All posts by h716a5.icu

Nottinghamshire, looking for their second LV= County Championship title in three seasons, were second best against title outsiders Somerset

09-Aug-2012
ScorecardAndre Adams was bowling with an injury but managed two wickets•Getty ImagesNottinghamshire, looking for their second LV= County Championship title in three seasons, were second best against title outsiders Somerset on the third day of the rain-affected match at Taunton.The visitors were bowled out for 152 and then their threadbare attack was punished by James Hildreth (63 not out) and Jos Buttler (39), who put on 91 for the fourth wicket. Hildreth hit 11 fours while Buttler had five fours and also hit Graeme Swann for six over mid-on. Somerset closed on 187 for 6, a lead of 31.Nottinghamshire were compromised by the absence of their most effective bowler, Andre Adams, and their left-arm paceman Harry Gurney. Gurney went off with a leg injury after bowling six overs and Adams, who tweaked a hamstring, limped through 14 overs before hobbling off. Adams also dropped Hildreth, on 16, at midwicket off Swann – who took the wicket of Peter Trego before the close.Somerset had lost Marcus Trescothick to a second ball duck. But, earlier, Trescothick the fielder had a better time of it. His five catches at second slip equalled the county record for an outfielder. The visitors, who started the day on 48 for 3, lost six more wickets in the morning session before being bowled out 15 minutes after lunch in just 54.4 overs.In the second over of the day, Adam Voges pushed at a delivery that swung away and Trescothick took his first catch of the morning. Nottinghamshire were in trouble but captain Chris Read played a typical, counter-attacking innings, while James Taylor dug in.Read hooked Gemaal Hussain for six to raise the half-century stand in nine overs and, next ball, lofted the bowler over mid-on for four to bring up the 100. At 120 for 4 Abdur Rehman, who was making his Championship debut for Somerset, came into the attack and took a wicket with his second ball.Rehman bowled a ball of full length to Taylor who attempted to sweep and was given out leg before wicket. Read cut Rehman for successive boundaries to reach 50 from 63 balls, with 10 fours, but then he edged Hussain to Trescothick. It was the start of a collapse which saw Nottinghamshire lose their last five wickets for 14 runs.Hussain, who had looked harmless at the river end, where he bowled three overs for 23 runs, switched to the old pavilion end where he had figures of 6-4-6-4. Swann was one of his wickets, edging a loose drive to give Trescothick his fifth catch.

Michael Yardy scored 89 as Sussex established a first-innings lead of more than 100 against Middlesex before taking two late wickets

David Lloyd at Hove11-Aug-2012
ScorecardToby Roland-Jones took career-best first-class figures of 6 for 66•Middlesex CCCChange your captain, change your luck? Well, to be fair, things were going quite nicely for Sussex before Mike Yardy decided to hand the Championship reins to Ed Joyce a fortnight ago but both men seem to have benefitted significantly from the switch.Joyce, having scored 107 during last week’s win against Worcestershire, gave his team a sound base in this match by making 68 at the top of the order. And Yardy, who announced that he wished to concentrate on his own game, ended an indifferent run of four-day form with an excellent innings of 89.Yardy had passed 50 on only a couple of occasions in Championship cricket since hitting 110 against Lancashire back in April but here he looked all set for three figures – and would have deserved them on a still-tricky pitch – until miscuing a pull into the hands of long leg.Although the former England player’s unexpected departure, seventh out with the total 238, put something of a dent in Sussex’s plans to post a truly commanding total, they were still able to reach 287 – despite a career-best 6 for 66 from Toby Roland-Jones. That gave the hosts a first-innings lead of 117, an advantage which ought to prove decisive as they seek to take over second place in the table behind title favourites Warwickshire.There is nothing particularly pretty about Yardy’s batting style, at least not when he sets up with his splayed feet stance. But the left-hander can be mighty effective, and was so on Saturday as he punished Middlesex whenever they fed his strong leg-side play or offered him a bit too much width outside off stump.No batsman has been able to operate with complete freedom (although Chris Rogers tried to late on when he gave Middlesex a flying start) because the odd ball continued to lift quite alarmingly from a good length. Ollie Rayner suffered most, in terms of pain, on Friday when hit on the left hand by a delivery from James Anyon. Today it was Joyce who had to call for the magic spray after one from Roland-Jones reared to locate the opener’s rib cage.Another snorter from Roland-Jones, soon after, did Joyce no physical damage but brought about his downfall, leaping to hit a glove and present keeper John Simpson with a simple, lobbed catch. That breakthrough ended a stand of 78 for the fourth wicket, the highest partnership of the match so far, and came at a time when Middlesex were still hopeful of limiting the first innings damage to around 50.Unfortunately for the visitors, they cannot quite match Sussex for pace and bounce. But in Roland-Jones they possessed a constant threat and it was only fitting that the 24-year-old, who is already on England’s radar, returned the county’s best bowling analysis of the season.The wicket of Yardy, who had concentrated hard for four and half hours, was a bit of a gift. But the youngster worked hard for his other successes, and had to contend with the likes of Steve Magoffin and Anyon scoring valuable runs down the order for the second consecutive match.When Middlesex set about trying to clear the arrears, Rogers looked like a man in a hurry but although his 48 came from only 53 balls he was living dangerously and it came as no great surprise when Monty Panesar had him caught behind. Joe Denly soon played on, to Magoffin, and the same bowler then saw nightwatchman Roland-Jones dropped by Chris Nash at short leg just before the close.It is not game over, by any means, with Middlesex only 25 behind and eight wickets in hand. But it is certainly game on for Sussex as they try to continue their impressive rise up the table.

Once before the tournament began, and now at South Africa’s exit, AB de Villiers has confronted the choker’s tag, and worn it self-critically

Andrew Fernando in Colombo03-Oct-2012Once before the tournament began, and now at South Africa’s exit, AB de Villiers has confronted the choker’s tag, and worn it self-critically. “We have choked in the past,” was his unprovoked confession in the days leading up to the tournament, and at their farewell, he again uttered the c-word previous South Africa captains would have avoided even if giving a lecture on the Heimlich maneuvre’s effect on fuel injection.It was almost pre-emptive flagellation. Perhaps de Villiers believed the press would beat the team with that stick anyway, and chose to reappropriate the label – or at least soften the blows by admitting it himself. Maybe he believed that taking total ownership of the team’s shortcomings is a crucial step in the side eventually overcoming them. Whatever the reason, de Villiers seemed almost eager to evoke South Africa’s perceived psychological deficiency when asked a tangential question.”In the big moments, in the pressure moments, when it really mattered, we were found wanting,” de Villiers replied to a question that simply sought enlightenment on the fickleness of Twenty20. “In that Pakistan game, we should have closed that down. We know that. It’s simple to say, but we choked that game. That’s a simple fact. We’ve got to go back and become a better team and there are no excuses.”The truth however, is that South Africa didn’t go far enough into the tournament to actually choke – at least not to the extent to which they capitulated against New Zealand in the 2011 World Cup quarter final. They are not the first team to find themselves on the receiving end of a thrilling Pakistan comeback, and they are unlikely to be the last. Against Australia, they were simply brutalised by a player in incredible form, and when there was no pressure on them at all in their last match of the tournament, they fell short there as well.De Villiers denied South Africa had struggled to adjust to the Premadasa pitch, and instead simply said the side had under-performed. The seamers had been humming on a fast, juicy Hambantota surface during the group stage, but could not transfer that form to Colombo for the Super Eights.”I thought we played well in Hambantota, but I don’t think it was the conditions here really, we just didn’t play good cricket,” de Villiers said. “It started off against Pakistan when we got into a winning position and we found a way to lose that game. We still didn’t give up hope and worked really hard. We came back against Australia and we were beaten by a better unit on that day. We tried really hard again today, but it just didn’t really click in this tournament. It’s hard to put my finger on something – we just played poor cricket throughout.”South Africa’s fielding was perhaps the most surprising disappointment in the tournament, for a side that has built a reputation as one of the best fielding outfits in the world. South Africa spilt catches in almost every match, and given two of their defeats in the Super Eights were lost by slim margins, a tidier show in the field might have seen them through to the semi-finals. Both Rohit Sharma and Suresh Raina were reprieved during the one-run loss to India.”It wasn’t ideal tonight. Unfortunately we let a couple of catches go down and we have done that in the whole tournament actually. It happens a little in this format when the ball flies all over the place, you do see a couple of catches go down. But that’s no excuse, we’re a better fielding unit than that.”South Africa will host the Champions League Twenty20 in October, but the team’s first international commitment is a tour of Australia in November. De Villiers said the break from their international schedule would be an ideal time to process the disappointments of another unsuccessful campaign in a major tournament.”We felt very well supported in this tournament and that’s the thing that hurts most. The South African media and people back home expect a lot more from us, and unfortunately this time we couldn’t deliver. It’s not time to give up hope. The guys have performed in the past and that’s showed me that I can’t lose my faith.”

Shuffled almost as often as a deck of cards in a poker den, Shane Watson’s itinerant Test match batting career may finally have found a permanent home at No. 4

Daniel Brettig in Hobart12-Dec-2012Shuffled almost as often as a deck of cards in a poker den, Shane Watson’s itinerant Test match batting career may finally have found a permanent home at No. 4. Since his debut in 2005, Watson has been tried everywhere from No. 7 to opening (including ODIs), but has only now settled into the batting position with which he first became familiar when playing for Tasmania and Queensland before his international career began.Following Australia’s training session at Bellerive Oval on Wednesday, Watson confirmed that he would move down to No.4 to accommodate the recalled Phillip Hughes at No.3, and expressed hope that this would be the post where he would finally settle down as an international allrounder. It is no coincidence that No.4 is also the spot occupied by Jacques Kallis, as the coach Mickey Arthur has made no secret of his desire to have Watson scoring runs with something like the South African’s formidable consistency, while also offering substance with the ball.”I think this is more a permanent move. I hope so anyway,” Watson said. “It has certainly tested out what my skills are. I certainly enjoyed opening but it meant I wasn’t really able to bowl that much really, considering I was going to have to go in and take the first ball. Four hopefully will suit me really well. I know how important the No.4 spot is.”To be able to hopefully set up an innings when the platform has already been set for me, or come in and hopefully build a big total if we’ve lost a few early wickets. It’s where I actually started batting when I was playing first-class cricket when I was younger. It’s the position I probably know the best from a few years back anyway.”For an Australian side desperate to have Watson graduate from the handy scores he delivered consistently when opening the batting, and the mediocre ones he has turned out when tried elsewhere in the order, there is some useful history to his occupation of the position. No.4 was the site of Watson’s highest first-class score, a double-century for Queensland in a Sheffield Shield final, and the position from which he first pushed for international selection with Tasmania.”That’s where I batted for Queensland, and it is where I batted for a bit of my time in Tasmania as well,” Watson said. It just gives me that opportunity to be able to bowl the overs that my body allows me to and the captain wants [and] to then be able to freshen up and hopefully be able to bat for a long period of time as well. It’d be nice to be able to get into a position and make it my own by scoring the runs so that hopefully they don’t really want to move me anywhere else.”Critical to all this will be Watson’s attitude, which has been at its most poised and confident when opening the batting. Regardless of where Watson bats, many of his innings have followed a familiar pattern of early free scoring followed by a gradual slowing in momentum and eventual dismissal for a less than satisfying score. Well aware of the flaw, Watson said he was determined to fight his way through it at No.4.”It has been my biggest downfall, in Test cricket especially, once I’ve done all the hard work to be able to sustain my intensity at the crease to be able to get through those periods,” Watson said. “I know where I’ve been falling down and I’m certainly doing everything I can to hope that doesn’t occur.The shuffling of Shane Watson

Opener: 24 Tests, 1878 runs at 43.67, 2 centuries

No.3: 4 Tests, 228 runs at 28.5, no centuries

No.4: yet to bat

No.5: yet to bat

No.6: 5 Tests, 170 runs at 24.28, no centuries

No.7: 4 Tests, 87 runs at 14.5, no centuries

“Batting in the top four I know how important it is to be consistent, then the team can rely on you, its not as hit-and-miss, on your day you have to go on and get a big score and that is something I need to continue on and improve on and get better at. I am certainly working hard mentally because I know it’s more mental than technical, because I get through the times when the bowlers are bowling their best and its about being able to hold that intensity in my mind over a long period of time.”By shifting Watson again to accommodate Hughes, Australia’s captain Michael Clarke is placing plenty of onus on his deputy to contribute significantly to the team as it learns to deal with life after Ricky Ponting. Both leaders followed Ponting in ways during the session, Clarke taking Hughes, David Warner and Ed Cowan aside for an earnest chat about batting, while Watson took the former captain’s mantle as the last to conclude training by requesting an extra catching session.”I have to step up and everyone has to, just around the group he really has been the heart beat of the group for such a long period of time,” Watson said of Ponting. “I never took it for granted the impact that he had on the group, but when he’s not there we know a number of us have to step up to do the things Ricky used to do so naturally. So its certainly a big time for the senior players who have to fill that void, but I am not sure if that is ever going to be possible.”Even at training his energy in the nets, out on the field throwing the stumps down, catching in the slips, whatever he was doing was at the highest intensity and that’s the reason he was so good. He helped everyone around him too, he does know the game so intimately, all the technical aspects of batting and fielding, he always helped you out and that is going to be sorely missed, he significantly helped me in aspects of my game. I am certainly staying in contact, he had a huge impact on my career and if it wasn’t for Ricky I wouldn’t be in the place I am today.”

Canterbury recorded their second straight win in Nelson, where their score of 185 proved to be just out of reach for Central Districts

ESPNcricinfo staff03-Jan-2013
ScorecardCanterbury recorded their second straight win in Nelson, where their score of 185 proved to be just out of reach for Central Districts. Electing to bat after winning the toss, Canterbury’s innings was held together for the first half by Rob Nicol, who took them past the 50-run mark. But his wicket was followed by two more, leaving them at 73 for 5 in the eleventh. Andrew Ellis and Brendon Diamanti took charge from there, though, and clobbered 112 runs off 57 balls with 17 boundaries, including eight sixes. Maiden HRV Cup fifties and personal best scores for both the batsmen helped Canterbury reach the challenging score of 185.Central Districts were off to a flier as openers Mathew Sinclair (38) and Ben Smith put together 68 runs at more than nine runs per over before Smith was run out. Twenty-year-old Will Young and captain Kieran Noema-Barnett (38) then added 61 runs off 46 balls but couldn’t find boundaries regularly. The required rate went up and when the partnership was broken, Central Districts needed 32 off 14 and they eventually fell short by five runs.This was only Canterbury’s second win in six games, the other one being against the same opposition at the same venue on January 1. Central Districts have just one win from six, and sit at the bottom of the table right below Canterbury.

Hamilton Masakadza and Paul Stirling made it a short evening’s work for Sylhet Royals, who blazed to a six-wicket victory against Khulna Royal Bengals

The Report by Mohammad Isam23-Jan-2013
ScorecardHamilton Masakadza and Paul Stirling made it a short evening’s work for Sylhet Royals, who blazed to a six-wicket victory – their third in a row – against Khulna Royal Bengals. Their 78-run stand, which helped Royals to the highest Powerplay total of the BPL – 81 for 1 – came after the unlikely new-ball pair of Dirk Nannes and Sohag Gazi had produced identical figures to limit Royal Bengals.Nannes and Gazi both had figures of 2 for 20 from four overs, and Suhrawadi Shuvo took 1 for 22, making it only 62 runs off those 12 overs. Though Khulna tried to make up by adding 83 in the other eight overs, their total of 157 for 4 was modest. The Royals captain Mushfiqur Rahim also had a role to play: he took two superb catches, the first one breaking an important partnership between Riki Wessels and Daniel Harris. Wessels remained unbeaten on 63 off 44 balls, with four boundaries and a couple of slog-swept sixes.During the chase, Masakadza blasted Shapoor Zadran for a boundary and two sixes before Stirling finished the innings’ second over with two more boundaries to take 25 off it. Masakadza scored four boundaries in Farhad Reza’s next over, before leaving it to Stirling to pick up four sixes in the next two overs off Nabil Samad and Sanjamul Islam, who was hit for three sixes in the space of four balls in his first over.Stirling missed a straight one from Nabil before Masakadza was cleaned up by a beauty from Zadran, this time coming from around the wicket. By then, however, the Royals needed to score at four an over in the next nine overs to complete the win, which they eventually did with 22 balls to spare.The Royal Bengals are bottom in the league after losing their third game in a row, while the Royals are level with Dhaka Gladiators on six points at the top of the table.

Stuart Broad may have to live with his heel injury for the rest of his career, with England’s Twenty20 captain admitting he and the medical staff will have to ‘manage’ the problem

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Feb-2013Stuart Broad may have to live with his heel injury for the rest of his career, with England’s Twenty20 captain admitting he and the medical staff will have to ‘manage’ the problem to keep him playing at the highest level.Broad has not played since the second Test in Mumbai in November, where his 0 for 60 was his second consecutive wicketless Test and continued a disappointing end to 2012. Broad was subsequently dropped for just the second time in his career.The heel problem prevented his return as captain for the T20 series and he also missed last month’s ODIs, but he is back in the fold for the series in New Zealand. After a trip to Germany to be fitted with specially designed boots he claims he has felt good in training, and took a hat-trick in a warm-up game, but his admission that the problem is unlikely to go away is a cause of concern.”It is going to be a long-term thing,” Broad said ahead of the opening T20 in Auckland. “It is a laceration of the fat pad so is not going to go away overnight.It is something I need to manage. It has been good these couple of weeks, I have found good ways to look after it. It is not going to go away with a week’s rest or a year’s rest.”Broad admits his career path as a fast bowler is an issue on account of the type of injury he has which suggested that he may have to be rested a certain periods.,”If I did pretty much anything else in the world but bowl seam it would not be a problem, I don’t feel it walking or running or batting – it is just fast bowling,” he said. “I do not get too down about it. It is something I have to manage. We have a great management team on the physical side.”We have been speaking to specialists all over the world trying to find out what they can do, but there is no operation or injection suitable for it. It is manageable at the minute.

New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has been moved out of the intensive care unit and has reassured his well-wishers that he is feeling “heaps better” and overwhelmed by the number of messages wishing him a speedy recovery

ESPNcricinfo staff31-Mar-2013New Zealand batsman Jesse Ryder has been moved out of the intensive care unit and has reassured his well-wishers that he is feeling “heaps better” and overwhelmed by the number of messages wishing him a speedy recovery from his assault on Wednesday night in Christchurch. Ryder is in a stable condition in a ward at the Christchurch hospital.”I just want to let everyone know that I’m ok. I feel heaps better today but still really tired,” Ryder stated in a press release by New Zealand Cricket. “I’ve been reading your messages that have been sent so thank you to everyone for thinking of me over the last few days.”I want to thank everyone who has been caring for me at the hospital – they have been awesome. Thank you to my family and friends who have been here also.”Ryder’s manager, Aaron Klee, said the batsman may not be making further statements in the immediate future, as he focuses on his recovery.”Now that Jesse is out of intensive care, we aren’t planning on providing further updates in the media, as it is time for Jesse to focus on his recovery and getting back to full health,” Klee said.Ryder: “I’ve been reading your messages that have been sent so thank you to everyone for thinking of me over the last few days”•Getty ImagesRyder had come out of his induced coma on Saturday and had begun talking again and breathing without the assistance of the ventilator. Earlier on Thursday, he had given a ‘thumbs up’ sign to the neurosurgeon and had started interacting with his family and manager.Klee said on Sunday that Ryder was itching to get out of hospital when told of how the country was worrying about his welfare.”He’s been quite cheeky. We’ve had some giggles this afternoon, mainly one-word-type conversations,” Klee told the . “I’ve told him he’s one of the most talked-about people in New Zealand.”He asked me about cricket but I just said to him, ‘It’s going to be a while before you are playing cricket, mate’.”Ryder had gone with team-mates to Aikmans Bar in Merivale where around 12.30am, while making his way to join other Wellington players at a nearby McDonalds, he had been attacked twice in the space of a few minutes, suffering heavy blows to the head and chest that left him with a skull fracture and a collapsed lung.Police have arrested two men in connection with the assaults, a 20-year-old Christchurch resident and a 37-year-old relative who was visiting the city. They have been bailed to appear in the Christchurch District Court on Thursday, April 4.

Australian newcomer George Bailey marked his debut by making 93 as Hampshire recovered to 286 for 4 after losing both opening batsmen without a run on the board.

10-Apr-2013
ScorecardAustralian newcomer George Bailey marked his debut by making 93 as Hampshire recovered to 286 for 4 after losing both opening batsmen without a run on the board.Leicestershire captain Ramnaresh Sarwan decided to field first under overcast skies and was rewarded with the wickets of Jimmy Adams and Michael Carberry in the first five overs. Adams was bowled fifth ball by Alex Wyatt and Carberry edged defensively to new wicketkeeper Niall O’Brien to give veteran former England bowler Matthew Hoggard an early breakthrough.But then Bailey, the Australian T20 captain, joined Liam Dawson in partnership of 141 for the third wicket in only 32 overs as Leicestershire struggled to make the best of their promising start. Sarwan used seven bowlers before lunch as Tasmanian Bailey dominated the stand, rapidly outscoring Dawson to help Hampshire seize the initiative.Dawson, the more circumspect of the two, reached 46 from 83 balls before he chased a wide delivery from medium-pacer Ollie Freckingham and gave Jigar Naik a catch in the gully. Dawson’s wicket was Freckingham’s first in first-class cricket and he followed it with another four runs later when Bailey was dismissed in sight of his century.Hampshire had reached 150 for 3 when Bailey, who led Tasmania to Sheffield Shield glory last month, was stumped as he attacked Freckingham. Bailey, fluent from the start despite only joining the squad recently, made light of the dank conditions by striking 14 fours in his 133-ball innings.His exit failed to give the frail Leicestershire attack any respite and James Vince and Sean Ervine – the hosts’ fifth-wicket pair – soon got on top every bit as commandingly as Bailey had done before them.Bad light and rain eventually intruded after 71.2 overs, by which time Vince and Ervine had added a further 136 runs without being troubled or in danger of being parted. At the premature close, Hampshire’s recovery was complete with Vince unbeaten with 77 and Ervine, who has just signed a new contract with the county, 57 not out.After their early successes, Leicestershire’s bowling fell away even though conditions were always helpful. Freckingham finished the day with figures of 2 for 71 from 14 overs but, like his team-mates, struggled to contain the free-scoring Bailey.

Lancashire may be tipped for promotion and Glamorgan to feature in the bottom half of Division Two but it was roles reversed for much of the first day at Colwyn Bay

Paul Edwards at Colwyn Bay01-May-2013
ScorecardMichael Hogan’s three wickets helped fire out Lancashire•Getty ImagesThe annual consensus about Division Two of the County Championship is that it is composed of four or five teams capable of winning promotion and a similar number who make up the numbers. Glamorgan are frequently placed in the second group and most pre-season tipsters identified Lancashire as an outfit likely to be bidding for a swift return to Division One.Such predictions were made to look rather daft for much of this blissful spring day at Rhos-on-Sea, where the May blossom on the tiered embankment, the smiles on the faces of the club officials and the quality of the bowling more than made up for scoreboard malfunctions and technical glitches.And by the end of May 1, traditionally a socialist holiday, it was the Glamorgan workers who could look back on their labours with just slightly greater pleasure. Having striven hard to bowl Lancashire out for 123, they were handily placed on 110 for 4, a deficit of 13 runs.It is nothing like a winning position, but for Mark Wallace and his players it will do very nicely, despite the late departure of Marcus North, lbw on the front foot to Jimmy Anderson for 22 immediately after he had been switched to the Penrhyn Avenue End of this proud, well-appointed ground. That left Anderson with 3 for 28 from 15 overs, figures to reassure Andy Flower that his spearhead is near his finest fettle. If he hits his straps on Thursday, Glamorgan’s advantage could be slender or nothing at all.”May called to the year to come dancing” wrote the poet and Anglican priest R S Thomas, a resident of the Lleyn peninsula, in Runes, and it was Glamorgan’s bowlers who showed the slickest moves having lost the toss on the first morning of this match.Lancashire’s travails began as early as the second delivery of the day when Paul Horton left a ball from Michael Hogan which clipped his off stump. This misjudgement rather set the tone for an innings conspicuous for its absence of solidity or control. Glamorgan’s bowlers, by contrast, always seemed to know their business: it was to stick to the game’s timeless verities and let any early moisture or movement from a well-grassed pitch confound the batsmen.It worked. The rangy Hogan followed up the wicket of Horton with the scalp of Karl Brown who played a copybook front foot drive but neglected to hit the ball with the bat, something of a weakness, he will probably admit. Luke Procter and Ashwell Prince then added 40 in 15 overs but this brief period of reconstruction was followed by major subsidence as both batsmen fell lbw, Procter to Jim Allenby for 26, Prince to Mike Reed for 19, in the space of seven balls. When Steven Croft slapped a short ball from Reed high but within reach of the leaping Murray Goodwin at midwicket, Lancashire were 66 for 5 and the travelling supporters were well into their pre-prandial grumbling.Things descended from the poor to the abysmal in the hour after lunch as Glen Chapple’s side lost 4 for 7 in 27 balls. Allenby deserves plenty of credit for the delivery which moved off the pitch to claim Katich’s wicket but other batsmen – Cross and Chapple maybe – were complicit in their own downfalls. A last wicket partnership of 20 between Anderson and Simon Kerrigan took the total to 123 but no one was claiming that this was anything like adequate. The attraction then lay in seeing what Anderson et al would make of the same pitch and the same atmospheric conditions.At first they made not too much of them. True, Ben Wright gloved a vicious lifter from Anderson to Cross just after tea and Stewart Walters lost his off stump, but there was never the sense of incipient crisis that had existed in the Lancashire innings. The determined Will Bragg and the more expansive Marcus North had taken the score to 82 before Bragg, aiming to play to leg, was lbw to Simon Kerrigan’s fourth ball. That brought Murray Goodwin to the crease and his battle with Anderson on the second morning may do much to determine the architecture of this engrossing contest.