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Former Zimbabwe batsman Dave Houghton has returned to Derbyshire as batting coach. Houghton, 54, was the county’s director of cricket between 2003 and 2007 and has also held coaching roles with Worcestershire and Zimbabwe.”David is a premium world-class batting coach,” said head coach Karl Krikken. “His knowledge and experience will be of great benefit to all of our batsmen, as it has been to players in the international set-up during periods of coaching with the ECB.””Clearly David’s vast experience and success in the game will be a major asset to the whole club, and in particular our batsmen,” added chairman Chris Grant.Houghton was first offered the role of director of cricket at Derbyshire in 2003, having cemented his reputation as a good leader during a spell as coach with Worcestershire in the mid-1990s. He is also the uncle of Yorkshire batsman Gary Ballance, who first arrived in English cricket with Derbyshire when Houghton was in charge.He quit his post with Derbyshire in July 2007, Don Amott – who was the county’s chairman at the time – saying that the parting was amicable.Houghton played 22 Tests and 63 one-day internationals for his country, was their first Test captain and holds the record for their highest Test score with 266 against Sri Lanka in 1994. He also represented them at hockey, as a goalkeeper.

West Indies Women sneaked home by one run against Pakistan Women in the rain-hit first Twenty20 international in St Andrew’s.The first of four Twenty20s, the game was reduced to 18 overs a side as Pakistan chose to field. West Indies’ line-up did not click, opener Stafanie Taylor the top scorer with 24 – she was one of only three batsmen to get into double figures as the hosts managed only 90 for 8. The Pakistan bowlers shared the wickets around. Fast bowler Qanita Jalil was the pick, claiming 2 for 14 in a three-over spell.In a rain-marred chase, none of the Pakistan batsmen could get going either. The visitors were 56 for 3 in 11 overs, falling one short of the Duckworth/Lewis target.The second Twenty20 will be played at the same venue on September 7.

Scorecard
Alfonso Thomas completed match figures of 10 for 88 as Somerset moved into the thick of the County Championship Division One title race with a nine-wicket victory over Sussex at Taunton.The seamer added 4 for 28 to his six first-innings wickets as the visitors were bowled out for 134, having begun the third day four down on 94. Murali Kartik returned four for 46 to assist their downfall.That left Somerset needing only 94 for their third successive Championship win. They cruised to the target off just 18.1 overs, Marcus Trescothick leading the way with 54 not out.Somerset took 21 points to the four earned by Sussex and are generating real momentum in their bid for a first-ever title success, having been pipped by Nottinghamshire on the final day last season.Play was delayed until 1.40pm by morning rain after which Michael Yardy and nightwatchman Joe Anyon played out four maidens before Thomas struck a double blow from the Old Pavilion End. In the space of three balls he had Yardy caught at third slip by Kartik for 2 and pinned Ben Brown leg-before to make it 94 for 6.When Charl Willoughby replaced Thomas he needed only two deliveries to dispose of Ollie Rayner, caught behind for 8 fencing at a ball outside off stump. Anyon survived until the total was 118 when he was lbw for 11 playing defensively to Kartik, having faced 71 balls. Four runs later Monty Panesar suffered the same fate on the back foot to the Indian left-arm spinner.Wayne Parnell was caught in the slips by Trescothick at the second attempt for 13 to give Thomas only his second 10-wicket match and the popular South African was given a generous ovation as he led the team off.Trescothick had no intention of hanging around chasing such a small target and promptly hit the first two balls of Somerset’s second innings, delivered by Parnell, for four. By tea he and Arul Suppiah had taken their opening stand to 54 from 10 overs and any lingering doubt about the outcome had disappeared.Suppiah was caught and bowled by Rayner diving to his right for 22, but it was a minor blip as Trescothick eased a half-century off 46 balls, with two sixes and six fours.

Scorecard
Glamorgan spinner Dean Cosker claimed 5 for 48 but Essex held on for a draw on the final day of their County Championship Division Two clash at Cardiff.Glamorgan had set Essex a massive 333 to win in 53 overs but the visitors found themselves reduced to 104 for 6 with Cosker and Robert Croft causing the damage. Essex were indebted to the seventh-wicket partnership of Graham Napier and Tim Phillips who batted out the remaining 21 overs to help their side finish on 143 for 6.Glamorgan took 10 points from the game to Essex’s eight. Glamorgan had eventually declared on 296 for 5 in mid-afternoon but there had been plenty of audible complaints among supporters that captain Alviro Petersen had delayed his declaration too long, leaving Essex a stiff run rate of 6.4.Openers Tom Westley and Billy Godleman made a steady start to the Essex run chase as they reached 54 without loss before spinners Cosker and Croft claimed three wickets in 13 balls just before tea.The dismissal of Westley (22) started the collapse when he was caught at slip off Cosker, before Croft struck with his third delivery as Godleman (33) departed lbw. In the next over Owais Shah drove Cosker straight for six before he also departed leg before for seven.After tea Essex captain James Foster (10) turned one to leg slip off Cosker, who completed his five-wicket haul by removing Jaik Mickleburgh (10) and Adam Wheater (11). Cosker took his five wickets for 22 runs in 59 balls, although his efforts were not enough to see Glamorgan to victory.At the start of the final day the hosts had resumed on 126 for 1 – an overall lead of 162 – but they suffered something of a collapse losing four wickets in 13 overs. David Masters created much of the damage in a burst of three for five in only 29 balls.In the third over of the day Will Bragg went lbw to Maurice Chambers having failed to add to his overnight total of 59. Michael Powell struck successive fours off Masters, who gained his revenge by trapping the Glamorgan right-hander in front for 11.Glamorgan then found themselves 174 for 5 with Masters breaking through twice more. First he had Stewart Walters well caught at slip by Phillips for six and then had Petersen (77) leg before. But either side of lunch Mark Wallace and Jim Allenby put on 119 for the sixth wicket as Glamorgan built towards a declaration.When Wallace was out Glamorgan were on 293 for 6 – an lead of 329 – but still the declaration from Petersen did not come until Graham Wagg (one) was out in the next over.

Victoria have axed the veteran trio of Dirk Nannes, Bryce McGain and Shane Harwood from their contract list for next summer. The emergence of separate Twenty20 contracts for the new Big Bash League means Nannes will focus solely on his T20 career, while McGain, 39, and Harwood, 37, might also be hoping to win Twenty20 deals.Although all three men have played for Australia in either Test or one-day cricket, none of the demotions came as a major surprise in an ageing Bushrangers outfit. Nannes, 35, had already retired from first-class cricket, McGain played only one Sheffield Shield game and a handful in the short formats last season, and Harwood was used in a similarly sparing fashion and had not played a first-class match since early 2009.Also departing from last year’s squad was the fast bowler Damien Wright, who had already announced his retirement from first-class cricket in Australia and will remain around the group as bowling coach. The fast men Jayde Herrick and Steve Gilmour have been added to the list, while last summer’s rookies Ryan Carters, Will Sheridan and Glenn Maxwell have been upgraded to full deals.The Bushrangers have also signed Andrew McDonald and Clint McKay, who had been on Cricket Australia contracts until this month, to long-term deals, along with Rob Quiney, Aaron Finch, Matthew Wade and Michael Hill. Three new rookies have been included – Peter Handscomb, Scott Boland and Steven Reid – bringing the size of the squad to 26.Victoria are aiming for improvement in the longer format after missing the Sheffield Shield final for the first time in four seasons. However, they are the reigning champions in the Ryobi Cup, which will be defended next summer by a squad mentored by Simon Helmot.Helmot, the assistant to the head coach Greg Shipperd, has been handed the reins of the 50-over side, while Shipperd will remain in charge of the Sheffield Shield unit. The two men will also be competing when it comes to the Big Bash League, each taking charge of one of the two new Melbourne-based sides.”We have an established team with players who have been in the system for a number of years and achieved much success,” Cricket Victoria’s general manager, Shaun Graf, said. “The fact that we haven’t chased interstate players, and instead, put faith in our younger guys by offering them long-term deals speaks for itself.”We are confident we have the right blend of senior players and up-and-coming talent to keep us at the forefront of domestic cricket. It’s also fantastic to have our long standing coach Greg Shipperd again involved and to see Simon Helmot rewarded for his hard work with a head coaching appointment. Simon has come from the non-traditional coaching path, doing the hard yards at district level – opposed to being a first-class cricketer, so it’s great to see him work his way up to this position.”Victoria squad Ryan Carters, Mark Cleary, Aaron Finch, Steven Gilmour, John Hastings (Cricket Australia contract), Jayde Herrick, Michael Hill, Brad Hodge, Jon Holland, David Hussey (CA), Alex Keath, Glenn Maxwell, Andrew McDonald, Clint McKay, James Pattinson (CA), Darren Pattinson, Rob Quiney, Chris Rogers, Will Sheridan, Peter Siddle (CA), Matthew Wade, Cameron White (CA).Rookies Brett Forsyth, Peter Handscomb, Steven Reid, Scott Boland.

Virat Kohli comes to meet the press in a sleeveless shirt. An image of a Japanese samurai warrior with a sword raised screams out in a tattoo on his left shoulder. He looks relaxed; the musk he is wearing is called confidence. He was once brash but he was always ambitious. For a while he was living on the edge, struggling to come to terms with early fame, but his ambition has roped him in.It was during an inane tri-series in Bangladesh in January 2010 that he first showed signs of maturity in public. It made you sit up and notice then. These days he wears it lightly. The clarity of thought is striking. He seems to be at peace with himself. It’s no coincidence that his cricket too is flourishing.Today’s knock was yet another one from the stable of Kohli. He seemed always under control. The bowling wasn’t too testing, the pitch had eased up and he rarely let the opposition into the game. Later, he said the right things. These days he always says the right things with a smile. The confidence hits you. The once brash brat is now almost likeable. Times they are changing.”I was always determined to do well,” Kohli said. “Probably what I was doing off the field was not on at that time. I probably got carried away. Someone or other always tell you that this has been spoken about you at this place. I decided to change. I decided myself. No one can force myself to change. I had to do it. It was time to change.”I have been given a chance to play for India, which is not a small thing because you have 20 others with same talent are waiting for that kind of a chance. So why waste the opportunity given to me. I got the odd game here and there in 2009. I was a replacement player then. I was very determined to do well at each opportunity.”Virat Kohli was back to his old habit of anchoring chases•AFP

In the early days, the lack of consistent runs devalued the swagger that he always seemed to have. It made him look arrogant. Brash. Wild. Unlikeable. And even made you forget that he was just a young boy, learning to deal with things that not many at his age are forced to deal with. The bad press accumulated. The bad karma continued. Kohli was living in the headlines for the wrong reasons. A talent was on the verge of self-destruction. Then something happened.”It’s about realising that every opportunity is as important as the next one or previous one,” he said. “Not everyone gets an opportunity to play for India. It’s a big honour for me. I have realised that massively in the last one and half years. I want to give 100% and make use of every opportunity. Initially, in my ODI career, I have made rash mistakes with my rush of blood at important times. If you keep doing it, you are not going to get the opportunity. I enjoy my batting these days. Especially during a chase I know what I have to do, rotate the strike.”Questions about his attitude have dogged him for a while. Has he got bored now? “I think I have answered that too much,” he said with a smile. “But I have enjoyed answering that question every time. I feel good with myself for having changed what people did not like initially and then transform into that performances. I feel good about it but it’s not something I want to be too proud of and get relaxed. I don’t want to get complacent. The whole point in changing from that kind of attitude to this current attitude to perform consistently. I want to keep going.”It’s not going to be easy. It will take a constant vigil over oneself. The danger of relapse is going to be there. But Kohli continues to not only say but also do the right things. Sample this answer to a question about whether he strives to ape a Tendulkar or a Sehwag. In his own mind, he has translated that question to mean whether he is striving to be as famous as them.”It was never in my mind that I had to be at the level of them in fame or whatever. Those guys have been there, done that. It has taken a lot of time to reach where they are. There is no point in comparing oneself to them. Everyone has their own style of batting. I have realised that in the last one and half years. I admire them but there is no use batting like them. Take the first match of the World Cup. If I had tried to bat like Viru , I would have perhaps ended up scoring 40. They have a special ability that has made them legends of the game. There is no point in doing what is not my strength.”The answers were perfect. The cynics will say they were too perfect. His fans will say they come from a man who is in a hurry to mature. He won’t say it publicly but one gets the impression that he thinks he can become India’s captain one day. Kohli has always struck you more ambitious than a Rohit or even Raina for that matter. A scribe put it to him that he has a wonderful ability to talk and express, and asked if he works on that skill.”I don’t think I work on that ability (to express myself),” Kohli said. “It’s about being honest.”Does he think it’s a leadership quality?”I can’t say anything about it being (leadership quality). I am honest in whatever question is thrown at me at every press conference. I don’t really work on it.”Virat got up and left the room. Ambition floated in the air.

ScorecardSurrey’s County Championship clash with second division rivals Essex petered out into a draw in Croydon, but not before Essex had flirted with the cricketing equivalent of hara-kiri. Having posted a mammoth season’s-best first innings total of 548 to secure a slender lead of 42 at the mid-point of the game, Essex were in danger of throwing away all their good work away in Saturday’s opening session as they slumped from 118 for 2 to 201 for 7.Staunch Hammers fan and former England captain Graham Gooch, the Essex batting coach, moaned: “This is like watching West Ham play,” as he witnessed his county’s batsmen tossing away their wickets in the first two hours of the day.The visitors lost England opener Alastair Cook to the ninth ball of the day after adding only two to his overnight score. Prodding forward at Gareth Batty the right-hander nicked one to keeper James Foster to go for 64. Matt Walker then pushed well forward to a turning delivery from theformer Yorkshire spinner and appeared to be outside the line, only to be given leg before for 35 to make it 151 for 4.James Foster (7) called for a suicidal single to mid-on to be run out by Yasir Arafat’s direct hit then Adam Wheater’s slog sweep against Batty sailed into the hands of Kevin Pietersen at deep midwicket to go for 34. First innings top-scorer and world record six-hitter Graham Napierreached 15 before being bowled by a shooter from Zander de Bruyn then alarm bells started to ring in the Essex dressing room when David Masters became their second run out victim.Committing the cardinal sin of failing to ground his bat when running a single, he was undone and red-faced when substitute fielder Jason Roy threw down the stumps from backward point.With the Essex score on 222 for 8 for an overall advantage of 266, Surrey began to scent an amazing turn around but hopes of a remarkable last day win were slammed firmly in their faces by a ninth wicket stand of 71 between Tim Phillips and Chris Wright. Phillips notched a worthy 114-ball 50 while Wright matched his first innings score of 34 as Surrey ran out of luck and ideas.The stand eventually came to an end after 21 overs when Phillips, in attempting to glance, edged a leg-side ball from Rory Hamilton-Brown into the keeper’s gloves to give the Surrey captain his first championship wicket for the club. Wright soon followed, chasing a wide one from Tim Linley to toe-end another catch to Steven Davies, but with 324 on the board the visitorscould consider the game safe.Surrey were left with a minimum of 27 overs to chase an impossible target of 367 for victory and though Tom Maynard entertained with his stroke play, the sides shook hands on the draw at 5pm shortly after Maynard’s demise for a cameo 26. Hamilton-Brown was left unbeaten on 34, his side banking 10 points while Essex travelled home with nine after an entertaining four days at Whitgift School.

Match Facts

April 21, Gros Islet
Start time 1400 (1800 GMT)Darren Sammy and Shahid Afridi are used to dealing with controversies surrounding their teams•AFP

The Big Picture

A meeting between Pakistan and West Indies should be just the sort of combination of volatile elements that makes for an absorbing contest. One simply can’t know what to expect from two teams famous for displays of talent and inconsistency in equal measure. Off-field disturbances can add to the soap opera, but there haven’t been many occasions in the recent past when Pakistan have entered a series as the more stable, settled side. The current turbulence in West Indies cricket ahead of the tour opener at Gros Islet means the spotlight has been firmly on the hosts in the build-up.Just five members of the team that played the World Cup quarter-final against Pakistan last month are in the squad for the opening Twenty20. Though Chris Gayle, Dwayne Bravo and Kieron Pollard were not eligible for selection because they did not play in the Caribbean T20 earlier this year, there is no place either for Shivnarine Chanderpaul, Ramnaresh Sarwan or Sulieman Benn, though Darren Sammy retains his place as captain.The possibility of this sort of purge arose after coach Ottis Gibson’s ominous reproach of the “senior players” after the quarter-final exit from the World Cup, but few would have expected the changes to be quite so extensive. Gayle’s exit could prove the most troublesome. The only constant at the top of the order in the last decade, he was in the middle of a rehabilitation programme for an injury picked up during the World Cup, but would have been eligible to play in the final three ODIs and the Tests that followed. Instead, he will play for the Royal Challengers in the IPL, and an inexperienced team will have to do without his experience and confident swagger at the crease.The situation was not quite as bad the last time Pakistan toured the Caribbean, back in 2005, but the warning signs were there. West Indies were in the throes of internal turmoil caused by the long-running contractual wrangles with their sponsors, and though Pakistan were not without their own backroom troubles they breezed to a 3-0 win in the ODIs before drawing the Test series.They have every chance of pulling off a similar result this time – and could well end their record of never having won a Test series in the West Indies. The news of Zulqarnain Haider’s impending return to Pakistan and the potential pot-stirring from the announcement of stringent new guidelines for player agents following Mazhar Majeed’s alleged misdeeds in England last summer were absorbed without missing a beat and a convincing win over a West Indies Vice Chancellor’s XI in their first practice match will only have bolstered Pakistan’s preparations.With West Indies’ big guns gone and Pakistan starting as firm favourites, the Twenty20 match on Thursday could well set the tone for the tour. How long will Pakistan’s stability last? Does this latest twist represent a tangible change of direction for West Indies, or will it be yet another phase in the re-building exercise that has been going on for the best part of two decades?

Form guide

(most recent first)
West Indies LLLWL
Pakistan WLLLL

Watch out for…

Marlon Samuels was a bullish, confident presence in West Indies’ middle order before his two-year ban for alleged involvement with illegal bookmakers. In a side shorn of its senior players, his comeback is certainly timely. He’s played twice as many ODIs as his captain, Sammy, and though he hasn’t played for West Indies since 2008 he’ll have some idea of the intensity of international competition and will also lend some grit to the middle order. His sparkling performance during the Caribbean T20 in January, in which he was the leading run-getter with 253 runs at 63.25, will only add to his confidence in this format.Mohammad Hafeez has been around the Pakistan team for almost eight years now, but it’s only recently that he’s really blossomed in his role as opening batsman and more-than-handy offspinner. He certainly played that part to perfection the last time Pakistan and West Indies met, nipping out two early wickets after being asked to open the bowling and then rocketing along to a run-a-ball 61 to complete a 10-wicket trouncing.

Team news

West Indies’ squad has a bowler-heavy look to it, with a string of allrounders filling the lower-middle order. As such, the top order picks itself, and the main questions surround the composition of the bowling attack. Given the number of seamers in the squad, offspinner Ashley Nurse may find himself in line for a West Indies debut to add some variation, especially considering his good performances in the recent Twenty20s against Pakistan A. Likewise, left-arm seamer Krishmar Santokie was the leading West Indian wicket-taker in this year’s Caribbean T20 and this could be the perfect time for him to step up to the next level.West Indies (probable) 1 Andre Fletcher (wk), 2 Lendl Simmons, 3 Darren Bravo, 4 Marlon Samuels, 5 Christopher Barnwell, 6 Andre Russell, 7 Darren Sammy (capt), 8 Devendra Bishoo, 9 Kemar Roach, 10 Ashley Nurse, 11 Krishmar SantokiePakistan’s squad has a fairly settled look to it, but there are a number of youngsters waiting in the wings and several of them could be in for some game time. Mohammad Salman is the squad’s only specialist keeper, while Hammad Azam could be tested in the allrounder slot vacated by Abdul Razzaq.Pakistan (probable): 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Taufeeq Umar, 3 Asad Shafiq, 4 Misbah-ul-Haq, 5 Umar Akmal, 6 Mohammad Salman (wk), 7 Hammad Azam, 8 Shahid Afridi (capt), 9 Junaid Khan, 10 Wahab Riaz, 11 Saeed Ajmal

Pitch and conditions

The Beausejour Stadium hosted several matches during last year’s World Twenty20 and the pitch generally generated a good contest between bat and ball. Four games saw totals over 170, but Saeed Ajmal and Mohammad Amir picked up 17 wickets between themselves at this ground during the course of Pakistan’s campaign. The weather could well play a role on Thursday, as it’ll be warm but partly cloudy, with a chance of rain.

Stats and trivia

• Surprisingly, this will be the first ever Twenty20 international between these two teams.
• Umar Akmal scored 125 runs at 62.50, including two half-centuries, in the course of four games at this ground during the World Twenty20 last year. The only Pakistan cricketer to have scored more runs here in Twenty20 internationals is his brother, Kamran.
• Saeed Ajmal picked up nine wickets at this ground during that campaign, at an average of 13.77, but won’t have particularly fond memories of it as it was here that he received a mauling from Mike Hussey, who blasted 18 from his final over to secure a breathtaking victory.

Quotes

“It’s easier for us to do well with our home crowd and their support, and it gives an opportunity to bring ourselves back up the ladder – to dig deep, work hard, prove ourselves, and give back to our fans.”
“This is my first series at home and my first match happens to be in St Lucia, my homeland. We are rebuilding now and the slogan for the series is ‘Wi [we] all in’ so it’s all all-out effort from everyone involved.”

Former Sri Lanka captain Hashan Tillakaratne has said he is ready to share information with the ICC to back his allegations regarding match-fixing in Sri Lanka since 1992.”I made the statements [about match-fixing] neither to get political mileage nor to put anyone in an awkward position,” said Tillakaratne, now a politician affiliated to the opposition party in Sri Lanka.”I made the comments in good faith and I will share the information with the ICC. The exercise was meant to protect the game and the players we all love so much.”On Monday, Sri Lanka Cricket had termed Tillakaratne’s decision to make the revelations after so many years as “strange”. Tillakaratne’s response was that he had kept quiet for so long since he feared for his life. “I stand by my comments about match fixing but can’t reveal names for my safety,” he said. “I made the statement in good faith and I will reveal the names to the ICC.”Meanwhile, Muttiah Muralitharan, who was Tillakaratne’s team-mate for the most part of his career, joined Mahela Jayawardene and Kumar Sangakkara in asking Tillakaratne to prove his claims.”I don’t know why he has said this,” Muralitharan told . “If somebody is making such claims, he should first give enough proof to support them, otherwise someone can sue him. He has made allegations and only he is answerable for that. These are mere allegations which have not been proved yet.”Muralitharan said he had never been approached by match-fixers during his career. “In any case, I will tell this to ICC’s anti-corruption unit only,” he added. “There is a code and all the players follow that.”

Tim Bresnan has had a scan on his calf after experiencing discomfort as England prepare for their World Cup quarter-final against Sri Lanka in Colombo, but is expected to be available for the match on Saturday.He underwent the MRI on Wednesday after a similar problem forced him out of the one-day series against Australia after the Ashes. At the time there were concerns he would miss the World Cup, but he regained fitness in time for the trip and played all six of England’s group matches, taking nine wickets at 29.88 including a career-best 5 for 48 in the tie against India.He has been the one ever-present quick during England’s campaign, with form and fitness forcing a number of changes throughout the group stage. Stuart Broad was ruled out with a side strain following the South Africa match and Ajmal Shahzad flew home with a hamstring injury after the defeat against Bangladesh.James Anderson, England’s most experienced fast bowler, was dropped for the crunch clash against West Indies, in Chennai, after some wayward performances but could come back into the mix against Sri Lanka.Chris Tremlett, who replaced Broad, played against West Indies but his five overs cost 47 while another option is Jade Dernbach, the uncapped Surrey quick who replaced Shahzad. The latest player to be added to the squad is Adil Rashid, the Yorkshire legspinner, who was called up on Thursday after Michael Yardy withdrew with depression. He won’t arrive in Sri Lanka until Saturday morning though.