Bangladesh will host the Asia Cup in February 2016 and it will include T20 contests for the first time

Mohammad Isam28-Oct-2015At a meeting in Singapore on Tuesday, it was decided the Asia Cup will be held in Bangladesh for the third consecutive time. The five-nation regional tournament featuring the hosts, India, Pakistan, Sri Lanka and an Associate, will begin on February 24 and the final will be held on March 6. With the World T20 scheduled to begin five days later, the upcoming edition of the Asia Cup will be the first that includes Twenty20 contests as well.”Pakistan raised the point that Bangladesh should host next year’s Asia Cup and everyone agreed,” BCB president Nazmul Hassan told reporters in Dhaka on Wednesday. “Four Test nations will get direct entry while one Associate nation will come through the qualifying tournament. We also discussed whether there can be more cricket at the Under-19 level between the Asian countries.”Afghanistan, Oman, Hong Kong and UAE, who will play host, will compete in the qualifying tournament to be held at the end of November. The previous two editions of the Asia Cup were held in Dhaka in 2012 and 2014. This will be the fifth time the tournament is being held in Bangladesh, having previously hosted in 1988 and 2000 too.

R Ashwin has hit back at the criticism of the pitch in Mohali, which South Africa batsman Dean Elgar had described as “not a very good cricket wicket” after 12 wickets had fallen on the first day

Sidharth Monga in Mohali06-Nov-20151:44

‘The mistakes I’ve made got me here’ – Ashwin

R Ashwin has hit back at the criticism of the pitch in Mohali, which South Africa batsman Dean Elgar had described as “not a very good cricket wicket” after 12 wickets had fallen on the first day. Ten more fell on the second day, but batsmen did show batting was possible on the pitch, which has offered a lot of sideways turn but not alarming bounce. Sunil Gavaskar had said in his pitch report that he “had never seen before” such a day-one pitch in Mohali.”I think it’s very important to bowl good pace on this wicket,” Ashwin said after his five-wicket haul gave India the lead after they had squandered the toss advantage by getting bowled out for 201. “I have not seen any batsman defending and get out apart from the one that happened to [M] Vijay, where he thrust forward, defended and got out.” Cheteshwar Pujara, too, got out defending in the first innings, but the larger point was taken.None of Ashwin’s five wickets came because of alarming misbehaviour from the pitch. Stiaan van Zyl offered no shot to a topsinner, which Ashwin got to come back in to the left-hand batsman. Dean Elgar slog-swept and was beaten in the air by the dip. Ditto Hashim Amla, who looked to charge at him. Dane Vilas got out sweeping, and Imran Tahir is a tailender. “To bowl [on this pitch] it’s all about how it’s coming out of your hand,” Ashwin said. “For me it’s coming out really well. So I don’t think I require much turn from any pitch at this point of time.”Ashwin went on to compare the perceived reaction to green tops when India are touring outside Asia. “Honestly I think it’s the batting that makes the wicket look what it is,” Ashwin said. “I don’t know if any Indian journalist knows the name of the curator in Johannesburg or Port Elizabeth, but we seem to get a hang of Daljit Singh [the curator in Mohali] very quickly. None of us go to South Africa and say the wicket is green, this much grass is less green at the bottom. I don’t hear any such statements, but unfortunately here the first day some of my good friends came and said the wicket is a little drier and stuff. We have played way too long in Mohali to know how the wicket works.”Ashwin’s words were keeping in line with Virat Kohli’s emotions in the lead-up to the Test. “When someone comes to play here, there is a lot of focus on the pitch,” Kohli said. “It is unfair to say that it spins a lot or that it is slow. When we go abroad, I don’t think there is a single article about the pitch. We go there and take up the challenge. The other teams also have to take up the challenge.”It was not clear whose criticism Ashwin and Kohli were responding to, but it was true that day one did not feature great batting. The three Indian specialist batsmen that fell to spin on the first day did so because they did not reach the pitch of the ball, not because the ball kicked at them. However, there was sideways turn available on the first morning itself, and balls did keep low.It is not accurate, though, that Indian players do not complain about perceived green tracks away from home. After India lost 4-0 in Australia, Gautam Gambhir and Kohli were two of the players to complain about the “green tops” while Australia scored heavily in every match. It was duly reported too.

Surrey’s surprise round of belt-tightening, which led them not to offer new contracts to Alec Stewart and Ian Ward, means that Stewart has played his last game of professional cricket

Wisden Comment by Steven Lynch10-Nov-2015

Surrey’s surprise round of belt-tightening, which led them not to offer new contracts to Alec Stewart and Ian Ward, means that Stewart has played his last game of professional cricket. Fittingly, it was a great match – the remarkable comeback to win the final Test against South Africa – but his abrupt decision to retire from first-class cricket as well leaves an empty feeling, almost as if he’d missed the last step at the top of that steep staircase leading to the Oval dressing-room.Perhaps it’s fitting that there will be no tearful Surrey farewell for Stewart. After all, he hasn’t played a full season for them since 1990, when he became an England regular. Before that, though, he had almost ten years of the county circuit, in which he became a master of the polished 70-odd.He might not have played much for Surrey recently, but somehow Stewart belongs under the chocolate-brown cap, and it would have been hard to adjust to those chiselled features being crowned by the Hampshire rose or the Leicester fox – or, Heaven forbid, the three seaxes of that lot north of the river.What you can imagine is that Jon Batty, who has scored plenty of runs himself for Surrey in Stewart’s absence, wasn’t too thrilled at the thought of turning out for the stiffs while the old boy went on a farewell tour of the counties next season. Even so, it’s hard to understand why someone who, according to the selectors, was the best wicketkeeper in the country a fortnight ago is now out of a job. Actually it’s more because Stewart himself didn’t fancy it. On Sunday, he told the News of the World: “There’s no point just turning up to play for the sake of it. I’ve always striven to get to the top, ie England. Once that has gone, why are you playing?”And so we are left to assess Alec – and without taking the Micky. The junior Stewart has been as squeaky-clean as one of his nicknames almost throughout his career – cricket whites, boots and opinions all neatly polished. Journalists wanting a sensational soundbite eventually stopped trying to get blood out of the Gaffer, which is why it’s widely assumed now that following Mike Atherton into the commentary box isn’t an option.The sports-management business is a more likely scenario. You can imagine Stewart jumping into well-pressed blazer and chinos for a meeting with all the alacrity he showed in donning the three lions 133 times in Tests and 170 times in one-dayers.He’ll be remembered as a good wicketkeeper and a fine batsman – but once again there’s that missing-step feeling. He could have been one of the great batsmen, up there with his old mate Goochie and the like, if he’d been left to open the innings and not saddled with the wicketkeeping gloves. The stats are conclusive: in Tests he averaged a Mercedes 46.70 when not keeping wicket, a Mondeo 34.92 when he did. Most of the regular keeping came later in his career, when he might have expected to be building that already excellent average.It’s ironic that Stewart follows his fellow fortysomething, Robin Smith, into retirement in the same week. They were singled out by Ray Illingworth, the manager, as the fall guys for the miserable 1995-96 season, when defeat in South Africa preceded a wan World Cup. Neither Stewart nor Smith was in the side for the first home Test of 1996, against India, but Nick Knight broke a finger in that game and Stewart returned for the second, and biffed 66. Smith never played another Test for England: Stewart managed to squeeze in another 80.The Judge will be remembered for his crunching square cut. The Gaffer had no such signature stroke. There was the pinpoint cover-drive, with the bat drawn forward as if on a string; the hard-hit pull, to balls lower than usual for that shot, which sent them scudding towards the midwicket boundary; and sometimes a busy back-and-across, bat twitching, before clunking an on-drive past the bowler. All done while booted and suited immaculately. Above all Alec Stewart will be remembered for his presence, his pride, and his professionalism.

Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning pitch. But he has nothing to say about the out-of-form Marlon Samuels

Daniel Brettig at the SCG03-Jan-2016West Indies opener Kraigg Brathwaite has plenty to say about his batting, his doughty 85 on the first day of the SCG Test, his development on this tour, and the prospect of bowling on a turning Sydney pitch. He has nothing at all to say about, or for, Marlon Samuels.In a telling interlude as Brathwaite spoke about how he has evolved as a batsman on this trip, becoming more proactive to counter Australia’s bowlers rather than simply trying to wait them out, he became decidedly tight-lipped about Samuels, the run-out they were involved in, and the older man’s contribution to the tour.It may well have been a case of if you’ve got nothing nice to say, don’t say anything at all, for Samuels has endured a wretched tour, notching a meagre 35 runs in five innings – an average of seven for those not paying attention – and earning plenty of criticism for his apparent lack of verve in the field. At the time of the run-out, which was Samuels’ call, West Indies were in a decent position. After it, they subsided to 6 for 207.”I think those things happen in cricket. I’m not sure what to say about that,” Brathwaite said. “It was just a misunderstanding.”Queried further on Samuels’ contribution this tour, Brathwaite clammed up. “There’s not much I can say about that at the moment,” he said. A further question to that effect drew a similar response from the team media manager.What was left to discuss was an innings that impressed many, lacking only the catharsis of reaching three figures after Nathan Lyon finally found a way to confound Brathwaite’s previously sure feet and sound mind. “It is a good challenge,” Brathwaite said of Lyon. “I think he is bowling quite well and I just have to keep believing in my ability. They fielded well today and for me it is about trusting my defence and working towards my plan.”It is a tour where I am learning and I just want to keep going out there and building a foundation for my team and learning in the process. On a first-day pitch that is spinning like that, once we get a score, anything about 300 will put ourselves in a good position.”I think the spinners bowled well, it is just about trusting your defence and backing your shots and you can score. Coming from the last game, when the guys showed some improvement, it is key to keep showing that improvement and supporting one another.”As for the pitch, Brathwaite was surprised by how much deviation it offered, but was eager to see how his team might fare on it – and how he might bowl on it. “I was quite surprised, I didn’t expect the first day to spin like that,” he said. “I heard it can spin here but I didn’t expect that.”So as batters, once we put some runs on the board, we can put some pressure on Australia. It is important when we do bowl that we string those dots together because dots balls can build pressure and that brings wickets. I will be looking forward to [bowling]. We will just have to see what happens.”

Gulam Bodi, the left-hand batsman who played two ODIs and a T20I for South Africa, has been charged under CSA’s anti-corruption code for “contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series.”

Firdose Moonda14-Jan-2016Gulam Bodi, the left-hand batsman who played two ODIs and a T20I for South Africa, has been charged under CSA’s anti-corruption code for “contriving to fix, or otherwise improperly influence aspects of the 2015 Ram Slam T20 Challenge Series.” Bodi has been suspended from all cricket activity, and is currently co-operating with Anti-Corruption officials.In a statement, CSA explained their current position. “Following our investigations and due process, we have reached a point where we can confirm that Mr Bodi is the intermediary who was charged by CSA in early December 2015 under the CSA Anti-Corruption Code,” Haroon Lorgat, CSA’s chief executive, said.Once CSA’s investigation is complete, they could take their findings to the police, who can lay further charges. “We are aware that there is an investigation going on but we have not received anything,” Brigadier Hangwani Mulaudzi, the spokesperson for the directorate for priority crime investigations, told ESPNcricinfo.If the police joins the investigation, the case will be handled by the Hawks, a specialised unit which works on organised crime and corruption. South Africa has legislation to deal with crimes such as match-fixing. As per the Prevention and Combating of Corrupt Activities Law, corruption in sport is dealt with under the so-called Hansie-clause. The penalties include a fine and imprisonment, with a maximum punishment of a life sentence if the case is heard in a High Court.Bodi last played franchise cricket in January 2015 and was not in the Lions’ squad for the Ram Slam competition. He was an occasional commentator on domestic cricket on pay-channel .CSA had issued a statement on November 6, warning players to “be alert” after they received information that an international syndicate was attempting to “corrupt domestic cricket.” At that time, CSA’s Anti-Corruption and Security Unit launched an investigation assisted by the ICC, which CSA said “could involve the South African Police Services.”By December, CSA suspended Bodi, though they did not name him, and charged him on two counts. The first involved match-fixing, and the second involved failing or refusing to co-operate with an investigation carried out by the designated anti-corruption officials.When contacted by on Wednesday, Bodi simply said: “Absolutely no comment”. He was unreachable for comment on Thursday. A legal case is also being prepared against several other players for failing to report corrupt activity.

Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who finished the Ranji season with 645 runs including four successive fifty-plus score in the knockouts, has been named as the captain of the 15-man Rest of India squad

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Feb-2016Madhya Pradesh wicketkeeper-batsman Naman Ojha, who finished the Ranji Trophy season with 645 runs including four successive fifty-plus scores in the knockouts, has been named as the captain of the 15-man Rest of India squad. They will play 41-time Ranji Trophy champions Mumbai in the Irani Cup at the Brabourne Stadium in Mumbai, starting March 6.The squad, which was announced shortly after the Ranji final, featured two Saurashtra players – Sheldon Jackson and Jaydev Unadkat. Jackson tallied 538 runs in 10 matches at 57.41, while Unadkat had a breakthrough season after injury, taking 40 wickets at 20.12.The squad also included the top two wicket-takers of the season – Jharkhand left-arm spinner Shahbaz Nadeem and Assam pacer Krishna Das. Punjab pacer Barinder Sran, who recently made his international debut in Australia, and Vidarbha offspinner Akshay Wakhare were also in the bowling mix.Karun Nair, who scored 500 runs this season compared to last time’s 709, was one of the two Karnataka players in this year’s Irani Cup squad, along with Stuart Binny. Vidarbha’s Faiz Fazal and Jammu and Kashmir’s Ian Dev Singh add more weight to the batting line-up. Andhra’s Srikar Bharat was the other wicketkeeper in the squad apart from Ojha. Assam’s Arun Karthik, who was the third highest run-getter this season behind Shreyas Iyer and Akhil Herwadkar, and allrounder Jalaj Saxena, who piled up 588 runs and 49 wickets, didn’t find a place in the squad.Rest of India squad: KS Bharat, Faiz Fazal, Karun Nair, Sheldon Jackson, Naman Ojha (captain), Stuart Binny, Shahbaz Nadeem, Jayant Yadav, Nathu Singh, Jaydev Unadkat, Barinder Sran, Krishna Das, Sudip Chatterjee, Ian Dev Singh, Akshay Wakhare.

Uncapped India players were big gainers in the IPL auction 2016. Here are Deepak Hooda, Karun Nair, M Ashwin and Ishan Kishan’s reactions

Arun Venugopal and Vishal Dikshit06-Feb-2016Deepak Hooda, Sunrisers Hyderabad, INR 4.2 crore
I didn’t follow it closely. When one of my relatives told me [that I was picked] I went blank for a while. I instantly hugged all my friends who were with me. I knew it would be a good auction for me. I was confident of being picked up, but didn’t expect this price. My mom told me I had to focus more and work even harder. I felt that, ‘people trust me so much, I need to live up to it.'[Playing the Mushtaq Ali Trophy before the IPL auction] was a good thing. But pressure [there was a lot of pressure] because I knew what had happened to Rajasthan Royals, and I needed to keep performing to attract a new team. Given my IPL experience, there is also naturally more expected of me when I play for Baroda. But automatically [everything panned out well].I think the Ranji Trophy last season was very important to me. Also, winning the best allrounder award in domestic one-dayers last season. Munaf treats me like his younger brother and he taught me what life is about really, its ups and downs. Rahul , Monty [Desai] and others in the IPL were hugely helpful because I would keep asking them a lot of questions on getting better.Karun Nair, Delhi Daredevils, INR 4 crore
Obviously, my heart is still pounding. Many people have been mocking me [about how] I was going to go for this much [money] or that much. When people keep telling you, it sort of gets to your head, so I stopped thinking about it. I didn’t expect so much. I was only hoping to get what I got at Rajasthan Royals last year [INR 75 lakh]. That was the bare minimum I expected.M Ashwin, Rising Pune Super Giants, INR 4.5 crore
I expected to be picked but not this price. I got picked by a team that I didn’t go for trials [Ashwin had auditioned for three teams – Kings XI Punjab, Daredevils and Royal Challengers Bangalore]. I was really nervous because my name came at the end and the purse was getting diminished. I sat in the same place with my dad from the morning [out of superstition]. I got excited even when I was bid for at the base price. I was happy at that time that some team had opted for me. I was not too keen on the money, but just wanted to play for an IPL franchise and gain experience.My wife, who was at her cousin’s place, was in tears when she heard the news. [The Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy] before the IPL is a very big boost. It’s a great opportunity to come into the limelight. I saw it as a life-changing, life-altering tournament.Krunal Pandya, Mumbai Indians, INR 2 croreI am a left-arm spinner and he [Krunal’s brother, Hardik Pandya] is a seamer, but we are both hard-hitting batsmen. Both of us have played together from childhood, be it at More sir’s club or for Baroda. We had a dream to play at a competitive level together; that like Pathan brothers even the Pandya brothers should do well. For our parents, [it was the icing on the cake].Rahul Sanghvi sir and Kiran More sir [Mumbai Indians’ scouts] and Pravin Amre sir [Delhi Daredevils] would call me regularly to get updates about my progress [after a shoulder surgery last year]. That two big franchises were following my growth motivated me to get fit quickly.We struggled a lot financially. My father was the sole breadwinner but after he had three heart attacks there was no source of income. [our troubles didn’t end before Hardik made it to the IPL]. My father’s health improved after watching Hardik succeed.I always enjoyed Hardik’s success and he enjoyed mine. I told him on a lighter note that [I am a costlier player than you], and he responded: [get lost, I play for India].Ishan Kishan, Gujarat Lions, INR 35 lakh
I found out only after the match. But I’m not thinking much about it because it’s a kind of distraction and the mind gets diverted so just concentrating on the World Cup right now.[An IPL contract at this age] means a lot to a player, it gives a lot of happiness. You get confidence from it that you have to prove yourself in the World Cup so that people think that you’ve been picked for the right reasons.[On India Under-19s team-mate Rishabh Pant being bought by Daredevils for INR 1.9 crore] It’s a World Cup going on and semi-final is coming up so we are not seeing it individually that who got what in IPL. A lot of careers are yet to be made so we are trying to do our best in the World Cup.

Twenty20 nets are usually the testing ground for wacky new ideas; it is rare to see cricketers go to basics in T20 nets

Sidharth Monga in Dharamsala08-Mar-2016Twenty20 nets are usually the testing ground for wacky new ideas; it is rare to see cricketers go to basics in T20 nets. As the Netherlands captain Peter Borren kept playing his reverse paddle sweeps against the spinners, the next net had no batsman. On the surface it might not seem another innovation, but bowlers usually bowl to just the stumps only to go back to the basics. To see an international team do that on the eve of a big tournament is rare.All of Netherlands’ bowlers went full pelt, bowled at the markers, and did their practice for an hour or so with no batsman in sight. This is usually done by bowlers looking to get back in rhythm, but Netherlands have realised the conditions in Dharamsala call for more old-school bowling and less variations. To get bowling old school is difficult if the batsmen are trying to dink and blast you.”As a group we feel that getting the length right here at this ground is really important so we have put a lot of emphasis on this session,” the Netherlands assistant coach Chris Adams told ESPNcricinfo. “We have been very specific about hitting the length. Spot bowling and very focussed and full out. To do that with a batsman at the other end is a bit of a distraction because then you are reacting to the batsman. To give them a session where they are running in full out 100% and hitting the lengths was something that we have identified.”Adams said it was not usual for teams to do so in the nets. “You do that but it is rare to do that in a net,” he said. “It is mostly done out there in the middle. To do it over one hour in a net is rare. We wanted to get a really good session today. Getting that length right, to get a real good feel for it.”So what is that right length? Adams wasn’t giving it away that easily. “I will keep that under my hat but if you have watched it you can work it out.”In the net the bowlers seemed to mostly bowl a Test length, looking to hit the top of off. “If you are always looking at the top of off you are never away from the best length on any pitch,” Adams said. “On this ground more so it is important to hit that length and hit it hard. Good pace, good carry. I wouldn’t get too carried away with too much variation here. The bowler who hits his straps and hits the good length and controls his line, he will be rewarded.”Borren agreed about the conditions. “There is a lot more pace and bounce than we have had on the tour so far,” he said. “Those aren’t things that necessarily that won’t suit us. So we are pretty happy with that.”Borren also knows that it doesn’t necessarily give his side an advantage against their first opponents. Bangladesh are no longer the one-dimensional spin-reliant side anymore. “We have watched a lot of videos,” Borren said. “We have done our research. It has changed a lot. I have played them a few times, they have some serious seamers. Mustafizur is nice and I watched him bowl. Al Amin too is looking good. And include Shakib, they have a superb attack. We have to respect that and bank on the homework we have done.”

Rugby World Cup winning captain Francois Pienaar hopes he can contribute with insights into high performance as a member of the four-person committee tasked with reviewing South Africa’s national cricket teams

Firdose Moonda20-Apr-2016Understanding the core of a winning culture could be chief on the agenda for the four-person committee tasked with reviewing South Africa’s national cricket teams. Francois Pienaar, the 1995 Rugby World Cup-winning captain who is on the panel, explained that although the scope of the review has yet to be defined, he hopes to bring his knowledge of high performance to the process.”We are designing the scope on April 28 and then that goes to the [CSA] board and the board will then sign off on it and we will start on our work. For now we are deciding where the key focus areas will be and how we divvy up the roles,” Pienaar told journalists at the launch of the Cape Town marathon, an event for which he is one of the ambassadors.”I have been involved in high-performance teams and it’s not about which sport, it’s about the processes in place. There are four or five things you need to get right – and one of them is a bit of luck – to win. If you do four or five things really well, you will have a really good chance of winning.”According to Pienaar, who maintained a 100% record alongside coach Kitch Christie and with the Transvaal team in the 1993 Super Rugby competition, one of those things is ensuring that success is transferred from domestic to international level.”Let’s go back in rugby. Every World Cup that has been won since 1987, the core of that winning national team came from the club side that dominated. So that side knew how to win. Like in 1995, the core of our team was from the Lions,” he said.South African cricket faces an immediate problem in that regard because none of the six franchises can claim to be truly dominant. In addition to that, very few internationals turn out regularly for their franchise teams. To combat that, cricket may want to pay particular attention to the processes Pienaar described, which can create a winning culture even if the individuals involved change.”CEOs and coaches and captains come and go but you have to understand the culture of high-performance teams and you can’t tinker with that. As soon as you start tinkering with that, then you stand the risk of not remaining a high-performance team. That process is for me the most exciting thing and looking at how you put processes in place to ensure you will always be knocking on the door of a trophy, or a series or a championship,” he said.Apart from being involved in successful South African teams, Pienaar was also a player-coach at Saracens in England, whom he helped to their first ever cup win and where he created a structure he is “very proud of”, which has ensured they “are still a high-performance team”. Does he think he will be able to do the same for South African cricket?”It’s for me to bring a different approach and a different view and for us as a panel to recommend certain things. It’s not that we are the fount of knowledge. Definitely not,” he said.Pienaar hopes the panel’s recommendations will be made public on completion.

Half-centuries from visiting batsmen Hamish Rutherford and Chesney Hughes coupled with an unbeaten 73 by Wayne Madsen ensured that Derbyshire edged into the ascendancy by the midpoint of their match against Kent

ECB Reporters Network27-Jun-2016
ScorecardChesney Hughes rediscovered his early season good form•Getty Images

Half-centuries from visiting batsmen Hamish Rutherford and Chesney Hughes coupled with an unbeaten 73 by Wayne Madsen ensured that Derbyshire edged into the ascendancy by the midpoint of their Specsavers County Championship clash with Kent. In response to Kent’s 379 all out, Derbyshire reached stumps on 291 for 3 and will go into the third day in Canterbury trailing by 88 runs.On a second-day pitch that appears to have lost some of its initial pace and carry, Derbyshire’s top order dug in for steady, if unspectacular, run-making against a Kent attack hit by three injuries and shorn of its spearhead, Matt Coles, who had been declared “unavailable for selection”.Having failed to take a wicket in the 17 overs through to lunch, the hosts at least winkled out two Derbyshire batsmen in the mid-session but still missed the cutting edge of their attack leader Coles. The 26-year-old had allegedly missed the game due to “personal reasons” but his absence only served to spark rumours aplenty among the Kent membership.In the absence of Coles, Kent turned to six bowlers but only the wily Mitch Claydon and James Tredwell enjoyed any success. Visiting skipper Billy Godleman nicked off to Claydon, as Tom Latham, diving almost behind the keeper Sam Billings, took a superb slip catch to make it 75 for 1. Then, after facing 120 balls for his 65, Hamish Rutherford holed out to Alex Blake at long-off to give Tredwell his first scalp of the match.Having cut the Kent lead to 211 by the tea interval, Derbyshire ploughed on during the evening session as left-hander Chesney Hughes posted a 91-ball 50 with seven fours. He combined with Madsen to add 112 in 28.5 overs for the third wicket until Hughes, on 83 from 139 balls, top edged an attempted slog-sweep to send a steepling return catch to Tredwell.In the next over Madsen reached his half-century milestone from 101 balls and with four fours as dour post-tea events out in the middle vied for attention with the first half of Italy’s Euro 2016 tie with Spain, which was being shown on the TVs around ground.At the start of the day Kent captain Sam Northeast was dismissed nine short of a maiden double-hundred as Kent posted 379 all out. Northeast improved upon his career best but, on 191, he was caught at long-on when attempting to clear the ropes against Hughes’ left-arm spin. He batted for over six hours, faced 266 balls and hit 22 fours.Kent also lost Tredwell and Claydon in the opening hour as the hosts missed out on a fifth batting bonus point by 21 runs.