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New Zealand A lost six wickets for nine runs to be bowled out for 143 and despite a top-order stutter, India A had little trouble chasing down the target

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Oct-2017
ScorecardKarn Sharma continued his rich form against New Zealand A•BCCI

Legspinner Karn Sharma extended his dominance over New Zealand A into the List A format with a five-for that helped India A take a 1-0 lead in the five-match one-day series. Karn, who had taken 16 wickets in the two four-dayers against New Zealand A, took 5 for 22 to limit the opposition to 143 in the third match in Visakhapatnam on Wednesday. Despite a top-order slump, India A completed the chase with six wickets and more than 25 overs to spare.New Zealand A had a promising start after opting to bat first, with George Worker and Colin Munro adding 39 by the eighth over. Both, however, were out within a short span and two more wickets left New Zealand A at 97 for 4. Henry Nicholls and Colin de Grandhomme attempted something of a repair job with a partnership of 37 for the fifth wicket but it took only eight overs for the rest of New Zealand A’s innings to unravel. Nicholls was dismissed for 35 in the 31st over and his wicket began a slide that saw New Zealand A lose six wickets for merely nine runs. Karn was central to this slide, taking four of the six wickets in consecutive overs, including those of Nicholls and de Grandhomme. Left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and allrounder Deepak Hooda took three wickets between them to wipe out the rest of the line-up.India A’s top three were all dismissed for single digits but Shreyas Iyer, Vijay Shankar (47 not out) and Hooda (35 not out) ensured they reached the target comfortably. Iyer, who had struck 90 in the tied match on Tuesday, made 37 off 36 before Hooda and Shankar completed the chase with a 57-run partnership.

Crystal Palace may have waved goodbye to key man Wilfried Zaha this week, but another big name could soon be arriving at Selhurst Park in Arsenal striker Eddie Nketiah.

Who are Crystal Palace's forwards?

Zaha's departure to Galatasaray on a free transfer will leave a huge void to be filled, the winger departing the club he has called home for close to two decades, either side of a doomed spell with Manchester United.

Palace still have talented pair Michael Olise and Eberechi Eze, assuming they fend off interest from top-flight rivals, but their squad is otherwise looking a little bare in attack.

Jean-Philippe Mateta struggled in his first season at Selhurst Park and may be moved on this summer, which would leave Jordan Ayew and Odsonne Edouard as Roy Hodgson's only senior forwards.

However, according to TheEaglesBeak, via football.london, Palace are looking to bolster their ranks and have made signing Nketiah their priority between now and the end of the transfer window on September 1.

How many goals has Eddie Nketiah scored?

Nketiah has made 89 Premier League appearances for Arsenal, but he has found the net just 14 times, while his overall record for the Gunners is 32 goals in 131 appearances.

The 24-year-old was called upon by Mikel Arteta in the midst of a tense title race with Manchester City last season after Gabriel Jesus sustained an injury that ruled him out for three months.

Nketiah initially took full advantage of his big chance by scoring six goals in six games in all competitions, including a double in Arsenal's thrilling 3-2 win over Manchester United in January.

That led to praise from captain Martin Odegaard, who hailed Nketiah for the "amazing" manner in which he stepped up to lead the line in Jesus' absence.

However, Nketiah – on wages of £100k-a-week at the Emirates Stadium, according to Capology – did not score in his next 14 appearances and ended the 2022-23 season with four goals in 30 appearances.

Still, Nketiah's return of 0.33 goals per 90 minutes in the Premier League last season, as per FBref, was bettered by only Eze – just – among Palace players last season (0.34). Nketiah's 0.41 goals and assists combined per 90, meanwhile, was near enough on a par with Olise (0.43).

In fact, Nketiah's figures were a lot better than he was perhaps given credit for. According to FBref's comparison model, the Englishman was very alike Manchester United's Marcus Rashford in a number of metrics last season.

Nketiah and Rashford fired away shots at an almost identical rate per 90 minutes (3.39 v 3.38 respectively), had a very similar pass-completion rate (80.4% v 76.7%), and likewise when it came to progressive carries per 90 (2.64 v 2.66).

While Rashford did register more goals and more assists than Nketiah, the pair recorded an identical expected assisted goals figure of 0.11 per 90, effectively meaning that they created the same quality of chances for teammates.

That is not to say Nketiah is on a par with Rashford, but should he be given a regular run of starts in a team full of talented young players, it may well be that he finally gets a chance to truly fulfil his potential at a London club.

In his second coaching stint in Bangladesh, Champaka Ramanayake hopes to hand pick talent from different corners of the country

Mohammad Isam17-Aug-2017

Champaka Ramanayake, former Sri Lanka fast bowler and the new head coach of BCB’s High Performance Unit, hopes to widen the search for fast bowlers across Bangladesh in his second coaching stint in the country. He previously worked as the bowling coach of the national team from 2008 to 2010.”The coaching will be the same but maybe I will look into the youngsters who have never been seen before,” Ramanayake said. “I am thinking of going around the country to find raw talent. Definitely there is talent, because cricket is big in the country. There should be lot of players with natural talent, so I am looking forward to finding them.”Ramanayake, the second high-profile appointment after Courtney Walsh, the bowling coach of the national team, underlined the importance of having a comfort factor in working with young bowlers to be successful at the job.”I have worked for SLC for 14 years as a bowling coach. Early on I was working on the development side; working day to day with the youngsters helped me build a relationship and their confidence level,” he said. “The biggest thing you can give them is confidence, that they can do the job. The biggest satisfaction you can get as a coach is when you develop someone.”In his first stint in Bangladesh, Ramanayake focused on working with natural actions, Rubel Hossain and Shafiul Islam being the most-notable names to come up around the time. “You shouldn’t make too many changes to natural ability. That’s my philosophy,” he said. “In Sri Lanka, we produced lot of freaks from nowhere because of their natural talent.”Sometimes, people try to change too many things and then you lose the natural ability. Everyone is different in this world, so you have to treat them differently. Actions are different so as long as they produce results and are effective, that’s the main thing.”

Manor Solomon will undertake his medical with Tottenham Hotspur "this week" as the Lilywhites look to secure the signature of the highly rated attacker as soon as possible, claims Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam.

Tottenham Hotspur transfer news – What's the latest on Manor Solomon?

It has been a brilliant start to the transfer window for Spurs this summer. The club have brought in two new first-team players in the guise of James Maddison from Leicester City and Italian goalkeeper Guglielmo Vicario from Serie A side Empoli.

It looks like Daniel Levy isn't done there, however, as he looks to give new manager Ange Postecoglou the tools he needs to rebuild the teams and get them fighting for European places once again.

The newest name linked to the north London side is Shakhtar Donetsk star Solomon, who impressed on loan at fellow Premier League side Fulham last season.

The 23-year-old still has six months left on his current deal with the Ukrainian side, but a FIFA ruling from last year that allowed foreign players to run down their contracts at clubs outside the country due to the Russian invasion, has been extended.

Despite significant interest from the Cottagers to keep their loan player for another season, it now appears that the Lilywhites are the firm favourites to secure his signature, per Sky Sports reporter Mark McAdam.

McAdam explained the situation on Sky Sports News (via Football Daily):

"We understand that Fulham are keen on him however, it's Tottenham that are showing the biggest signs of interest.

"He has got the opportunity to join there, we are expecting a medical to be completed this week. He impressed Tottenham Hotspur with his performances at Fulham last season despite only starting four Premier League matches, they were impressed by what they saw.

"He's an Israeli international as well, so he brings that pedigree, and it's our understanding there could be some big movement on this one for the 23-year-old this week."

How good was Manor Solomon last season?

Despite starting just four Premier League games for Fulham last season, the Israeli dynamo made quite the impression on the cottagers and enjoyed a great spell in West London.

According to WhoScored, he averaged an impressive rating of 6.52 across his 19 appearances and even scored four league goals in those four starts.

His underlying numbers look promising as well with FBref, who compare players in a similar position across Europe's top five leagues, placing the attacker in the top 1% for non-penalty goals and tackles, the top 4% for pass completion, the top 6% successful take-ons and the top 18% for interceptions, all per 90.

His ability to cause problems for opposing defenders was something that Fulham boss Marco Silva was particularly pleased with, saying: "He can take players on one-on-one, and he is showing he can score."

If Levy and Co can agree on personal terms with the "incredible" Solomon, as described by journalist Niv Dovrat, and get him for free, it would be a spectacular move for the club.

David Warner has said his game plan was to attack KKR, especially their spinners, and it is always important to have game plans against quality attacks

ESPNcricinfo staff01-May-20172:01

Had a game plan to commit to my shots – Warner

When Sunil Narine was introduced in the fifth over of Sunday’s game between Sunrisers Hyderabad and Kolkata Knight Riders, David Warner was busy razing the visitors. If anyone thought Narine’s arrival would herald a period of watchfulness from Warner, he dismissed such thoughts first ball, switch-hitting a six over short third man to register a fifty off 20 balls, halfway to what would become the fifth-fastest hundred in IPL cricket. After Sunrisers completed their 48-run thumping of KKR, Warner said his assault was planned.”It was great that I went out there and had a clear game plan,” Warner said at the post-match press conference. “I just said to the guys ‘commit to your shots’.”Speaking to the IPL website later, he elaborated on this plan to apply pressure on KKR, especially their spinners. “When you got a quality spin-bowling unit bowling against you, you always have to have a game plan. I try and take that risk out by backing my strengths. The reverse-sweep is one of my strengths.”I thought, tonight, I had to have that clear plan while playing and I did. I wanted to try and mix it up by coming down the wicket and putting a bit more pressure on them. I tried to make them bowl faster into the wicket. They bowled faster on a few occasions and didn’t at times. But that is the kind of game plan you’ve got to have.”Warner finished with 78 runs off 30 balls against the spinners, and Sunrisers’ opening stand amounted to 139 in 12.4 overs. However, Warner’s partner Shikhar Dhawan accounted for just 29 off those, off 30 balls. Warner said that was the kind of batting required of Dhawan at that stage.”I have to make a special mention of Shikhar Dhawan – the role that he played tonight,” Warner said. “I had to play that role [at the start of] last game when he was going all guns blazing. And Kane Williamson is unbelievable, he just comes and knocks it and gets a 40. It just sums it up for us.”Warner also praised 23-year-old fast bowler Mohammed Siraj, who made the first breakthrough for Sunrisers in their defence of 209, and then claimed a well-set and threatening Robin Uthappa. “Siraj is learning on the go and that is what we expect. It is fantastic. That is the quality of this Sunrisers unit. We are not harsh critics, but we allow the guys to get chances, and the way he has come out and taken his chances is fantastic.”And it is great to have Bhuvneshwar Kumar there always talking to him. An experienced bowler like Bhuvi is of great help.”

ScorecardFawad Ahmed and Carlos Brathwaite claimed seven wickets between them•Getty Images and Cricket Australia

Can the Sydney Thunder qualify for the finals? Can they?Ten days ago, the champions had lost their first four games, and were staring down the barrel of elimination from the competition. Then Eoin Morgan smote Ben Hilfenhaus into the western Sydney sky and their season lived on. They then won well in Hobart and now, sweetest of all, they thrashed their crosstown rivals the Sydney Sixers by eight wickets, having limited them to just 99 in front of 39,756 people, a domestic cricket record for New South Wales. The emphatic margin means victory in their final game, against the struggling Adelaide Strikers, gives them a shot at making the finals.For the Sixers, this was a drubbing and a humiliation. The effect on their already poor NRR has been so profound that despite already having four wins on the board – as many as any team – they likely need to win their last game against the Melbourne Stars to make the semi-finals. Still, with just seven of the 32 pool games left, no team is out, and none have qualified for the semi-finals; the BBL’s evenness remains one of its major attractions.Fawad the destroyer
Chief among the reasons for the Thunder’s win was the brilliant bowling performance of Fawad Ahmed. The legspinner’s four overs contained 12 dots, conceded just one boundary, and were worth no more than five runs each. Handily, he also picked up four wickets. Coming on after a Powerplay that had picked up both the Sixers openers at a cost of just 36, he picked up Nic Maddinson and Moises Henriques, both caught slog-sweeping, off consecutive deliveries in his second over. Colin Munro was done in by a flat legspinner in his third, then Sean Abbott slapped straight to midwicket, where Carlos Brathwaite took the catch. Fawad’s 4 for 14 was the best-ever figures for the Thunder, and the best in a Sydney derby.For the Thunder, there were decisive bowling contributions beyond Fawad. Chris Green kicked things off, conceding just 12 from his three overs in the Powrerplay, as well as bowling Michael Lumb. Brathwaite hammered a relentless line and length picked up Brad Haddin, Johan Botha and Nathan Lyon in his second, third and fourth overs, while Shane Watson was supremely tight and dismissed Daniel Hughes just as he was looking in ominous form.Sydney Thunder chased down their target of 100 with ten overs to spare•Cricket Australia

The strange decision and the disastrous consequences
The Sixers had played six games before this one, and chased in all of them. They had won four and lost just two. So why, upon winning the toss, did Moises Henriques opt to bat first? (This was the first time in 25 games this BBL that the captain winning the toss had opted to bat.)Whatever the reason, the outcome was shocking. Beyond the obviously gruesome total and the loss of all but one of their wickets, there were some striking statistics from their batting effort. They hit just seven boundaries, and failed to hit any in the second half of their innings, with a Haddin cover drive after 9.3 overs their last. They faced 53 dots balls went 27 balls (between 13.5 and 18.3 overs) without taking more than one from a delivery. They failed to take more than five from any of the last 12 overs, and they scored more than eight just once (the second, when Lumb got after Clint McKay). The biggest partnership was for the second wicket, and was worth just 22. It was a sorry tale, and their equal lowest ever score.The dab
Thunder, clearly, have been hard at work on the training ground. But they have obviously been hitting the dance floor, too. Brathwaite unveiled the BBL dab in the win over Hurricanes and he had three more opportunities to show it off here too, with Fawad joining him for a synchronised handshake, too. Only the goosestepping, tan-lined pair of streakers later in the night got a bigger cheer.A stroll of a chase
With the skies greying, Thunder were half way to the target after 29 balls, and had not lost a wicket. The low target gave James Vince the licence to throw his bat around – his on-driven four and six over cover will live long in the memory – while Kurtis Patterson used the opportunity to play himself back into form.Sean Abbott dismissed Vince and Watson, both pulling, but on the Thunder charged, romping home, with Ben Rohrer heaving hard. In the blink of an eye they were home, with half their deliveries to spare.

Arsenal are expected to launch a bid for West Ham United midfielder Declan Rice "very soon", according to transfer expert Fabrizio Romano.

What's the latest on Declan Rice to Arsenal?

CBS reporter Ben Jacobs has recently detailed that Arsenal could get a deal for Rice done "quickly", as he wants to move to the Emirates Stadium, however he does not completely rule out another team winning the race for his signature.

Jacobs has also claimed the Gunners will take a "disciplined" approach in their pursuit of the 24-year-old, with their opening offer set to be worth less than £100m, but "all signs point towards" a move to north London this summer.

Personal terms have reportedly already been agreed, meaning the last remaining obstacle is submitting an acceptable offer to West Ham, and according to a new update from Romano, a bid could soon be on its way.

Taking to Twitter, the transfer expert gave a very positive update on the Gunners' pursuit of the midfielder, saying:"Arsenal will enter into crucial stages of Declan Rice deal next week. Official bid expected very soon after positive talks in the recent days.

"Gunners feel they’re ahead of Bayern as player priority is to continue in England — but timing will be crucial for Arsenal."

Is Rice signing for Arsenal?

A move to the Emirates Stadium would seemingly tick a lot of boxes for the England international, as he has previously made it clear he wants to stay in London, while he is also keen to play in the Champions League and compete for trophies.

Of course, the West Ham captain got his hands on his first piece of major silverware when West Ham won the Europa Conference League last weekend, which also grants them qualification to the Europa League next season.

The fact there will be European football at the London Stadium once again could potentially make the London-born midfielder think twice about leaving, although West Ham chairman David Sullivan has recently confirmed the player has his heart set on leaving.

If, as expected, the £60k-per-week midfielder does move on this summer, Arsenal will be getting a top player if they win the race for his signature, having been hailed as "incredible" by members of the media.

Not only does Rice rank very highly for some key defensive metrics over the past year, including interceptions and clearances per 90, there is also an indication he could be an attacking threat, with Jack Wilshere previously claiming he was the "best finisher" at West Ham.

The England international clearly has no future under Erik ten Hag, and a parting of ways is inevitable this summer

Manchester United are going places under Erik ten Hag. Sunday's 1-0 victory over Aston Villa gave the Red Devils a nine-point cushion over fifth-placed Liverpool in the race for the final Champions League spot, and they still have a game in hand on their rivals.

Ten Hag also brought the club's six-year trophy drought to an end with a 2-0 Carabao Cup final victory over Newcastle, and supporters are now looking forward to a blockbuster FA Cup final clash against noisy neighbours Manchester City.

Amid their resurgence, Harry Maguire has been little more than a spectator.

The 30-year-old has only started 15 games for United this season, including just seven in the Premier League. Indeed, he was only given a four-minute run out against Villa after Ten Hag opted to deploy Luke Shaw as a makeshift centre-back alongside Victor Lindelof once again.

Maguire is still United's club captain, but Bruno Fernandes now wears the armband 90 percent of the time, and a permanent change will surely be made in the summer.

It has also been reported that Ten Hag will sanction Maguire's departure, with the defender not figuring into his long-term plans at Old Trafford.

When Maguire initially joined United, he was considered among the best centre-halves in the country. Four years later, he has been reduced to a figure of ridicule and appears destined for a significant step down.

So how did we get to this point?

GettyThe price tag

Maguire was on the radar of a number of top clubs in 2019, having matured into one of the Premier League's most consistent performers at Leicester City.

Pep Guardiola wanted him at Manchester City, but it was United that ultimately won the race for his signature by smashing the world transfer record for a defender.

Leicester managed to get £80 million ($100m) out of United for Maguire, who signed a six-year contract at Old Trafford, with the option of an extra year.

City didn't feel that lofty fee was a fair valuation, but the Red Devils took the gamble heading into Ole Gunnar Solskjaer's first full season in charge.

"Harry is one of the best centre-backs in the game today," the Norwegian said at his unveiling. "He is a great reader of the game and has a strong presence on the pitch, with the ability to remain calm under pressure."

Maguire backed up his manager's words with a solid first couple of months at the club, and outlined his aspirations in an interview with "It's the long term, that's what the main thing is," he said. "In five or six years, judge me then – whether I have been a success at this club or not."

Pressed on how he deals with the expectations that come with his price tag, he added: "It doesn't bother me at all."

United supporters hoped that Maguire would be the same kind of transformative signing that Virgil van Dijk was for Liverpool a year earlier, but he hasn't come close to reaching that standard.

And despite what he says, that £80m fee has been a weight around Maguire's neck from day one.

AdvertisementGettyCaptaincy came too quick

Maguire's quick adaptation to life at Old Trafford led Solskjaer to make a drastic call just six months into his debut season.

With Ashley Young all set to seal a winter transfer to Inter, Maguire was given the honour of replacing him as United's official captain.

Granted, Solskjaer wasn't blessed with a squad full of leaders, but at the time it seemed as though David de Gea was the better choice due to his standing as the most experienced member of the dressing room.

Maguire jumped at the opportunity, despite not being ready for the extra responsibility that comes with the armband.

A captain needs to exude confidence to the rest of his team-mates and set an example for younger players to follow, but Maguire's performances in a United shirt have ranged from frustrating to downright embarrassing at times.

The Red Devils managed to finish second in the Premier League in 2020-21, but the wheels came off for Solskjaer in the first half of the following season as the flaws in Maguire's game were ruthlessly exposed.

The legendary former striker was sacked before the Christmas period, and his interim replacement Ralf Rangnick was unable to steady the ship as United finished with their worst-ever Premier League points total.

Maguire was regularly criticised for posting empty apologies on social media after bad results, and he was booed by angry supporters when turning out for England at international level.

The additions of players such as Fernandes and Raphael Varane have also shone an unflattering light on Maguire, who cannot match them for natural talent or strength of personality.

He has held onto the armband by a thread this term, but it's easy to wonder whether his time at United would have run far more smoothly had he never been entrusted with captaincy duties.

GettyThe Mykonos incident

The public's opinion of Maguire began to change in the summer of 2020, when he took an ill-fated family holiday to Greece.

His wife, dad, brother and sister were among those to accompany the United star to Mykonos for what should have been a relaxing break, but the trip ended up becoming a nightmare.

Maguire was arrested after a brawl outside a bar, and held in police custody for two nights. He was later found guilty in court of assaulting a police officer, resisting arrest and attempted bribery, which earned him a 21-month suspended sentence.

He has always denied any wrongdoing, claiming that the altercation occurred after two strangers injected his sister Daisy with an unknown substance. Maguire also alleges that he was beaten after being taken to the police station.

Maguire launched an appeal, which nullified his international conviction, and his case is set to be heard in a Greek court this coming June.

Police disputed his version of events, and one officer alleged in court that Maguire said to him following his arrest: "Please, let me go, I am very rich, I can pay, I am the leader of Manchester United."

As the press jumped on all the details surrounding the case, Maguire found himself under greater scrutiny than ever before, and his performances seemed to suffer after his eventual return to action for United.

“Some people will believe me, some people won’t,” he said when looking back on that summer in an interview with in 2022. “But one thing I would say about Mykonos is that I have no regrets.

“I don’t worry about what the outcome is going to be. I don’t worry about anything to do with it because my conscience is so clear about what happened that night. The people who were there that night, there were nine of us, we all understand what went on and what happened.”

Maguire's conscience may be clear, but he no longer goes anywhere full of strangers without a security team.

“It’s not something I want, really," he added on those extra measures. "It’s probably made me a little more aware that I’m in the spotlight that much.”

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Getty ImagesIndividual errors

A study published by the Alan Turing Institute last August found that Maguire is the second most abused player online – after his former United team-mate Cristiano Ronaldo.

When the criticism was at its peak, Maguire was left fearing for his and his family's safety. In April 2022, he received a bomb threat to his home in Cheshire.

Maguire said those responsible had "crossed a line" with the level of hate aimed in his direction coming as a shock to his colleagues at Old Trafford.

"He's taken a lot of stick – probably more than I've ever seen before in football," Shaw told a few months later.

There is no place in football for that level of abuse, and to Maguire's huge credit, he hasn't let it keep him down. However, in the world of social media, high-profile players will always be targeted if they are failing to perform. Maguire certainly doesn't deserve to be subjected to such appalling vitriol, but he has left himself open to criticism.

He made 16 errors leading to goals last season, and has been similarly unreliable when called upon in 2022-23.

Maguire is slow in and out of possession, and prone to making poor decisions that put United under pressure time and time again. He was made a scapegoat for the club's struggles last term because he stood out like a sore thumb.

United legend Nemanja Vidic recently expressed his belief that Maguire has lost the respect of his team-mates as a result of his erratic nature.

"Maguire has a problem because he doesn’t perform well," he said on Rio Ferdinand's YouTube channel . "When you don’t perform well, it’s difficult to say to someone what to do. It’s difficult to gain that type of respect. In general, any captain has to be first, has to show an example. A captain has to play well and has to fight for the club, and then everybody else will do it."

The most recent example of Maguire's ineptitude came in United's dismal 3-0 loss to Sevilla in the second leg of their Europa League quarter-final.

Ten Hag had no choice but to start the England man due to a plethora of injuries at the back, but he will surely know by now that he cannot trust him in the biggest matches. After all, he was the one that identified Maguire's presence as one of United's biggest weaknesses upon his arrival at the club.

Western Australia fought back on the third day in Perth, where they turned a 140-run first-innings deficit into a 135-run lead by stumps

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2016
ScorecardSam Whiteman scored his third first-class hundred•Getty Images

Centuries to Jonathan Wells and Sam Whiteman gave Western Australia hope on the third day against Tasmania, where they turned a 140-run first-innings deficit into a 135-run lead by the close of play. Wells finished the day unbeaten on 107 and was batting with debutant D’Arcy Short, who was on 29, and their total had moved along to 5 for 275.The morning had started with Tasmania on 7 for 388, but that was effectively 8 for 388 as Alex Doolan, who had gone to stumps on 202, retired hurt overnight after being diagnosed with delayed effects of concussion from a blow to the helmet during his innings. The Tigers added only 14 to their total before being bowled out for 402, with Jason Behrendorff finishing with 5 for 80.Western Australia opener Cameron Bancroft then missed out on the chance to remind Australia’s selectors of his potential as a Test batsman when he was bowled by Simon Milenko for 11. Bancroft had managed only 2 in the first innings and has not posted a half-century in any of his six Sheffield Shield innings this summer.Milenko added the wicket of veteran Michael Klinger, who was caught behind for a duck, and Hamish Kingston chipped in with a couple of wickets to leave Western Australia in serious danger at 4 for 44. But then came a rescue mission from Wells and Whiteman, who put on 166 for the fifth wicket to ensure the Warriors stayed in the match.Wells was given an unusual reprieve on 13 when he was given out by umpire John Ward, who determined that the batsman had edged James Faulkner onto his pad and to slip. However, before Wells had left the field, Ward had second thoughts about his decision and reversed his call, deciding that in fact Wells had not edged the ball.Wells made great use of that chance and went on to score a long-awaited maiden first-class century, in his 39th match, and having debuted for Tasmania back in December 2008. An opening batsman who has often frustrated by not capitalising on his talent, Wells has finally broken through to score a Sheffield Shield hundred at the age of 28.At the other end, Whiteman brought up his third first-class century and perhaps gave Australia’s selectors something else to think about as they ponder wicketkeeping options and whether to persist with Peter Nevill. Whiteman, who played first-class games for Australia A this winter, was eventually lbw to Jackson Bird for 104, having already made 54 in the first innings.

Birmingham Bears maintained their progress towards a home quarter-final with a comfortable victory against the Leicestershire Foxes

ECB Reporters Network24-Jun-2016
ScorecardKevin O’Brien’s run out was a blow for Leicestershire [file picture]•Getty Images

Birmingham Bears maintained their progress towards a home quarter-final with a comfortable victory against the Leicestershire Foxes.Put in by Ian Bell after the Bears’ skipper won the toss, the Foxes struggled to come to terms with the pitch from the start of their innings. Captain Mark Pettini was first to, skying an attempted forcing shot high over extra cover. Sam Hain turned and, running back towards the boundary, held a well-judged running catch.Mark Cosgrove went in the next over, playing too soon at a well-pitched up delivery from Rikki Clarke and chipping a simple catch to midwicket, and the home team could ill-afford Kevin O’Brien running himself soon afterwards. Cameron Delport dug out a yorker from Mark Adair, and looked up to see O’Brien charging towards him. The startled South African sent the Irishman back, but having gone at least three-quarters of the way down the wicket, O’Brien had no chance of beating Adair’s throw when the young seamer picked up the ball, turned, and hit middle stump.A 20 minute rain break gave Delport and Umar Akmal time to think about their approach, but soon after the re-start the left-handed Delport drove at Adair without any conviction and gave Clarke a straightforward low catch at extra cover.With the score 25 for 4 the Foxes were in deep trouble, and it looked to have worsened when Akmal swept Jeetan Patel to deep midwicket where Hain, running in from the boundary, looked to have held a low catch. Akmal waited for the decision though, and to the Bears dismay, umpires David Millns and Billy Taylor decided they could not be sure the catch had been held before the ball had touched the ground.Lewis Hill slog swept Recordo Gordon high over midwicket for six, and with Akmal, had compiled a partnership of 53 for Leicestershire’s fifth wicket when he tried a scoop Adair down to fine third man – a shot he had played successful two balls earlier – and succeeded only in lifting the ball straight into the gloves of Luke Ronchi behind the stumps.Akmal quickly followed, a leading edge off Jeetan Patel flying high towards backward point where Ateeq Javid held the catch to leave the Foxes on 80 for 6 in the fifteenth over. Tom Wells and Neil Dexter took the score on to 116, including 18 from a Gordon over, before Dexter holed out off the same bowler, and though Wells continued to hit hard, with the ball not coming on to the bat, could only take the Foxes up to a total of 125 for 7.Captain Bell then lead the way for the Bears, compiling an opening partnership of 51 in under six overs with Sam Hain to give his side an outstanding start to their reply.Hain lost nothing in comparison, hitting four beautifully timed boundaries before cutting O’Brien chest-high to Akmal at point. When Will Porterfield was bowled by Ben Raine soon afterwards, a delivery which seamed past the outside edge to hit off-stump, the Foxes might have thought they were back in the game, and they might have been so had Laurie Evans not survived a caught behind shout off Raine before he had scored.With time in hand, however, Evans could afford to play himself in, and having done so, the hard-hitting right-hander accelerated impressively, catching his captain and then taking the Bears home by hitting O’Brien for consecutive boundaries and then a straight six, going to his half-century in the process.