All posts by h716a5.icu

Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of New Zealand’s Test tour of India due to a groin injury he suffered in the West Indies, while the batsman Dean Brownlie has been dropped after a disappointing Caribbean tour

ESPNcricinfo staff07-Aug-2012Daniel Vettori has been ruled out of New Zealand’s Test tour of India due to a groin injury he suffered in the West Indies, while the batsman Dean Brownlie has been dropped after a disappointing Caribbean tour. The offspinner Jeetan Patel has earned a recall as a result of his outstanding county form for Warwickshire, and the allrounder James Franklin has also been named in a 15-man squad.They are the only two changes from the group that lost 2-0 to West Indies over the past two weeks, with the legspinner Tarun Nethula again included despite being overlooked for an all-pace attack in Jamaica when Vettori was injured. New Zealand could play two spinners in the Indian conditions but if not, Nethula will face stiff competition for a spot from Patel, who has 38 first-class wickets at 23.65 in the County Championship this year.”The tour of India will be a great challenge and experience for this squad,” the national selection manager Kim Littlejohn said. “Unfortunately Daniel Vettori won’t recover in time for the Test series but his injury has created and opportunity for Jeetan Patel to come back into the side. Jeetan has been in great from for Warwickshire and deserves his opportunity.”James Franklin has been brought into the squad to bolster the batting. He brings a lot of experience and knowledge of playing in Indian conditions which will be invaluable. Dean Brownlie misses out on selection. We continue to see him as player of the future but at this stage we feel he needs to works on parts of his game. There’s no doubt he will work hard to regain selection.”The Indian trip consists of two Tests, beginning in Hyderabad on August 23, and will present an enormous challenge for New Zealand following their miserable Caribbean tour. They will especially require more from their batsmen; Kane Williamson’s 102 in Wellington in March is the only century made by a New Zealander in their past five Tests.Squad Martin Guptill, Daniel Flynn, Brendon McCullum, Ross Taylor (capt), Kane Williamson, BJ Watling, James Franklin, Kruger van Wyk, Doug Bracewell, Tim Southee, Neil Wagner, Trent Boult, Tarun Nethula, Jeetan Patel, Chris Martin.

Brad Haddin’s self-confidence will be back at the level required to perform for Australia in Test matches following his strong showing for New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield draw with Tasmania, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke believes

Daniel Brettig at Bankstown Oval29-Sep-2012
ScorecardBrad Haddin’s efforts in Bankstown confirmed his readiness to return to Test duty•Getty ImagesBrad Haddin’s self-confidence will be back at the level required to perform for Australia in Test matches following his strong showing for New South Wales in their Sheffield Shield draw with Tasmania, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke believes.Having missed a handful of international assignments this year in order to spend time with his seriously ill daughter Mia, Haddin is far from certain to be recalled as Australia’s Test gloveman for the first home match of the summer against South Africa at the Gabba in November.But a first innings century and 186 overs of near spotless glovework, all under the watch of selectors Rod Marsh and Clarke, ensured Haddin made a strong case for his recall ahead of Matthew Wade in what is likely to be his final first-class fixture before the South Africa series. Haddin is now scheduled to lead the Sydney Sixers to the Twenty20 Champions League.”I’ve seen Brad batting in the nets, watched him bat in Perth and I thought he was hitting the ball really well, so I didn’t think he was far off a big score,” Clarke said. “Most of all it is nice for Brad to make a score like that for himself. He’s been working really hard, he’s missed a fair bit of cricket of late, so it is a little reward for the hard work he’s been putting in, and in his own mind it re-confirms that he’s certainly still batting good enough to be successful in first-class cricket and to play at the highest level.”Haddin completed four dismissals for the match on the final afternoon, including the decidedly smart stumping of Alex Doolan from Trent Copeland’s medium pace. The Blues and the Tigers kept each other at arm’s length for much of the final day, Clarke setting a target that always seemed just out of Tasmania’s reach, while the pitch had not deteriorated enough to allow the hosts a chance of the quick wickets they needed to secure victory.Aiden Blizzard made an important contribution to the team as he seeks a regular place in a career that has seen him shunted from Victoria and South Australia to Tasmania, striking the ball attractively through the offside on his way to 88. But his innings was terminated amid a burst of three wickets for six runs that ended any lingering Tasmanian hopes of a successful chase.Two of those wickets fell to Moises Henriques, an undisputable man of the match for 161*, 50* and 3 for 41 on the final day. Clarke said Henriques’ efforts in the Blues first two Shield matches had underlined his potential, and hoped the allrounder would go on to the sort of dominant domestic season that would vault him into Australian colours.”I’ve known Moises for a long time, he certainly knows how I feel about him as a player and his talent, he’s as gifted as anyone I’ve seen in the first-class arena,” Clarke said. “He’s been with NSW for a long time, and this year is an opportunity for Moises to stand up, he’s a senior player in the squad and he needs to lead by example, and he’s done that so far this year.”As for Clarke, the match ends a brief but productive stint as NSW captain, with the Blues not engaging in another Shield fixture until the week before the first Test. Clarke will now undergo a personal “boot camp” to get his fitness up to the level required for Tests, before making a rare club appearance for Western Suburbs in Sydney grade competition.

Amol Muzumdar reclaimed the record for the most runs in the Ranji Trophy from Wasim Jaffer

Amol Karhadkar18-Nov-2012In an era when not many domestic cricketers are disciplinarians, Amol Muzumdar belongs to the minority. After scoring his 24th Ranji Trophy century, during which he became the tournament’s highest run scorer once again, Muzumdar was making the Andhra cricketers shiver in the cold of Nadaun, a remote town in Himachal Pradesh, during a catching drill.”Ever since I have joined Andhra, our day ends with each player taking 50 catches in the slips. Today was no different,” Muzumdar told ESPNcricinfo. “The only difference was that the boys were saying [let it be for the day since it’s too cold]’, but they had to follow the routine.”By the time Muzumdar returned to his room after practice, there was a sizeable number of text messages and missed calls on his phone. Most of them were to congratulate him for reclaiming the record former team-mate Wasim Jaffer had taken from him last year. The most special of those calls was from Devinaa, his six-year-old daughter.”During the two days I spent at home for Diwali, I had promised her that I would get the milestone this week, so this one is for her,” Muzumdar, who turned 38 last week, said. “I am not an emotional person but today I really want to thank all my family members – my father [Anil], mother [Meena] and my wife [Ruhee] who had stood beside me all these years.”Muzumdar had crossed Amarjeet Kaypee’s record of 7623 runs while playing his first game for Assam in 2009-10, before Jaffer surpassed Muzumdar’s tally of 8237 against Punjab last December. Though Muzumdar has beaten Jaffer’s tally of 8320 runs, there is likely to be a seesaw battle between two of the most prolific domestic run-getters for the rest of the season. Jaffer is presently on Haj and will join Mumbai for the second half of the league stage.”I am aware of the possibility,” Muzumdar said. “I haven’t discussed it with Wasim though. The last time I spoke with Wasim was when I congratulated him after he became the highest run-getter.”Muzumdar, who became the most capped Ranji player during Andhra’s season opener, is delighted to hold the record of being the highest run-getter. “When it happened the last time, I wasn’t after it. This time around, I knew how far I was behind,” he said. “That’s the only difference. It feels nice to score that many runs and be among the list of all those guys – Wasim, Hrishi [Hrishikesh Kanitkar], Kaypee and others. They have scored that many runs, it’s incredible to have the tenacity to go on and on for years.”Now the Ranji Trophy offers at least eight games per season, but till not so long ago, for most of the teams, Ranji meant a maximum of eight games a season, so their achievements are phenomenal.”

Zaheer Khan is almost certain to miss the quarter-final against Baroda due to a right calf strain

Amol Karhadkar01-Jan-2013Zaheer Khan, who made his captaincy debut during Mumbai’s last Ranji Trophy Group A game against Gujarat that ended in a draw, is almost certain to miss the quarter-final against Baroda at the Wankhede Stadium from January 6. It was the recurrence of the right calf strain that prevented him from taking the field during Gujarat’s second innings.Following the draw, Mumbai finished with 23 points from eight games. This meant they were placed third in Group A. If they progress to the semi-finals, they will face either Uttar Pradesh or Services.Mumbai entered the Gujarat game needing at least three points, via a first-innings lead. As a result, Zaheer, who had hurt his right calf during his marathon spell on the last day of their thrilling victory against Madhya Pradesh in Indore, bowled a long spell in the second session of the first day. Due to the eight-over spell – which meant he had bowled 17 overs in the first two sessions – he was seen frequently stretching his calf.He looked uncomfortable even during his half-hour stay at the crease as the last batsman for Mumbai on the third day. However, once Mumbai were assured of a place in the quarter-finals, thanks to a 203-run first-innings lead, Zaheer preferred to stay indoors during Gujarat’s second innings.Not once did Zaheer walk out to field, let alone bowl, during the second innings that lasted just over 100 overs. Though the Mumbai team management has officially maintained that Zaheer “preferred to take it easy”, ESPNcricinfo understands that he is “all but ruled out of the quarter-finals.”It would come as a disappointment for Zaheer, not just because he was finding some rhythm since being dropped from the Indian team after a lacklustre outing during the England Tests but also because he would have been facing Baroda, his former domestic team.The good thing for Mumbai is that their regular captain Ajit Agarkar, who missed the Gujarat game due to a sore groin, will be back in action. Agarkar has missed four games this season due to a variety of fitness-related issues. If Sachin Tendulkar makes himself available for the knockout stage, as stated last week by Mumbai Cricket Association joint secretary Nitin Dalal, that will be the biggest boost for Mumbai, especially in the wake of Zaheer’s likely absence.

A round-up of the Women’s World Cup warm-up matches played on January 29

ESPNcricinfo staff29-Jan-2013Australia Women secured their second win in two days as they chased down the 223-run target set by India Women with five wicket in hands at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai.Australia were 117 for 4 at one stage, but captain Jodie Fields scored a quick half-century and put up 39 with Lisa Sthalekar and 41 with Alyssa Healy to keep India’s bowlers at bay. Fields retired when 26 were needed off 15 overs and Healy scored quick runs to complete the chase. Amita Sharma got the wickets of the openers, but the rest of the bowling attack was taken for runs.India chose to bat and made a strong start getting to 100 for 1 in the 21st over. But they lost three wickets within the space of six balls – two to Sthalekar – to lose momentum. Important lower-order contributions by Reema Malhotra (35 off 63 balls) and Nagarajan Niranjana (35 off 26) helped India cross 200.In Cuttack, half-centuries by Nain Abidi and Bismah Maroof and stifling spells by the bowlers helped Pakistan Women annihilate Odisha XI by 95 runs. Pakistan were in a spot of bother at 7 for 2 after choosing to bat, but a 148-run stand between Abidi and Maroof lifted the team. Javeria Khan (33) and Qanita Jalil (25) were the other two main contributors, while the rest were out for single-digit scores. Sujata Mallik and Gangotra Behera shared three wickets each.Opener Madhusmita Behera responded with a slow half-century to take Odisha to 84 for 1 in the 31st over. But once Sana Mir struck twice in the same over, the rest of Odisha batting crumbled. Asmavia Iqbal returned with figures of 3 for 20 from her 10 overs as Odisha limped to 145 for 8 in their 50 overs.In a tight contest at the MIG ground in Mumbai, Sri Lanka Women edged out South Africa Women by two wickets in a low-scoring match. Chasing 165, Sri Lanka had collapsed to 66 for 6. But No. 8 Sripali Weerakkody, who scored an unbeaten fifty, first partnered Eshani Kaushalya (22) in a 40-run stand, then put up 41 with Chamani Seneviratna and finally shared an unbeaten 20-run stand for the ninth wicket to help Sri Lanka clinch a win.South Africa’s innings had followed a similar pattern earlier. Kaushalya struck thrice in the early overs as South Africa were reduced to 59 for 6. But a half-century by captain Mignon du Preez and her 72-run partnership with Dane van Niekerk (46) revived the team. Once du Preez was out in the 35th over, the rest folded and the team was all out for 164 in the 46th over.Danielle Hazell’s five-wicket haul went in vain as England Women lost to New Zealand Women by 13 runs in Mumbai.New Zealand, after being asked to bat, were in a position to put much more than the 223 they eventually got. They were 209 for 5 with five overs to come. But Hazell first removed the well-set Sara McGlashan (88 off 90 balls) and then ran through the tail as only 14 came off last five overs. McGlashan had helped revive the team from 117 for 5 with a 92-run stand with Nicola Browne (40).England stumbled at the start of their chase as they lost the openers with 25 on the board. But Sarah Taylor (32) and Lydia Greenway (51) did the repair job and took England past 100. Loss of regular wickets, though, pushed them to the brink on 152 for 7. A 48-run eighth-wicket stand between Jenny Gunn (35) and Tammy Beaumont (22) threatened for a while, but New Zealand removed the last three wickets quickly to complete the win.

Jacques Faul, Cricket South Africa’s current acting chief executive, is officially out of the running for the permanent job

Firdose Moonda30-Jan-2013Jacques Faul, Cricket South Africa’s current acting chief executive, is officially out of the running for the permanent job. Faul has been unveiled as the new CEO of the Titans franchise and will take over the position from March 1.The organisation, based in Centurion, is an amalgamation of the Northerns and Easterns unions and is one of the more successful franchises in the country. They lost their boss Elise Lombard last August when she unexpectedly died of a heart attack. Since then, Aniel Soma has been working in an acting capacity.Faul, who was previously CEO of the North-West Cricket Union, has been in charge of CSA since Gerald Majola was suspended in March and was widely credited for changing the image of the organisation in the aftermath of the much publicised bonus scandal. Faul was at the helm when corporate sponsorship returned to cricket after many of its commercial partners abandoned it for fear of being associated with an organisation under a cloud.Even though many of those negotiations, such as the one with ODI sponsors Momentum, started during the Majola-era, they were rubber-stumped only after the companies were convinced that CSA was cleaning up its corporate governance act. Following three investigations, including one convened by the country’s sports minister, CSA was instructed to discipline Majola for his role in the paying of R4.7 million (at the time the equivalent of US$671,428) and change their structure of the board.While Majola was discipline and fired in November, the restructuring of the board has faced lengthy delays. Conflicting orders from the country’s sporting governing body, with the South African Sports and Confederation and Olympic Committee (SASCOC) opposed to an independent chairperson, meant CSA spent much time deciding how they would reach a compromise with SASCOC while still sticking to the requirements of the Nicholson committee.The time lag in appointing the new board has also resulted in new CEO’s appointment being deferred as well. Faul was initially believed to be interested in the job but when the Titans position became available he also applied there and distanced himself from the CSA position when further infighting around the acting president Willie Basson surfaced.CSA will appoint the new board at its AGM this Saturday and they will then have a month to find a replacement for Faul. Haroon Lorgat, the former ICC chief executive, also expressed interest in the job, conditional to CSA restructuring its board.

Sri Lanka’s new Test and ODI captain, Angelo Mathews, has said he aims to arrest the team’s slide in the ICC rankings

Andrew Fidel Fernando14-Feb-2013Sri Lanka’s new Test and ODI captain, Angelo Mathews, has said he aims to arrest the team’s slide in the ICC rankings, and hoped to count his side among the best in the world in both formats in the next few yearsMathews succeeded Mahela Jayawardene, who stepped down after the tour of Australia, after spending almost two years as vice captain in all formats. Dinesh Chandimal was named his deputy in Tests and ODIs and captain of the Twenty20 team. Sri Lanka have been the top-ranked Twenty20 side in the world since their run to the World Twenty20 final in September, but slipped down the Test and ODI rankings after having been second on both tables in 2009. They have also failed to win a Test series away from home since 2008, and have won only four Tests since Muttiah Muralitharan retired in 2010.”My main ambition now is to see the Sri Lankan cricket team in the top three in the next few years,” Mathews said. “We’ve dropped down to sixth place in Tests and fifth in ODIs. It won’t be easy, and it will take some time. Myself, Chandimal and the selectors will have to work closely to achieve that.”Mathews had been Sri Lanka’s Twenty20 captain since the end of the World Twenty20 in 2012, but the new selection panel, headed by Sanath Jayasuriya, opted to give that position to Chandimal instead. Chandimal has not showed great promise in the Twenty20 format, but Jayasuriya said the selectors split the captaincy in order to help build a young leadership core, as well as to ease Mathews’ burden.”We thought that it would be too much for Angelo to give him the Twenty20 captaincy as well, as we wanted to allow him to concentrate on the Tests and ODIs,” Jayasuriya said. “We thought the best person for the Twenty20 captaincy was Dinesh Chandimal, who has a long future in the game. He will also get some experience of captaining Sri Lanka in case Angelo gets injured.”Mathews’ first assignment as captain will be the two-Test home series against Bangladesh, for which the selectors named a 20-man preliminary squad. The selectors sought to create a break from the past by selecting a young squad for their new captain, but Mathews was grateful for the presence of some senior players, most notably Jayawardene, Kumar Sangakkara and Tillakaratne Dilshan, who have all captained Sri Lanka in the past.”I think you need both experience and youth in a team, because you can’t have XI new players in a match. I think the selectors had that balance in mind when they chose the team, and they’ve done a good job of that.”Of the older players the selectors omitted, Thilan Samaraweera and Prasanna Jayawardene were the most notable exclusions. Jayasuriya was non-committal on whether there was an avenue back into the side for these players, but focused instead on the opportunity to develop fresh talent. He also said the 20-man squad would be whittled down to 15 in the lead up to the first Test.”We need to start giving the youngsters an opportunity, and a series against Bangladesh is a good one to give one or two new players a place,” he said. “Players like Kithuruwan Vithanage and Ashen Silva have been making runs in domestic cricket, and Jeevan Mendis has also scored well recently.”We want to make sure these young cricketers to experience the atmosphere in the Sri Lankan team, and this is a good opportunity to allow that, because it’s a home Test series. They can work with the Sri Lankan team until about 10 days prior to the Test, when we will name the 15-man squad.Chandimal, 23, was impressive in Tests and ODIs, but failed to make himself a regular in either side throughout much of 2012. He acknowledged the added responsibility more leadership would bring, but suggested that his new roles would be a boon to his development, rather than a hindrance.”There’s pressure every time you play a match, but I think the captaincy is a boost for me personally, and a validation of my past performances,” Chandimal said. “I’ve been a captain in Under-19 at school level as well. I didn’t think I would be captain this early in my career, but that’s a source of pride for me.”

Karachi Blues won the Quaid-e-Azam trophy for the ninth time, beating Sialkot by nine wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Feb-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsKarachi Blues won the Quaid-e-Azam trophy for the ninth time, beating Sialkot by nine wickets at the Gaddafi Stadium in Lahore on Thursday. Karachi, led by Khurram Manzor, remained unbeaten in this tournament, winning seven matches and drawing three. This win gives the city of Karachi its twentieth Quaid-e-Azam title in 59 years, won by teams with different titles – Karachi, Karachi A, Karachi Urban and Karachi Whites.This match was a one-sided contest as Sialkot never looked in control with the bat or the ball over five days. On a slower pitch, with rain affecting play on day one and day three, Karachi’s domination proved crucial.Sialkot, who were asked to bat first, failed to put up a big first innings total. Mohammad Ayub was the top scorer with 72 while Majid Jahangir scored 54 as the side was dismissed for 229.Karachi, led by Akbar-ur-Rehman who scored 178, dominated a weak bowling attack. Fast bowler Bilawal Bhatti picked up four wickets in the first innings but none of the Sialkot bowlers failed to check Karachi, who piled up a 199-run lead.In the second innings, a 98-run, fourth-wicket stand between Ayub (69) and Sialkot captain Mansoor Amjad (60) defied Karachi but it was not enough. Once the partnership was broken, the rest of the line-up did not contribute much to the total.Sialkot began the fifth day at 189-5, trailing by 10 runs. Minutes before lunch, they were all out for 248, adding 59 runs in the first session. Tariq Haroon picked up five wickets for 74 runs as Karachi faced a target of 50 runs in 63 overs with two sessions of play left.The chase was brisk as Akbar-ur-Rehman and Fakhar Zaman went for a 10-wicket win before Mohammad Ayub’s splendid catch at gully dismissed Zaman for 20. Rehman then knocked off the remaining runs to take his side to a comfortable victory, finishing as the tournament’s top run-scorer with 986 runs.Karachi were awarded a prize money of Rs. 1.5 million while Sialkot won Rs. 1 million as runners-up.* 0920 GMT, March 1, 2013: The report earlier mentioned the win as the tenth title. This has been corrected.

ESPNcricinfo previews the third ODI in Pallekele

The Preview by Mohammad Isam27-Mar-2013Match factsMarch 28, Pallekele
Start time 1430 local (0900GMT)The legend of Kusal Janith Perera is gathering momentum•Associated PressBig PictureThe second-ODI washout may have disturbed the flow of the series, but for Bangladesh it has comes as a welcome opportunity. Bangladesh have never been alive in a series in Sri Lanka going into the third match, but this time they are just a win away from squaring it.They have batted well in patches, Tamim Iqbal’s century and the excellent finish from Nasir Hossain being the bright spots. But this is a big game where the three senior batsmen – Mohammad Ashraful, Mushfiqur Rahim and Mahmudullah – need to step up. Ashraful and Mushfiqur got out in the middle of a mini-collapse in the first ODI while Mahmudullah showed signs of some form . He gave it away after tickling one to the wicketkeeper, but till that point he had batted soundly.Bowling is Bangladesh’s main worry. The pace bowlers were clobbered in a confidence-sapping outing in the first ODI. They cut down on the number of seamers in the second ODI using allrounder Ziaur Rahman as a new-ball bowler. The spinners will give them the best chance of winning, although it goes against the grain at Pallekele.For Sri Lanka, a win is of paramount importance given the circumstances surrounding the players. The team has so far fended off questions about their participation in the IPL, but it is a much talked-about issue. The only way to regain focus would be by winning the series. It is a test for captain Angelo Mathews to keep his eyes set on beating a lower-ranked side and Bangladesh’s current improvement is likely to keep them honest to the job at hand.Form guide Sri Lanka WLWWL (most recent first, completed matches only)
Bangladesh LWLLWIn the spotlightIt has not been a great tour for young Anamul Haque but he has come to the senior team with the tag of “young and hungry”. His only Test appearance was disappointing while in the first ODI, Anamul looked good in bits. Much is expected from him, especially after the century he hit in only his second ODI.The excitement surrounding Kusal Perera is bourgeoning with every shot in his repertoire. But there’s more to him than just playing like Sanath Jayasuriya. He was expected to play a long innings at some point in this series, given the triple and double hundred he struck in two of the three innings before this series.Team newsMathews didn’t hint at many changes ahead of the second ODI and he played with an unchanged line-up from the first game. It is likely to remain the same this time too.Sri Lanka (probable): 1. Tillakaratne Dilshan, 2. Kusal Janith Perera, 3. Kumar Sangakkara (wk), 4. Dinesh Chandimal, 5. Lahiru Thirimanne, 6. Angelo Mathews (c), 7. Jeevan Mendis, 8. Thisara Perera, 9. Nuwan Kulasekara, 10. Sachithra Senanayake, 11. Lasith MalingaBangladesh didn’t pick a line-up that suited the Hambantota wicket for the second ODI and it is likely they would go with the team’s strength in Pallekele too. In other words, avoid the weakness (read pace bowling).Bangladesh (probable): 1. Anamul Haque, 2. Jahurul Islam, 3. Mohammad Ashraful, 4. Mushfiqur Rahim (c & wk), 5. Mahmudullah, 6. Mominul Haque, 7. Nasir Hossain, 8. Ziaur Rahman, 9. Sohag Gazi, 10. Abdur Razzak, 11. Rubel HossainPitch and conditionsThe top five ODI wicket-takers in Pallekele are pace bowlers but the Bangladesh management has expressed confidence in its strength, i.e., spin bowling. The weather for the second game of the series offers encouraging signs, but it has rained in the surrounding areas over the last few days.Stats & Trivia Among the top eight wicket-takers in Sri Lanka-Bangladesh encounters, none of them are playing in this series. Nuwan Kulasekara and Abdur Razzak have taken 14 wickets each, among the current bowlers.Tamim Iqbal’s 112 was the highest individual score for a Bangladesh batsman in Sri Lanka and the team’s 259 runs was also the highest in this country.Quotes”We can’t win the series, but at the same time, we can prevent a series loss.”

“I feel it is a good challenge for us, because we haven’t won the series yet.”

Jack Brooks took 4 for 22 after Somerset were made to follow on but Marcus Trescothick managed to guide the visitors to a draw

Les Smith at Headingley10-May-2013Somerset 252 (Petersen 54, Trescothick 53, Bresnan 4-76) and 61 for 6 (Brooks 4-22) drew with Yorkshire 505 for 9 dec (Rashid 180, Ballance 107)
ScorecardSteven Patterson claimed two second-innings wickets after replacing Jack Brooks•Getty ImagesFor a short while this evening Jack Brooks, the “Headband Warrior”, and Steve Patterson breathed life into what looked like a dead contest, and even hinted at another remarkable Yorkshire victory. Almost repeating his feats from last week against Derbyshire, Brooks took four Somerset wickets in his first four overs as the visitors followed on.In Brooks’ fifth over he injured his left thumb fielding a drive off his own bowling and left the field immediately. Patterson replaced him and wasted no time in adding to the pressure on Somerset by taking two wickets of his own.But Marcus Trescothick stood firm while his side crumbled around him and a match in which 120 overs were lost to rain and bad light ended in the draw that seemed the most likely result at the start of a day in which the first two-and-a-half hours were washed away.When play finally got under way at 2.10pm, Andrew Gale gave the ball to Patterson at the Football Stand End, and he struck with his second ball. Jos Buttler hung his bat outside off stump to give Andy Hodd a simple catch behind the stumps. James Hildreth didn’t last much longer. He looked promising, whacking Rich Pyrah’s first two balls to the off side boundary, but then authored his own demise by flat-batting Pyrah to Adil Rashid at point.Peter Trego stayed for 40 minutes but then tamely steered a Patterson ball to cover. Alfonso Thomas and Steve Kirby set about restoring some order, while Gale set attacking fields for Tim Bresnan and Rashid. The batsmen made it through to tea, but didn’t survive long afterwards. Thomas brought up a second batting bonus point with a top-edged cut to the boundary, but immediately afterwards Bresnan struck. He has bowled excellently throughout this match, and was very quick on Friday. First Kirby edged a fast-rising ball to slip and the next delivery was simply too rapid for Jamie Overton.Yorkshire enforced the follow on with 25 overs left in the day, reduced to 23 by a shower. Brooks’ wicket celebration has already become legendary at Headingley, and the crowd were treated to it four times in a few minutes. He had Nick Compton and Alviro Petersen snaffled by Adam Lyth at second slip – Compton for a duck – then removed the off stumps of Hildreth and Arul Suppiah, who completed a pair.When Brooks retired to the pavilion nursing his thumb, with a wicket-taking spell of 4 for 22 in 25 balls behind him, Patterson proved a more than adequate replacement, finishing with figures of 2 for 4. Buttler played a loose shot and was caught at first slip, then Trego was lbw to a ball that shot through. But throughout the mayhem, Trescothick stood firm, never looking in trouble, and guided his team to safety.Yorkshire’s coach, Jason Gillespie, was full of praise for his side at the end of play. “I thought our seam bowling was excellent all game. Our batting, after being 75 for 4, to finish 505 for nine was brilliant, the way they went about it.” Gillespie is big on positivity and “intent”, telling his players that someone arriving at the ground who hasn’t yet seen the scoreboard should look at them and assume they’re on top.These sides meet again in the YB40 on Saturday. If there is such a thing in sport as momentum, then it’s with Yorkshire but, as Gillespie stressed, Somerset are a very good side, and the one-day game is different to Championship cricket. Brooks will almost certainly not be playing as he was sent to Leeds Royal Infirmary for an X-ray.2200BST, May 10: This story was correct to amend the ends of the ground