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Damien Wright, the New Zealand bowling coach, will step down from the role at the end of the upcoming World Twenty20

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Aug-2012Damien Wright, the New Zealand bowling coach, will step down from the role at the end of the upcoming World Twenty20. Wright, in a New Zealand Cricket (NZC) release, said his decision to quit the job was influenced by his desire to spend more time with his family.”I have really enjoyed working with the New Zealand team and it was a tough decision to leave the position. The decision is related to time away from my family and a need to be based closer to home,” Wright said. “It has been a privilege to work with current crop of bowlers and I’m proud of the progression they have made over the past year.”Wright was appointed New Zealand bowling coach in mid-2011, after retiring from Australian first-class cricket. He played for Tasmania and then Victoria, and also doubled up as the Bushrangers’ bowling coach in his final season with them.NZC director of cricket John Buchanan said Wright had played a significant role in his short time with New Zealand. “Damien has done a brilliant job since he came on board and will be hard to replace. He brings a huge amount of passion and energy to the team. We have been particularly impressed with the growth and development of the young fast bowlers during his time in the role.”

Alister McDermott’s seven-wicket haul narrowly failed to earn Queensland a stunning win at the Gabba, where Western Australia chased 68 for victory and got there nine wickets down

ESPNcricinfo staff09-Feb-2012
ScorecardAlister McDermott picked up 7 for 24•Getty ImagesAlister McDermott’s seven-wicket haul narrowly failed to earn Queensland a stunning win at the Gabba, where Western Australia chased 68 for victory and got there nine wickets down. In a thrilling finale, Ben Cutting collected the eighth and ninth wickets from consecutive balls with the Warriors still needing four to win, but the No.11 Michael Hogan picked up two from each of the next two deliveries to secure the win.Nathan Rimmington was at the other on 16 when the winning runs came, the top seven batsmen all having fallen to McDermott, whose 7 for 24 easily eclipsed his previous best first-class figures of 3 for 36. The small target started to look a bit tougher when McDermott had Liam Davis caught behind in the first over, Wes Robinson caught down leg side in the third over and Marcus North lbw in the seventh over.It left the Warriors at 3 for 23 and worse was to come when both Marsh brothers were caught pulling, Shaun for 12 and Mitchell for a duck. That gave McDermott his maiden five-wicket haul in his fifth first-class match, and he followed up with Luke Ronchi caught behind for 1 and Adam Voges, the top scorer with 18, snapped up at second slip.When Cutting chipped in with the wickets of Nathan Coulter-Nile and Michael Beer it left Queensland with a great chance to keep their unbeaten season alive, but Hogan edged two and then drove down the ground to secure the win. Remarkably, the Bulls also dropped two catches as the Warriors wobbled their way to 9 for 68, but the result was enough to push Western Australia within four points of the top-of-the-table Bulls.Earlier in the day, Queensland had lost their last six wickets for 64 runs, as Beer collected 3 for 19 and Rimmington also picked up three victims. Joe Burns top scored for Queensland with 43.

Somerset are at a serious disadvantage by comparison to the category A grounds in England on account of not having been given a grant by the ECB for a new drainage system at Taunton, according to their director of cricket, Brian Rose

Jeremy James at Taunton18-Aug-2011
Scorecard
Somerset are at a serious disadvantage by comparison to the category A grounds in England on account of not having been given a grant by the ECB for a new drainage system at Taunton, according to their director of cricket, Brian Rose. “This is starting to affect the outcome of the County Championship,” he said. “And we have the second highest amount of rainfall in the country after Lancashire.”Rose could do nothing about the persistent drizzle which washed out the second day’s play and all but eight overs on Wednesday. On almost any other ground, though, there would have been considerably more cricket, but the somewhat muddy outfield was still too slippery when the 4pm inspection took place. “I have personally apologised to our opponents this season for the state of it,” said Rose. “Category A grounds would be able to restart far more quickly than us.”I am bitterly disappointed that we have suffered the same rain-affected days that affected our chances of winning the championship last year. We have an excellent groundsman in Simon Lee but the drainage system we are using is 120 years old and the outfield has not recovered from the renovations of last October, when the seed did not take hold.”We then went into an ice age in Taunton during December and January, followed by a drought in February, March and April. So we were back to where we were when we started. I was seriously worried at the end of May this year that we would be playing on sand. The day after the season starts we shall try all over again, which will cost us a further £16,000-20,000. New drainage would amount to £500,000, which we do not have,” said Rose.He contrasts the situation at the County Ground with that at Bristol, where neighbours Gloucestershire – a second division club – have successfully installed drainage. Although this resulted in brown marks across the outfield that were still visible in the spring, these have now disappeared. Will the ECB and former Somerset chairman Giles Clarke look favourably on Taunton? “It goes hand in hand with our redevelopment,” reckons Rose.”Every hour of play we lose is vital, especially at this stage of the season. We are now down to a two-day match against Nottinghamshire, but then matches in Somerset have been completed in a day, as anyone who saw Bertie Buse’s benefit match in Bath will remember.”Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset captain, opined in his local newspaper column today that only Andrew Flintoff of the 2005 Ashes-winning side that he played in would have made a significant difference to Andrew Strauss’ all-conquering X1 of today. Trescothick, who would still be playing international cricket but for his stress-related illness, modestly did not mention himself.

It was with characteristic understatement that Ashley Giles summed up his Warwickshire side’s performance with the phrase: “a bad day at the office”. In truth, this may well prove to be the defining moment of his side’s season

George Dobell at Edgbaston20-Aug-2011
Scorecard
It was with characteristic understatement that Ashley Giles summed up his Warwickshire side’s performance with the phrase: “a bad day at the office”. In truth, this may well prove to be the defining moment of his side’s season.A second innings batting performance that saw five of the top six dismissed for ducks only exasperated a wasteful display that saw Warwickshire squander several opportunities to clinch a game that had been theirs for the taking. Whether it was failing to establish a crushing first-innings lead, allowing Hampshire off the hook of being, in effect, three for three in their second innings, or collapsing in their second innings, Warwickshire may well come to rue this display for years to come.Might this be the day that ended Warwickshire’s Championship challenge? They certainly haven’t played like prospective champions over the last couple of days, though it is worth noting that Nottinghamshire were dismissed for just 59 by Yorkshire towards the end of last season. They still won the title. As it is, Warwickshire are now 25 points behind Lancashire, but with a game in hand. That eight-point pitch penalty is also looking more important as the season progresses.There is, however, a fragility about Warwickshire’s top-order batting that was alarming. It’s only the second time Warwickshire have been dismissed for under a 100 in the Championship this century, but it is worth noting that the previous occasion was also this season.On the first instance – against Lancashire at Edgbaston – the batsmen were almost blameless on a pitch that was turning square. This time they were tentative to the point of being pathetic.Perhaps that’s harsh. Perhaps it does little to reflect Hampshire’s excellent fight-back in this game. Perhaps it fails to credit the James Vince’s eye-catching century and James Tomlinson and Chris Wood’s fine new ball bowling. Certainly Hampshire played some skilful, courageous cricket over the second half of this game.The truth is, however, that Warwickshire made life far too easy for them. Whether it was their loose second-innings bowling, their timid second-innings capitulation or their careless first-innings batting, Warwickshire must reflect that they gave this game away.The turning point of this match did not come on the third day. It came on day two. It came when the likes of Jim Troughton and Tim Ambrose surrendered their wickets with the loosest of drives that were utterly inappropriate to the circumstances. It came when Rikki Clarke guided a ball to slip and Chris Woakes ran himself out. It came, largely, due to complacency. Warwickshire had the opportunity to finish off Hampshire; instead they offered them a series of lifelines.This is also a result that just about sustains Hampshire’s hopes of pulling off their ‘great escape.’ Though they remain bottom of the Division One table – adrift by 21 points – they have now won two in a row and have a game in hand on Yorkshire. Results elsewhere – at Scarborough and Blackpool – also did them a few favours, though their stand-in captain, Jimmy Adams admits that next week’s game against Worcestershire remains a “must win” encounter.In Vince they certainly have a talented young batsman. While the 20-year-old’s record is infuriatingly mediocre – this was his first score over 20 in eight Championship innings – he clearly has tremendous talent. His driving off the front foot is wonderful – as good as anyone in the county game – while he’s also very good off his legs. The comparisons with Michael Vaughan are obvious and fair.Vince added 72 for the fifth-wicket with the night-watchman Tomlinson, before the killer blow was administered in an 119-run stand for the sixth-wicket with Sean Ervine. While Vince, in particular, feasted on some poor bowling – Woakes opened with two leg-stump half-volleys and showed more than a few signs of weariness – both batsmen increasingly took the fight to a tired attack. Wood, bludgeoning 32 (with six fours and a six) rubbed salt into the wound with a late cameo that broke the spirit of the hosts. Warwickshire’s final target of 308 was always likely to be too much for them.Spare a thought for Chris Woakes, however. Has anyone ever taken ten-wickets in a match and top scored in both innings only to finish on the losing side before? With Clarke limping out of the attack with a hamstring strain, Woakes’ burden was increased. He claimed the third 10-wicket match haul (10 for 123) of his career here as well as scoring 87 runs. Warwickshire simply ask for too much of him. On this occasion, it showed.His top-order batting colleagues have no such excuses. Some of them have struggled all season and here surrendered their wickets with remarkable ease. Ian Westwood cut a long-hop to point, William Porterfield was drawn into prodding at the very next ball and edged to the keeper, while Jim Troughton suffered his fourth duck of the Championship season when his weak prod resulted in an edge to the keeper. Troughton’s run of form, with just three half-centuries since August 2009, is simply not sustainable for a specialist batsman.Shivnarine Chanderpaul’s deeply unimpressive debut (he loitered around in the field with his hands in his pockets like a truculent teenager and was a noticeable absentee from Warwickshire’s on-field huddle) ended when he reached for a wide one and, inevitably, edged to slip, before Rikki Clarke pulled a short ball directly to the fielder at deep square leg. For a team on 45 for 6, it was a very odd shot.There were some moments of excellence from Hampshire, too. Ambrose received a peach of a delivery from Tomlinson that took his edge, while Michael Bates, who has endured a miserable game with the bat, showed why he’s so highly rated as a keeper by pulling off a superb leg-side stumping. Standing up to Tomlinson’s medium-pace, Bates pounced when Varun Chopra dragged his back foot out of his ground. Woakes and the tail at least averted record-breaking awfulness, but could no noting to prevent Hampshire completing victory by 209 runs.There are, as ever, mitigating factors for Warwickshire. Most pertinently, Hampshire’s opening bowlers utilised the new ball very well and the pitch had worn enough to offer some assistance. But there was nothing untoward in either the bowling or the conditions. The batsmen simply failed.Nor will life become easier. Warwickshire are without William Porterfield, Boyd Rankin, Jonathan Trott, Ian Bell and Chris Woakes on international duty for next week’s match against Yorkshire. Rikki Clarke is also an injury doubt.Looking further ahead, however, it seems more likely by the moment that Gary Keedy will be a Warwickshire player next season. Giles described Keedy as “top of his wish list” for next year, while it seems that Lancashire may decide the time has come to fully back their very impressive younger spinners.In the shorter-term, their top order simply have to stop making excuses and start making runs. It’s the only currency by which batsmen, ultimately, can be judged.

A round-up of the fifth round of matches in the National Cricket League 2011-12

Mohammad Isam24-Nov-2011Dhaka Metropolis reclaimed the top spot in the National Cricket League after a crushing 169-run win over Chittagong Division at the Sylhet Stadium. It was their fourth win in five games and pushed them into No. 1 in place of Khulna, who were defeated for the first time during this round of matches.Youngster Tasamul Haque’s maiden first-class century set up Dhaka Metro’s first innings score of 393, while Mohammad Ashraful struck his first first-class ton in more than a year in their second innings to leave Chittagong with a formidable chase of 386 runs. Chittagong were two batsmen short – Faisal Hossain fractured his hand while batting in the first innings, and Yasin Arafat was injured while fielding on the final day – making the task that much more difficult. Left-arm spinner Arafat Sunny, who claimed a five-for in the first innings, and off-spinner Mohammad Sharifullah shared five wickets in the second innings as the eight Chittagong batsmen lasted just 53 overs, folding for 216. Tasamul was named the Man of the Match for his 125.It was Rangpur Division’s maiden first-class win, as they overturned Khulna Division by five wickets at the Shahid Kamruzzaman Stadium. Tariq Ahmed played the archetypal captain’s knock, scoring 65 to help Rangpur reach their target of 223, after yet another poor first-innings show in which they conceded an eight-run lead after Khulna made just 139.But after Khulna responded with 214 all out in the second innings, Rangpur given a steady start by their young openers Robiul Islam and Ahsanul Lipu. Robiul and Tariq went on to hit half-centuries and added 69 for the second wicket. Khulna’s left-arm spinner Murad Khan was named Man of the Match for match figures of 11/129, with a first innings seven-for, though that proved to be not enough for Tushar Imran’s side, which had a poor game with the bat.At the Abdur Rab Serniabat Stadium, Syed Rasel gave one of his best all-round performances to help Barisal Division to a 159-run win over Dhaka Division, their first of the season.After Dhaka took a 16-run first-innings lead in a low-scoring start, the left-arm seamer, Rasel, struck what was only his second first-class half-century when, at No. 8, he smashed 91 off 107 balls. This knock brought Barisal back into the game. On the final day, Dhaka needed a further 208 runs, chasing 263, but in less than two hours, Rasel’s 5 for 13 skittled them out for just 103. It was a performance enough to win him the Man of the Match award. Dhaka captain Mohammad Sharif had taken a hat-trick in the second over of the match and finished with seven wickets in the game.Rajshahi Division registered their third win of the season, this one a five-wicket victory over Sylhet Divison at the Shaheed Chandu Stadium.Seamers Mukhtar Ali, Delwar Hossain and Jubair Ahmed shared nine wickets as Sylhet only managed 100 for 9 in their first innings. Enamul Haque’s 6 for 42, though, meant that Rajshahi managed only a 75-run lead. However, Sylhet’s main batsmen failed with the bat for the second time in the game, with only the promoted Shaker Ahmed (62) and tail-ender Tapash Baisya (59) managing to score fifties. Rajshahi had young wicketkeeper Hamidul Islam to thank, as his composed 63 got them to their target without much trouble. Hamidul was supported by the side’s new captain, the veteran Anisur Rahman, who made 51. Mukhtar was named the Man of the Match for his seven wickets in the game.

Australian cricket’s on-field and off-field operations will be put under the microscope after Cricket Australia announced it would commission independent reviews of the game’s governance and team performance

Brydon Coverdale08-Feb-2011Australian cricket’s on-field and off-field operations will be put under the microscope after Cricket Australia announced it would commission independent reviews of the game’s governance and team performance. The two separate reviews have been called for in the wake of the humiliating 3-1 Ashes loss, which featured three innings defeats as well as some dubious selections.The entire structure of Cricket Australia itself will be assessed, but what comes of the team performance review, which could intensify the heat on the coach Tim Nielsen and the chairman of selectors Andrew Hilditch, is equally fascinating. The board wants the reviews to be complete by its annual general meeting in October, meaning there could be sweeping changes by this time next year.”I don’t think anyone is happy with what came out of the Ashes series and that’s why the board has commissioned this review, to work out how we get the Australian cricket team back on top in Test cricket,” CA’s chief executive James Sutherland said. “It’s a great opportunity. Out of what happened in the Ashes if we can closely examine some of the faults that the experts may deem to have caused this, then it won’t occur again.”In terms of what implications that has for people in certain roles right now, that will happen in due course. Andrew Hilditch is as disappointed as I am in the performance of Australian cricket in not winning the Ashes and being beaten how we were. We’re really looking forward now.”The board has not yet decided what experts will be involved in the review, but those decisions should be made within the next three weeks. Jack Clarke, the chairman of Cricket Australia, said the team review would be “exhaustive, independent and transparent.”The governance review could result in a serious shake-up of Cricket Australia’s structure, which includes an unusual arrangement at board level. As founding members, Victoria, New South Wales and South Australia each have three votes on the board, but Western Australia and Queensland receive two each, and Tasmania just one.The corporate governance experts Colin Carter and David Crawford will be involved in the governance review, and Crawford has a history of instigating major overhauls. Crawford was responsible for a 1992 report that brought about the creation of the AFL Commission, and in 2003 he recommended the formation of the Football Federation of Australia.A more recent Crawford report commissioned by the Australian government suggested a review of the way funding was divided between Olympic and non-Olympic sports, and met strong opposition from the Australian Olympic Committee. Carter is the president of the Geelong Football Club and spent 15 years as an AFL commissioner.”I don’t want to pre-empt what it is going to say,” Clarke said. “The basis on which David Crawford and Colin Carter have been engaged is that they will provide a report to the board. The timing of that is not exact yet, it’s up to the board then to decide which of those issues we do and do not go forward with.”

Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who was dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the Twenty20 and ODI tour of West Indies, has said that he is ready to make his comeback into the national side as a “specialist batsman”

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Apr-2011Pakistan wicketkeeper Kamran Akmal, who was dropped from Pakistan’s squad for the Twenty20 and ODI tour of West Indies, has said that he is ready to make his comeback into the national side as a “specialist batsman”.”If Pakistan can find a better wicketkeeper than me,” Kamran told , “then I will try to make a comeback as a specialist batsman because batting is something I enjoy a lot and I can bat at any position.”Kamran was dropped from the Pakistan squad following a disappointing World Cup campaign, with bat and gloves – he dropped centurion Ross Taylor three times in the game against New Zealand, including twice early on, and also committed several errors in the games against Sri Lanka and the semi-final with India. Coach Waqar Younis had hinted that it was time for a new wicketkeeper to be picked.Kamran said that he was still disappointed with his performance in the New Zealand game. “And some people don`t want me to forget it. The day seemed to be cursed. People just criticise and forget my past performances. I also love my team and I`m the one who suffers the most because of the missed chances.”Kamran, who has made six hundreds in 53 Tests and five in 137 ODIs, said he was working hard on his wicketkeeping and batting as he was desperate to make a comeback to the national team. “I want to serve my country in whatever role the selectors see for me in the side.”Mohammad Salman was picked as the wicketkeeper for the one-day series in West Indies, and reports suggest that Kamran is unlikely to be called up for the two Tests that follow in the Caribbean. Kamran suggested that the focus was only on his shoddy performances, while his overall performance, both as a wicketkeeper and batsman were being ignored.”It is true I have had some bad matches in recent months but my performances should be viewed on overall basis. Overall my performance as a wicketkeeper has been fine and I`ve one of the highest dismissals among all the wicketkeepers who have played for Pakistan.”

Danish Kaneria has resubmitted a communication from his former county Essex to the PCB’s integrity committee in the hope that it will be enough to clear him to be selected once again for Pakistan

Osman Samiuddin15-May-2011Danish Kaneria has resubmitted a communication from his former county Essex to the PCB’s integrity committee in the hope that it will be enough to clear him to be selected once again for Pakistan. The communication, ESPNcricinfo understands, is an email the club sent Kaneria last November, primarily explaining the decision not to offer him another contract.The legspinner, currently Pakistan’s leading Test wicket-taker has not played since last summer after becoming embroiled in a spot-fixing scandal while at Essex for which he was arrested but eventually released by police. He was selected as part of the squad to face South Africa in a series in the UAE in November, but was prevented from travelling by the PCB at the last minute, the board saying he had not been ‘cleared’ by an integrity committee, newly-formed in the wake of the Lord’s spot-fixing scandal the same summer.Since then, Kaneria has submitted various financial records and documents and appeared in front of the committee several times but hasn’t managed to satisfy members. Until recently, the committee was asking him for transcripts of his questioning by police in the case, something Kaneria and his lawyers insisted they could not provide as it was part of an ongoing investigation in the UK.Last week the board accepted the reasoning and asked instead for Kaneria to provide them with a “clearance certificate” from Essex, as his employers at the time of the scandal. A misunderstanding emerged in reports that said Essex had provided a new clearance certificate which Kaneria had sent to the PCB. In actual fact, Kaneria has simply resubmitted a document he has already presented to the board.In it, Essex explain the financial and strategic reasons behind not offering him another contract and thank him for the seven years he played for them. PCB officials have confirmed the receipt of this communication and that it was a document they had been given earlier. The board will now decide whether it qualifies as the kind of clearance they have asked for.

Manchester City have not been reluctant to approach some of their fellow Premier League clubs to sign their marquee names in the past.

Some players who have made moves to the Etihad Stadium from other top-flight clubs include Jack Grealish, Riyad Mahrez, Raheem Sterling, Kyle Walker and John Stones.

Now that the summer transfer window is set to open for business in the coming weeks, it seems as though the Citizens have their eye on securing the signature of another one of the Premier League’s top talents.

What’s the news?

According to a recent report from the Daily Mail, City are interested in signing Manchester United midfielder Paul Pogba on a free transfer this summer.

With his current contract at Old Trafford set to expire at the end of June, the Frenchman could be set to call time on his six-year second spell with the Red Devils.

Pogba re-joined the Manchester club in the summer of 2016 from Juventus in a deal worth a then world-record fee of £89m after leaving for free in 2012.

In 233 senior appearances for City’s rivals, the 29-year-old – who is currently picking up a wage of £290k-per-week – has scored 39 goals and provided 51 assists from midfield.

Despite playing just 20 league games for United this season, the 2018 World Cup winner has still delivered nine assists for his current team, which is more than any other player in their squad.

Also, with an average of 1.6 shots per game, only Cristiano Ronaldo (3.6) and Bruno Fernandes (2.4) have a higher average of players currently in Ralf Rangnick’s squad. This show just how much of an attacking danger the Frenchman can be from midfield.

From a defensive point of view, Pogba also has an average of 1.8 aerial duels won per game. Taking into account how United are the only team with a higher percentage for aerials won this season than City, adding the 29-year-old to their ranks could be a great way to make the English champions even stronger in the air.

Described as a “work of art” by his recently deceased agent Mino Raiola, Pogba could be a solid addition to Pep Guardiola’s squad if the Citizens are able to work out a deal for him in the summer.

In addition, taking a player off their rivals to potentially become an important figure for City and win trophies would presumably leave many fans in the blue half of Manchester ecstatic.

In other news: Big blow as behind-the-scenes transfer development emerges, it’s bad news for Man City

Increasingly, it is difficult to dismiss the suspicion that Nottinghamshire’s title challenge is on its last legs and that Warwickshire have one hand on the trophy

Jon Culley at Edgbaston28-Aug-2012Warwickshire 298 for 5 (Westwood 81, Ambrose 64*) v Nottinghamshire
ScorecardPaul Franks claimed three wickets but Warwickshire ended the opening day well placed•Getty ImagesIncreasingly, it is difficult to dismiss the suspicion that Nottinghamshire’s title challenge is on its last legs and that Warwickshire have one hand on the trophy. Quite apart from the knowledge that Chris Read’s team will be shorn of four of their top six batsmen when these sides meet again at Trent Bridge in the last week of the season, it now looks likely that Andre Adams, the bowler on whom so much of their recent success has rested, will be missing too.Adams, who turned 37 last month, was recalled after missing Nottinghamshire’s match against Durham nearly two weeks ago with a calf injury. However, it was clear during his 10-over opening spell that he was not at his best. He bowled two much shorter spells later and by the end of the second of those he was coming in off a shortened run in clear discomfort. He left the field soon afterwards.Mick Newell, Nottinghamshire’s director of cricket, confirmed that Adams was still troubled by the calf problem and that he feared his season was over.”He has been struggling since our game at Taunton three weeks ago and it isn’t getting better,” he said. “It was a bit of a gamble playing him here but it is a game we have to win so we felt we had to take that gamble. Unfortunately he has had a recurrence and I think that may be it for the season for him now.”Nottinghamshire are also without their left-arm quick, Harry Gurney, while Ben Phillips was ruled out of this match when he went down with a ‘flu-like virus overnight. With Samit Patel on England duty, Nottinghamshire are left with Luke Fletcher, Andy Carter and Paul Franks to share the seam-bowling duties, with Graeme White in as specialist spinner.However, though Fletcher and Franks – both keen to impress, for different reasons – performed well, with Adams ineffective they lacked enough armoury to contain Warwickshire’s strong batting line-up.A partnership of 102 between Tim Ambrose and Rikki Clarke, spanning 30 overs either side of tea against an ageing ball, built on opener Ian Westwood’s valuable 81 to take Warwickshire close to 300 at the close and with Ian Blackwell still to come it would be no surprise on a good pitch if the final total were closer to 400, even if a full quota of batting points might be out of reach.Westwood might have been out twice. He was dropped on 48 low down at first slip by Alex Hales off Fletcher and again on 62 at second slip by Adam Voges off Adams. In matches as critical as this, chances missed are forgiven less easily than ever and Hales, in particular, has not had the surest hands this season.Hales did hold on to one earlier as Fletcher made the first breakthrough by removing Varun Chopra. Fletcher, 23, is a favourite with Nottinghamshire supporters, who always appreciate a trier. A new-ball bowler with natural aggression, he is a broadly built character who plainly does not find it as easy as some to keep off the pounds yet is a handful for most batsmen when he is on song and this was such a day. He finished with 2 for 49 from 25 overs, proving his stamina when he came back for his fourth spell of the day, with the new ball, and almost immediately had Clarke caught behind.Compared with Fletcher, Franks is at the other end of his career. Like Fletcher, he can seldom be faulted for commitment, not least because he is also a Nottinghamshire man and wears his county allegiance on his sleeve. His motivation now is that he would prefer to finish his career there, after 17 seasons as a senior player, rather than move on. Although he has a year left on his contract, he has become peripheral to Nottinghamshire’s plans as they seek to build a new seam attack and he has been told he can speak to other counties.He had taken only seven first-class wickets before this match yet performed impressively, adding three to his score with swinging deliveries. He bowled William Porterfield with one that came back into the left-hander and persuaded another to move enough to trap Westwood leg before, having had Jim Troughton caught behind off an inside edge for 40 the over before.Those wickets threatened momentarily to shift the balance back towards Nottinghamshire. Had Adams been somewhere near his best, it might have been a turning point. As it is, Ambrose, who has hit 11 fours and looked in control, has taken the initiative back and Nottinghamshire’s chances of taking the win they need to stay in contention already look slim.