Spinners run riot on 22-wicket day

ScorecardTwenty-two wickets fell on the first day, 21 of them to the spinners. Twenty-two catches were taken, yet only one by a wicketkeeper. And at the end of an extraordinary opening day in Mombasa, Ireland held a slender advantage in their ICC Intercontinental Cup match against Kenya.Ireland collapsed for 75 after choosing to bat, falling to the left-arm spin of Hiren Varaiya, who took career-best figures of 6 for 22. Varaiya was well supported by fellow lert-arm spinner Shem Ngoche, who took 3 for 11. Nehemiah Odhiambo had taken the first wicket, that of Paul Stirling, and that was the only success a fast bowler had on the day. Ed Joyce top scored for Ireland with 26, and among the others only William Porterfield and Gary Wilson made it to double figures. Kenya had been in the field for only 33.5 overs.Ireland, however, were not about to let Kenya walk away with a healthy lead. The home team’s openers added only 24 before Ireland’s spinners, Albert van der Merwe and George Dockrell, began to strike. Six wickets fell for 15 runs, and the seventh for the addition of another 11. At 50 for 7, Kenya were in danger of being in the deficit but were dragged past Ireland’s 75 by Ragheb Aga, who was the last man out for 46. Kenya were dismissed for 109, with the offspinner van der Merwe taking 5 for 41 and the left-arm spinner Dockrell taking 5 for 37. Both of them achieved career-best figures as well.Joyce and Stirling were more solid in their second attempt and they wiped out the deficit of 34, effectively reducing the contest to a one-innings shootout. Ireland’s opening partnership was worth 63, when Ngoche had Stirling caught and bowled. Porterfield was dismissed for a duck a couple of overs later, by Variaya, with Ireland only 34 ahead. Joyce, however, scored briskly, ending the day unbeaten on 51 off 56 balls, leading his team to 81 for 2.

PCB to meet with Whatmore in January

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has invited Dav Whatmore to Pakistan to discuss the terms of becoming their next head coach, a board official has said. Whatmore, along with Julian Fountain, who is tipped to be the new fielding coach, will arrive in Pakistan in the second week of January next year.We are in discussions with [Dev] Whatmore,” Subhan Ahmed, the PCB’s chief operating officer told ESPNcricinfo. “In fact, we have called him next month to negotiate and hope to reach a final agreement with him.”Whatmore is the current head coach of the IPL franchise Kolkata Knight Riders, and is a former coach of Sri Lanka and Bangladesh. He has been in talks with the PCB’s search committee for a few months but both sides have failed to reach an agreement so far. The committee is believed to favour hiring home-grown batting and bowling coaches, given Pakistan’s traditional strength in these disciplines, but is keen on having Whatmore and Fountain be the head coach and fielding coach respectively.One sticking point with Whatmore is that his contract with Knight Riders runs until December 2012, and his desire to wait until after IPL 2012 ends in May is the main reason the PCB has delayed appointing a full-time coaching staff. Earlier this month, Mohsin Khan was named interim coach for the England series.Fountain has worked with the PCB before in 2001 and 2006 under former Pakistan coaches Richard Pybus and Bob Woolmer. He was the specialist fielding coach for Bangladesh from August 2010 until the end of the 2011 World Cup and has previously worked with the England and West Indies teams as well. If he signs a deal with the board, Fountain could join the squad for the England series.

India's big guns lead strong response

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Darren Sammy removed Virender Sehwag for the third time in the series•AFP

For the third day in a row, the batsmen had an easy time at the Wankhede Stadium. Several of India’s batting heavyweights helped themselves to half-centuries as the home side got halfway to West Indies’ 590. Gautam Gambhir and Rahul Dravid didn’t make it to triple figures, but Sachin Tendulkar was well on his way towards reaching the most talked-about milestone of the year.West Indies didn’t declare overnight, allowing their final pair to bat on, and after 15 minutes of entertaining tail-ender swings, Devendra Bishoo was bowled by offspinner R Ashwin, who completed his second five-wicket haul in his debut series.A typically quick start followed from India’s openers: Virender Sehwag routinely scything the ball through cover, and Gambhir poking the ball either side of point for runs. Gambhir was a touch loose to start with – chasing and missing several wide deliveries and surviving an early lbw appeal off Fidel Edwards – before getting more fluent.Edwards and Ravi Rampaul bowled with aggression but there wasn’t much extra bounce or sideways movement to encourage them. West Indies resorted to a defensive field half an hour into the innings – seven fielders on the off side, with two of them in the deep in front of point.It was the least pacy of the West Indian quicks, Darren Sammy, who snapped the opening stand at 67. He got one to slide past Sehwag’s inside-edge and hit the stumps, signalling with three fingers that it was the third time he had dismissed Sehwag in the series.The tempo was predictably slower after Sehwag’s exit, and West Indies could have added to the advantage after lunch. Dravid seemed to have hurt his back after slipping when Gambhir turned down a single. Gambhir had a reprieve when he guided Sammy towards first slip, where Kirk Edwards made a lazy attempt at a catch, barely getting a finger on the ball.

Smart stats

  • Virender Sehwag moved to joint-second position with Brian Lara and Jacques Kallis on the list of Test batsmen with the most sixes. He now has 88 sixes and is second only to Adam Gilchrist, who has 100 sixes.

  • Rahul Dravid became the second batsman after Sachin Tendulkar to reach the 13000-run mark in Tests. He has now scored 13061 runs at an average of 53.31. Dravid is the fastest to the mark in terms of matches (160) but Tendulkar got there in 11 fewer innings.

  • Dravid also passed 1000 runs in a calendar year for the third time in his career. Among Indian batsmen, only Sachin Tendulkar (6) and Sunil Gavaskar (4) have done so more times than Dravid.

  • Gautam Gambhir scored his second consecutive half-century of the series and went past the 3500-run mark in his 44th Test.

  • Tendulkar’s half-century is his 63rd in Tests bringing him level with Allan Border on the list of batsmen with the most Test half-centuries.

  • Dravid, who scored his 62nd half-century, was involved in his 48th fifty-plus stand with Tendulkar. This is the highest for any batting pair in Tests.

  • Dravid’s half-century is his 13th against West Indies. He now has 18 fifty-plus scores against them, which is second only to Sunil Gavaskar’s tally of 20.

  • R Ashwin’s 5 for 156 is his second five-wicket haul in Tests. The 156 runs conceded by Ashwin is sixth on the list of most runs conceded by an Indian bowler in an innings against West Indies while picking up five or more wickets.

After those close calls, Gambhir and Dravid were more solid against the West Indian quicks. Dravid reached 13,000 runs by classically driving a half-volley for four, while Gambhir’s increasing confidence was on display as he launched one over midwicket to reach his half-century. With Bishoo off the field for half the post-lunch session, getting his injured knee attended to, Dravid feasted on Marlon Samuels’ gentle offbreaks, crashing him through covers for successive fours.Both batsmen were set, and the track was still a shirtfront, but West Indies managed to wheedle out a wicket, when Rampaul banged in a bouncer that Gambhir threw his bat at. The ball flew through to the keeper, and though the Snickometer showed nothing, the umpire was convinced there was an edge.The crowd wasn’t too disappointed since it brought in Sachin Tendulkar, continuing his quest for the century that has eluded him since March. Tendulkar used his feet well against the spinners right from the start, and quickly progressed to 20. After tea, the crowd had more to cheer as he upper-cut Fidel Edwards into the stands beyond third man. It was a shot he repeated against a quicker one from Samuels, getting four for his effort.Dravid, meanwhile, worked his way to 1000 runs for the year, and his half-century soon after. He showed his presence of mind off the final delivery before tea: after he defended the ball, it spun alarmingly back towards the stumps, but he reacted just in time, booting the ball away when the it was inches away from the wickets.His sixth hundred of 2011 – his personal-best for a calendar year – seemed inevitable as he soldiered on untroubled after tea, jumping down the track to power Bishoo over mid-on before powerfully square-cutting Edwards for another boundary. He coaxed the ball past mid-off to move into the eighties, but was dismissed off the next delivery, top-edging on to the stumps.Tendulkar carried on, unfurling several stylish boundaries to march past 50, a landmark that was greeted by his home ground with expected boisterousness. VVS Laxman also joined in the fun, showing off the wristy whips to midwicket that make him such a delight to watch. Both had a moment of worry each: Laxman top-edging towards a vacant point region, and Tendulkar surviving on 58 as Cartlon Baugh put down a regulation outside edge.Those two wickets would have swung the match in West Indies’ favour. Instead, with only 13 wickets toppled in three days, and the track showing little signs of degenerating, it remains an even game with chances of an outright result receding.

Hosts up against buoyant Pakistan

Match facts

Thursday, December 1
Start time 1330 (0730 GMT)Shoaib Malik is under pressure•Getty Images

Big Picture

Bangladesh’s ODI record has improved steadily over the years – the 4-0 drubbing of New Zealand and the win against England at the 2011 World Cup being some recent notable achievements. Both those wins came at home, and it’s at home that their spin-strong attack can challenge their opponents seriously, if not necessarily win.This time, Bangladesh’s opponents are a team on a high and significantly superior to those they played in the lead-up to this bilateral series. Bangladesh claimed wins in dead rubbers against Zimbabwe and West Indies – not a great consolation since they were expected to do much better – and caught a glimpse of what they might be up against during their big defeat in the Twenty20 international at the start of this tour.Though Bangladesh’s bowlers were largely economical, Pakistan’s batsmen gave their own bowling attack enough runs to defend on a tricky pitch in Mirpur. In their chase, Bangladesh stagnated, losing wickets early, hitting their first boundary as late as the ninth over and showing little resistance against the variations of Pakistan’s bowlers, including Mohammad Hafeez, Shahid Afridi, Saeed Ajmal and Shoaib Malik. Not only do Pakistan have quicker bowlers, their spinners can be just as effective in Bangladeshi conditions. It’s a tall order for the hosts to spring a surprise in the three one-day games but they are playing where they play best, and it remains to be seen how strong a challenge they present.

Form guide

Bangladesh: WLLWW (most recent first)
Pakistan: WWWLW

In the spotlight…

While Bangladesh’s heavy reliability on Shakib Al Hasan is likely to continue, Bangladesh’s vice-captain Mahmudullah will also be expected to play a significant role. An offspinner and a middle-order batsman, Mahmudullah has played several handy knocks, bowled tight spells and cleared the boundary at the death. He’s part of a core of senior players that includes Shakib, Mushfiqur Rahim and Tamim Iqbal, and his all-round ability is a big asset.Shoaib Malik will be under pressure. He’s not been in great touch since his return to international cricket, after being cleared by the PCB’s integrity committee. His scores in his last six international innings read: 7, 11, 2, 0, 2* and 2. While part of a team on the upswing, his own form has been on the decline and another couple of failures won’t augur well for his selection prospects.

Team news

Trouble with his knee forced Tamim to be rested in the Twenty20 international and he hoped to return for the limited-overs games.Bangladesh (possible) 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Imrul Kayes, 3 Shahriar Nafees/Alok Kapali, 4 Shakib Al Hasan, 5 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 6 Mahmudullah, 7 Naeem Islam, 8 Nasir Hossain, 9 Abdur Razzak, 10 Shafiul Islam, 11 Rubel Hossain.Malik’s troubles might begin with the return of Younis Khan, who didn’t play the Twenty20 game.Pakistan (possible) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Imran Farhat, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Asad Shafiq, 5 Umar Akmal (wk), 6 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 7 Shahid Afridi, 8 Abdul Razzaq/Sohail Tanvir, 9 Umar Gul, 10 Saeed Ajmal, 11 Aizaz Cheema.

Stats and trivia

  • Pakistan and Bangladesh will be playing each other in an ODI for the first time since June 2010, when the teams met in the Asia Cup in Dambulla. Of the 26 games the teams have played, Bangladesh have lost 25 but their only win is a famous one.
  • Misbah-ul-Haq has an impressive record in ODIs, averaging 42.42 in 86 matches. He has 18 half-centuries in the format, but no hundreds.

Quotes

“Pakistan are playing very consistent cricket and it’ll be tough to beat them, but if are boys are up for it, we should be able to do it.”

“If it’s a spinning wicket we have spinners, if it’s not then we also have good fast bowlers.”

Kenya announce national training squad

Kenya’s National Selection Panel has named a 20-man national training squad and a new emerging players group, also featuring 20 players. The panel met following the completion of the East Africa Cricket Competition group stages and selected the two squads with a view to expanding the pool of players competing for national selection and developing players who have shown promise during the domestic competition.The national training squad is made up of contracted players, including those who are currently based overseas. Those available will train full time with coach Mike Hesson. The emerging players squad will also work with the Cricket Kenya coaching staff and some will be invited to train full time, play in inter-squad fixtures, and could well be selected for international matches if performances merit inclusion.”We are very pleased to have been able to identify this expanded group of players, all of whom we believe have the ability to represent Kenya,” said chairman of selectors Alpesh Vadher. “All the players named in both squads will be monitored closely and be involved with the national coach and other Cricket Kenya coaches. This group provides more competition for places which will drive players to perform at their best.”Outside this group there are players such as Rajesh Bhudia and Ramesh Mepani, who we are also very keen to involve when professional commitments allow. Players outside this group still have the opportunity to force their way in through consistent performances in provincial leagues.”National Training Squad Ragheb Aga, Duncan Allen, Runish Gudhka, Irfan Karim, Alfred Luseno, Tanmay Mishra, James Ngoche, Shem Ngoche, Alex Obanda, Collins Obuya, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Nelson Odhiambo, Lucas Oluoch, Elijah Otieno, Morris Ouma, Rakep Patel, Hiren Varaiya, Seren Waters, Dominic Wesonga, Ibrahim AkelloEmerging Players Squad Emmanuel Bundi, Peter Kituku, Nick Oluoch, Raj Savala, Dhiren Gondaria, Rahul Vishram, Benjamin Oluga, Martin Okoth, Paramveer Singh, Martin Mworia, Karan Kaul, Joseph Onyango, Harrison Ambani, Mitesh Sanghani, Gagandeep Singh, Narendra Kerai, Rakesh Hirani, Bhavya Thakker, Raj Shikotra, Rajiv Sutaria

Butt paid bonus for shunning ICL

The jury in the alleged spot-fixing trial involving Pakistan cricketers Salman Butt and Mohammad Asif heard on Thursday in-depth information on legitimate payments made to the players and the breakdown of how their earnings were distributed, including a loyalty payment of £22,000 for declining the Indian Cricket League.Those payments and method of distribution is significant to the case, as large amounts of cash were found in the hotel rooms of the two players during police raids in August last year, on their tour of England. The players attempted to account for the money during police interviews at the time.On the seventh day of the trial at Southwark Crown Court, the prosecution called the former PCB director of cricket operations, Zakir Khan, to detail all of the various payments made to their contracted players.Zakir, appearing via a video link from the PCB offices in Lahore, forensically explained the breakdown of pay when prompted by Aftab Jafferjee for the prosecution and then the two players’ legal representatives.The most interesting aspect was perhaps a fee of three million Pakistani rupees made to players to deter them from signing up to the so-called ‘rebel’ ICL. That amount equates to about £22,000. That nugget of information was brought to the court by Butt’s barrister Ali Bajwa QC and confirmed by Zakir.Pakistan were the worst affected by the breakaway league and a team in the ICL even carried the name the Lahore Badshahs, captained by former Pakistan star Inzamam-ul-Haq and coached by ex-wicketkeeper Moin Khan.The ICL, which has since disbanded, was unsanctioned and not officially supported by the ICC and its members. With an exodus of Pakistan players to the ICL, also including players like Mohammad Sami, Abdul Razzaq and Mohammed Yousuf, the PCB made loyalty payments to players they did not wish to lose the ICL – Butt being one of them.From Bajwa’s probing, Zakir also confirmed to the court that the then PCB chairman Nasim Ashraf offered to triple player bonus payments for the match against India in the Kitply Cup in Bangladesh during 2008, when Butt scored an unbeaten 129.During the police searches a total of £30,002 was found in Butt’s hotel room (room 714 at the Marriott in Regents Park) as well as various cash in other currencies such as US$12,617, UAE Dhs 24,300 and 26,015 Pakistani rupees. Asif had just over £8,000 in sterling in his room (No. 130).With that background, the prosecution gleaned the legitimate breakdown of pay made to its players. Butt and Asif, the court was told, were both in the top pay bracket (A band) and were paid a monthly retainer of Rs 250,000 (approx £1800). For match fees they received Rs 350,000 per Test (£2500), 300,000 per one-day international (£2200) and 250,000 per Twenty20. Both of those payments were made by cheque in Pakistan.In terms of prize money, for items such as Man-of-the-Match or Series awards and series wins, those monies are calculated at the end of tours in the PCB office and again paid by cheque in Pakistan within 20 days of that tour or series finishing.The court was also told that players receive a share of 80 percent of the PCB’s annual sponsorship with Pepsi, which was worth approximately US$1 million in 2010. Then the fifth segment of income from the PCB related to incentive bonuses for items such as centuries scored, five-wicket hauls, four catches for a fielder and wicketkeeping catches and stumpings.Bajwa also pointed out that his client Butt earned a share of his US$150,000 salary for a contract with Kolkata Knight Riders in the first edition of the Indian Premier League in 2008.In terms of allowances, the jury was told that for the ten week tour of England in 2010, the maximum Butt could have pocketed from the PCB was £10,500. All players earned £8,000 for the tour but because Butt was captain he received an added captaincy bonus that was worth £250 a week.Expenses such as accommodation, breakfast and travel was paid for them, and the main items they would be expected to fund were dinners, refreshments, entertainment, laundry and shopping.In his testimony Zakir also confirmed that Pakistani President had paid the players Rs 500,000 per man for reaching the semi-finals of the World Cup and that such payments were not uncommon for excellent achievements. He also agreed that former captain Javed Miandad did not have to pay duty fees on a car he brought into the country in 1986 “but that type of thing doesn’t happen any more,” he said.The information on payments was explained before lunch, and after the break the court heard mostly legal arguments not in the presence of the jury and some cross-referencing and background of the phone records used in evidence. There is a possibility that Butt will commence his defence in the witness box on Friday but Justice Cooke may yet prefer him to start his testimony after the weekend.Butt and Asif are facing charges of conspiracy to cheat, and conspiracy to obtain and accept corrupt payments, relating to the Lord’s Test last year when they allegedly conspired with agent Mazhar Majeed, teenage fast bowler Mohammad Amir and other people unknown to bowl pre-determined no-balls. Butt and Asif deny the charges.The case continues.

Glamorgan collapse leaves Gloucestershire favourites

Scorecard
Jon Lewis and Will Gidman took seven wickets between them as Gloucestershirehad the better of a remarkable third day in the County Championship DivisionTwo match with Glamorgan at Bristol.Only four wickets had fallen on Thursday, but 19 went down for 264 runs todayas both attacks produced some superb seam and swing bowling. Gloucestershire collapsed from 278 for two to 341 all out in the morning session, but then dismissed Glamorgan for 148 in their second innings to leave the hosts chasing 186 for a victory that would maintain their slim hopes of promotion.Lewis, with 4 for 43, and Gidman, with 3 for 31, were the chiefdestroyers of Glamorgan, whose main resistance came from Mark Wallace (40) andWil Bragg (36). Gloucestershire were left with 18 overs to bat before stumps and lost ChrisDent, caught at slip in the penultimate over, in reaching 53 for one – needinganother 133 for the victory.The pattern for the day was set early as Gloucestershire lost five wickets inthe space of 41 balls for 17 runs. New Zealander Kane Williamson, on 87, threw away the chance of his first Bristol hundred with a tame drive at left-arm spinner Dean Cosker, which gaveJames Harris a comfortable catch at mid-off.Chris Taylor was next to go when a leading edge from a mistimed pull off GrahamWagg looped up to Bragg at cover. Hamish Marshall fell lbw to James Harris, and Wagg accounted for Alex Gidman, caught behind down the legside, and James Fuller, who had his off stump uprooted.Will Gidman and Lewis hinted at a revival with a stand of 27. But Lewis wascaught at cover off a loose drive and the last two wickets quickly followed asGidman fell to an outstanding one-handed slip catch by Stuart Walters off JimAllenby, who bowled David Payne three balls later.If Gloucestershire were feeling sorry for themselves at missing out on a coupleof batting points, it was soon forgotten as Will Gidman and Lewis routedGlamorgan’s top order. Gidman had Nick James taken by Williamson at third slip and Lewis produced a couple of superb deliveries to have Gareth Rees and Walters caught behind byRichard Coughtrie in the same over.Coughtrie took a third catch when Allenby was taken down the legside off Gidmanand three more followed – to account for Bragg, Harris and Wallace – as heequalled the county record of six dismissals in an innings by a wicketkeeper. Of the other wickets to fall, Wagg lost his off stump to Ian Saxelby, while Robert Croft and Dean Cosker were both lbw victims, playing back to Gidman and Lewis, respectively.

Tremlett ruled out of third Test

Chris Tremlett has been ruled out of the third against India at Edgbaston having failed to recover from the back injury that forced him to miss the previous match at Trent Bridge.He had been included in the 13-man squad for Wednesday’s Test but wasn’t able to train on Monday or Tuesday, so there was no chance of him being considered. An ECB update added he “will receive ongoing treatment ahead of the fourth Test”.Tremlett initially suffered a hamstring injury towards the end of the Lord’s Test and then went down with a back spasm during training the day before the Trent Bridge match started. With the final Test starting at The Oval after only a three day gap, it remains doubtful whether Tremlett will play any further part in this series.Andrew Strauss said: “It’s sad for Chris that he has a bulging disc in his back and that should clear up sooner or later, but this Test has come too soon.”It means that Tim Bresnan will retain his place for Edgbaston after a superb all-round performance last week where he scored 90 and claimed a career-best 5 for 48 in the second innings. Steven Finn is also part of the squad but is unlikely to be considered given the success of the current unit in securing a 2-0 series lead.”One of the great things is people have come in and performed,” Strauss said. “Tim got his chance because Chris, who had done brilliantly, was injured and he took it with both hands. Ravi Bopara is coming in for this game and he’s got the chance to do something similar.”The pressing concern for Strauss though, even more than injuries, is England’s tendency to slip up when a big victory is in sight. Whether the Ashes loss in Headingley 2009, or again in Perth over the winter, England have had trouble wrapping up a series in the past. This time, though, Strauss thinks England will learn from the experience.”I certainly thought we learnt from lessons of Headingley in ’09 because I think we started looking at the outcome of the game rather than starting well,” he said. “Since then we’ve been keen to keep everyone’s feet on the ground whether winning or losing. This is one of those circumstances.”There is no point looking too far ahead. The rankings are not at the forefront of our minds right at the moment. What is at the forefront of our minds is starting this Test match well and hopefully getting into a position to win it at the end of this week.”Despite the measured talk from the captain himself, the groundswell of opinion since Trent Bridge is that Strauss’s England side are one of the best in the country’s recent history. Andrew Flintoff was one who insisted the current side are better than the 2004-05 vintage that Flintoff featured in. Strauss, however, rejected the idea.”Comparisons are odious and not all that helpful,” he said. “When you are involved in a side, it makes no difference whether people say if the side is as good as another side or not. It makes no difference to your preparation for a Test match at all. It’s not something I spend any time thinking about because if I did, I would subconsciously taking my eyes off what’s important for us as a side.”

Kent wrap-up second successive victory

Scorecard
Kent won their second successive County Championship match in Canterbury and dented the promotion push of second-placed Middlesex by claiming a battling 69-run victory on the final afternoon at St Lawrence.The hosts wrapped up their fourth win of the Division Two campaign three overs into the final hour of the game to bank 20 points, while Middlesex went home with six after suffering only their second defeat of the summer.Having taken Kent’s four remaining second-innings wickets at the start of the day to dismiss the hosts for 332 – their second highest championship total at Canterbury this season – Middlesex were left with 80 overs to chase a victory target of 272 at an asking rate of 3.38 an over. Yet survival quickly became a more realistic ambition for the visitors after they slumped to 30 for four shortly after lunch.Matt Coles, taking the new ball for the first time in a year, started the rout with one that cut back off the seam to graze Scott Newman’s inside edge before plucking out off stump. Then, four scheduled deliveries before the lunch break, Stevens swung one away from Sam Robson to have the right-hander caught at second slip for 12.With his first delivery after the interval Stevens feathered the outside edge of Dawid Malan’s bat to give wicket-keeper Geraint Jones a regulation catch. Then, two balls later, Neil Dexter’s dire run of form continued with a third successive championship duck when he edged to second slip.Only 21 runs on, Chris Rogers – in aiming to work to leg – played all around a Stevens’ in-swinger to go for 26, and with 100 on the board, John Simpson (19) fenced at the second delivery of the innings from Wahab Riaz to be caught behind.Jamie Dalrymple and Tom Smith (seven) dug in to add 48 in 20 overs for the seventh wicket, but soon after tea, and with 124 runs required, Adam Ball broke through and emulated Stevens by taking two wickets in as many balls.Smith followed one outside off to edge low to third slip, then Tim Murtagh had his off stump pegged back by a first-ball yorker. Dalrymple farmed the strike intelligently to reach a 150-ball century – the first of the match – with 10 fours and two sixes.Steven Finn departed two overs later after allowing one from James Tredwell to squeeze through bat and pad and roll onto the stumps, then the off-spinner rushed one through Corey Colleymore’s back-foot defensive push to wrap up the win shortly after 5.30pm.The fourth day began with a high-class exhibition of new ball bowling by Finn who, after being released from the England squad on duty at the Oval, joined the game on day two to claim an eventual haul of five for 113. The willowy paceman accounted for James Tredwell with his fourth ball of the day, and with the first delivery of his next over sent Ball packing to another catch at the wicket.Murtagh then extracted extra bounce to graze the edge of Matthew Coles’ bat and give keeper Simpson his third catch of the session and sixth of the game. Eight runs short of a deserved hundred, Azhar Mahmood lost his 10th wicket partner and countryman, Wahab Riaz, pinned leg before by a shooting off-cutter by Murtagh to leave Mahmood unbeaten on 92 from 140 balls. He hit eight fours and two sixes.

Papps moves to Wellington

Canterbury’s Michael Papps has quit the province after 13 seasons there and will play for Wellington in the 2011-12 domestic season. According to a report in , Papps, who has played eight Tests for New Zealand and is currently playing club cricket in the United Kingdom, approached Wellington regarding the move last month. Both provinces confirmed the move on Thursday.An opening batsman and wicketkeeper, Papps made his first-class debut in the 1998-99 season and has since scored 7457 runs in 119 matches with 20 centuries, passing Paul McEwan to become Canterbury’s top run-scorer.Cricket Wellington chief executive Gavin Larsen said Papps would prop up their top order. “We are delighted to have signed a player of Papps’ calibre,” he said. “His domestic record is outstanding and he will add both experience and leadership to our top-order batting.”

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