Hendricks' five-for restricts Australians' lead to 109

Ten of the visiting batsmen got to or past 18, but only one – Pat Cummins at No. 8 – went on to score a half-century

ESPNcricinfo staff23-Feb-2018Matt King – CA/Cricket Australia/Getty Images

A five-wicket haul from Beuran Hendricks restricted the Australians to a succession of unconverted starts on the second day of their tour match against South Africa A in Benoni. Replying to South Africa A’s first-innings total of 220, the Australians were bowled out after taking a 109-run lead. The left-armer Hendricks picked up his 14th five-wicket haul in first-class cricket, and found useful support from his fellow seamers Duanne Olivier and Malusi Siboto, who picked up two wickets apiece.Then the home side’s openers, Zubayr Hamza and Pieter Malan, batted through the last 18 overs of day two to move their side to 55 for 0 at stumps.Ten of the Australians got to or past 18, but only one of them – Pat Cummins at No. 8, who made an unbeaten 59 – went on to make 50. The only batsman out for a single-digit score was Peter Handscomb, who was out for a three-ball duck on day one.Resuming with their side 87 for 3, the overnight pair of Cameron Bancroft and Shaun Marsh stretched their fourth-wicket stand to 60 before the latter fell for 25. Bancroft fell 4.5 overs later for 45.A few more partnerships of middling length followed: 43 for the sixth wicket between Mitchell Marsh and Tim Paine, 47 for the eighth between Cummins and Mitchell Starc, and 64 – the biggest of the innings – between Cummins and Nathan Lyon, who struck 38 off 34 balls with three fours and two sixes. All of these allowed the Australians to comfortably surpass South Africa A’s first-innings effort.

Sussex pull off Rashid Khan coup

Rashid Khan, one of T20’s hottest properties, will team up again with Jason Gillespie when he joins Sussex in the first half of the T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff06-Feb-2018Rashid Khan’s whirlwind career will blow him into Hove for the T20 Blast. Rashid, the Afghan legspinner who has become one of the hottest properties in T20 cricket and lifted the stature of Afghanistan cricket in the process, will play for Sussex for the first half of the tournament.Rashid will join Sussex with confidence because he teams up again with Jason Gillespie, the county’s new head coach, who was in charge of Adelaide Strikers when they won this season’s Big Bash.Rashid was one of the Strikers’ chief assets, finishing joint top of the wicket-taking charts with 18 wickets in 11 innings at a startling economy rate of 5.65 runs per over – the most meagre in the tournament. He missed the final because of international duties, but Adelaide survived without him, comfortably beating Hobart Hurricanes.A stint in the IPL will dominate his thinking before he arrives on the south coast of England. At the recent IPL auction, Sunrisers Hyderabad paid US$1.4m for his services, leading him to be dubbed by some as “the million dollar baby”.At 19, his brief career has also taken him to the Caribbean Premier League and Bangladesh Premier League as the advance of T20 – not the discussions of international administrators in sparking-water filled committee rooms – promises to become the main driver for global opportunity.Gillespie needed a lift after losing both Jofra Archer and Chris Jordan to the IPL, so deflating Sussex’s promotion challenge from Division Two of the Specsavers Championship before it has begun. But the prospect of Rashid and Archer, a key performer in Hobart’s BBL campaign, teaming up in T20 will give Sussex one of the most talked-about bowling attacks in the competition.Sussex have become the sixth domestic T20 side to snap up Rashid Khan•ESPNcricinfo Ltd

“We are delighted that Rash has agreed to join us at Sussex,” Gillespie said. “His form for Afghanistan and the T20 teams he has played for over the last couple of years has been phenomenal. I have worked closely with Rash at the Adelaide Strikers in the BBL and have been incredibly impressed with his attitude, work ethic and team-first mentality.”We look forward to welcoming him to the Sharks where I’m sure he will quickly become a fan favourite.”Amongst bowlers who have bowled at least 500 deliveries, Rashid has the lowest average (13.82) in the history of international T20 cricket. His economy rate of 5.86 runs per over is the second lowest of all time.Sussex’s relatively small boundaries will offer up a new challenge, especially the tight boundaries square of the wicketSussex’s director of cricket, Keith Greenfield, expressed his delight at the signing. “Rashid is the most sought-after spin talent in the world,” he said. “He has made a significant impact in all the teams he has played for to date, so to make this move happen is fantastic.”

CSA T20 League: Buttler, Miller, McCoy, Bosch sign up for Paarl Royals

Buttler, McCoy and Bosch were also part of Rajasthan Royals in IPL 2022

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Aug-2022In a continuing sign of T20 franchise owners gravitating towards players they already know and trust, Paarl Royals snapped up the South African duo of David Miller and uncapped allrounder Corbin Bosch, England’s new white-ball captain Jos Buttler and West Indies fast bowler Obed McCoy. All four have worked for these owners before – in the IPL with Rajasthan Royals – and will continue to do so now in the upcoming CSA T20 LeagueAccording to tournament rules, a team can sign a maximum of one capped South African, three overseas players and an uncapped player ahead of the players auction. So far, the Durban franchise – owned by the same group that manages Lucknow Super Giants and comprising the same core of players who helped take LSG to the knockout stages of IPL 2022 – and MI Cape Town have announced their picks.Buttler bossed this year’s IPL for the Royals, scoring a whopping 863 runs, an average of 57.53 and a strike rate of 149.05. He hit four centuries and smashed 45 sixes and was also the leading run-getter of the competition.

Miller, who was part of the IPL title-winning Gujarat Titans, amassed a total of 449 runs at a strike rate of 141.19. He was eighth in the list of leading run-getters this season – and second behind captain Hardik Pandya for the Titans.McCoy, who represented Royals in the IPL this year, chipped in with 11 wickets from seven matches at an economy over nine. Early this month, he picked up his career-best figures of 6 for 17 for West Indies against India in the second T20I which the hosts won by five wickets.The uncapped South African Bosch joined the Rajasthan franchise this IPL as a replacement for injured fast bowler Nathan Coulter-Nile, but didn’t get to play a single match. The 27-year old, who plays for the Titans in domestic cricket, is a seam-bowling allrounder who bats in the lower-middle order. Having made his T20 debut in 2014, he has played only 30 games, scoring 151 runs at a strike rate of 120.80 and picking up 18 wickets at an economy of 8.16. He has also played 24 first-class games and 21 List A games.The CSA release on Wednesday also said the player auction would take place “in the next few weeks” before the league begins in January 2023. All six franchises have been bought by groups that own teams in the IPL and the league is likely to allow four overseas players in the playing XI with no requirements for transformation as of now.

Lancashire argue final-ball umpiring error cost them T20 Blast title

MCC clarify that the ball was considered dead after McDermott broke the stumps at the keeper’s end

Matt Roller16-Jul-2022 • Updated on 18-Jul-2022Lancashire believe that they should have been awarded a second run off the last ball against Hampshire, rather than just a single bye, and therefore won the T20 Blast title on Saturday night after a chaotic final over at Edgbaston.After a dramatic no-ball call forced Nathan Ellis to bowl an extra delivery at the end of the 20th over, Lancashire were two runs short of Hampshire’s total. Under the Blast’s playing conditions, tied knockout games are won in the first instance by the team that has lost fewer wickets (they had both lost eight), then the team with the higher powerplay score (Lancashire made 60 to Hampshire’s 48).As a result, Lancashire needed two runs to win the title. Richard Gleeson played and missed at a slower ball, and Tom Hartley ran a bye through to wicketkeeper Ben McDermott, who ran to the stumps and dislodged the bails at the keeper’s end, at which stage the umpires determined that the ball was dead.Gleeson, meanwhile, was coming back for two having grounded his bat at the non-striker’s end, and Hartley set off once he saw Gleeson running towards him. McDermott ran to the bowler’s end. He was handed a stump that had been removed in celebration by Mason Crane but did not appear to break the wicket at all as Hartley scampered back to make his ground. One bye was awarded, which meant Hampshire won by one run.

“We thought the ball was still live and Tommy came back for two,” Dane Vilas, Lancashire’s captain, said. “There was a little bit of confusion out there but the umpires called the ball dead as soon as they took the stumps [bails] off at the striker’s end.”According to Law 20.1.1, the ball becomes dead when “it is finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper or of the bowler” and according to Law 20.1.2, “the ball shall be considered to be dead when it is clear to the bowler’s end umpire that the fielding side and both batters at the wicket have ceased to regard it as in play.””Analysis of the footage of the match showed that, when the umpire signalled the bye, the original non-striker was standing still, about four yards behind the striker’s wicket, while the striker was slowing down in his attempt to reach the other end, so it was reasonable to consider that the ball was dead,” the MCC said in a statement on Sunday.”The match was concluded when the ball was deemed to be dead by the umpire, after the batters had completed one bye from the final ball. The bowler’s end umpire signalled the bye to the scorers. Under Law 2.13.3, the signal for bye shall be made to the scorers only when the ball is dead. The ball was dead because, in the view of the umpire, it was finally settled in the hands of the wicket-keeper.”It is not therefore relevant that the wicket was not lawfully put down at the bowler’s end. Once the umpire has made the decision that the ball is dead, that decision cannot be revoked.””There was a little bit of confusion because we thought the boys were going for another run and Tommy was quite keen on getting that other run,” Vilas said. “We’ll have a look back at the game in a bit more detail.”Everything was going on out there at that stage. I can’t be 100% sure of what was said exactly, but we thought maybe we could have had a look and seen if it was a review or something, but it obviously wasn’t and ended up being called as a Hampshire win.”Related

Vilas had also questioned why the umpires, David Millns and Graham Lloyd, had not checked exactly what had happened with the TV umpire. “They look for everything else,” he said. “Ultimately it’s their decision, and their decision is final. As players we know that and respect that so we just need to move on with it. It is what it is.”Vilas’ view appeared to be shared by Daniel Gidney, the club’s chief executive. He retweeted a tweet from Jordan Clark, the ex-Lancashire allrounder who now plays for Surrey, saying: “Did lancs just run a legitimate 2 at the end there or was that just me? [sic]”James Vince, Hampshire’s captain, suggested that the ball was “obviously” dead when McDermott had broken the stumps at the keeper’s end. “Dane came onto the field and was questioning the umpires,” he said. “I think he was trying to say that we had broken the bails when he [Hartley] was in and then they ran two.”But, I mean, obviously they weren’t going to run two to the wicketkeeper so I’m not quite sure what he was trying to say. Once we broke the bails at the end and whatever, I just double-checked with the umpires that the game was done and dusted and they said, ‘yeah’, and then we celebrated for a second time.”There was also controversy surrounding an apparent field change for the final ball, which was spotted by Saqib Mahmood, the injured Lancashire seamer who was covering the game as a pundit for the BBC. Ellis had inadvertently confirmed the change – “we put a [short] midwicket in,” he told Sky Sports – which should not have been permitted, since it was a free hit. Vince also believed that the umpires made an error on the final ball of the penultimate over of Hampshire’s innings, when the dressing room were convinced that Lancashire only had three fielders inside the 30-yard circle, rather than the required four – a decision which was not checked with the TV umpire.”I felt like a few things went against us,” he said. “When they had three [fielders] inside the ring and they didn’t look back at it and give us the no-ball, that was a couple of extra runs there and in finals, often, the ones we’ve played in come down to one or two runs. It felt like they had the rub of the green a little bit, so it was extra special to get over the line in the end.”This story was updated to include the MCC’s statement.

Teenagers Gill and Anmolpreet run amok for Punjab

Both batsmen made 129 each – at a strike-rate over 70 – as Services bowlers had a day to forget. Elsewhere, Bengal kept their chances of qualification alive with centuries from Shreevats Goswami and Anustup Majumdar

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Nov-2017It was a phenomenal batting day in Amritsar, led by Punjab‘s 18-year old opener Shubman Gill. He struck 129 off only 142 balls. Ninety-four of those runs came in boundaries. What a way to score a maiden first-class century.If that was impressive, 19-year old Anmolpreet Singh, who made his debut earlier this season, went to stumps having secured his third hundred in five first-class games. He has already shown the capability to occupy the crease for an immensely long time – Chattisgarh were flayed for 267 runs four weeks ago and Services may be worried about facing a similar fate. Their bowlers could only pick up two wickets in 90 overs.Considering that, Manan Vohra would feel highly disappointed that he could make only 3. Each of his team-mates who went out to bat racked up at least a fifty with Jiwanjot Singh retiring hurt on 54 and Gurkeerat Singh was unbeaten on 68.Centuries from Shreevats Goswami (139) and Anustup Majumdar (107*) helped Bengal brush a top-order collapse aside as they finished on 305 for 5 against Goa on the first day at Eden Gardens. Their 213-run fifth-wicket partnership proved all the more vital because it came in a match that will determine their progress into the quarter-finals. A first-innings lead will see them through, but it looked an unlikely event when they were 79 for 4.4:14

Who is Shubman Gill?

Goa were on top early on, after Felix Alemao and Lakshay Garg dismantled Bengal’s top order in the first hour. Abhishek Raman, Sudip Chatterjee and the captain Manoj Tiwary were all out for binary scores for 1, 1 and 0. Abhimanyu Easwaran departed after a fighting 46.Goswami and Majumdar stemmed the rot and batted for more than 50 overs – hitting 33 fours between them – to complete Bengal’s recovery. Left-arm spinner Amulya Pandrekar finally broke the partnership in the 80th over after which Writtick Chatterjee (6*) and Majumdar batted through to stumps.The pendulum swung one way and then the other in other game in Nagpur, with Himachal Pradesh, still in with a shot to qualify for the knockouts, finishing on 287 for 6. The experienced Rishi Dhawan was at the crease on 57 not out – the second fifty of the innings after captain Sumeet Verma’s 66. But Vidarbha, who are already though to the quarter-finals, had held the upper hand, yanking the opposition down from 70 for 1 to 70 for 3 and then from 142 for 3 to 190 for 6.Rajneesh Gurbani was key to the day see-sawing as it did. The 24-year old seamer picked up two wickets in successive overs, and later came back to pick up the final wicket of the day. That, though, happened in the 61st over. Dhawan and Akash Vasisht shut the door on Vidarbha with a 97-run unbroken stand but the fight will resume again on day two.

Former Australia keeper Peter Nevill calls time on 13-year professional career

Nevill captained NSW in a record 43 Shield games and played 17 Tests and 9 T20Is for Australia

Alex Malcolm01-Apr-2022Former Australia Test and T20I wicketkeeper Peter Nevill has announced his retirement from all forms of professional cricket after 13 years at the top level.Nevill, 36, played 17 Tests and nine T20Is for Australia but last played international cricket in 2016. Since then, he has completed a distinguished and record-breaking career with New South Wales. He retires having captained the Blues in 43 Shield matches, more than any other player in history, and as one of just four men to have played more than 100 Shield matches for NSW.Nevill played the last of his 101 matches in February against Tasmania, with a shoulder injury ending his season prematurely. He also holds the record for the most catches for his state with 310, and is second on the Blues’ all-time dismissal list behind Phil Emery.Nevill played in two Shield titles and two Marsh Cup titles with New South Wales, leading them to their last Shield triumph in 2019-20 which was won in unusual circumstances.Nevill played 17 Tests for Australia during a transition period in 2015-16. He replaced Brad Haddin for the Lord’s Test on the 2015 Ashes tour when Haddin withdrew for personal reasons and kept his spot when he became available again which effectively ended Haddin’s distinguished international career.He played 17 consecutive matches and kept impressively throughout but averaged just 22.28 with the bat and made only three half-centuries, which belied his first-class batting record given he finished with 5927 runs at 36.81 and 10 first-class centuries. Nevill lost his place to Matthew Wade in the selection purge that followed Australia’s disastrous loss to South Africa in Hobart.Peter Nevill looks out over the SCG after announcing his retirement•Getty Images

His nine T20 internationals included the 2016 T20 World Cup, when he played as a specialist wicketkeeper batting as low as No.10 in one match.”I’d say [I was] someone who got the most out of the ingredients they had,” Nevill said. “I’ve been fortunate to have played for as long as I have. It is hard to condense [my career] into something short and sweet. However, there’s the opportunities I’ve had, the experiences, the people I’ve met, being able to travel the world, the ups and downs. Something that stands out is the very special people I’ve met, and there was no shortage of them at the Blues.”Nevill finishes a proud Blue despite having grown up in Victoria. He played underage state cricket for Victoria but was forced to move when Wade arrived from Tasmania to become Victoria’s wicketkeeper in all formats. Wade ironically had left Tasmania due to the presence of Tim Paine. All three traded places as Australia’s Test wicketkeeper in the period between 2015 and 2017.”What struck me is I was made to feel welcome by the group [in NSW],” Nevill said. “I was also impressed by how well the senior players communicated to the group what it means to play for NSW: the tradition, the history, and the pride people have in wearing the Baggy Blue.”Hopefully, we’ve continued to pass that message down the line, and that the young players understand the honour of what it means to be a Baggy Blue – representing yourself and those who’ve gone before you.”What stands out is the talent. Talent can sometimes be a dirty word, but we now have an incredibly talented bunch of young players. It is now up to them to take the next step and to really understand their games and how they’re going to be successful.”Thankfully, there’s a good group of senior players and coaches who will help them do that. Hopefully, they go on to dominate world cricket.”Nevill will spend time with his family but has expressed an interest in doing some coaching after a brief coaching/playing stint with Melbourne Stars during the recent BBL, although the experience was curtailed by the Covid outbreak that ravaged the tournament. He is also close to completing a Masters degree with a view towards a new career as a financial advisor.

Warwickshire set up title decider with Kent

Dom Sibley gorged plentifully upon a meaningless day, but the real action takes place next week at Edgbaston

Paul Edwards21-Sep-2018
ScorecardAt 4.20 this afternoon Tim Ambrose played an innocuous ball from Ben Brown into the on side. The bowler fielded it, Paul Baldwin called over and Warwickshire declared. The game ended in a draw and the players shook hands. Receiving particular congratulations, perhaps, was Dom Sibley, who had batted through the day for 144 not outThe handshakes marked two events, one of them specific to the moment, the other curiously timeless. They confirmed Warwickshire’s promotion and they brought the first-class season at Hove to an end. The first of these had been certain for hours barring the intervention of God or Jofra Archer. This draw leaves Jeetan Patel’s side equal on points with Kent, who have won two matches more. Whichever side takes more points from next week’s game between the sides at Edgbaston will be Second Division champions.And across England cricket is softly drawing down its blinds. All the counties are playing next week but there are matches at only nine grounds, of course. Most of the season’s serious work is done. Monday afternoon in Brighton seems suddenly distant with its warmth and careless leisure: the aroma of cannabis in North Laine; beach volleyball near Kings Road; the glittering water. Then there were catamarans drawn up on the shingle, their names a curious confection of aggression, fondness and titillation: Tiger, Ethel, Seymour Butts.

Time now to earn the right – Gillespie

Jason Gillespie, Sussex head coach: “We’ve had a couple of losses in the past month but we feel some progress has been made. I wanted to give some young guys the opportunity to show what they can do and they’ve done that. Now I’ve got to find the balance between giving lads games of cricket and earning the right to play first-class cricket. We’ve got to find the right balance between potential and performances. It’s a difficult balancing act but we’ll get there. The lads have played the game the right way, been positive and looked to win games.”

Some mornings this week there have been floodlights, mild air and the churn of the Channel glimpsed through the great arcade of trees on Selborne Road. Today, though, the atmosphere was not so clotted and the sun was in generous attendance. Only the temperature reminded one this is autumn. “Seaward the water / Is satin, pale emerald, fretted with lace at the edges / The whole sky rinsed easy like nerves after pain,” wrote Alan Ross in his poem, “Cricket at Brighton.”Sussex supporters were presented with three wickets as rewards for their loyalty this sparkling day. In the fifth over of the morning Will Rhodes shuffled much too far across his crease and was leg before to Ollie Robinson for 88. Then Ian Bell suffered bruising to his right thumb when hit by a ball from Robinson and had to retire hurt.Out strode Jonathan Trott, a batsman who had spent over five hours earlier this week scoring his seventh career century against Sussex. “Jesus Christ!” exclaimed a blasphemous Sussex adherent with a passing knowledge of the Book of Hebrews. “The same yesterday, today and for ever more.” But his fears were misplaced on the two latter counts: Trott made only 8 before clipping Chris Jordan to Harry Finch at midwicket and he is retiring next week in any case.Despite these two dismissals and one injury, the game was soon ambling quietly towards stalemate. In the afternoon session Robinson sent down some fairly respectable off-spin and Sussex used three wicketkeepers, albeit not all at once. Phil Salt and Michael Burgess bowled their maiden spells in first-class cricket. The flagpoles bent in the breeze and some players’ caps blew off. The game drifted into late afternoon and the over rate was plus 12 at one stage. A draw could have been agreed at teatime and perhaps it should have been.Sibley spent the rest of the day filling his boots which, if his feet are in proportion to the rest of him, was some achievement. He put on 168 for the third wicket with Sam Hain, who had made 90 when he chased a wide one from Salt and edged a catch to wicketkeeper Harry Finch. The ecstatic Salt raced off like Mick the Miller but was eventually mobbed by his equally delighted team-mates. If you had told the uninitiated that the cricket had a gentle, addictive beauty about it, they might have called for an unmarked van and a straitjacket.

Quetta Gladiators likely to be knocked out despite Roy, Shahzad heroics

Kings’ forgettable season came to an end as Quetta finished with a win though they are unlikely to progress

S Sudarshanan20-Feb-2022The first match of Sunday’s double-header in the PSL in Lahore was an odd one; neither the winning team nor the losing one would have been happy at the end of it. Quetta Gladiators needed to win their final match of the league stage by a huge margin in order to keep their hopes of qualification alive, mathematically. Kings, who held the upper hand for most parts, skittled away a strong start with the bat to go down by 23 runs.It was a case of old habits dying hard for Kings as a forgettable PSL season came to an end with their ninth defeat in ten matches. Kings lost seven wickets for just 37 runs with Gladiators’ Khurram Shahzad picking four on T20 debut, turning the chase on its head. It meant Kings were restricted to 143 for 8 in their chase of the 167-run target.Gladiators chose to bat first and their openers struggled to get going. Will Smeed fell early while Jason Roy made use of the powerplay to get off to a fast start. However, Roy was far from his belligerent self, bringing the edges of his blade into play more often.Imad Wasim and Umaid Asif snuck in some economical overs as Kings captain Babar Azam rotated his bowlers quite regularly. That did not deter Roy and James Vince, who added 90 for the second wicket. Vince’s attempt at upping the scoring rate resulted in his dismissal, as he was bowled by fellow Englishman Lewis Gregory while trying to play a big shot across the line.Roy soon brought up his third half-century in the season but then fell in the final over, holing out to Mir Hamza. Thanks to Roy and Iftikhar Ahmed, Gladiators collected 41 off the last four overs to post 166.Kings were on course for overhauling the target and registering their second successive win when Babar and Joe Clarke, who had a forgettable outing with the gloves, were in the middle. The duo blazed through the powerplay, finishing 51 for none – Kings’ best this season – and added 87 for the opening wicket. Legspinner Ashir Qureshi was taken for 15 in his second over, which signalled the openers’ intent.Player-of-the-Match Shahzad, first got through Azam’s defense before castling Sharjeel Khan, who hit 16 off just seven balls. Clarke then completed his first fifty of the season before missing an attempted heave off Mohammad Irfan to be bowled.Kings never recovered from those setbacks as Gladiators tightened the noose to shut the game. Shahzad’s blows ensured a winning end to Gladiators’ campaign, even though they are likely to be knocked out.

Podmore's great day scuppers Sussex

Harry Podmore’s previous highest score was 21 but his unbeaten 66 left Sussex needing a miracle to keep their promotion chances alive

ECB Reporters Network14-Sep-2017Derbyshire put themselves in a position to claim only their second win of the season in the Specsavers County Championship after an attritional third day against Sussex at Hove.They closed on 322 for 8, a lead of 389 against a Sussex side who will be obliged to chase any target on the final day for a victory to keep their slim promotion hopes alive.It has been a collective effort by the Derbyshire batsmen with nine players scoring between 38 and 66 in the match. They included Middlesex loanee Harry Podmore, whose previous highest score was 21 but who was unbeaten on 66 at stumps from 117 balls. He hit five fours and a six off George Garton in the final over.Derbyshire’s run rate never got much above four an over throughout the day but, having resumed with a lead of 108 and nine wickets in hand, they did not need to take risks.Sussex kept at it but with their spearhead Jofra Archer showing the effects of a long season and struggling for full pace and a slow pitch blunting the efforts of the rest of their seam attack the hosts had to work hard for their wickets.The big positive for Sussex was Derby-born Stuart Whittingham, who claimed his maiden five-wicket haul in only his third Championship appearance of the season. Whittingham bowled with real venom at times and the yorker which speared into Ben Slater’s stumps after the opener had made 45 would have been too good for most batsmen.After lunch Whittingham, who took eight wickets in two games against Derbyshire last season, persuaded Matt Critchley, who played the most fluent strokes of the day in his 51, to pull into the hands of deep mid-wicket when the bowler dropped short before taking two wickets with the second new ball.Harvey Hosein demonstrated plenty of resolve but shortly after reaching a 111-ball half-century – one of five in the match by Derbyshire batsmen – with four boundaries before he sliced a full-length ball to backward point.Hardus Viljoen was yorked by Whittingham, who had Will Davis caught at mid-wicket for 25 in the penultimate over. But the ease with which Podmore batted suggests that Sussex’s batsmen could be in business on the final day.With the pitch offering little assistance and no spinner in their attack to offer any variety, it was hard work for the home attack, Whittingham apart.
Ollie Robinson was rewarded for a good opening spell when Wayne Madsen shuffled in front for 31 while a toe-crushing yorker from Garton was too good for Alex Hughes in the second over after lunch.

Sandhu puts Queensland on course for victory despite Head's century

Khawaja may not bat in the fourth innings as Queensland need just 83 to win after Kuhnemann and Sandhu star with the ball

Alex Malcolm25-Nov-2021South Australia skipper Travis Head has made a major statement in his bid for the final batting spot in Australia’s Test team scoring 101 but Gurinder Sandhu’s career-best six-wicket haul put Queensland on the brink of a dominant victory at Karen Rolton Oval.South Australia were forced to follow-on early on day three after folding in their first-innings to be all out for 102 with Matthew Kuhnemann taking his third five-wicket haul in three matches. Queensland’s lead of 197 left captain Usman Khawaja with no choice but to ask South Australia to bat again. But in an unusual twist of fate, it handed Head the opportunity to make amends for his first innings failure and denied Khawaja himself the same chance with both men fighting for the final middle-order spot in Australia’s team for the first Ashes Test in Brisbane.While national chairman of selectors George Bailey insisted last week that the selection panel was already leaning towards one of the two prior to this match and that they were not involved in a bat-off for a spot in the lead-up to the Test match, Head’s hundred would undoubtedly have made an impression.On a surface that had been extremely difficult for batting, where only Marnus Labuschagne and Bryce Street had scored more than 42, Head withstood Queensland’s relentless pressure making a fluent 101 from 149 balls with 11 boundaries.It was his second Sheffield Shield century of the season, adding to his staggering record at Karen Rolton Oval. In nine Shield innings at the ground, he has made three centuries and two half-centuries and averages 79.25. That doesn’t include his 230 in a Marsh Cup game there earlier this season. His first-class average at Australia’s Test venues is 36.35. But this century came on a pitch far less friendly for batting than some of his previous at the venue.The rest of South Australia’s top order were suffocated by Sandhu whose height and accuracy proved incredibly difficult to handle. He took five of the first six wickets in the second innings to claim just his second five-wicket haul in first-class cricket and his first since his debut way back in 2013.Harry Nielsen fought doggedly alongside Head making 42 while Nathan McAndrew made 37 not out to ensure Queensland would need to bat again. Kuhnemann picked up three more scalps to claim eight for the match before Sandhu returned to take the final wicket and complete his career-best figures to leave the Bulls needing just 88 runs to win.Street and Joe Burns survived seven overs to stumps to leave the Bulls needing just 83 for victory on the final day.

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