Alan Mullally chose a good day to pick up a career best nine wickets, with England playing a test match just 77.4 miles up the road, but, by the close of play Hampshire were still struggling to catch the Derbyshire’s first innings score of 310.Mullally added four wickets to his overnight haul finishing with 9-93, with Peter Hartley taking the wicket of Matthew Dowman who had added just nine runs to his overnight score when his luck finally ran out.Hampshire started their reply badly, and at 53 for four, the follow on target seem a distance. White was lbw to the first ball of the innings, emulating the fate of Stubbings in the Derbyshire innings, a feat that had statisticians and the wonderers asking whether this had been done before. Will Kendall was strangled down the leg-side off Munton and Stephenson was lbw to the in-form Dean pushing forward. Jason Laney then edged Dean to second slip, and the batting horrors of Hampshire’s season were raised again.Robin Smith, batting despite some pain in his hamstring joined Kenway in an attempt to bring things around. Smith grafted well through some indifferent light that forced Derbyshire to bowl their spin attack, rather that persevering with seam. Paul Aldred enticed Smith lbw to a ball that kept low and he departed for only his second half century of the season.Kenway held on with Mascarenhas but much work has to be done to salvage something for the visiting side.

ScorecardLeft-arm spinner Zulfiqar Babar’s seven-wicket haul helped Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) snatch a thrilling four-run win against State Bank of Pakistan (SBP) in a see-saw battle in Faisalabad. The continuous shift of momentum was apparent in SBP’s chase of 165 as in the entire match. After being in a position of control at 93 for 3, SBP lost six wickets for 36 runs, then managed a 33-run last-wicket stand to raise hopes of victory, but in the end, they fell five short of the target.Neither team created a position of clear advantage throughout the contest. However, WAPDA, led by seamers Junaid Khan and Azhar Attari, had a slight edge over their opponents midway, as they took a 46-run first-innings lead.But that was nullified by a poor second innings by them. Spinners Adnan Rasool and Hasan Mahmood ran through the entire batting order, taking nine wickets between them to bowl WAPDA out for 118. Only lower middle-order batsman Mohammad Ayub resisted their onslaught with an unbeaten 32.The chase began poorly as opener Rameez Raja fell with five runs on the board. His partner, captain Kashif Siddiq, with other top-order batsmen, took them to a position of apparent safety at 93 for 3, before a collapse ensued.
ScorecardAt the Khan Research Laboratory Ground in Rawalpindi, the home team, Khan Research Laboratories (KRL), claimed a comfortable seven-wicket victory against Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) with the help of big centuries from middle-order batsman Shoaib Ahmed, and a combined bowling performance in the second innings.After being asked to bowl, KRL took wickets regularly to bowl PIA out for 268. Although only lower-order batsman Tahir Khan scored a half-century, PIA were helped by small but productive partnerships to go past the 250-run mark. The seventh-wicket stand of 58 was the highest, but there were five other partnerships all worth over 30. Left-arm seamer Rahat Ali took four wickets.But the total was overhauled by KRL, with a knock of 177 from middle-order batsman Shoaib. Off the other batsmen, only Saeed Anwar jnr scored a half-century, as they were bowled out for 343. Shoaib’s innings featured 21 boundaries and three sixes.The deficit of 75 was erased by PIA, but three wickets apiece by Yasir Ali and Ali Khan restricted them to 194. Sarfraz Ahmed, with an unbeaten 53, and Faisal Iqbal were the chief contributors to that total. The target was quickly achieved by KRL, courtesy of an aggressive 54 from opener Tayyab Riaz.
ScorecardA potential winning opportunity was spurned by Habib Bank Limited in their chase of 139 as they drew against Sui Northern Gas Pipelines Limited (SNGPL) in Islamabad. After gaining a 61-run lead in the first innings, Habib Bank, through seamers Ehsan Adil and Abdul Ameer, bowled SNGPL for 199. But they couldn’t chase down the small target in 36 overs, and had to be content with three points from the game.SNGPL, after choosing to bat, lost a couple of wickets early, but a 75-run third-wicket partnership, and four other smaller stands took them to 232.Habib Bank’s reply was dominated by their first three batsmen. Openers Imran Farhat and Shan Masood put on 119, with both scoring half-centuries and No. 3 Ahmed Shehzad scored 94. But from 220 for 3, they collapsed to 293 all out.SNGPL managed a more productive second innings than their first. Opener Azeem Ghumman scored a half-century, but of the other batsmen, no one scored more than 24. Ehsan Adil, who had taken two wickets in the first innings, took four this time. A target of 139 in 36 overs appeared achievable and Habib Bank began their chase positively too, but they lost four wickets quickly, and ultimately, ended the game at 73 for 5 with a draw.

Zimbabwe have made four changes to their 15-man squad for the first two ODIs against New Zealand in Harare, including a recall for 30-year-old offspinner John Nyumbu. Batsman Craig Ervine and fast bowler Chris Mpofu, who were both left out of the squad for the home ODIs against India, were picked for the New Zealand series, as was allrounder Luke Jongwe, who has not played for Zimbabwe since making his international debut last year.

IN
Craig Ervine, Christopher Mpofu, John Nyumbu, Luke Jongwe
OUT
Richmond Mutumbami, Donald Tiripano, Malcolm Waller, Brian Vitori

Wicketkeeper Richmond Mutumbami, middle-order batsman Malcolm Waller, and the seamers Donald Tiripano and Brian Vitori were all dropped following a poor ODI series against India, which Zimbabwe lost 3-0.Nyumbu made his international debut during the only Test against South Africa in Harare last August, and became only the second Zimbabwe bowler to take a five-for on Test debut. He played his first ODI later that month, also against South Africa, but his patchy form – 11 wickets from 10 matches at 37.63 – led to him being cut from the side after the fifth ODI against Bangladesh, a series where Zimbabwe were whitewashed 5-0. Nyumbu, though, continued to produce solid numbers in domestic cricket, picking up 12 wickets for Matabeleland Tuskers and helping the team to the final of the Pro50 Championship.Ervine makes a return to the ODI team despite a mediocre run with the bat; he scored just nine runs from the two T20Is against India, and his last international fifty was back in the World Cup, against West Indies in Canberra. Mpofu’s spot in the team, though, was presumably earned after his impressive performance in the first T20I against India, where he collected 3 for 33 through cutters and slower deliveries; Mpofu would later term his stint with the team “the best time of my career”.Zimbabwe are scheduled to play three ODIs against New Zealand between August 2 and August 7, followed by a T20I on August 9, all in Harare.Squad (first two ODIs): Elton Chigumbura (captain), Chamu Chibhabha, Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine, Sikandar Raza, Sean Williams, Regis Chakabva (wk), Graeme Cremer, Prosper Utseya, Tinashe Panyangara, Christopher Mpofu, John Nyumbu, Vusi Sibanda, Luke Jongwe, Neville Madziva

Former USA vice-captain Timroy Allen’s career revival took another step forward on Monday with his inclusion, alongside 11 other players, for phase two of the ICC Americas Combine at the Indianapolis World Sports Park.The 12 players, including four provisional selections, will take part in the second phase of the trial, between September 25 and 27, before a final 14-man squad is picked for the WICB Nagico Super50 domestic tournament in January 2016. The second phase will see players participate in two 50-over and two Twenty20 matches.Allen captained the winning side in a 25-over trial match on Monday, taking two wickets in another sharp opening spell, following on from his impressive performances with bat and ball on Sunday.”It’s tough to describe the feeling,” Allen told ESPNcricinfo after his selection. “It’s a lot of guys here so you have to do something exceptional for them to actually say this guy’s going to be a part of it. So I was really excited. My heart was beating really fast prior to that but after that, I kind of relaxed a little bit and you come back to a realization that more than likely you impressed a couple of the coaches.”The main group is dominated by fast bowlers with the selection of Jasdeep Singh, Jeremy Gordon and Ali Khan along with Allen. Jasdeep backed up his strong performances at the World T20 Qualifier in Ireland with another solid display. Gordon, who arrived late to the trial from Toronto, bowled a hostile spell to snare two wickets on Monday. Ali Khan, who is yet to make his international debut for USA, consistently stood out with his pace and ability to bowl yorkers.Two batsmen and two spinners were also included in the main group. USA’s Alex Amsterdam made the cut after top-scoring in both trial matches, while Anirrudh Reddy Saddi backed up a decent effort on Sunday with 36 on Monday, before retiring to give others a chance to bat.The squad also includes left-arm spinner Danial Ahmed, who was left out of USA’s squad for the Ireland tour, and legspinner Prumjot Panesar from the San Francisco Bay Area, who beat more heralded slow bowlers with his flight and accuracy.The ICC had initially committed to naming a maximum of eight players for the second phase. However, after naming the first eight, fast bowling coach Courtney Walsh said that four more players would get an opportunity because the phase one competition was “so good, so tight and so close”.Fast bowler David Pieters and batsmen Krishneal Goel, Shiva Vashishat and Srimantha Wijeyratne were invited back as provisional selections. According to the four players, the ICC informed them that if they are able to pay their own way to come back for phase two – as all players were required to do for phase one – they would be given an opportunity to compete. Under the previously announced conditions of the trial, only the top eight players would be invited back to participate in week two, with their travel and accommodation paid for by the ICC.”I’ve never been involved in something so structured and professional starting from just the way they had sports performance analysts testing our athletic abilities,” Vashishat said. “They tested our skills with drills that we’ve never done before and quite honestly a lot of us did very bad but it was something new and speaking with Mike [Young] and working with Courtney, working with all these great coaches that we have here was a great, great experience.”Even the people that didn’t get selected, I know they’re going to take all this information back and turn into better cricketers.”

Brian Close, the former captain of England, Yorkshire and Somerset and one of cricket’s most admired characters, has died at the age of 84. He passed away at his home near Bradford on Sunday, Yorkshire said.Allrounder Close, known for his courage and tenacity at the crease and on the field, first played for England in 1949 at the age of 18 years and 149 days – making him still England’s youngest debutant. Such was his reputation for bravery that he was famously recalled as a 45-year-old to face down West Indies’ fearsome attack in 1976.Close also relished fielding in close, particularly at forward short-leg, and was not worried about being hit. “How can the ball hurt you? It’s only on you for a second,” he said.His England career encompassed 22 Tests, seven as captain. He also led Yorkshire to four Championship titles, including their hat-trick of victories from 1966-68.A falling out with Yorkshire led to his sacking and he saw out the remainder of his playing career with Somerset, where he was a strong influence on the young Ian Botham – he called Close “the bravest man I ever played with” – and along with the likes of Viv Richards and Joel Garner helped lift the club’s fortunes.His links with Yorkshire remained strong, however, and he served as the club’s president between 2008 and 2010. He was a life member and even in his 80s could be spotted in the stands – usually chatting to Dickie Bird and Geoffrey Boycott – when England played at Headingley.Bird, speaking at the Ageas Bowl where Yorkshire were taking on Hampshire in the Championship, said that Close had been unwell but his death had come as a shock. Yorkshire’s players took the field wearing black armbands.”I was completely stunned when Jason Gillespie and Anthony McGrath came out this morning to tell me the sad news that Brian had passed away,” he said. “I felt very stunned and very numb. I had a lump in my throat and there were a few tears because I have lost a damn good friend.”He was a great captain. He led from the front and was never beat. He would come back from all odds. He was a brilliant bloke to play for. He was as straight as a gun barrel.”He was a really good all-round cricketer. A good batsman, a good bowler and, of course, brilliant in the field.”He was a character in many ways. He used to call me ‘lad’. He would have a cigarette on him and I’d say ‘would you like a Whiskey Brian?’ He said ‘yes, I would. Make it a double!’ He will be sadly missed.”Speaking at the toss, Yorkshire captain Andrew Gale, whose team clinched the Championship for the second year running last week, said Close had been an inspiration.”Brian Close was a legend,” he said. “It’s a sad day to see him pass away. He’s been around at Headingley throughout my career, and he always spoke to the lads and has been an inspiration. We’re proud to win back-to-back Championships, but it’s a sad day for Yorkshire cricket.”Brian Close was recalled by England at the age of 45 to face West Indies•PA Photos

Former England captain and Yorkshire batsman Michael Vaughan also tweeted his condolences: “Such a sad day.. He was a true inspiration to all of us .. Thanks Brian for helping me as a kid growing up at Yorkshire… #RIPClosey.”As a run-scorer, England never saw the best of Close, but his relish for playing fast bowling – before the advent of helmets and much of the protection batsmen have come to rely on – was legendary. He was unafraid of being hit and was left with bruises all over his body after his final Test at Old Trafford in 1976.”Michael Holding and Andy Roberts peppered him with short-pitched bowling,” Bird said. “If I’d have been there as an umpire, I’d have stepped in and stopped it straightaway. But Closey was chesting them away, they tell me. He was a tough guy.”He led from the front, and I thought he was a magnificent captain. We have lost a true legend of the game.”Close scored almost 35,000 runs in his first-class career, with 52 hundreds, as well as taking 1171 wickets bowling medium pace and offspin. He held more than 800 catches, making him one of the most prolific outfielders in history.Captain of Yorkshire from 1963 until 1970, he oversaw two Gillette Cup victories in addition to his Championship success. It was during this period that he was handed the England captaincy but, despite winning six Tests out of seven, he lost the job a year later, in 1967, after a controversial Championship match between Yorkshire and Warwickshire in which Close was accused of timewasting.Close was awarded a CBE for services to cricket in 1972 but it was nine years before he was selected again by England, when his unflinching response to a West Indian bombardment cemented his reputation as one of cricket’s toughest guys. The title of his autobiography, , summed up his approach to the game and life.

ScorecardFile photo – Nikhil Gangta hit 12 fours and five sixes•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

A century from Nikhil Gangta powered Himachal Pradesh into an innings lead against Jammu & Kashmir in Dharamsala. J&K could add only 19 runs to their overnight score of 274 for 8 before being bundled out 4.5 overs into the day, leaving Parvez Rasool unbeaten on 114. The visitors, however, immediately fought back, strikes from Rasool and medium-pacer Umar Nazir Mir reducing Himachal to 77 for 4. Gangta and Robin Bist led a counterattack, batting together for 44 overs to string a 157-run partnership, helping the team to 300. Bist hit seven fours for his 66, but was trapped lbw by Ram Dayal towards the end of the day. Gangta was not out on 111, with 12 fours and five sixes, when stumps were called.Rohan Prem made his maiden first-class double century, which contributed to more than half of Kerala’s total. Prem, who began the second day on 106, added another 102 runs before he was the eighth batsman dismissed. Prem had good support from Raiphi Gomez (41), Monish Karaparambil (37) and Fabid Ahmed (37) as Kerala built solidly but slowly. Legspinner Akash Bhandari collected his second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket but by then Kerala had reached 400.Karaparambil further strengthened Kerala’s advantage by nipping out Hyderabad opener Tanmay Agarwal for 6. Akshath Reddy and Hanuma Vihari, though, survived till stumps, with Hyderabad finishing at 40 for 1.
ScorecardResuming on 230 for 3, Services posted 402, with No. 6 Sufiyan Alam becoming the fourth half-centurion for his side. He was aided by handy contributions from Muzzaffaruddin Khalid (23) and Diwesh Pathania (26) after overnight batsman Rajat Pailiwal added 36 runs to his tally. Paliwal was trapped lbw by left-arm spinner Darshan Misal and in the following over Shahshank Sharma fell to Shadab Jakati. Alam struck seven fours before he became the first of pacer Rituraj Singh’s three victims.In reply, Goa lost opener Amogh Desai in the first over when he was out lbw to Diwesh Pathania before tea. Swapnil Asnodkar and Sagun Kamat managed to grind out 32 together before Poonam Poonia struck to remove Kamat for 24. Asnodkar and Dheeraj Jadhav, however, ensured that the hosts ended the day without any further damage. Goa still trail Services by 340 runs.Saurashtra v Jharkhand – Jadeja topples Jharkhand in under two days

Dale Steyn is doubtful for the second Test against India in Bangalore after sustaining a groin strain which kept him out of action on day two in Mohali. Steyn was unable to bowl during India’s second innings but was able to bat in South Africa’s. He will have a fitness test two days before the Bangalore Test, which starts next Saturday.However, there was better news concerning South Africa’s other two injured players, JP Duminy and Morne Morkel, who have both recovered from their respective injuries. Duminy had the stitches removed from the cut on his right hand sustained on day one of the Mohali Test. He will have a net session in the next few days and should be available for selection for the second Test. Morkel is definitely available after recovering from a quad strain.Morkel’s availability will ease South Africa’s concerns over Steyn, although they would ideally like to play both of them, with Kagiso Rabada likely to miss out. Duminy’s availability should help South Africa balance the side as he also offers a spin option. South Africa could play him alongside one specialist spinner and create room for an extra batsman in the line-up. Temba Bavuma is the reserve batsman in the squad.

Durban – Shrugging off the nightmare trauma of the last 72 hoursSouth Africa forgot the recriminations of Hansiegate for anevening and concentrated on beating Australia at Kingsmead in theopening match of the Challenge Series.It was a remarkable four-wickets victory against the World Cupchampions: just what a packed Kingsmead, and perhaps SouthAfrica, needed in a time of internal crisis.With Gary Kirsten digging deep in a hallmark display ofleft-handed batting grit, synonymous with the Kirsten name,during a well-paced innings of 97, South Africa went on to take a1-0 lead in the three-match series.In some small way it avenged the two defeats during the World Cupin England last year as the side, shaken by the Hansie Cronjescandal focused their minds on the game and pulled together in adisplay of true character. The success coming with 12 balls tospare.After Kirsten and Jacques Kallis had laid the foundation with awell executed partnership of 129 for the third wicket, JontyRhodes arrived and an audacious pull off a short delivery fromBrett Lee ended the game with a four. It was an entertainingflourish and as flamboyant as any innings we have seen.Yet Kirsten”s innings was full of purpose and merit: it was as ifhe wanted to win this match so much he was not prepared tosurrender his wicket at any price. The pity that he edged aslower delivery from Brett Lee into his stumps.Not surprisingly he won the man of the match of award andadmitted that the way to beat the Australians was to buildpartnerships. His partnership with Kallis did much to give theSouth Africans a touch more confidence lower in the order.Their partnership did much to contain the man they have named theWoollongong Whizz, Brett Lee, and the old adversary Shane Warnealong with Damien Fleming.If Kirsten, whose last visit to Kingsmead resulted hisTest-equalling score of 275, was prepared to take South Africa”sbatting cause on his shoulders, he found willing support in hispartnerships with Kallis and 67 with Rhodes.What was interesting is Kallis batting at four in the order.Perhaps South Africa have found the top five positions they wantfor the series with Neil McKenzie at three, a position filled byKallis, whose strokeplay showed he was on top of his game and thesix was as authoritative as any during the game.As for Rhodes there was no mistaking his intentions from thestart of his innings. His calm, assured approach and neatfootwork showed that South Africa have a middle-order batsman whocan take the tough pressure exerted by the visitors. They know atrick or two and so does Rhodes.Not that scoring the 241 need was going to be easy although at120 for seven at the start of the 27th over, Shaun Pollock, inhis first serious role as captain, must have thought chasing atotal of 150 was well within his side”s sights.Only Australia”s ability to dig deep into their batting reserveswith a couple of quality partnerships at least put a brave smileon the face of the visitors” first batting effort in South Africathis century. As Martyn eased his way along with an entertainingarray of eloquent strokes, he did not shield his lesser partners.There was the distinct impression that the other two Cobbers inthe middle, Fleming and Lee, had to dig in and provide a few runsthemselves as well as help build a partnerships to prop up theinnings. Not at all easy when the top and middle has surrenderedsome of the initiative.Mark Waugh might feel a touch miffed about his lbw decision whichseemed to drifting down leg and Matthew Hayden, the victim of oneof those superb run out efforts from an airborne throw from thecovers, the victim of circumstances.At 11 for two in the fourth over South Africa could feel wellsatisfied with their efforts. Gilchrist was batting with the sortof style which makes him look more of an executioner in theKlusener mould than the elegant style of Mark Waugh.They way he punched the ball around made Kingsmead look a lotsmaller than it really is. The venue may be a touch bigger thanSt George”s Park and Newlands, and about the same size as theSinhalese Sports Club in Colombo but his effusive style was anindication of wrist and foot co-ordination as well as timing.For those who enjoy such tactics it was good to watch and the wayhe smashed the ball for six gave the Aussie camp a sense ofconfidence.What undid the middle-order, Martyn apart, was the way thatNtini, bowling as well as he did in Sharjah and certainly muchbetter than his domestic performances, skidded the ball through.His four wickets were all well executed catches behind byBoucher.The inter-action between these two was entertaining as it wasskilfully executed, as if it was part of a well crafted script:three of the catches were under-edged shots along with the bigprize, Steve Waugh”s wicket for two.After the agony of that 120 at Headingley in Leeds in the SuperSix match and the 56 in the semi-final at Edgbaston, to get ridof the gritty, determined Steve Waugh for only two was a bonus.For Ntini it was the start of a particularly rewarding spell.Acknowledgement too for the way Pollock handled the young man whorewarded his captain also with the wickets of Michael Bevan,Andrew Symonds and Warne. Not at all a bad haul for the23-year-old Border bowler”s first game at home for his country intwo seasons.What was interesting as the Aussie dug deep was how first Flemingand then Lee put together career best scores. Fleming managed 29off 45 balls and Lee 24 off 29 balls. It was the partnershipswith Martyn of 65 and 56 which lifted Australia”s total to 240two runs being added when one of Gilchrist”s three sixes waschanged from a four.

Kerala’s medium pace bowler Tinu Yohannan was in devastating form on the opening day of the three day Coca Cola Trophy (under-25) tournament game against Karnataka at the Maharaja Jayamajaendra Wodeyar Sports Complex in Bangalore on Tuesday. Yohannan, who has been selected as one of the trainees for the National Cricket Academy, took seven for 65 off 20.3 overs as Karnataka were all out for 264. In reply, Kerala were 68 for no loss at close of play.Winning the toss, Karnataka were in trouble early when they they lost two wickets for 32. Their hopes revived with a third wicket partnership of 138 runs off 32 overs between Prajwal Raj (63) and SP Shinde (76). While the former faced 88 balls and hit seven fours and three sixes, Shinde faced 106 balls and hit nine of them to the ropes. Yohannan dismissed both batsmen in successive overs but Karnataka’s hopes of a good total were maintained with N Mulky (37) and MS Vinay (29) adding 50 runs for the fifth wicket off six overs. Vinay, who had opened the batting retired hurt in the seventh over after scoring only one run when the score was 20 for one. He re-entered at the fall of the third wicket at 170.Once Vinay was out however at 223, there was a sharp slump and the last six wickets fell for 41 runs off 22.3 overs. Yohannan took four of these and was well supported by Rajesh who took the other two. Mulky’s was a valuable contribution under the circumstnaces. He faced 66 balls and hit five boundaries.In the remaining 17 overs, Kerala’s in form openers V Girilal (23) and MP Sorab (33) survived till stumps even though Karnataka captain SK Susanth made some quick bowling changes in the closing stages. Girilal has hit five fours and Sorab, who carried his bat for 255 in the previous game, has hit seven.

Goa were dismissed for 303 fifty-five minutes before lunch on thesecond day of their South Zone Ranji Trophy match against Karnataka atMargao. In reply Karnataka had moved to 158/4 but with an outrightvictory needed to progress to the knockouts, their position looksdistinctly shaky.Overnight batsmen Rohit Rane and A Bhagwat added 69 runs for theseventh wicket. After Bhagwat’s dismissal, Goa lost the last threewickets for 20 runs. Rohit Rane returned unbeaten on 44. Dodda Ganeshbagged six wickets for 87 runs and Mansoor Ali Khan picked up threefor 65.In reply, Karnataka lost opener Arun Kumar in the seventh over.Barrington Rowland and MR Beerala (36) added 60 runs for the secondwicket before Beerala was castled by Khalid in the 32nd over. SkipperVijay Bharadwaj (22) shared a 59 run partnership with Rowland.Karnataka batsmen made steady starts but could not convert them intobig innings. At close of play Karnataka were 158/4 with Rowlandunbeaten on 67.