hit. Ramprakash didn’t last much longer, trapped leg before to give Dagnall his second wicket. When Ed Joyce was caught at cover following one of the most awful shots Lord’s has ever seen, the Crusaders were 24-5.Some dour defence followed from Paul Weekes. He was run out thanks to Allan Donald, and the writing was all but on the wall. Donald bowled seven overs in what will almost certainly be his last game at Lord’s finishing with figures of 1-8.Ben Hutton kept the Middlesex fans interested, making 49 before becoming Dagnall’s third scalp. Brief cameos from Simon Cook and Richard Johnson could not sway the result, as the Bears duly completed a 37 run victory.

Frank Tyson, the former England fast bowler, and renowned as one of the quickest to have ever played the game, has died at the age of 85 in Australia.Earning the nickname ‘Typhoon’ for his extreme pace, Tyson played 17 Tests for England between 1954 and 1959, taking 76 wickets at an average of 18.56. His demanding action put huge strain on his body and he retired at the age of 30.One of Tyson’s most memorable performances came in the 1954-55 Ashes in Australia, in which he picked up 28 wickets in five Tests, at an average of 20.82, helping England achieve a 3-1 win and formed a potent new-ball partnership with Brian Statham in the series.He only managed 1 for 160 in the first Test in Brisbane but finished with 10 wickets in the second Test in Sydney, taking a six-for in the second innings to lead England to a 38-run win, after he had earlier been knocked out by a short ball from Ray Lindwall.In an interview in 2013, Tyson recalled the Sydney spell. “Ask some of the Australians and they’ll say my fastest spell was Sydney – the match where I was sconed by Ray Lindwall. I was pretty cranky about what had happened and I did bowl fast. But I wouldn’t say that it was the best I’d ever bowled.”Frank Tyson during the 1954-55 Ashes where he claimed 28 wickets•Getty Images

He bettered that with 7 for 27 in the third Test at the MCG, which England won by 128 runs, a spell that Richie Benaud rated as the quickest he had ever seen. reported: “The pitch was worn and the experts predicted that England must look to Appleyard, pointing out that the conditions were made for his off spin, and probably they were right, but Tyson and Statham saw England home without Hutton having to look elsewhere for any bowling”Sheer speed through the air coupled with the chance of a shooter at any moment left the Australian batsmen nonplussed. Tyson blazed through them like a bush fire. In seventy-nine minutes the match was all over, the eight remaining wickets crashing for 36 runs.”Born in Lancashire, Tyson had initially looked to play for them but he broke down during his one 2nd XI match in 1949 and he subsequently had an eight-year career with Northamptonshire. His first-class career spanned 244 matches between 1952 and 1960, and he finished with 767 wickets.After his retirement in 1960, Tyson emigrated to Australia where he became headmaster of a school for a time, before coaching Victoria. He was a commentator and a successful writer, penning numerous books on the game. Through a stint with the Mumbai Cricket Association in the 1990s, he also helped groom local bowlers, including former India Test bowlers Abey Kuruvilla and Paras Mhambrey, and had a few more stints with the state association.

When the subject of Australian pacemen is raised, three names immediately spring to mind – Brett Lee, Jason Gillespie and, of course, Glenn McGrath. Yet this talented trio is but the tip of the iceberg.Sitting just below the surface is a plethora of talented pacemen biding their time, primed and ready to step up at any opportunity. Perennial wicket-takers like: Brad Williams, Andy Bichel, Michael Kasprowicz, Stuart Clark, Nathan Bracken, Matthew Inness, Ashley Noffke and Damien Wright, are but a few who would no doubt represent their country with distinction, but who are perhaps destined to end their careers not having played a fraction of the senior Australian matches that their talent would demand in a different era.Dig a little deeper still and you will find an emerging crop of youngsters who are set to burst onto the Australian domestic scene at any given time. Names like Mitchell Johnson, Damien MacKenzie, Brett Geeves and Aaron Bird may not be household names just yet, but all of these boys have got talent to burn and may head the Australian attack well into the next decade.Johnson (20) is the most well known of this group. He is a potential express paceman of rare ilk, one who can hurl a cricket ball at speeds of around 150km/h, is tall at 1.91m (6 feet 3 inches) and is also a left-armer. Johnson was clocked at 138km/h at the Australian Cricket Academy when he was 18 but he was on the road back from injury and was operating off only a few paces.Last year in interview Johnson said: “When I get stronger and reach my peak, I want to be the fastest bowler in the world, there’s no two ways about that.”For many, such a statement may seem like the words of a cocky kid but the softly spoken Queenslander is far from a braggart. A couple of years ago an official from the Academy told me that Johnson was faster than Lee at the same age, and last year in Dennis Lillee’s regular weekly newspaper column, he described Johnson as a “once-in-a-lifetime talent”.Injuries, particularly spinal related, have held Johnson back in recent seasons. But as his body matures and strengthens, he should start to string together periods of injury-free speed and given the opportunity he will wreak havoc on the Australian domestic circuit.A fellow Queenslander who is gaining a reputation as one of the fastest guns around is MacKenzie. MacKenzie (22) has been in the shadow, or should I say blur, of Johnson for a couple of years now, but MacKenzie is a fast-man in his own right and is ripe and ready to burst onto the Australian domestic scene like no paceman has done since 1999, when the 23-year-old firebrand Lee emerged.With all the hype surrounding some of the young ‘fast men’ in international cricket of late, it’s easier to get a gauge on where a guy like MacKenzie stands in the matter of bowling speeds.When Shane Bond came to Australia last season and played his debut Test, his fastest ball of that match was 142km/h. MacKenzie’s current speed could be placed slightly higher than this mark, with the potential to emulate Bond and take his speed up to, and over, the 150km/h mark. MacKenzie was clearly Queensland’s fastest bowler against NSW in the recently completed ING Cup one-dayer and looked to be a clear 5km/h faster than Kasprowicz who is regularly clocked around 138km/h in his international matches.Watching MacKenzie’s action from various angles in frame-by-frame shots it was noticeable just how similar in action he is to Bond, even down to the customary dragging of his back foot. His action is uncomplicated and explosive, with a strong shoulder element. MacKenzie does, however, tend to fall away a little in his action, and in striving for that extra yard of pace perhaps doesn’t gain the maximum benefit from his height.At close to 1.93m (6’4″), MacKenzie is well-built for a youngster and his delivery is so smooth and uncluttered. It is not until you see him next to the likes of Kasprowicz and Andrew Symonds that you realise what a large man he really is.The problem immediately confronting MacKenzie and Johnson is that they are playing for a state which has undoubtedly the most powerful domestic bowling attack in world cricket.Queensland has at its disposal 10 bowlers who would walk into any state/provincial team in the world, but they can only field six of them at any given time. Both pacers for varying reasons played only one Pura Cup match last year. If this figure does not increase all but tenfold this season then the talented duo may follow Shane Watson’s lead and defect to another state, where their talents can be showcased as they deserve to be.Whenever these two men are fit then they should be honing their skills in the first-class arena and not biding their time in grade cricket, waiting for their next break-down.One youngster who is close to the complete package is Geeves (20) of Tasmania. Geeves stands at around 1.85m (6’1″), generates good pace from a smooth, high, front-on action and comes from the McGrath/Lillee school of hostility and intimidation. Geeves was ready and, no doubt, would have played almost every game for Tasmania last season but for an osteo-pubic injury.Geeves’ action is very similar to that of Lee although Geeves is a little less explosive at this stage. Still, he is deceptively sharp and when he’s fit and firing, Geeves would be bowling around 140km/h. His pace and hostility are not his only weapons as he possesses fine line and length and can swing the ball both ways, a la McGrath.In August of this year, Geeves played for the Cricket Academy side against touring teams comprising of the cream of South Africa’s youngsters and a side from the New Zealand Academy. Geeves ended the mini-tournament with the best bowling averages of any player in both forms of the game. He played two matches and took 10 wickets at 14.70 in the longer game and took 4 wickets at 10 apiece in his two one-dayers.If Geeves can get himself fit and stay that way for an extended period of time, then he could well do as did Paul Rofe last year, and find himself amongst the top wicket-takers in Australia’s domestic competition. A national call-up to the senior squad or the A side may be close behind.One young man who performed brilliantly at the Under-19 World Cup earlier this year was Bird. He was one of the leading wicket-takers in the competition with 15 wickets @ 14.33 runs apiece. Bird (19) is lithe in stature standing 1.85m (6’1″) and earlier this year was listed as weighing only 70kg, yet from a slight frame his whippy action can generate serious speed.Although Bird performed admirably for Australia in the Under-19 competition, it was one single ball whilst playing for Bankstown which temporarily catapulted the youngster into the public eye. His hostile bouncer catapulted into the side of Michael Slater’s forehead, above the eye, causing blood to stream and Slats to leave the field in a fit of rage. The story ran in every major news service in the country and everyone wanted to know who was the youngster who had felled one of our best all-time opening batsmen. Bird was quickly signed up on a rookie contract by New South Wales and his career seems to be somewhat fast-tracking.As Bird grows in strength and stature, an extra 10kg may well add an extra 10km/h to his already impressive pace. The name Aaron Bird does not quite instil fear into many senior batsmen at the moment but this cagey customer may soon be soaring with the eagles and preying on batsmen the world over.All four of these boys possess the potential to be world-beaters, but talent can be a poisoned chalice. Whether all, or none, of these youngsters grow to represent Australia with distinction will be seen in time, but with rising stars such as these on the horizon the future of Australia’s pace stocks has never looked so bright.

ScorecardMatthew Hobden claimed two wickets on the final day•Getty Images

Seam bowler Matt Hobden and part-time spinner Luke Wells mopped up the Hampshire tail to give Sussex a 92-run win after Hampshire gave them a scare at the Ageas Bowl.Hobden and Wells made light work of Hampshire’s lower order – taking four of the six fourth-day wickets to open their LV= County Championship bid strongly.Hampshire had been given a glimmer of hope after Michael Carberry scored 79 on Tuesday evening but regular wickets stunted the promoted side’s chase.Sussex captain Ed Joyce said: “It is great to get a win under our belts against a really good team. We let ourselves down with the bat in the second innings to give them a sniff of victory but our bowlers throughout the game were outstanding and so was our catching – both of those things helped us win the game.”Needing 197 on the final day Hampshire started poorly, Will Smith adding just one run to the overnight score before he tickled down leg side to a juggling Ben Brown off Hobden.Hobden bagged a second, in a devastating five-over spell from the Hotel End, in his next over when he knocked over Adam Wheater’s stumps. Ajmal Shahzad took his sixth scalp of the match to end an anti-climactic opening hour – Gareth Berg pushing outside off stump to short extra cover.Chris Wood and Ervine put on 109 for the eighth wicket to save Hampshire’s first innings but could not repeat their heroics – Ervine scored 42 but Wells picked up his wicket with his first ball to all but end the hosts’ hopes.Wood played positively, smashing a straight six off Wells as he and Briggs scored a flurry of runs – adding 26 in 5.2 overs together. Wood succumbed for 30 – edging Steve Magoffin behind – before Wells bowled James Tomlinson to wrap up victory.Sussex commanded a first-innings lead of 213 after a fantastic century by Brown and excellent pace bowling, but after skipper Ed Joyce decided not to enforce the follow-on the visitors were skittled for 164.England batsman Luke Wright started his season with impressive fifties in both innings, and Sussex will be enthused by their exciting pace attack who shared 16 of the 20 wickets.Hampshire were given a sniff of a highest-ever home chase at the Ageas Bowl after a fast-paced start but regular wickets let down the home side.Captain Jimmy Adams admitted he and his top-order colleagues under-achieved as his team were twice bowled out for under 300.”It’s not ideal or what we envisioned,” he said. “I thought yesterday guys showed a lot of character and give us a chance of winning the game today – but it wasn’t to be. We missed a big score from one of the top six which was the difference in the two teams.”The 2014 Division Two champions will travel to Warwickshire next week, while Sussex will face the other promoted side Worcestershire at home.

First Division

Dale Benkenstein and Will Smith added 205 in 49 overs as Durham took a lead of 87 against Sussex at Hove and once again made inroads into the top order. Their partnership rescued Durham from 11 for 4 after Neil McKenzie had gone early in the day and there was precious little else around them. For Smith it was a notable return to the side, his initial first-team outing of the season after replacing Kyle Coetzer, as he brought up his first Championship century for Durham. He made Sussex pay for dropping him on 9 at slip, a simple chance by Carl Hopkinson. Benkenstein is a more familiar rock for Durham and reached his century off 152 balls, in a stand which fell 17 short of equalling the team’s fifth-wicket record. Ben and Steve Harmison shared a useful last-wicket stand of 34, pushing Durham to another batting point, then Steve struck early by removing Chris Nash. Harmison also had Michael Yardy dropped at short leg, but Callum Thorp removed Hopkinson to cement Durham’s strong position.Centuries from Justin Langer and Ian Blackwell put Surrey to the sword at Whitgift School and left Somerset well-placed for a important lead. The match was finely balanced when the pair came together at 134 for 4 in reply to Surrey’s 326. However, Langer had already been given one life when he was dropped on 0 by Mark Butcher. Blackwell, too, was put down at slip on 76 and reached his hundred, which included three sixes, off 111 balls. Langer took 141 deliveries as Surrey struggled to make an impact following earlier success for Jade Dernbach and Pedro Collins.Darren Stevens led Kent out of early trouble against Hampshire, as the action finally got under way at The Rose Bowl following a further delay for a wet outfield. Hampshire soon took advantage of winning the toss, reducing Kent to 44 for 3 with Shane Bond and Chris Tremlett both among the wickets. However, Stevens responded with a forthright innings although he had plenty of fortune, dropped three times on 4, 5 and 51 before reaching three figures off 129 balls with a drive off Bond. Martin van Jaarsveld set anchor in the fourth-wicket partnership and their alliance worked wonders for Kent, adding 210, with van Jaarsveld progressing to his first Championship century of the season.For John Ward’s report of Yorkshire against Lancashire at Headingley click here.

Second Division

Worcestershire are in a strong position against Essex, holding a lead of 288 after batsmen slowly began to prosper after 17 wickets fell on the first day at New Road. Ben Smith followed his vital 60 yesterday with 71, while Daryl Mitchell – dropped twice before reaching 20 – hit 70 then became Danish Kaneria’s second victim. Simon Jones wrapped up Essex’s first innings for a measly 116 with his first two balls of the day. It leaves him on a hat-trick in the second innings after he proved too quick for David Masters and Kaneria. Jack Birkenshaw, the pitch liaison officer, cleared the groundstaff of any blame for the previous day’s clatter of wickets, agreeing that the dampness was unavoidable given the recent heavy rain.Chris Taylor’s 104 and an incisive early burst from Jon Lewis put Gloucestershire in charge against Warwickshire at Gloucester, but half-centuries from Ian Westwood and Jim Troughton kept the visitors afloat. The fourth-wicket pair added 100 after Warwickshire slipped to 32 for 3 against Lewis and Anthony Ireland. But Westwood was run out by William Porterfield’s direct hit shortly before the close. Taylor carried his overnight 72 to a valuable century, while solid lower-order contributions pushed Gloucestershire over 400.It was another good day for South Africans as Leicestershire took control at Grace Road, where Glamorgan suffered another batting collapse. HD Ackerman’s fourth Championship century of the season lifted the home side from a tricky 172 for 5 to an imposing 390. Jason Gillespie made two early breakthroughs, but Ackerman was well supported by Paul Nixon (36) and Jacques du Toit (64). Leicestershire’s attack was soon causing problems, especially Dillon du Preez, who claimed three wickets in his opening spell. Jim Allenby’s gentle medium-pace was also too much for the middle order and Boeta Dippenaar held three brilliant catches at slip.For a report on Middlesex against Derbyshire at Lord’s click here.

ScorecardCanada’s bowlers gave their side the advantage on the first day of the Intercontinental Cup match against Bermuda by dismissing the visitors for 237. Steven Outerbridge’s 79 was the only substantial contribution for Bermuda as Canada’s new-ball attack wrested the initiative with early breakthroughs before left-arm spinner Sunil Dhaniram’s four wickets helped wrap up the tail.Henry Osinde gave Canada the perfect start by trapping Chris Foggo lbw for a duck off the third ball of the match. It got better when Eion Katchay, opening the bowling in the injured Umar Bhatti’s absence, struck in his first over as well: Oronde Bascome was lbw for another duck and at 1 for 2, Bermuda’s decision to bat had backfired.James Celestine and Outerbridge combined to add 77 runs for the third wicket, a partnership which helped Bermuda recover to a certain extent through its aggressive approach. It was broken, however, by Dhaniram who had Celestine lbw for 47, off only 56 balls, as he tried to play across the line.Outerbridge held the middle-order together but although Irving Romaine, Rodney Trott and Jekon Edness got starts, none of them carried on to make substantial scores. Romaine was snared by Osinde, who induced an edge with a full ball outside off stump after bowling a couple of off cutters. Osinde later pulled out of the attack because of a hamstring problem.The turning point, however, was Outerbridge’s dismissal, which was brought about by an athletic leaping catch by Ian Billcliff at cover. Bermuda were 180 for 5 and their position deteriorated in the first hour after tea. They lost three wickets during that period and Dhaniram had a hand in all of them: he had Trott lofting a catch, caught and bowled Ryan Steede, and ran out Stefan Kelly. The last pair, Dwayne Leverock and George O’Brien, managed to add 21 in quick time before Dhaniram had O’Brien caught at the boundary.Canada’s openers, Geoff Barnett and Abdool Samad, played the seven overs remaining in the day with caution and finished on 14 without loss.