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ScorecardMason Crane bagged two vital wickets•Getty Images

Two Sussex-born players returned to the county and played key roles as Hampshire made it two wins out of two in the NatWest T20 Blast at Hove.Cuckfield-born James Vince’s 81 was the cornerstone of the visitors’ imposing total of 188 for 3 then leg-spinner Mason Crane, born in Shoreham and educated at Lancing College, removed Sussex’s big guns Luke Wright (50) and skipper Ross Taylor (27) during his spell of 2 for 24.David Wiese hit out towards the end but Sussex finished on 169 for 7 and lost by 19 runs, their second successive defeat.Hampshire’s imposing total on a slow wicket was set up by an opening stand of 109 between Vince and South African Rilee Rossouw.Vince looked in good touch from the start, hitting four successive boundaries off Jofra Archer in the third over as the visitors raced to 102 at the halfway stage of their innings.Rossouw was impeded by an ankle injury but still clobbered three sixes and four boundaries in 46 from 31 balls before he holed out in the 11th over.Sussex dragged things back slightly with Hampshire adding just 14 runs between the 10th and 14th overs but Vince looked on course for a hundred when Archer returned to the attack and yorked the left-hander in the 16th over. Vince’s 81 came from 48 balls with ten fours and three sixes.Momentum was provided towards the end by Michael Carberry with 41 from 30 balls after Shahid Afridi, promoted to No.3, gave Chris Jordan a deserved wicket.Fans enjoy the action at Hove•Getty Images

Sussex lost opener Chris Nash after he had put on 33 for the first wicket with Wright during an excellent opening spell by Kyle Abbott. Ben Brown, promoted to No.3, fell cheaply but Taylor and Wright came together to put on 49 in 6.1 overs and at halfway Sussex were keeping tabs with the required rate.Wright, who made 101 in Sunday’s opener against Glamorgan, reached 50 with three fours and three sixes but two balls after getting there he was caught at long off by the diving Rossouw and in the next over Crane lured Taylor (27) down the track trying to hit through mid-wicket and Lewis McManus pulled off a smart stumping.His dismissal left Sussex needing 82 off seven overs and although Wiese muscled three sixes and Laurie Evans two in a stand of 47 from 27 balls they could not maintain the tempo. Evans drove Abbott’s slower ball to extra cover and Sussex’s race was run when Wiese was caught at long off from the first ball of the final over.Abbott finished with 3 for 22 and bowled superbly but it was the performance of the two Sussex-born players which most hurt their home county.

Eoin Morgan has indicated that Jonny Bairstow is likely to replace the out-of-form Jason Roy for England’s Champions Trophy semi-final against Pakistan at Cardiff. Roy has endured a run of low scores and, despite being backed by the management, appears set to lose his place.Morgan would not confirm England’s XI to take on Pakistan but said he would have “no worries” asking Bairstow to open the batting – something he has not previously done in international cricket.”There’s a chance that we could make a change,” he said, “obviously we don’t announce the team until the toss – but there’s a chance there could be a change. I mentioned after the last game that we’re getting to the business end of the tournament and we need to produce results, so it’s important that we get what we feel is our best XI to win the tournament out tomorrow in order to win the game.”Roy has averaged 6.37 from eight ODI innings so far this season, with six single-figure scores. Bairstow, by contrast, has scored three fifties in his last four innings, when deputising for others in the top order. Although he has only opened the batting eight times in List A cricket, he did make his highest score of 174, for Yorkshire against Durham last month, from that position.”Jonny’s qualities are that he’s a fantastic batsman,” Morgan said. “I think his best attribute, certainly in white-ball cricket over the last year and a half, has been his relentless attitude to score runs regardless of the situation. When you have guys sitting on the sidelines they can get a little bit upset and that can affect their performance when the actual chance comes along, but that doesn’t seem to affect Jonny.”One innings he did play for us won us a series, against New Zealand, a match-winning knock up at Durham two years ago – and that sort of sums him up, he came from playing for Yorkshire, straight into the squad having played no part in the series, and he produces a match-winning knock. So I think his all-round ability is as good as we have in the squad. But, like I’ve mentioned before, it’s a very difficult team to get into and you’ve just got to wait for your chance.”I’d have no worries if he has to open the batting. I certainly believe we’re in a good position at the moment as a batting unit and if Jonny does get the opportunity, I’m sure he’ll take it with both hands.”Roy has formed a productive opening partnership with Alex Hales since they were brought together after the 2015 World Cup. They put on an unbroken 256 against Sri Lanka last year – setting a new England record – but so far this season have averaged 14.50 together, with a best of 49 against Ireland.

ScorecardLike turning to the person next to you at a wedding and remarking ‘these things only end in divorce or death’ it seems untimely to predict Warwickshire’s fate this season.But, as they failed to secure a batting bonus point for the second game in succession and then conceded what may well prove to be a match-defining first innings deficit for the second game in succession, it was hard not to look at them as a vulture sizes up a sickly wildebeest. Suffice to say, they have earned themselves the tag of relegation favourites.Yes, it is mid-April. Yes, there’s a lot of cricket to play and yes, they may salvage something from this game with some better second-innings batting and some rain. But, going into this match, they had won one and lost four of their previous eight Championship matches and they look overly reliant upon a few key performers – notably Keith Barker and Jonathan Trott at this time of year – who are not gaining the support they might expect from colleagues.It is a talented team, certainly, but it is a team in decline, a team with holes and a team lacking the spark of youth in its bowling in particular. And in a tough division where 25% of the sides will be relegated this season, those are weaknesses that will have those vultures licking their lips.There are birds coming home to roost at Edgbaston. The failure to develop players in the quantity or quality required of a big club is one key factor – Chris Woakes is the last capped player at the club to emerge through the youth system and he made his debut a decade ago – but so is the failure to retain and recruit.Last year’s fall-out with Varun Chopra, which looks more damaging by the week, might be compared to the failure to retain Moeen Ali a decade or so earlier, while the decision to spend relatively heavily on a bowler – Olly Stone – who had just sustained what may well prove to be a career-defining injury is puzzling. Ashley Giles has returned to the club to find half his squad look like the cast of and half the cast of .Given time – and that might be an issue at a club that has become accustomed to success; Dougie Brown was sacked last year despite securing the Royal London Cup – Giles is the ideal man to sort things out. But he has an enormous job on his hands. It’s not just about improving the scouting from the leagues, the schools and surrounding non-first-class counties. It’s not just about improving the development process so that talent is better exploited and encouraged. And it’s not just about intelligent recruitment from other counties.Most of all, it’s about changing the culture of a club that can, at times, be held back by a hubris that fools itself into thinking it doesn’t need to change. Really, for a club this size to field a team containing one or two home-grown players (Ian Bell and Sam Hain) is a crushing indictment of the failure of their development system irrespective of the absence of Woakes at the IPL.They don’t have to look far to see how these things can work. The Yorkshire side here, despite missing four Yorkshire-born Test players (Joe Root, Jonny Bairstow, Ryan Sidebottom and Liam Plunkett) through injury or ECB policy, still contains eight home-grown players. While Yorkshire’s catchment area contains more cricket clubs than Warwickshire’s, their ability to produce England players while continuing to challenge in trophies is a testament to a club that, in cricketing terms at least, has been exemplary in recent times.The emergence of Ben Coad, who bowled Chris Wright early on the second morning to claim his second five-for in two Championship games this season, is just the latest example.Yorkshire might feel they lacked just a bit of ruthlessness here. Having allowed (maybe ‘allowed’ is the wrong word; Barker batted very well for his second half-century in successive games) Warwickshire’s final three wickets to add more than 100 runs, they perhaps failed to gain the first innings total they might have done.Several times it appeared they had the opportunity to put this game beyond Warwickshire with an overwhelming lead, but several times they lost wickets to shots they may consider a bit loose. Alex Lees, for example, faced 24 deliveries before he scored and 30 before striking his first boundary. But, having done the hard work, he attempted a series of lavish drives and then prodded, without foot movement, at one outside off stump and edged to the cordon.Peter Handscomb’s dismissal was more of a surprise. He looked terrific in making 75. After a testing beginning against Barker – his habit of playing as far back as a batsman can play without standing behind the keeper negated the swing – he feasted against the support bowling and a tiring Barker. It came as some surprise when Wright, belatedly given a second spell, induced an inside edge as Handscomb aimed a somewhat footless drive at one that swung in a little.While Gary Ballance, shaping to play to leg, edged one outside off stump, Jack Leaning was brilliantly caught at short-leg off the glove by a diving Hain and Adam Lyth was earlier caught down the leg side as he attempted to glance a short one, Yorkshire were – as so often – grateful to their middle-order.Tim Bresnan and Adil Rashid both punished a tiring attack in the final session, taking the lead beyond 100 and giving their side hope of at least three and perhaps four batting bonus points.Barker, on whose broad shoulders so much rests for Warwickshire, eventually defeated Bresnan with a characteristic inswinger with the second new ball – umpire Nigel Cowley adjudged that, although Bresnan had hit the ball, it had brushed his pad first; replays suggested it was an outstanding bit of umpiring – but with Rashid, Andrew Hodd and David Willey still to account for, Yorkshire will have realistic hopes of extending their lead on day three.Warwickshire didn’t bowl badly by any means. Just as they didn’t bat especially badly. They just found they lacked the pace to gather as much from the pitch as Yorkshire’s bowlers and the consistency to build much pressure. They have the talent, the experience and the time to turn things around, but if they are expecting any easy games this year, they are in for a rude awakening. This division is relentless and tough and stacked with talented players of ambition. And that’s just the way it should be.

South Africa will look for a lead of around 250 if they are to force the result their way in the Dunedin Test, but they have acknowledged that time may not be on their side. Apart from the possibility of rain shortening or completely washing out the final day, the slow scoring rates which have dominated this Test mean that the visitors may not be able to set a target they are comfortable defending and leave themselves enough overs to bowl New Zealand out a second time.”We definitely want another 60 or 70 more runs. It’s about dictating terms,” Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting coach, said. “The runs are not just going to come in 10 overs – that’s the nature of the wicket. We’ll have to graft up front. If we can look to take the lead beyond 260 or 270, then dictate when we are going to declare and have a look at them. I’m sure in their dressing room they will be saying that if they can get a few early and run through us, they could chase 220 or 230. Thirty or 40 runs on this sort of wicket makes a huge difference.”New Zealand are similarly skeptical about things speeding up as they go in search of a win. “We might rock and roll them, we might not,” Jeetan Patel, New Zealand’s offspinner, said. “We may take three hours to bowl them out but it leaves an opportunity to win a Test match and the excitement of that is massive. They (the team) probably need that little bit of confidence to keep going with their season.”Patel was particularly pleased with New Zealand’s bowling effort in keeping the scoring rate down even though they did not take all of their chances. “To keep them to 230 over that many overs, is pretty special. The guys need a pat on the back for what they did today,” he said.That New Zealand did it in the absence of Trent Boult, who has a sore hip, only makes Patel prouder. “That’s why I say these guys are an amazing bunch,” Patel said. “They find a way. Look at Wagner’s last spell, it was just as potent as his first. Maybe not so much with the pace or the kilometres on the screen but with the questions that he asked.”Myself, Mitchell Santner, Jimmy Neeshan, we’ve all got roles to play and that’s where we just pick up the slack. We’ve just got to find a way to get over the line and that’s all that matters.”Although Patel did not go as far as to say New Zealand would take a psychological advantage from a draw – if that is how this match ends up – he did say the team’s first innings lead was “a little win by itself”. McKenzie dead-batted any such suggestion.Neil McKenzie, South Africa’s batting coach, believes Quinton de Kock’s struggles against spin will make him a better, smarter player•Getty Images

“The Test has asked questions of both sides and both have stood up reasonably well. I don’t think any side, if there is no play tomorrow, will take any momentum or any extra one-ups into the next Test match,” McKenzie said. “A lot of the batters have got starts and got runs under their belt,. The bowlers have got a couple of wickets and Keshav Maharaj has got his maiden five-for, which will give him a bit of confidence. A lot of the New Zealand guys have also got something out of it.”With conditions expected to remain similar throughout the series, South Africa may use this match to ponder the make-up of their squad, which only includes one specialist spinner at the moment in Maharaj. New Zealand have showed that a second would not go amiss and even though South Africa may not need one for Wellington, they may call for a second spinner for the final match in Hamilton, which starts from March 25.”There is talk, given the nature of Hamilton, and having played the one-day games there and see the turn that was offered,” McKenzie said. “We are blessed with quite a few options so we will see how the next couple of days pan out. I don’t think Wellington will turn as much as Hamilton so we’ll have a couple of days to sort things out.”If South Africa send for reinforcements, they will likely choose between offspinner Dane Piedt, left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi or could even recall legspiner Imran Tahir, who has not played a Test since December 2015.What they won’t look for just yet is someone to give Quinton de Kock lessons on how to play spin. De Kock has been dismissed four times by Patel in as many innings, but McKenzie is confident he can turn that around. “It happens in Test cricket. I’m not too worried. Jeetan Patel is a serious player,” McKenzie said. “I have played against him and watched him bowl, he’s played county cricket for years and is a seasoned professional. He’s a quality performer playing against a quality batsman, but I’m sure Quinton will overcome most obstacles. He will think about it and come back a smarter, better player.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsBabar Hayat’s run-out for 86 at the start of the 48th over dented Hong Kong’s chances of a successful chase•Panda Man

Michael Rippon and Ben Cooper scored half-centuries for Netherlands before the visitors held off another stern charge from Hong Kong to secure a 13-run win, sealing a crucial series sweep in the pair of WCL Championship matches at Tin Kwong Road.Hong Kong’s chase unraveled in eerily similar circumstances to their first effort that fell short on Thursday as Anshy Rath, captain Babar Hayat and Nizakat Khan all made key contributions before getting out at critical stages in chasing a target of 315. Rath added 80 for the first wicket with Chris Carter (24), before Carter was beaten by turn after coming down the track to Roelof van der Merwe in the 17th over.Rippon had gone wicketless in his initial five-over spell but Rath elected to charge him on his first ball after returning to the attack to start the 30th and the left-hander was beaten in flight and turn to be stumped for 85. Nizakat replaced him at the crease and was undeterred by the fate of the previous two batsmen, skipping down the track in the 32nd to loft Rippon against the turn over mid-off for consecutive sixes. Nizakat then carted Ahsan Malik over long-off and long-on for two more sixes in the 37th, speeding to 41 off 25 balls while bringing the equation down to 103 off 79 balls with eight wickets in hand.However, van der Merwe dislodged him off the first ball of the 38th after Nizakat’s loose whip across the line resulted in his off stump being knocked back. It was the start of a tight three-over stretch in the field for Netherlands during which the only boundary came courtesy of a dropped chance off Hayat at cover on 47. Rippon had Waqas Khan caught for 1, sweeping to deep square leg in the 40th to put more pressure on Hayat to finish the chase as Hong Kong entered the last 10 overs needing 94 to win.The equation turned to 58 off the last five and Peter Borren struck in the 46th, having Shahid Wasif caught at long-off for 20, leaving Hong Kong’s long tail exposed at 266 for 5. With 39 needed off the final three overs, Hayat finally cracked and was run out for 86 off the first ball of the 48th when a desperate attempt at a second run to stay on strike was beaten by substitute fielder Sikander Zulfiqar’s throw from deep square leg.Paul van Meekeren had Ehsan Khan caught at deep midwicket for 10 to end the 49th, leaving Ahsan Malik 24 to defend off the final over. Singles off the first three balls clinched the win mathematically, before Aizaz Khan was caught on the leg side boundary off the final ball to put a stamp on the Dutch victory.Netherlands’ imposing total of 314 for 9 was set up by Rippon, who made 53 opening the batting to go along with his 2 for 57 in the field. Rippon was named Man of the Match for the second straight game, underlining his all-round value to the Dutch after having been absent for the drawn Intercontinental Cup encounter against Hong Kong due to playing commitments with Otago in the New Zealand domestic competition.Cooper built off the start by Rippon to top-score with 78 and teamed with van der Merwe for a 78-run fourth-wicket stand. Cooper eventually chopped on to Ehsan Khan’s offspin in the 38th. Borren carried the innings further with 49 off 43 balls until he was caught at third man off a full toss from Aizaz in the 49th despite protests that the delivery should have been called a no ball on height. Hong Kong’s death bowling was sharp as they conceded just two boundaries among 46 runs over the final seven overs. But they were trumped at the finish once again by an equally resilient late-overs bowling effort from Netherlands.The result means Netherlands now sit four points clear of Papua New Guinea in first place on the WCL Championship table, putting the Dutch in a dominant position to win the competition outright. Their last four games come against Namibia, who are tied for last with just one win in eight matches, and fifth-placed Kenya. Hong Kong continue to sit on 11 points in third place and play Nepal and Papua New Guinea for their remaining four games while Papua New Guinea’s final six contests come against Hong Kong, Namibia and fourth-placed Scotland – also on 11 points – in order to catch Netherlands.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAnshuman Rath scored a half-century in each innings for Hong Kong•Panda Man

Hong Kong’s push for a final day win on their home first-class debut was thwarted by a record partnership by Netherlands batsmen Ben Cooper and Pieter Seelaar as the sides settled for a high-scoring draw at Tin Kwong Road. Set a target of 507 to win, Netherlands were 105 for 5 early on the last day after first-innings centurion Roelof van der Merwe and captain Peter Borren fell off successive balls in the 32nd over from medium pacer Ehsan Nawaz.Cooper and Seelaar managed to bat out the final two-and-a-half sessions though, putting on a Netherlands first-class record partnership of an unbroken 288, for the sixth wicket. The country’s previous best was a 232-run stand between Bas Zuiderant and Ryan ten Doeschate in a 64-run win over UAE in 2008. It was also a record sixth-wicket stand in the Intercontinental Cup, breaking the sixth-wicket mark of 234 set by Ireland’s Andre Botha and Alex Cusack in a drawn match against Scotland in 2007, and the sixth highest partnership for any wicket in the 13-year history of the competition. Both men notched their maiden first-class centuries as Cooper finished on 173 in only his second first-class match while Seelaar ended unbeaten on 138. His best in 40 prior first-class innings had been 81 not out.Hong Kong had looked set for victory after securing a 243-run first-innings lead. Captain Babar Hayat posted his second century in his fourth first-class match, his 173 leading the way in a total of 527 for 9 after Hong Kong had been asked to bat. Hayat was involved in three century partnerships – with Chris Carter, Nizakat Khan and Anshuman Rath – to put the visitors on the back foot.Netherlands efforts in the field were impacted by an injury to quick Timm van der Gugten, who was missing in action after hurting his shoulder diving in the field following his initial seven-over spell to open day one. Fellow new-ball seamer Vivian Kingma took up responsibility in the absence of van der Gugten, bowling 35 overs to finish with 4 for 125.Van der Merwe scored his first four-day century for Netherlands, and fifth overall, making 135 off 149 balls in Netherlands’ reply of 284. Hayat chose not to enforce the follow-on early on day three, his bowlers having spent 18.2 overs in the field on the morning of day three to get Netherlands out after 47 overs on day two.Hong Kong batted another 53 overs to post 263 for 6 declared as Rath top-scored with 88, his second half-century in the match to follow up his 98 not out in the first innings. The declaration was made with an hour to go on day three and Tanwir Afzal struck on the second ball of the chase, removing Stephan Myburgh for a duck. Fellow opener Max O’Dowd fell for 22 to Nawaz less than three overs before stumps as Netherlands entered the last day on 48 for 2 in 16 overs, facing another 96 overs to save an unlikely draw but one they accomplished thanks to personal bests from Cooper and Seelaar.The 1467 runs in the match made it the third-highest scoring match in Intercontinental Cup history. Netherlands 393 for 5 is the second-highest fourth innings total in the history of the Intercontinental Cup – behind only Afghanistan’s 494 for 4 in a win over Canada in 2010 – as well as the most overs batted out to secure a draw with 111. The most overs batted out prior to this match to secure a draw in an Intercontinental Cup match was also achieved by the Netherlands, against Canada in 2009, when they survived 103 overs to end the match eight down. Seelaar also played a role in that result, batting out 17 balls at No. 10 to deny Canada victory.Hong Kong took nine points from the match, claiming extra points after securing a first-innings lead but remained fifth on the Intercontinental Cup table with 39 points, though they closed the gap to one point with Papua New Guinea in fourth. Netherlands earned three points for the draw and continued to sit in third at 49 points behind Ireland and Afghanistan.

Mitchell Swepson’s media minders avoided the temptation to have him pose for the cameras in front of the Shane Warne statue outside the MCG on Sunday. When the 23-year-old spoke of his inclusion in Australia’s squad to tour India next month this proved to be a wise move, for there is more to Swepson’s story than Warne’s giant shadow.While grateful for Warne’s advocacy over the past few weeks leading up to the selection panel’s decision to send him with Steven Smith’s team, Swepson is neither a pupil of Australia’s most prolific wicket-taker nor a clone of his bowling method. Instead Swepson has built and trusted his own technique through a brief career that has already taken him a long way in a shorter space of time than he expected.”I never really modelled my bowling on anyone,” Swepson said. “I have looked at footage from Shane Warne bowling but more as a fan. I love watching that sort of thing, I love watching videos of Brett Lee bowling 160kph”I see myself as a standard leggie who likes to rip the ball. I’ve always been taught since I was a youngster bowling legspin to give the ball a good rip. You’ll go for a few runs, you’ll bowl some pump, but if you give yourself a chance to spin the ball hard and get the ball to talk through the air that’s how you’ll get your wickets. That’s how I go about it. I know I’ll go for runs and bowl some poor balls, but if I get the wickets that’s what I’m looking for.”Other influential figures in Australian cricket have been watching Swepson closely for some time, helping accelerate his progression through the ranks in a manner reminiscent of the young Warne or, more recently, Nathan Lyon. The selection chairman and former legspinner Trevor Hohns hails from the same Brisbane grade club, doubtless helping to forge a familiarity that contributed to Swepson’s starts for Queensland, Brisbane Heat and last year Australia A.”When I first got picked for the Shield team I didn’t think I was ready, sort of got thrown in the deep end there,” Swepson said. “Same thing when I made my BBL debut I didn’t think I was ready.”But it’s part of the game, if you get the opportunity it’s about taking it. I wasn’t expecting to be in a Test squad touring India, but it’s gone well for me being thrown in the deep end so far in my short career, so I’m really looking forward to any opportunity I can get over there and hopefully grab it with two hands.”Time in India and Sri Lanka last year with the national performance squad has allowed Swepson to gain some appreciation for what to expect, and also earn the respect of the national captain Smith, among others. Strong displays at home against India A in the spring also offered him some insights into the ways of Indian batsmen. He is aware that the Australian way must be significantly reshaped in the subcontinent, and also that any spin bowler’s resilience will be sorely tested by players raised against the turning ball.”There’s a lot to the way you have to go about your bowling over there,” he said. “It’s a lot different to bowling here in Australia, you’ve got to have your wits about you, got to have variation, change of pace, you’ve got to do a lot of things differently. I feel like the fact I’ve been over there and tested the waters a bit will help me to hit the ground running.”I take it as a challenge as a legspinner. Any cricketer should want to challenge themselves against the best; looking ahead to India in India against players like Virat Kohli, the best players of spin in the world, what better challenge could you want? It’ll be awesome to go over there and test yourself against the toughest opponents.”That kind of attitude has been fostered by another man influential on Swepson’s young career: Brisbane Heat captain Brendon McCullum. “As a captain on the field he’s such a calming influence,” Swepson said. “It’s pretty easy to get soaked up in the BBL, the crowds and the pressure and all that, but to have someone like that standing at short cover next to you when you’re bowling is pretty cool.”He loves a joke, loves a laugh loves a punt, brings in the field when maybe you shouldn’t. He finds a way to make you relax as a bowler and that’s what he’s helped me with.”So as much as Warne’s voice has been loud in support, there have been plenty of others in Swepson’s corner. Should he prove a success, all will be due credit for helping him along the way.

Angelo Mathews, who is returning from multiple injuries, hoped to “bowl quite a lot” and support Sri Lanka’s frontline quicks in the three Tests against South Africa starting from December 26 in Port Elizabeth.”I am 100 percent confident of my fitness,” Mathews said. “I am hoping to bowl quite a lot in South Africa. If I can bowl a lot more, the way I did in the recent few years, I can offer a lot to my team. I’ve managed my workload especially in the subcontinent on slow wickets. My bowling is mostly suited when the ball is slightly swinging and seaming.”In Asian conditions, I haven’t bowled that much but if it is South Africa, Australia or England, where the ball is seaming and moving, I might have to bowl a bit more because getting wickets is also important for my team.”Earlier this June, Mathews had hobbled off the field with stiffness in his left hamstring after bowling six overs during Sri Lanka’s tie with England in the first ODI in Trent Bridge. He went onto play the remaining four matches of the series, but bowled only five overs during those games.Later in August, Mathews tore his calf while batting in the fourth ODI against Australia and missed the final one, along with the two T20Is that followed. He then pulled out of the Tests against Zimbabwe, and the one-day tri-series involving West Indies, in October and November.Mathews insisted his injuries had nothing to do with his bowling and cited his heavy workload as a possible explanation. “If you look at my last four years I was actually told that I have played the most amount of cricket in the world,” he said.”Also if you look at my last four-five years I’ve been bowling quite a bit. It’s just that this year I had a hamstring injury and a calf strain but apart from that I’ve managed to play all the games. Injuries can occur any time but I don’t think it’s because I bowl.”Mathews also said that niggles were inevitable for a seamer. “Injuries can occur from time to time. The fast bowlers or medium-pacers will always have niggles,” he said.”If you talk to the great Wasim Akram who recently had a workshop in Colombo, Chaminda Vaas or Champaka Ramanayake, our fast bowling coach, they will always say they had niggles. You can never wake up without one when you are playing. That is what all the fast bowlers have to put up with.”

Ajinkya Rahane’s plate is fairly full in Test cricket. At No. 5, he has often been the leader of an Indian counterattack. In the field, he is the first-choice at first slip for the spinners. Since the away series against West Indies in 2016, he has been vice-captain. One more responsibility has fallen on his shoulders ahead of the five Tests against England at home: helping India make optimum use of the Decision Review System, especially considering the hosts will be using it for the first time in a Test series since 2011, whereas England have rarely ever played without it.”It is a completely new concept for all of us,” Rahane said. “We’ll have to wait and see about the DRS, but yes, we’ve been discussing about this from the last series and we had some plan. Wicketkeeper is obviously very important and as a slip fielder, you have that role to convey that message to the captain and also bowler.”As a batsman, you are completely involved in the game, you have to see where the ball is going and you have to convey that message to your partner. You have to be sure all the time.”When asked if DRS might be a key influence on the outcome of the series, Rahane said: “Yes, but that comes later on, We will spend some time explaining about DRS, how it works and how we should approach it. But the main focus is to play good cricket here. DRS obviously comes later on.”We want to dominate this series, we’ve been playing some very good cricket in the last one, one-and-a-half years. So important to start well here in Rajkot and continue that momentum into the series.”The BCCI had been, for a long time, reluctant to use DRS because it felt the system could not provide 100% accuracy. MS Dhoni had previously wondered if the system existed to reach the correct decision or if it was there to protect the on-field umpire’s call. With time, however, the technology has improved which in turn has helped change the team’s view. Since their visit to Bangladesh in 2015, Virat Kohli’s first tour as full-time Test captain, India have spoken about how they were discussing the implementation of DRS. Anil Kumble’s inputs must have helped – the current India coach is also chairman of the ICC’s cricket committee, which has been working towards eradicating the possibility of faults in the system.In October, ICC general manager Geoff Allardice made a presentation to the BCCI about the improvements that have been made over the years. The HawkEye cameras that were used for ball-tracking in the 2011 World Cup in India recorded 50-75 frames per second. The ones in this series can record 340 frames per second. This means there is more data to calculate the predicted path of the ball – say, after it hits the pad in case of lbw decisions – and therefore less chance of error. Also with respect to the lbw protocol, the ICC has tweaked the rule to effectively make the stumps larger and as such there is the possibility that not-out calls made on the field have a high chance of being overturned by the third umpire.The BCCI is yet to reach a decision on whether it will continue using DRS after the England series.

The BCCI has authorised its president Anurag Thakur and secretary Ajay Shirke to look into the legal ramifications of the Supreme Court verdict that approved the Lodha Committee’s recommendations and guide the board and its member units. While there was no official statement from the BCCI, sources that attended the meeting confirmed that Thakur and Shirke will, in conjunction with the newly formed legal panel, engage with the Lodha Committee, and they will represent the concerns of the state associations as well.”This (Lodha Committee verdict) was the single-point agenda, and it was one [short, focused meeting] that lasted about half an hour to 45 minutes,” a state association official from the east zone told ESPNcricinfo. “The BCCI has the legal cell. We as a state association don’t know the legal aspects but somebody has to take care of such things. So, the SGM was called to authorise the secretary and the president to look into it. Concerns of individual state associations were not discussed; it was [a discussion] on the whole as reforms are meant for everybody.”Another official from a southern state said state associations had been instructed to direct their legal queries to the board’s lawyers who will advise them on the future course of action. According to him, however, the board’s first task would be to seek clarifications regarding its own functioning.”On August 9, the president and secretary are supposed to meet the Lodha Committee,” the official said. “The first priority is clarifications regarding the BCCI, only then will state associations come into the picture. Clarifications on all matters – when should the constitution be amended and how, the recommendations, and we also have the AGM coming up in September – will be sought.”While there has been speculation that the BCCI is inclined to file a review petition challenging the Supreme Court’s verdict, the official said it was a decision the president and secretary would make based on the legal advice they get. “There will be greater clarity once they meet the Lodha Committee on the ninth,” he said.The official also said there was no instruction from the board regarding elections of the Karnataka State Cricket Association and the Cricket Association of Bengal. The Lodha Committee had directed the CAB and KSCA to put their polls – scheduled for July 31 and August 7 respectively – on hold. “The BCCI will give its opinion on it. There will be more clarity after they discuss with the Lodha Committee. We are not going to raise anything as far as state associations are concerned, let the BCCI do. The states will fall in place thereafter.”