Category Uncategorized

Eight cities – Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamshala, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and New Delhi – have been named as venues for the World Twenty20 next year, with Kolkata hosting the final

ESPNcricinfo staff21-Jul-20151:44

Quick Facts – Kolkata third Asian city to host a WT20 final

Eight cities – Kolkata, Bangalore, Chennai, Dharamsala, Mohali, Mumbai, Nagpur and Delhi – have been named as venues for the World Twenty20 that begins on March 11 next year. Kolkata will host the final on April 3.

BCCI managing committee for World T20

• Jagmohan Dalmiya, president (chairman)

• Anurag Thakur, secretary

• Amitabh Choudhary, joint secretary

• Anirudh Chaudhry, treasurer

• G Ganga Raju, vice-president

• Rajeev Shukla, chairman, IPL

• Ashish Shelar, vice-president, MCA

• Asirbad Behera, secretary, OCA

“BCCI is extremely proud to host this prestigious event,” BCCI secretary Anurag Thakur said. “All the venues identified have hosted many prestigious matches. With this announcement, we have begun our preparations in right earnest. We want this World Twenty20 to be a memorable experience for our participants and fans.”Chennai was included in the list of venues despite uncertainty surrounding the use of the venue’s I, J and K stands, which have been locked during matches at the MA Chidambaram Stadium in the last three years.It is understood that the BCCI, while shortlisting Chennai as a venue, had informed TNCA that it would have to resolve the locked-stands dispute to host the games. Otherwise, the city would lose its hosting rights, according to the prescribed requirements of ICC and BCCI. BCCI is also understood to have been in favour of eight venues as opposed to five that the ICC recommended initially. This will be the first World T20 to feature more than three venues.BCCI’s general manager, cricket operations, MV Sridhar, has been appointed tournament director for the World T20. Former Bihar left-arm spinner Prasad Rao has been appointed manager, cricket operations while Neeraj Kumar, the former Delhi Police commissioner, will be Director of Security and Anti-Corruption Security Unit. The other members of the organising committee are: Amrit Mathur (principal coordinator), RP Shah (tournament manager, finance), Mayank Parikh (manager, logistics and hospitality) and Nishant Arora (tournament media manager).

An astonishing innings from Alex Hales, studded with eight sixes, installed the Melbourne Renegades as firm favourites to claim the BBL crown and ended the Sydney Sixers’ defence of their title

The Report by Alex Malcolm09-Jan-2013
ScorecardAlex Hales smashed eight sixes in his 89•Getty Images

An astonishing innings from Alex Hales, studded with eight sixes, installed the Melbourne Renegades as firm favourites to claim the BBL crown and ended the Sydney Sixers’ defence of their title. Hales, fresh off the plane from the UK having been flown in to replace the injured Marlon Samuels, smashed 89 from 52 balls to guide the Renegades to a match-winning total of 178 after they elected to bat. It was a one-sided affair as the Sixers fell 29 short.Many wondered how the Renegades batting would fare without their dominant captain Aaron Finch, absent with international duties, but Hales answered that with a hailstorm of sixes – eight in all, along with five fours.The Renegades started poorly when the out-of-form Daniel Harris faced nine balls for just one run, before being stumped off the Sri Lanka offspinner Sachithra Senanayake. Hales also began cautiously, managing three runs from his first 11 balls, before tearing into Josh Hazlewood. He clubbed two fours, two sixes, and was dropped by the bowler in his follow-through in a frenetic fifth over. Alex Doolan fell off the first ball of the next to leave the Renegades at 2 for 38 after the Powerplay.It brought Ben Rohrer to the crease. The acting Renegades captain was released by the Sixers after the Champions League and has proved a brilliant acquisition for the Melbourne side. He continued his red-hot form, combining with Hales for a 112-run partnership in just 10.3 overs.
Rohrer found the gaps while Hales peppered the crowd with big hits, with both gaining reprieves from a woeful Sixers fielding effort.Steve O’Keefe felt the brunt of Hales’ brutality. Twice in the 11th over, Hales slog swept O’Keefe into the Members Stand. Then in the 15th Hales clobbered O’Keefe again, clearing the fence four times. One landing on the roof of the Members Stand was measured at 111m, with the following ball travelling 109m in the same direction. Hales holed out to Moises Henriques in the next over but the damage was done.Rohrer quietly passed fifty for the second time in the tournament, off just 33 deliveries. The Renegades scored 113 from the last ten overs, the anomaly being that Senanayake and Brett Lee each bowled their full quota of four overs for just 19 runs, with the other four bowlers getting smashed for more than 11 runs-per-over.The Sixers’ chase started horrendously, losing four for 46 inside seven overs. Three fell meekly pulling soft catches to midwicket. The exception was Nic Maddinson who nicked Nathan Rimmington to the keeper.O’Keefe arrived, intent on erasing the 50 runs he conceded with the ball. He played some unorthodox strokes, found the rope five times and cleared it once. Hales gave him a life when he lost the ball in the lights at deep midwicket.O’Keefe’s unorthodoxy proved his undoing. He walked well outside the off stump to paddle Darren Pattinson fine, only to find the keeper’s gloves, although replays suggested it might have been pad rather than bat causing the deflection. Daniel Smith holed out to Pattinson in the same over to give the seamer his third scalp.Rimmington returned to clean up Senanayake and Hazlewood to also claim three wickets. The Renegades’ 29-run win was all the more impressive, given the absences of Finch, Samuels, and Muttiah Muralitharan who was rested. Asylum-seeker Fawad Ahmed got an opportunity to play his first professional match in Australia, in Murali’s place, to cap an uplifting night for the Melbourne side. They now wait to see who they will host a home semi-final next Tuesday.

Misbah-ul-Haq, Pakistan’s captain, has said his team is full of confidence after their run of form in 2011

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2011Pakistan expectedly wrapped up the first Test against Bangladesh on the fourth day, giving them their fifth win in their previous nine Tests – this one by an innings-and-184-runs. That run of form, encompassing the last 12 months, includes series wins over New Zealand, Zimbabwe and Sri Lanka.One of the factors in Pakistan’s consistent run has been the captaincy of Misbah-ul-Haq, who took over in the wake of the spot-fixing scandal in 2010. Misbah, however, chose to give his team the credit after their latest triumph.”I think if the team is doing well then credit goes to everyone, which also includes the captain,” Misbah said. “But the main thing is players are important in the team. If they are not performing, the captain can’t do anything. For which I think the credit goes to every player. They are putting in their efforts and fulfilling their responsibilities. That’s why the team is winning.”Misbah put his team’s determination to win matches down to their reaction to the spot-fixing scandal which could have easily thrown them into disarray. “I think the way we are performing, you can say what happened with Pakistan cricket, the boys have come out really strong and all wanted to do well. It’s the reason behind that. The day controversies hit the team, I think the boys had it set in their mind that they will prove that they are a good cricket team and good players.”While Pakistan’s recent string of results have naturally infused the side with confidence, Misbah said the spark came from their series against South Africa last year, where Pakistan fought to draw both Tests. “The confidence comes from the performances. When you are performing as a team game by game and you are performing well, the confidence is building. This is really helping us as a team. The series against South Africa in October last year was a big test for us. We played really strong against them in the two Test matches and at that time South Africa was one of the best Test sides.”After that the team got the confidence as every player performed in that series which kept on building in every match after that.”Misbah felt that Bangladesh were under huge pressure in Chittagong as they collapsed for 135 in the first innings. Though they made a better fist of it in the second to reach 275, it was mostly a struggle. “In the first innings they got out easily and once you get out easily on a flat track I think it’s difficult to make the comeback. That helped us. They lacked in confidence. A batsmen is helped if he is consistently scoring runs. If you are not scoring runs, it becomes difficult to stand strong as a batsman.”Pakistan’s decision to field was vindicated by the result and Misbah said that it was a strategy they had been employing for some time now. “We managed to exploit the wicket with our bowlers in the first two sessions of the first day. For the last two years we have been doing this and so far we have been able to take good advantage of it. Once we have the target in our mind, the bowlers and the batsmen together performed really well. So if we ever find even a little advantage for the bowlers, we choose to bowl first.”

Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has signed up to play with Bangladesh club Mohammedan Sporting in the Premier Division Cricket League in Bangladesh

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Dec-2010Pakistan batsman Mohammad Yousuf has signed up to play with Bangladesh club Mohammedan Sporting in the Premier Division Cricket League in Bangladesh. The club has brought in Yousuf in place of Sri Lanka allrounder Farveez Maharoof, who returned home after sustaining an injury.Yousuf, 36, who was ruled out the Test series against in South Africa in November due to a groin injury, was not picked for the upcoming Test series against New Zealand due to concerns over his fitness. Yusuf has played 90 Tests for Pakistan, averaging 52.29, but since the beginning of 2008 he has averaged just under 35 in 11 Tests, with a solitary hundred.”I have no idea about the competition [in Bangladesh] but you know cricket is cricket,” Yousuf told reporters after he completed the contractual formalities at the Bangabandhu National Stadium in Dhaka. “I can understand the standard and nature of the competition after playing the first couple of games. I want to play all the matches if I am not selected for national duty. As a professional cricketer it would not be hard to motivate myself in this competition.”Several Pakistan cricketers including former fast bowler Wasim Akram have played in the Premier Division Cricket League.

Mashrafe Mortaza will only play the limited-overs matches in New Zealand and not the one-off Test

Cricinfo staff27-Jan-2010Mashrafe Mortaza, out with an injury since July, has been included in Bangladesh’s squad for the short series in New Zealand next month but will only play the limited-overs matches and not the one-off Test. He has requested the Bangladesh Cricket Board not to consider him for the captaincy, which means that Shakib Al Hasan will continue as captain.Mortaza, who underwent knee surgery after the tour of West Indies last year, was forced to miss the home Tests against India and the tri-series, also featuring Sri Lanka. He was the officially named captain before the team departed for the West Indies but since the first Test of that tour, when he suffered the injury, Shakib has led the team in his absence.The 15-member squad for New Zealand does not include any new faces. The batsman Shahriar Nafees, who failed in his comeback Test against India in Chittagong, has been dropped and replaced by his former ICL team-mate Aftab Ahmed. The selectors also recalled the left-arm spinner Abdur Razzak to the Test squad, at the expense of Enamul Haque jnr. The fast bowler Mahbubul Alam, who didn’t play the Tests against India, has also been omitted in favour of Nazmul Hossain, who has recovered from a right quadriceps muscle injury which had ruled him out of the tri-series.Junaid Siddique, who replaced Nafees in the second Test against India in Mirpur, will join the team for the Test at Hamilton on February 15. The tour begins on February 3 with a one-off Twenty20, followed by three ODIs.Squad: Shakib Al Hasan (capt), Mushfiqur Rahim (vice-capt/wk), Tamim Iqbal, Imrul Kayes, Junaid Siddique, Mohammad Ashraful, Raqibul Hasan, Mahmudullah, Aftab Ahmed, Naeem Islam, Shahadat Hossain, Rubel Hossain, Abdur Razzak, Nazmul Hossain, Shafiul Islam, Mashrafe Mortaza

IPL’s breakout star produces another fast-paced innings after Rocky Flintoff top-scores for England

ECB Reporters Network supported by Rothesay27-Jun-2025India U19 178 for 4 (Suryavanshi 48, Kundu 45*) beat England U19 174 (Flintoff 56, Mohammed 42) by six wicketsIndia’s 14-year-old sensation Vaibhav Suryavanshi scored 48 from just 19 balls as India’s Under-19 side made short work of beating England in the first of five Youth ODIs at Hove.Suryavanshi, who became the youngest-ever century maker in men’s T20 when he hit 101 off 38 balls for Rajasthan Royals in the IPL earlier this year, made a startling debut to competitive cricket in England, putting on 71 in 7.3 overs with his captain, Ayush Mhatre as England were overwhelmed, losing by six wickets with 26 overs to spare.The young India side have made a memorable start to their tour of England. Three days earlier they had won another 50-over game, against a Young Lions Invitational XI at Loughborough, by 231 runs.Here, Suryavanshi was the star attraction, bludgeoning five sixes and three fours. Jack Home’s first over cost 21 runs as the left-hander top-edged his pull shot for six before driving over mid-on and pulling to cow corner for other sixes. But when slow left-armer Ralphie Albert came on Suryavanshi immediately skied to point.It was a different game after that, with India losing three more wickets before crossing the line, keeper Abhigyan Kundu leading the way with an unbeaten 45.England had been bowled out for a disappointing 174 in 42.2 overs, with only Rocky Flintoff (56) and Isaac Mohammed (42) reaching the 20 mark.There was a constant cloud cover and a green tinge to the pitch but it was India’s spinners, Mohamed Enaan and Kanishk Chouhan, who caused most problems, sharing five wickets and proving the most economical of the bowlers.England, who had chosen to bat, had started so positively, with Ben Dawkins and Isaac putting on an aggressive 39 for the fist wicket. The left-handed Isaac, one of two debutants in the team, along with French, was particularly exciting, pulling Henil Patel over square-leg for the first of his four sixes – there were also three fours in his 28-ball innings.The 17-year-old is related to England’s Moeen Ali and Worcestershire’s assistant head coach Kadeer Ali. He signed a three-year contract for Worcestershire from the Warwickshire Academy earlier this month.England lost their first wicket in the eighth over when Dawkins edged to first slip. But Isaac responded by striking Yudhajit Guha for successive sixes to bring up the 50 in the ninth over. Isaac then pulled Enaan over square-leg and out of the ground for another six. But three balls later he was caught at backward square-leg going for another big hit.Flintoff, the youngest player to score a century for the side, again looked in fine form. But his efforts were compromised by the constant fall of wickets at the other end. Ben Mayes looked in good touch when he drove through mid-on for four, but he was caught behind next ball to make it 80 for three and then captain Tom Rew was caught behind third ball.Flintoff, unsure whether to stick or twist, waited for some decent company but it didn’t arrive. Joe Moores and Albert fell cheaply to the off-spin of Chouhan and then Home was run out for five to make it 129 for seven. Flintoff was finally forced to hit out, and there were three sixes and three fours in his 90-ball innings before he was last out, going for another heave.

Timed-out dismissal: Mathews says that the on-field umpires had admitted to Sri Lanka’s coaching staff that they had not checked the time elapsed

Andrew Fidel Fernando06-Nov-20232:00

Shakib: ‘In a battle, I’ll do whatever is needed to win’

According to Angelo Mathews, the on-field umpires who adjudged him timed out on Monday had admitted to Sri Lanka’s coaching staff that they erred in not checking how much time had elapsed between the previous dismissal, and Mathews’ helmet strap breaking. It appears that Mathews heard of this admission second-hand.”The umpires [Marais Erasmus and Richard Illingworth] also admitted that it was an equipment malfunction and they could have gone upstairs and checked,” Mathews said in his post-match press conference. Sri Lanka coach Chris Silverwood also said, speaking to reporters after the game, that the team’s coaching staff had spoken to match officials about the dismissal, and that conversations between the two groups were ongoing.Either way, Mathews was drawing a line between what constituted a fair “timed out” dismissal, and what constituted time taken out of the game to replace faulty equipment.Related

• Donald on Mathews timed-out dismissal: 'Don't want to see that sort of thing in our game'

• Umpires informed Mathews of timed-out threat before helmet malfunction

• Mathews on timed-out dismissal: 'Never seen a team or a player stoop so low'

• Shakib on Mathews dismissal: 'Felt like I was at war, did what I had to for my team to win'

• Mathews becomes the first to be dismissed timed out in international cricket

However, the playing conditions, as it stands, does not make allowances for equipment malfunction – it only stipulates that the new batter be ready to receive the ball within two minutes of the previous dismissal, which, in a strict interpretation of the rule, Mathews was not.However, umpires frequently allow equipment to be changed mid-over if required – helmets and bats in particular. If the strap had broken one ball into Mathews’ innings, for example, there likely would have been no issues with his calling for a replacement and his taking some time picking one.”We talk about safety of the players, and you guys tell me if it’s right for me to take my guard without my helmet on,” Mathews said. “That’s where the umpires could have done a bigger job at the time because they could have gone back and checked. A wicketkeeper for a spinner they don’t let keep without his helmet. So how can I take my guard without my helmet? It’s completely an equipment malfunction.”What’s the point not checking at that time and then checking it afterwards?” Mathews continued. “You need to have your common sense in terms of using technology. It was clearly malfunction – it [the strap] just came off. I didn’t need to pull it and break it.”Although during the mid-match break, fourth umpire Adrian Holdstock had told Ian Bishop on the Star Sports broadcast that “in the instance this afternoon, the batter wasn’t ready to receive the ball within those two minutes even before the strap became an issue for him,” Mathews was correct in claiming that in fact he had five more seconds before the two minutes were up, when his strap broke.Fourth umpire Holdstock had also suggested at the halfway point of the match that it was the batter’s responsibility to have “all your equipment in place”.Mathews scoffed at this idea.”That’s quite laughable. It is our responsibility, yes – if I went out to bat against a fast bowler, it’s my responsibility obviously,” he said. “But something coming off, do you really think I would know if it’s going to come off? I don’t understand the logic.”

Yorkshire fight in follow-on but title could soon be decided with Hampshire struggling

Vithushan Ehantharajah21-Sep-2022The Micky Stewart Oval was not immune from the cluster of wickets afflicting this round of the County Championship. However day two’s tally of 16 did at least speed us along to a conclusion of the season overall in a match of consequence.It is probably worth starting at the end of Wednesday, when Yorkshire walked off 65 behind in their follow-on innings. In skittling the visitors out for 179, Surrey had established a first-innings lead of 154, even after they started the day flunking their own first effort for a respectable 333 that should have been more. Considering second-place Hampshire are 105 for four in pursuit of a target of 378 set by Kent, this has been one of the better days for Rory Burns’ charges.If Hampshire lose, then Surrey can claim Championship No. 21 with victory, given they arrived with an eight-point cushion. And should they do so without needing to worry about Friday’s rain, it will be largely because of the work of 19-year-old Tom Lawes, who capped off a breakthrough summer with career-best figures of four for 31 in Yorkshire’s first innings.Accounting for three of the top four shows the value of his work, and the dismissal of Finlay Bean – swinging in, then seaming away to clip off stump from around the wicket – showcased real skill. Contrary to popular belief, they don’t like to talk up their younglings around here, but as he set about chipping away at the rest, you realised plenty of others would do the talking for them.It was one thing to excel during the Royal London Cup given the higher profile absentees, but standing out alongside an experienced bowling attack was noteworthy. Lawes had Hill and Kohler-Cadmore caught by Ben Foakes before a quality yorker did for Ben Coad, who was already backing away. There is more work to do tomorrow but, for now, Lawes’ season average sits at 19.16 with 18 wickets. Expect the latter to sit below 20, while the other doesn’t, by the time this match is over.Surrey arrived in control of their own in-game destiny, especially with Jordan Clark and Jamie Overton still at the crease and both more than capable of combining for most of the 108 runs needed for all five batting points. Alas, within 21 deliveries, both they and Kemar Roach had departed for the addition of just seven runs.Clark failed to add to his overnight 55 – bowled by Ben Mike – and Overton departed with the nine he brought with him from Tuesday. Hill, having trapped Overton in front, then bowled Roach for his eventual two for 46, which left Surrey 299 for nine. What followed was an engaging last-wicket dart from that man Lawes and Dan Worrall, the kind that starts off as a bit of fun before morphing into something really quite serious.It had surpassed humour by 80 overs, certainly from Yorkshire’s perspective. The pair had managed five boundaries between them, including a six when Worrall leant back and smoked Steven Patterson (four for 69) over wide long-off. With that, Jonny Tattersall called for the new ball and Coad from the Pavilion End with a view to ending this nonsense. And though Worrall would follow up with a gorgeous flick over square leg for six and and a smear through midwicket, bringing hope of 350 and a fourth batting point, a third hoick to the leg side nestled into the hands of Mike running in from the fence.That final stand of 34 went some way to reminding the visitors of some of Tuesday’s struggle, and it was brought back to the forefront of their minds when experienced opener Adam Lyth was squared up by Roach to skew a shoulder-height catch to Ryan Patel at third slip.It was somewhat remarkable that Lyth was the only wicket to fall in the opening spell between Roach and Worrall, particularly given how much movement the latter was getting from the Vauxhall End. He did managed to snare Will Fraine in his second spell to make it 67 for three, caught by Ollie Pope at second slip having had a chance dropped by Patel two balls before. All the while Lawes was getting into his work with great skill and a helping hand from Tom Kohler-Cadmore, who had looked dangerous for his boundary-filled 55 – 10 to the fence, including a six – before an ugly hack across the line that might explain why this was only his third score above fifty in eight innings this season.Clark’s brace accounted for the sting in the tail, bowling Dom Bess and nicking off the left-handed Jordan Thompson from around the wicket, before a bonus for part-time leg spinner Cameron Steel who bowled Mike with very much a full-time googly. And rounding off the first 10 Yorkshire wickets was Jamie Overton snaring Patterson at second slip (Pope) for a first wicket since a foot injury interrupted his season on July 25.Overton’s second would be Surrey’s final of the day: extra lift from that extra pace forcing Hill to fend when he initially planned on defending, for Pope’s third catch of the day. And with that, Hill got an early look about how little this game cares about you. Twice he showcased pluck and judgement, first for 28 stretched out over an hour and now a sharp 35 from 68 deliveries that probably ensured Surrey will have to bat again to win this.Worrall had the first of the second innings, finding prestigious movement from around the wicket to bowl the left-handed Bean between bat and pad from around the wicket. Otherwise, it was a relatively comfortable end to a chaotic day for Yorkshire, and no doubt Surrey’s quicks will be better for a night’s rest ahead of what should be one final push on day three.

Saqib Mahmood helps reduce Northants to 59 for three, still needing 366 runs on final day

Paul Edwards17-Apr-2021When this morning’s play began Lancashire had a lead of 188 over Northamptonshire and all their second-innings wickets in hand. By the time the long day closed at 7.20pm they had reduced the visitors to 59 for 3 and a victory target of 425 appeared merely fantastical. A good day for the Red Rose, you might think, and you would be correct. Yet much of their batting had been so careless that it might have been designed to have their head coach, Glen Chapple, emulating Bertie Wooster’s Aunt Agatha and hopping about with a hatchet.The one player exempted from Chapple’s ire was Steven Croft, whose unbeaten century will have had Lancashire supporters smiling in shared pleasure. Croft’s love for the county of his birth is undoubted. When he pulled Nathan Buck for six to reach his hundred, thereby prompting a declaration, the home dressing room erupted in noisy acclamation. Croft was hugged by Tom Hartley, his batting partner, and he raised his arms towards his team-mates, some of whom may still have been watching Peppa Pig when he first played for Lancashire.The century had been the product of careful workmanship rather than effortless style. There were pulls to square leg, nudges through the slips and leg glances but only seven fours. The one concession to modernity, albeit Croft has kept his place in Lancashire’s T20 team, was the reverse sweep, which he now plays as easily as Robert Browning once produced rhyming couplets. He could have gone for three early in the morning session had Adam Rossington clung on to a right-handed diving catch but Croft has long been careful to make the most of such opportunities, for he has no clue how many more he might get.Three years ago he thought he would not get another contract with Lancashire but the coaches opted to give him another season, then one more, then another. There was nothing indulgent about these decisions. Although not the five-furlong favourite he once was, Croft can still do a job anywhere in the field and held on to two slip catches as Northants subsided this evening.Related

• Centuries to Joe Root, Adam Lyth put Yorkshire in command at Kent

• Kiran Carlson scores second ton for match to bring Glamorgan back into contest

• 'Sack it, I'm going to try and rip it' – Matt Parkinson on his ball-of-the-century contender

Croft played in the side that won the Championship in 2011 and he skippered the team that won the T20 Blast in 2015. He is 37 in October yet it is an offence against nature to think of him as a veteran. Like schoolboys with a favourite master, supporters honour him with a nickname, although ‘Crofty’ is hardly in the class of ‘Rhino’, the name the boys at Thursgood’s gave to Jim Prideaux. This was his first Championship century since 2017 but there have been more than enough valuable innings in the meantime to reassure supporters wondering if a much-loved cricketer might have hung on a season too long.Application and an awareness of responsibility are often made particularly noticeable by their absence elsewhere and Lancashire’s other batsmen probably made Croft’s effort appear a little better than it was. Both openers were dismissed in the first nine deliveries of the morning, Keaton Jennings playing around an inswinger from Ben Sanderson and Alex Davies pushing forward just enough to edge Tom Taylor to Ricardo Vasconcelos at first slip. But the worst was yet to come.Having driven the Northants seamers for three of the pleasantest boundaries we will see this season Josh Bohannon played skew-whiff at a well-flighted off-spinner from Rob Keogh and inside-edged the ball onto his leg stump. Given that he had been presented with a good opportunity to collect a cheeky 80 runs or so, Bohannon’s 22 must have frustrated the coaches. But Lancashire were still well placed on 162 for 3 at lunch. On the resumption sanity left the stadium.In the first over of the afternoon session Dane Vilas played the ball to square leg and called Croft for an absurd single. The daftness of the exercise was plain almost immediately but not soon enough to save Lancashire’s skipper. Two overs later Croft clipped the ball in a similar direction only to see Rob Jones scampering down the wicket as if escaping a lunatic with a sharp knife. Emilio Gay threw the ball to the non-striker’s end and someone noted that five of Lancashire’s last 18 wickets had been lost to run outs. For the only time since last August one was grateful spectators were not present.The rest of the innings was less deranged. Luke Wood and Tom Bailey helped Croft take Northamptonshire’s target beyond that scored by any side in the fourth innings to beat Lancashire and the visitors’ job was made even harder by Saqib Mahmood’s magnificently hostile five-over spell with the new ball from the James Anderson End. The fast bowler beat both Ben Curran and Gay for pace and is clearly well suited to the short burst Vilas gave him. He will be steaming in again in the morning and then Matt Parkinson will send down some leg spin. Northants have form when it comes to foxing the bookies but one cannot like their chances.