West Bromwich Albion attacking midfielder Nacer Chadli endured a miserable 2017/18 campaign in which he made just five Premier League appearances in total as the Baggies lost their top flight status.

The 28-year-old had only moved to the Hawthorns in 2016 following a 119-game spell with Tottenham Hotspur, and while he shone in his debut campaign with the west Midlands outfit, he struggled with injury last term.

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Meanwhile, Celtic manager Brendan Rodgers will be determined to strengthen his squad in order to ensure that his team try and make a big impact in the Champions League as well as winning their eighth successive Scottish Premiership title.

With Charly Musonda returning to Chelsea after a disappointing loan spell and with Stuart Armstrong leaving for Southampton last month, Rodgers may well want to add some more goals to his midfield, and Chadli could be the answer.

The 6ft 2in midfielder came off of the substitutes’ bench with 25 minutes left to play and his country 2-0 down against Japan, and he made a big impact by not only scoring the winning goal after a brilliant counter-attack, but also making one key passes, winning two aerial duels and completing four dribbles.

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Chadli’s latest display in Russia could well mean he is in demand this summer, and while he has two years left on his contract at the Hawthorns he could prove to be a realistic addition for Celtic if he decides he wants to leave.

[brid autoplay=”true” video=”258359″ player=”12034″ title=”The World Cup Twitter Report”]

The county champions, Durham, will play against MCC in the world’s first floodlit four-day game in Abu Dhabi next March, after it was confirmed that the traditional opening fixture of the English season would be shifted from Lord’s to the Zayed Internatio

Andrew Miller11-Dec-2009The county champions, Durham, will play against MCC in a floodlit four-day game in Abu Dhabi next March, after it was confirmed that the traditional opening fixture of the English season would be shifted from Lord’s to the Zayed International Stadium.The match, which will be contested from March 29 to April 1 using the pink balls that MCC has been pioneering in recent seasons, was confirmed this week at an MCC Committee meeting, and according to MCC’s head of cricket, John Stephenson, such a radical step could pave the way for a new future for Test cricket.”We are delighted to confirm the MCC-Champion County match will take place in Abu Dhabi, and greatly appreciate Durham’s enthusiasm and co-operation,” said Stephenson. “Ultimately, this match is being played in Abu Dhabi for two reasons. Firstly, we felt that the proposed fixture schedule for Lord’s (April 3-5) was far too early in the year to play meaningful cricket, with poor weather a very likely possibility.”Secondly, we’ve been asking cricket authorities around the world to help us trial the pink ball under floodlights. If this match is a success, it could help to re-invigorate Test cricket. We have an opportunity to play our part for the good of the game and we’re determined to grasp it.”The logistics of the fixture are still to be confirmed, including the hours of play and its first-class status, but MCC’s chief executive, Keith Bradshaw, told Cricinfo that he would be addressing the latter issue directly with the ICC. “Give the work that we’ve been doing with respect to the pink ball,” he said, “we feel that this is an innovative trial that needs to be undertaken to see if it is suitable for Test cricket.”It is not a decision that we have taken lightly, and I know some MCC members and public might not agree with it,” Bradshaw added. “We are not suggesting for one minute that we intend to take the Champion County fixture away from Lord’s permanently, but this comes hot on the heels of our World Cricket Committee meeting in Dubai, at which we felt that a match under lights in white clothing was an innovation worth exploring.”The Zayed international cricket stadium is the home ground is the home of Abu Dhabi CC, who last month signed an agreement with MCC to become Associate Club partners. It recently hosted a series of one-day internationals between Pakistan and New Zealand.”Although it is a disappointment not to have the traditional season opener at Lord’s we fully understand and support the reasons for that and are therefore honoured to have the opportunity to take part in this innovative and historic match,” said Durham’s head coach, Geoff Cook.”As the game of cricket generally is moving forward, the possibility of playing with pink cricket balls for the first time in a four-day match, under floodlights, is an experience that the players will be really looking forward to.”Cook’s stance represents a significant change of heart, because as recently as September, he was outspoken in his refusal to trial the MCC’s pink ball in the dead-rubber county fixture between Durham and their already-relegated opponents, Worcestershire.”I was not keen,” said Cook at the time. “It was a first-class match and I thought we should retain the game’s integrity.” The MCC’s inability to test the pink ball in first-class conditions was the principle reason why next May’s proposed day/night Test against Bangladesh had to be shelved.MCC will select a competitive team to face Durham, with the best county, MCC University and United Arab Emirates cricketers in line for selection.Meanwhile, an ECB meeting has approved a change in the points system for the 2010 County Championship season. In a bid to increasing attacking intent, 16 points will now be awarded for a victory and just three for a draw in 2010 – a change from the previous 14 and four.Bonus points remain unchanged, with five for batting and three available for bowling in first innings, although they will now only be awarded for the first 110 overs. Use of the heavy roller is now outlawed once play has commenced.

Close but no cigar for New Zealand. They needed 118 from a minimum of 23 overs to win the series but rain forced a draw

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera15-Dec-2009
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
BJ Watling gave New Zealand hope before rain had the final say in Napier•Getty Images

Close but no cigar for New Zealand. They needed 118 from a minimum of 23 overs to win the series, BJ Watling was leading the chase with a spirited half-century and no Pakistan bowler looked threatening when the rain came down in Napier to kill the contest. The target looked within reach but the steady shower ensured that an absorbing series ended 1-1.New Zealand were set a target of 208 in a minimum of 43 overs and, when Watling opened with Tim McIntosh, the most likely result appeared to be a draw, given how slowly these openers batted in the first innings. Watling, however, played an innings of character to send a shiver down Pakistan’s spine. It was high-drama in overcast Napier: The fielders continually looked at the clouds, Mohammad Yousuf kept nudging the umpires to stop play, the batsmen were trying not to look concerned and moods in the dressing rooms were of stark contrast.Watling, after a sedate first innings on debut, was serenely destructive in the second. There wasn’t a single shot that was out of the book and he took few risks, yet runs came at a brisk pace. He played a pull and a cover drive but it was the cut that really caught the eye. The shot that really got him going came when he was on 11: The ball from Gul was short of a length and there wasn’t much width on offer but Watling played a delicate late cut to the third-man boundary.Gul tried to intimidate with two bouncers but Watling delicately side-stepped to unfurl upper cuts and collect fours. Pakistan attacked with spin from Danish Kaneria but Watling refused to be contained. He counterattacked with a stunning slog-swept flat six and a delicate paddle-swept four. With McIntosh rotating the strike adeptly, Pakistan were beginning to run out of ideas when rain came to their rescue.New Zealand’s brisk batting was in contrast to Pakistan’s slow approach in the morning. Their batsmen were playing a game that doesn’t come naturally to them and it made for absorbing viewing.The moment that captured their dilemma came when Kamran Akmal hit a four and shook his head, seemingly unhappy with his shot selection. It was a stunning hit over extra cover; he had knifed through the line of a length delivery from Chris Martin but when the camera panned on him, he was shaking his head and admonishing himself. It was a risky shot in the context of the game, with the team trying to secure a safe lead before thinking of anything beyond, and he knew it. However, the shot was a natural, almost reflexive, reaction from an attacking batsman and it was that kind of a battle that Umar and Misbah too fought without success.Misbah’s failing was greater than that of Umar for he was not only more experienced but also someone who can, in theory, play the patient game. And he had started well, nudging, pushing and leaving anything that he didn’t have to play. However New Zealand suffocated him with their relentless discipline and a feeling of claustrophobia set in. And the brain freeze eventually came when Misbah faced up to Daniel Vettori for the first time in the day. He went for an almighty heave – his critics would call it a dirty slog – missed it completely, and was quickly stumped by Brendon McCullum with his back foot still on the line.Umar, unlike on the fourth day, was more sedate this morning. Iain O’Brien and the close-in fielders teased him to have a go but he continued batting defensively. Occasionally, though, the impishness in him threatened to crack open the lid of self-control. There was a hoick against O’Brien and a couple of plays and misses but no damage was done till he came up against the new ball, when he feathered an edge off an attempted cut shot to McCullum. A brain freeze by Mohammad Aamer, who had played out 52 balls with caution, threw open all possibilities yet again as Pakistan were bundled out soon after the break. The rains, however, came down to douse a cracker of a contest.

New Zealand recovered from their disappointing batting performance against Australia on Sunday to give the record books a rewrite in their match with India in the World Series of Women’s Cricket at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University today

Lynn McConnell25-Dec-2009New Zealand recovered from their disappointing batting performance against Australia on Sunday to give the record books a rewrite in their match with India in the World Series of Women’s Cricket at Bert Sutcliffe Oval at Lincoln University today.Opening batsman Nicola Payne started the trend when achieving the best score of her 63-match One-Day International career. She scored 93 off 130 balls to help New Zealand to a record score against India of 248 for five wickets.Her effort was deserving of a century but after 47-over stay at the crease she succumbed to leg cramps and was unable to avoid being run out as she and Haidee Tiffen were putting intense pressure on what had been a game Indian fielding effort.Payne’s 93 bettered the highest score by a New Zealand player against India which was 89 jointly held by Janette Dunning at Jamshedpur in 1984/85 and Anna O’Leary at Lincoln during the CricInfo Women’s World Cup in 2000.New Zealand’s total was also its highest against India, surpassing the 224 for five wickets scored at Lincoln in 2000.When Payne was out, New Zealand were in the strong position of 222 for four wickets. She had shared an 87-run partnership for the fourth wicket with Tiffen.Tiffen scored her fifth half century soon after, off 47 balls, including six fours. However, she was out in the next over when undone by a slower ball from Jhulan Goswami and bowled for 52 with New Zealand 230 for five wickets.Payne, who had played 37 ODIs for the Netherlands, was playing her 26th game for New Zealand. Her previous highest score for New Zealand was 60 scored against Ireland on last year’s tour to Britain and Europe while her highest for the Netherlands was 73 not out against Denmark in a match at Husum in Germany in 1997.Payne, Canadian-born but whose parents live in the Netherlands, and who first came to New Zealand to live in the 1994/95 season where she has been a club coach in Christchurch with the St Albans club, said she had been “a little bit more relaxed” in her batting this year, largely the result of accumulated experience more than anything else.She said that the plan she and opening partner Rebecca Rolls used was to do nothing too fancy and just get the side away to a good start. She said one of her main roles as an opener was to feed Rolls the strike as often as possible and then pull her back a bit when she gets wound up. They like to score 60 or 70 in the first 15 overs.Payne said she had been having problems getting stuck in the 30s in her previous international innings and it was good to get such a good score. While it would have been nice to get a century, the team situation of scoring 240-250 was the main goal and that had been more important.She said captain Emily Drumm had said to her during her stay at the crease to go on and get a big one today.Payne hadn’t been counting off the various milestones as they came along.”I’m not that good on numbers. But the last 10 overs went exactly to the plan we had, it was just that it is usually Tiffen and [Sara] McGlashan who are putting the pressure on the field at the end. There was a change in the wind at one stage of the innings and when the nor’wester came in there was one really hot spell,” she said.Earlier, Payne had shared a 79-run opening stand with Rolls who was dismissed for 38 runs, and after Payne’s dismissal Tiffen was out for her fifth half century, 52, and it was left to Maia Lewis who finished 17 not out and McGlashan who was five not out in a high risk stand that allowed New Zealand to go to lunch on 248 for five wickets.India showed batting defiance by only losing five wickets during their innings but it was at the cost of haste in their run scoring. Jaya Sharma (37) and Sunetra Paranjpe (41) scoring 75 in their opening stand. But India couldn’t lift the pace of their scoring and at the 37 over mark the requirement was already over 10 runs.The match had been interesting because the Indian openers had provided their side with a good start and with such good batsmen in their team they were capable of doing what New Zealand did, but when the time came to put the foot on the accelerator, the Indians had proved incapable of making the adjustment.The New Zealand bowlers had been generally inexpensive but they did concede 21 wides with Nicola Browne taking one for 21 off 10 overs and conceding seven wides while debutant left-arm spinner Rebecca Steele conceded 21 runs off her 10 overs but with no wides.

Michael Clarke knows he must improve his Twenty20 credentials if he is to be the long-term leader of the side

Cricinfo staff04-Feb-2010Michael Clarke knows he must improve his Twenty20 credentials if he is to be the long-term leader of the side. Clarke has taken over full-time from Ricky Ponting, who retired from the format last year, but is already under pressure in the role with a rise in support for the big-hitting Cameron White.Clarke is a more traditional player and has a highest score of 37 in 19 internationals, batting anywhere from opener to No.7. He will walk out at No.3 in Friday’s match against Pakistan at the MCG with personal and team concerns to consider.”I feel like I’ve got a lot of improvement in me in all forms of the game,” he told AAP. “I’ve batted 15 times in Twenty20 cricket and a fair bit of that was at No.7 during that first World (Twenty20). For me personally, I’m looking to learn as much as I can about the game but in saying that, also be successful.”Clarke will not try to position himself as a power striker to prove his worth. “It’s no sense me trying to hit every ball for six because that is not how I play my best cricket,” he said in the Australian. “I feel like I’ve got a lot of improvement in me in all forms of the game.”He is not worried about the view of Mark Waugh, who thinks White should be captain and Clarke should rest his degenerative back condition whenever Twenty20 games are played. “He is not the only one to say it and everyone is entitled to their opinion,” Clarke said. “I have been open and honest and said my performances in this form of the game have not been as good as I would have liked from the opportunities I have had.”

Lancashire have confirmed they will not be able to retain Faf Du Plessis for the 2010 season after losing an appeal following changes in immigration criteria

Cricinfo staff01-Mar-2010Lancashire have confirmed they will not be able to retain Faf Du Plessis, their Kolpak player, for the 2010 season after losing an appeal following changes in immigration criteria.”This is a very disappointing outcome for not only Faf but the county,” Mike Watkinson, Lancashire’s cricket director, said. “We accept the change in the immigration criteria and support the long term objectives associated with this decision. However, it’s a shame that certain players of quality who have demonstrated genuine commitment to English cricket and add something to our game will be lost to county cricket. His contributions both as a player and clubman will by be missed by all associated with Lancashire and we wish him well with his cricketing career.”Lancashire coach Peter Moores also said the development was a “real disappointment”. “Not only is Faf a very talented cricketer, but during his two years at Lancashire was lauded by everyone in English cricket for his fielding brilliance. His positive energy and enthusiastic approach to the job at hand will be sorely missed and I speak on behalf of everyone in the dressing room when I thank Faf for his unwavering commitment and his contribution to the club and its supporters.”Moores said the club had prepared themselves for this scenario and had made arrangements to make up for du Plessis’ absence.

Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter

Andrew McGlashan26-Mar-2010Andrew Strauss is eager to resume his day job after missing the tour of Bangladesh for a two-month break that he hopes will help England defend the Ashes in Australia next winter. Strauss controversially opted to miss the trip to the subcontinent and handed the reigns to Alastair Cook with a view to ensuring he won’t be burnt out by the time the squad head down under in November and then onto the World Cup.However, he’ll have to wait a little longer to get his hands back on the tiller because, on the merry-go-round that is the England captaincy, Paul Collingwood will take charge for the World Twenty20 in West Indies before Strauss returns for the first Test, against Bangladesh, on May 27. Strauss’s decision to rest was criticised in many quarters, but when the move was announced at the end of the South Africa tour he was adamant it was the best thing for the team and has not changed his mind.”I can understand because their argument that a captain should there all the time,” he said, “but as I said I think we have to look at ways of making the most out of the players we’ve got – both myself and others – and how to get the best out of our players when we need them. The Ashes is a huge series for us and the World Cup a huge one-day tournament for us and we need to be peaking there.”This wasn’t a unilateral decision that I said I didn’t want to go to Bangladesh, it was something we have talked about for a couple of months. When you do something different there will always be criticism for it and I hope in time we’ll see the benefits. It was about winning two series which we did and me missing it was about prioritising the cricket we have ahead of us.”England returned from the tour having secured a 3-0 one-day whitewash and 2-0 result in the Test series despite some tough resistance from Bangladesh. But there were times during the tour when Cook’s lack of captaincy experience was exposed, none more so than the second morning in Dhaka when the hosts’ tail added valuable runs.However, although Strauss admitted he “wasn’t up at three every morning” to watch the Tests, he saw enough to be impressed by Cook’s leadership and believes he will benefit in the long-term. He also resisted any temptation to captain from afar and his communication with Cook was limited to a few text messages of congratulations.”I think Alastair has done an excellent job, he has done things his own way, to an extent, which is fine, and he’s carried things on,” he said during a NatWest Cricket Force event in Middlesex. “You can’t argue with the fact they’ve won three one-dayers and two Tests which builds useful momentum for the season. I think it’s been a pretty steep learning curve for him but one from he’ll have benefited from immensely.”Before he went I said you’ve got to do it your way to get benefit out of it and I think he’s done that. I had the odd text message when he’d done well, but it was his show and Andy Flower’s show and he can take credit for what he achieved.”Everything for the England team this year is geared towards the Ashes defence and Strauss didn’t rule out resting other players during the season. Andy Flower has hinted that Stuart Broad would be the next in line for a break, while Collingwood’s workload may also be managed as he plays all three formats.”I don’t know about that,” Strauss said. “We are going to have to see how the players are doing and what their state of mind is, but if there is an opportunity to rest one or two then we’ll be looking at that because we want the team in as good a frame of mind come the Ashes. But what games they miss and if indeed anyone does miss any cricket can only be decided when we get to those situations and sometimes it will depend on our position in a series.”For Strauss, though, the focus for the next few weeks is Middlesex and he will pick up a bat for the first time in pre-season on Monday having been fortunate enough to miss the county’s boot-camp trip to an army training facility. Middlesex could benefit from Strauss’s presence for up to seven Championship matches and five 40-over games.”It’s been nice to spend time with the family, but also in the gym and get some real improvement fitness-wise,” he said. “I’m chomping at the bit now to get out there and play.”

Brendon McCullum dragged New Zealand back into the match with as much obstinacy as the wind that hauled a groundsman several metres

Brydon Coverdale at the Basin Reserve22-Mar-2010When Brendon McCullum’s batting and whirlwind are mentioned in the same sentence it’s usually evidence of a Twenty20 or one-day blitz. This time he braved the gale-force conditions and at stumps was on the verge of a determined century. Along with his captain, McCullum dragged New Zealand back into the match with as much obstinacy as the wind that hauled a groundsman several metres while he clung on to the blowing away covers.The conditions made it difficult for Australia’s bowlers but it wasn’t exactly easy for the batsmen either, other than hitting with the north-westerly to the Scoreboard End. There were distractions including occasional dust gusts, plastic bags blowing across the ground and the stop-start nature due to bad-light delays.McCullum took it all in his stride. At 5pm, when play resumed after an 80-minute break, he hooked the first ball from Mitchell Johnson off his eyebrows with perfect timing. Earlier, he had played the same shot and struck it so well that it left the ground and had to be sought on nearby Rugby Street.That sort of stroke is typical McCullum but it was his concentration that was most impressive on the fourth day in Wellington. He had thrown his wicket away in the first innings with a messy, top-edged pull when resilience was required and he was not about to make the same mistake twice in one game.He strode to the crease in the morning with Daniel Vettori, a 115-run deficit in their way, and proceeded to bat through the whole day. By the time the final bad-light reading came from the umpires, McCullum was on 94 and had given New Zealand a 67-run advantage and a realistic chance of salvaging the Test.Tim McIntosh, who made 83 on the third day, said McCullum did not appear nervous at going to bed in the nineties. “I don’t think he was actually, he’s just being himself and hoping to get out there,” McIntosh said. “It’s always frustrating when you’re on and off the park, with the light the way it was and all that, but I think he dealt with it pretty well. He’s playing a really mature innings and a good gutsy one at that.”We’ve given ourselves a good chance to save the Test and maybe even get into a position where we can put them under pressure to possibly even win the Test. There’s been a few [loose] dismissals in a similar sort of fashion, so we’ve got some work to do for the next Test. A bit of an example was shown and I think the way Dan and Baz [McCullum] batted is setting a good example for the rest of the innings.”McCullum played his shots when he had the chance and was especially strong on the cut, while also ticking the scoreboard over with good running. He had moments of fortune, like when Brad Haddin missed a sharp stumping chance when he was on 48, but never did his desire to attack overwhelm him.For much of his innings he had the benefit of batting with Vettori, whose fighting qualities are unquestionable. McCullum was until recently the vice-captain and the responsible way that he and Vettori led their team by example was notable.Their 126-run partnership shortened the odds of a draw and has even given New Zealand the faintest glimmer of hope for a victory. The Australians know McCullum can bat like a storm, as they saw in his Twenty20 hundred three weeks ago. Now they know he can also survive one.

Unlike Essex, conquerors of the Durham attack at Chester-le-Street, Kent’s introduction to Division One cricket has been painful

Jon Culley at Trent Bridge16-Apr-2010
ScorecardAndre Adams caused Kent a host of problems as they were forced to follow on•PA Photos

Unlike Essex, conquerors of the Durham attack at Chester-le-Street, Kent’s introduction to Division One cricket has been painful. If day three goes as badly for them as days one and two they can cancel their Saturday night out in Nottingham.By close of play here, last season’s Division Two champions were into their second innings, having been asked to follow on some 256 runs behind. They had at least managed to secure a batting point, off a misfield the ball before their 10th wicket fell, but it was hardly consolation.The difference has been in the quality of the bowling. With a good covering of grass and little pace, the pitch has not been one to make a batsman feel comfortable. Yet only one of the Kent seamers conceded fewer than 3.58 runs per over. To their captain, the others must have been unacceptably expensive. At no stage were they able to offer him control.By contrast, Nottinghamshire’s attack, spearheaded by a Ryan Sidebottom clearly enthused by his selection for the World Twenty20, rarely had their hand off the tiller. Like Rob Key, Nottinghamshire captain Chris Read would have chosen to bowl first. His bowlers, hostile and generally accurate, demonstrated why.Nottinghamshire began the day in a commanding position, four runs away from a batting maximum. Nonetheless, they were eight wickets down after Andre Adams’s give-away wicket to the last ball of the opening day and Kent would have expected not to be too much longer in the field. Yet Nottinghamshire continued pretty much without restraint, almost for another 17 overs, adding another 60 runs.Paul Franks did much of the extra damage. The 31-year-old, who might have made a career as an England all-rounder had he not been bedevilled by injuries, has found a little bit of the old form lately. He scored a century against Durham UCCE last week, his first in a first-class match for five years. Here, hitting the ball cleanly and with power through the off side, he advanced to 73 before playing around a ball from Matt Coles. The score was his best in the Championship since May 2007.The wicket was a second in five overs for 19-year-old Coles, who saved his best spell until last, having dismissed Luke Fletcher via a catch at second slip with his third delivery. It is the senior bowlers from whom Key will want more. Had Stuart Clark been able to come their prospects would look a lot stronger but with Amjad Khan and Azhar Mahmood they should at least be competitive.Nottinghamshire, on the other hand, could assemble several different sets of bowlers were their full complement fit and available. Here they have no Darren Pattinson (injured) nor Charlie Shreck (rehabilitating after surgery), while it goes almost without saying that neither Stuart Broad nor Graeme Swann is available.Yet with Sidebottom fiercely motivated, the powerful Fletcher eager to build on the promise of last season, Adams developing his skills with the ball and Franks a usefully canny back-up, they still fielded a seam quartet to which most counties would doff their caps.Sidebottom made the first incisions as Kent began their reply, bowling Joe Denly and trapping Key leg before with a couple of tasty inswingers. From 13 for 2, Kent staggered to 58 for 5 as Adams claimed the next three wickets.He had some help. Geraint Jones, who had looked capable of organising a recovery, made a complete misjudgment of what would be the last ball of the morning – bowled offering no stroke. Then Martin van Jaarsveld tickled one down the leg side, although it took a super diving catch from Chris Read to make him pay for it. It was a better ball that accounted for Darren Stevens, on the back foot, giving Neil Edwards the first of five catches at second slip, handing the debutant the distinction of being the first Nottinghamshire outfielder to claim five victims since Derek Randall in 1987.The one that removed the dangerous Sam Northeast, over his right shoulder off Fletcher, was the best of the lot. The others were routine, enabling Adams to make James Tredwell his fourth victim, Sidebottom to add Coles and Franks to claim his second after first slip Ali Brown had pouched Mahmood, without whose lusty nine-four 52 Kent would have been in even worse shape.When Kent began their follow-on, with Tredwell a nightwatchman from the start, neither Sidebottom nor Fletcher was as tight as before. But then two wickets in as many overs – Fletcher bowling Key and Tredwell falling to Adams – left Kent staring at a three-day defeat, still 205 behind.

Northamptonshire opener Stephen Peters struck his second century of the season
but leaders Sussex’s late fightback has left the match hanging in the balance

19-May-2010
Scorecard
Northamptonshire opener Stephen Peters struck his second century of the season
but leaders Sussex’s late fightback has left the match hanging in the balance. Peters’ brilliant knock of 136 from 251 balls was the bedrock of the home
side’s total of 274 all out which gave them a handy lead of 99 runs.Ollie Rayner was the pick of the Sussex attack taking three for 45, with former
West Indies paceman Corey Collymore also claiming three wickets.But the visitors, who had been skittled for 175 on the first day, had little
problem in pulling back the deficit and closed on 137 for 2, 38 runs ahead. Northants started the day on 118 for 5, 57 runs behind, with Peters resuming on 55 and former captain Nicky Boje starting his innings after new skipper Andrew Hall was bowled by the final ball of the first day.Boje, who relinquished the captaincy on Monday in a bid to improve his own
form, made just a single before he went cheaply by smashing James Anyon straight
to Robin Martin-Jenkins at mid-off.A boundary through extra cover from James Middlebrook moved the hosts ahead in
the 59th over of their innings and he made 25 before edging spinner Rayner to Ed
Joyce at slip. Peters then reached his century off 203 balls, which included 14 fours and went on to smash a huge six down the ground in the first over after lunch off
Rayner.David Willey (11) was trapped lbw by Rayner in the fifth over after lunch
before Collymore was finally able to remove Peters when he was caught behind by
England wicketkeeper Matt Prior.Collymore then finished Northants’ innings by taking out Jack Brooks’ off stump
for four, leaving the hosts with a lead of 99. Early in Sussex’s second innings, Chris Nash pulled a four to go past 4,000 career first-class runs on his 27th birthday.The visitors’ openers, Nash and Michael Thornely, managed to survive 15 overs
before tea to leave their side on 42 without loss. But Nash fell in the fourth over after the interval for 32 when he edged Lee Daggett straight to David Sales at second slip.Joyce survived a scare when he was dropped by Sales in the same position before
a 50 partnership between him and Thornely helped put Sussex ahead again. But Joyce (30) finally went when he pushed Middlebrook to Alex Wakely at short leg with Thornely and Murray Goodwin guiding them through to the close, unbeaten on 45 and 21 respectively.