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Kamran Akmal, the Pakistan wicketkeeper, has said he has ironed out technical flaws in his glovework and is determined to make a comeback behind the stumps, but is ready to play even as a specialist batsman if required. Kamran made several wicket-keeping errors on Pakistan’s tour of England in August and was dropped for the second Test against the hosts. He played the last two Tests and the one-dayers but was left out of the squad for the series against South Africa.”I’ve addressed some of the basics, especially those things that went wrong for me in England,” Kamran told . “I’ve watched a lot of the videos and we’ve analysed some of the errors. I’ve been working hard with the National Bank coaches and have received sound advice from ex-cricketers like Ijaz Ahmed and Waqar Younis [the national coach].”Kamran, who was replaced by Zulqarnain Haider for the ODIs and younger brother Adnan Akmal for the Tests against South Africa, has scored 530 runs at an average of 75.71 for National Bank in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy this season, including his maiden first-class double-century against Fasialabad. Pakistan’s selection committee are due to meet soon to choose the squads for the tour of New Zealand, which starts with the first of three Twenty20 internationals on December 23, as well as the preliminary 30-man squad for the World Cup, and Kamran is hopeful that his domestic performances will earn him a recall.”When I wasn’t chosen for the series versus South Africa, I decided that I would look to regain my form and confidence in domestic cricket,” he said. “I’ve managed to score plenty of runs and I have been happy with my form behind the stumps.”My dropping was up to the PCB and the selectors, and was out of my control. They choose who they think deserves a chance and I have no problem with that. I am more determined than ever to reclaim my place in the Pakistan side and I am comfortable if the selectors and management want me to play as a keeper or purely as a batsman.”Kamran underwent a minor appendix operation before the UAE tour but was fit when Adnan was picked for the Tests following Haider’s controversial exit from the side. There was some speculation that his exclusion from the squad may have been linked to the spot-fixing scandal. He was sent a notice by the ICC’s Anti-Corruption Unit (ACSU) after the Nottingham Test seeking information about events related to the 2010 World Twenty20 held in the Caribbean in May. Kamran was subsequently cleared for Pakistan selection after he sent an enquiry to the ICC asking if he was under investigation.Akmal admitted it had been a hard few months for him but said he has the mental strength to bounce back. “Being dropped is not an easy thing to take,” he said, “but I took it on the chin and decided that I would use my dropping from the team as a motivational tool. At this level, it’s the mental side of the game that quite often causes mistakes or a loss of form. I needed to be mentally tougher and I’ve worked on that.”

Rajasthan Royals and Kings XI Punjab have moved a step closer to participation in the upcoming IPL player auction by fulfilling the Bombay High Court’s condition of filing affidavits in connection with bank guarantees. The franchises were told to submit the guarantees – US$ 10.63 million for Rajasthan and $21.50 million for Punjab to cover the cost of players’ salaries and the teams’ contracts with the BCCI – as a condition of the stays against their expulsion granted by the Court.Officials of both franchises confirmed the submissions to ESPNcricinfo.Rajasthan were originally asked to provide $20.83 million as security – $18 million to cover salaries and $2.83 million to cover their board contract – but that amount was lowered by the Court after Rajasthan’s counsel, Janak Dwarkadas, produced affidavits from Shane Warne and Shane Watson, the two players retained by the franchise, saying that they did not need any bank guarantee towards their salaries. That reduced the amount by $6.2 million and a further reduction came after their counsel argued that the team’s average spend in the past three auctions was in the range of $3.9 to $4 million, so their total guarantee should be $8 million plus $2.83 for the BCCI.The teams have had to deposit the money to cover the guarantee with a bank owned by the Indian government. The arbitration proceedings between the franchises and the board will proceed independently of the court’s decisions on the issue of termination.

Scorecard
Murtuja Vahora destroyed Karnataka’s top order on day one of the Ranji Trophy semi-final•Cricket Kenya

On a pitch that took sharp turn right from the first delivery bowled by a spinner, it was fast bowler Murtuja Vahora who turned it on for Baroda, taking his maiden five-wicket haul en route to skittling last year’s finalists Karnataka for 107. Sunil Joshi ensured that Karnataka almost split the day’s honours, but captain Pinal Shah’s fighting knock took Baroda to a slender lead, which might prove handy in a game that is not expected to last the full four days.The day began on a benign note, with not much carry for Vahora and left-arm seamer Sankalp Vohra, and there was no sign that 18 wickets were going to fall. The first wicket that fell was not on account of the pitch acting up either, but a continuation of KB Pawan’s poor form. He slashed at a short and wide delivery in Vohra’s first over, and the edge was brilliantly snapped up by Swapnil Singh, who leaped to his left at gully to take it almost horizontal to the ground.Vahora was bowling an excellent line at the other end, keeping it in the corridor on a good length, and he soon got rewards, removing Sunil Raju’s off stump with a ball that kept a shade low, and then getting Manish Pandey playing across to one that nipped back to trap him leg-before. Vahora was now pumped up and really steaming in with purpose. Amit Verma, Karnataka’s highest run-scorer this season, came in and was immediately greeted with a steepler around off stump that just beat the outside edge. The next delivery was fuller, lured the batsman forward, and Pinal gleefully took the regulation nick.Having opted to bat, 8 for 4 was not the scoreline Karnataka were hoping for, and the introduction of spin in the 14th over only worsened their plight. Left-arm spinner Bhargav Bhatt, the top wicket-taker in the Super League, got his first ball to turn right across Robin Uthappa’s blade. Uthappa, who had batted largely without issue till then, managed to edge the next one, which almost carried to slip. The third one got big on Uthappa who edged again, and Karnataka were now 24 for 5.Not for the first time this season, CM Gautam and Stuart Binny were left to perform a salvage job. Both showed that runs could be made with some positive intent. Vohra changed ends, but Binny thrashed him through extra cover, and then glided one delicately past gully. Gautam danced down the pitch and eased a flighted Bhatt delivery through extra cover.The two had added 42 at just under four an over, which was to be the highest stand of the day, when Pinal brought Vahora back, and he responded by removing both batsmen with full deliveries. Bhatt mopped up the tail, and Karnataka found themselves bowling shortly after lunch.Baroda’s start was less dramatic, but things soon started to unravel. Connor Williams fished outside off stump to a length ball from Vinay Kumar, and Gautam made no mistake behind the stumps. By now, the pitch had started to prey on the minds of the batsmen, and it showed in the next three dismissals, all off Joshi. Kedar Devdhar stayed back to a flighted delivery that straightened to be caught in front. Swapnil poked tentatively at a turning ball to be caught behind and Jaykishan Kolsawala, who had looked pretty assured, went back and turned one straight in to the hands of forward short leg. The batsmen were expecting landmines; there weren’t any, although there were several firecrackers.One of those got Karnataka the big wicket of Ambati Rayudu. An Abhimanyu Mithun delivery took off from back of a length, and hit him high on the bat as he looked to play inside the line, and the edge swirled in the air for Pawan to take a simple chance at point. Karnataka’s 107 had suddenly assumed larger proportions when viewed from Baroda’s position of 44 for 5.Pinal has acquired a knack of getting runs when his side is under pressure, and he didn’t disappoint today. The Baroda captain showed the way to bat on this pitch, as he took on the spinners, repeatedly slog-sweeping them to the midwicket boundary. Karnataka didn’t help matters by dropping him early, as a back-foot punch off Mithun went just over mid-off’s hands. Baroda’s 100 and Pinal’s half-century both came off slog sweeps, with the latter stroke also taking them past Karnataka’s total. He even brought out the reverse sweep a couple of times. Deliveries that took off from a length were played as late as possible off the back foot, and kept down with soft hands.Though Karnataka continued to strike at the other end, Pinal stood firm, and how long he manages to carry on tomorrow could well determine the course of this game.

Ray Harvey – one of six brothers of whom two, Neil and Merv, went on to play for Australia, while a fourth, Mick, also played for his state – has died in Melbourne at the age of 85.Harvey was an attacking batsman who only managed to hold down a place in the Victoria side for two seasons. hile his ability was there for all to see, he perhaps lacked the drive of his more accomplished siblings. Bill Lawry said that he was one of the two best district cricketers he had faced.His first-class debut came in 1947-48, although he had already made his mark when scoring 86 for Victoria against Australian Services as a 17-year-old in 1943-44. In a side which contained three Harvey brothers, he scored 42 and 22 not out, but despite being given a long run in the team he failed to pass fifty.He was in and out of the team -more out than in – over the next few seasons, getting his chance when regulars were on Test duty, but finally looked the part when drafted in near the end of the 1952-53 summer, converting his maiden fifty into a career-best 121 against Western Australia.In 1953-54 he was a regular in the Victoria side, recording two more hundreds and making 699 runs at 49.92, and that earned him a place in the Australia XI against the England tourists at the start of the following summer in what was effectively a Test trial. But his form again fell away markedly, and in 15 matches over the next six season he passed fifty only twice, in consecutive innings at the end of 1958-59.For Fitzroy in Victorian Premier Cricket he was a major player, scoring 19 centuries and 9,146 runs in first-grade competition, both of which were club records. Like his brothers, he also represented his state at baseball.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsHashim Amla’s obduracy combined with AB de Villiers’ aggression to leave Netherlands floundering•AFP

A day after Ireland’s heroics in Bangalore gave the Associates a major fillip, normal service resumed in Mohali where AB de Villiers and Hashim Amla reeled off contrasting hundreds to set up a hammering of Netherlands. Peter Borren elected to field under overcast skies, but things unraveled at an alarming rate after a disciplined show in the first quarter of the match. Amla overcame a sluggish start and focused on accumulation, while de Villiers shredded the attack in a blaze of big hits that was reminiscent of Herschelle Gibbs’ assault in the last World Cup encounter between these two teams. South Africa’s bowlers then backed up the batting with a near-perfect display to set up the fourth-biggest win in World Cup history.

Smart Stats

• AB de Villiers has now scored two consecutive centuries in the 2011 World Cup. He becomes the first South African to score two centuries in a single World Cup and the fifth batsman after Mark Waugh, Saeed Anwar, Rahul Dravid and Matthew Hayden to score two consecutive centuries in a single World Cup tournament.

• de Villiers also became the 16th batsman to score two or more centuries in one World Cup tournament. The record is three centuries in one tournament, jointly held by Mark Waugh (1996), Sourav Ganguly (2003) and Matthew Hayden (2007).

• de Villiers’ strike rate of 136.73 is the highest among South African batsmen who have scored centuries in World Cup matches.

• Hashim Amla reached his first century in World Cups off 121 balls. Overall, he has scored over 2200 runs at an average of 60.07 with eight centuries and 12 fifties.

• The 69 runs scored in South Africa’s batting powerplay is second only to Pakistan’s aggregate of 70 runs in their batting powerplay against Kenya.

• The 221-run stand between de Villiers and Amla is the highest third-wicket partnership for South Africa in World Cups and the third highest for any team in the World Cup. It is also the highest partnership for the third wicket for South Africa in all ODIs.

• South Africa’s 351 is their third-highest World Cup score and the 12th highest score for any team in World Cups. South Africa’s highest World Cup score is the 356 against West Indies in the 2007 World Cup.

• From a decent position of 81 for 2, Netherlands lost their last eight wickets for just 39 runs to be bowled out for 120.

• The 231-run win is the fourth largest margin of victory for any team in World Cups and the largest for South Africa in World Cups. It is also the second largest margin of victory for South Africa in ODIs.

• With his third player of the match award in World Cups, de Villiers is joint second with Jacques Kallis on the list of South African players with most match awards in World Cups. Lance Klusener heads the list with five awards.

Chasing 352, Netherlands’ best chance of getting anywhere depended on the top order’s ability to see off Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel. The openers played out six overs from South Africa’s fastest bowlers, but Jacques Kallis ruined their efforts by snaring two quick wickets after coming in first-change. With the run-rate under control, Graeme Smith deployed his spinners on the lower order, and Netherlands sank without a trace, losing their last seven wickets for 39 runs against Imran Tahir and Robin Peterson.The margin of victory completely eclipsed Netherlands’ spirited efforts with the new ball. Their steady army of seamers stuck to tight lengths, and their accuracy left Smith prodding uncertainly from the outset, unsure of his footwork and indecisive in his outlook. After 31 balls of struggle, Smith had seen enough, and lost his leg stump while trying to shovel Bernard Loots across the line. Ryan ten Doeschate then won the first round in the battle of the prolific allrounders, strangling Kallis into glancing one down the leg side through to the wicketkeeper Wesley Barresi. At 58 for 2 in the 16th over, South Africa were in some strife. Thankfully for them, their two best batsmen in recent times were on hand to revive the innings. Even their most optimistic fans, though, would not have envisaged the emphatic manner in which the tide was turned.Restless to put the failure against West Indies behind him, Amla tried to kick off his World Cup career by disregarding the lengths, and punching on the up. He nearly paid the price in Berend Westdijk’s third over, when his drive fell just short of the man at short cover. In Mudassar Bukhari’s next, he mishit another forcing shot through the off side, getting an inside edge that was pouched by Barresi on the bounce. Amla tightened his approach following the two reprieves, resorting to deflections behind square, and compact drives down the ground. His first eight balls yielded three fours, but he got only one more – a fortuitous inside edge to fine leg off ten Doeschate – on his way to a vital half-century.As he had done against West Indies, de Villiers checked in with a surge of immaculate boundaries, flicking and cutting ten Doeschate for fours in the 18th over. They were shots of intent that changed the complexion of the game, ending a period of nearly ten overs in which South Africa’s only boundary was Amla’s edge to fine leg. de Villiers then went on to expose Netherlands’ limitations, leaving the accumulation to Amla and throwing punches in all directions. He looted boundaries in all but two of the overs between 27 and 35, pinging boundaries in a comprehensive arc from third man to midwicket, with shots ranging from the revers- sweep to the slapped flick. While his improvisation was top class, the hallmark of his innings remained the trademark crunched cover-drives whenever the bowlers over-pitched.Netherlands enjoyed a boundary-drought between overs 36 and 41, but it was clearly a case of the batsmen calibrating their guns for a final assault. Amla strolled to one of his quieter hundreds in the 40th over, and South Africa took the batting Powerplay soon after. de Villiers began the carnage by lapping Pieter Seelar for the first six of the innings, before reaching his century off 88 balls. His next ten deliveries brought him 34 runs, as he smashed Loots for three successive sixes and then ten Doeschate for a hat-trick of fours. Netherlands managed to dismiss both batsmen in quick succession, but it was scarce solace as the Powerplay went for 69. The fields fell back for the last four overs, but that did not seem to affect Duminy, who kept getting under length deliveries to swing four gleeful sixes. Netherlands must have known they were out of the game once South Africa finished with 351. Unfortunately, they did not have Kevin O’Brien in their ranks.

Match Timeline

Two months ago, Lonwabo Tsotsobe had a one-way ticket to the top. He had spent the summer terrorising India’s batting line-up, claiming the wickets of everyone from Sachin Tendulkar to Rahul Dravid to VVS Laxman – and that was only in the Test matches. In the one-day set up, he ended the five-match series as South Africa’s leading wicket-taker.He had climbed all the steps on the ladder to the World Cup and may have considered the tournament to be the crescendo of his season. It would be his opportunity to see that the groundwork he had laid during the series against the West Indies and Pakistan in May and November last year paid off. An opportunity to complete a certain phase of growth as an international cricketer – not being particularly fast, the left-armer has made variation and accuracy central to his game, using bounce, slower balls and even a hint of swing to outthink batsmen.Instead, five matches into South Africa’s campaign, which can consist of a maximum of nine games, Tsotsobe has not played one. On pitches assisting spin, he has been the seamer that’s missed out, every time. A lesser man may have been at the least, disheartened by the exclusion, but Tsotsobe shows no signs of frustration at all. “It’s not all about me, it’s about what’s best for the team,” he told ESPNCricinfo in Dhaka. “Sometimes there is just something bigger that’s happening and in a tournament like this it’s important that the team comes first.”Tsostobe is still relatively new to the international scene, having played just 19 ODIs, but the maturity he has shown in understanding the well-being of the community over the individual is remarkable. It may stem from his franchise, the Warriors, where a string of fast bowlers were constantly competing for positions – he grew up within a fast bowling culture, with the likes of Mfuneko Ngam, Garnett Kruger and Monde Zondeki.Tsotsobe understands that the make-up of the South African attack has changed. “The seamers had their time in South Africa and now the conditions are different, so we have to bear that in mind.” South Africa have relied more on spin than pace in taking wickets. Though Steyn and Morkel’s contributions have not gone unnoticed,it’s Imran Tahir, Robin Peterson and Johan Botha who have stolen the spotlight, and the quicks are only too happy to let them have it. It’s all part of the unified team culture of support that they are trying to breed.”Sometimes you get almost too many hugs in a day,” Colin Ingram, another player who has been on the fringes said. Ingram made his World Cup debut on Tuesday against Ireland, because of an injury to AB de Villiers. Ingram sat out the first four games and watched as Morne van Wyk took the position at No. 7 that was talked up as the place Ingram would occupy. “No player is ever content with sitting out a game,” he said. “But the support from the team has been great, which makes it easier.”Ingram did his reputation no harm with a knock of 46 under trying circumstances. He arrived at the crease with South Africa on 117 for 5 against Ireland, and with much to prove about the middle order. He hit a sweet cover drive after facing just three balls and looked in good enough nick for at least a half-century. “Gee, it felt good, hey,” he said with a grin plastered to his face. “When you’ve come back in and you can hit one, it’s a great feeling.”That shot, and the six other boundaries he scored, were not just based on luck, but on intense training which has involved every member of South Africa’s squad. “I’ve never hit so many balls in my life,” said Ingram. “The training has been high quality.”It’s not just the preparation that is different about South Africa this time, it’s the mood in the camp. Since bringing in psychologist Henning Gericke, the team have come up with innovative ideas to bond, like sessions with their social committee (consisting of Morne Morkel, JP Duminy and fitness trainer Rob Walter), which organises movie nights and excursions. “We’ve learnt a few songs as well, but I don’t know all the words properly and I can’t sing it now or AB will be on my back,” Ingram said. It’s that sort of thing that has made sure no one feels left out, and having a sense of belonging means that when the opportunity arises to perform, the fringe players are ready – just as Ingram was and Tsotsobe will be.

Chirayu Amin, the IPL chairman, has said the stripped down version of the league in 2011, compared to the extravagance of previous seasons, has helped save Rs 100 crore ($22.5 million). Amin, who took over running the IPL after Lalit Modi was ousted, also said there was no chance of expanding the tournament further from its present format of ten teams because the window in the schedule would not permit it.”It has been a good stint [as chairman] as we have been running the league professionally. The governing council is being run like a professional company with complete transparency,” Amin told the . “Now, every decision is taken jointly after discussion, which was not the case earlier. Each and every tender is opened in the presence of lawyers and bidders.”Apart from bringing in transparency, we made it a point to stop unnecessary expenditure and spent money more judiciously. These measures alone have helped us save Rs 100 crore in IPL 4.”One of the expenditures that has been stopped is the IPL parties, which were held after almost every game in previous seasons and worsened the hectic playing and travelling schedule of the teams. “In fact, the franchise owners are happy that we stopped the parties,” Amin said. “They feel that the players will now be able to maintain their focus more on cricket. IPL is more about cricket.”Amin hoped that the revenues from IPL 2011 would be greater than in previous seasons. “The opening ceremony of IPL IV received maximum TRPs and the games have received more viewership than last year. Also, Volkswagen joined in as additional sponsor and we hope our revenues are higher this year, which means more money for state associations.”

Shahid Afridi, the Pakistan captain, while elated with the series win over West Indies, has stressed the need for his batsmen to step up. Pakistan took an unassailable 3-0 lead over West Indies in Barbados by chasing down 172, but they had to survive a top-order wobble as the first three wickets fell for 12. Misbah-ul-Haq, the Man of the Match, stabilised the innings and with support from Umar Akmal, Hammad Azam and Wahab Riaz sealed a three-wicket win with 29 balls to spare.”There are still some problems, and I’m sure the management and coaches will come at us hard in the meetings,” Afridi said with a chuckle. “The way the boys delivered in the series was good.”The batsmen need to spend some time [in the middle]. We all know we made mistakes.”Pakistan’s batting, however, had come good in the first two ODIs where they chased down targets of 221 and 222 with considerable ease.For West Indies, who are rebuilding after three of their senior-most players were left out, the problems with the bat were far more serious. In each of the first two games their batsmen were unable to build on starts, while in the third the middle and lower orders fell apart with the last six wickets falling for 21. The hosts fought hard with the ball, seamer Ravi Rampaul and legspinner Devendra Bishoo sharing seven wickets, but the runs on the board were inadequate.”We as a batting unit, myself included, have to take more responsibility like Bishoo does with the ball,” their captain Darren Sammy said. “It’s about getting the formula right; we have had good starts but we haven’t capitalised on it.”The way forward is to gain experience. This group is not short on talent, we need to play and get more consistency. The selectors will meet now, maybe the team will stay the same [for the remaining matches in the series] but whatever happens we need to do well in the middle phase.”Misbah displayed lots of patience while steering his team out of trouble with an unbeaten 62 off 109 balls. At 148 for 7, the game was still wide open but Riaz, who had picked up three wickets, supported him well, finishing the game with two sixes.”The pitch wasn’t easy for us as there was bit more bounce and pace. I thought I have to bat till the end and we can win,” Misbah said. “The ball gets soft as it gets old and you can handle it easily.”I was telling Wahab to play his normal game. When just 10 runs were required, I told him, you can now go for one or two big hits.”Pakistan are currently ranked No. 6 in the ICC ODI team rankings, and will remain there even if they complete a whitewash. The system offers little rewards for wins against lower-ranked teams, and Afridi was critical of the concept. “I can’t understand this system. There should be some advantage for the visiting sides as winning a series is never easy for them no matter who they’re playing against,” Afridi told before the third ODI got underway. “It’s really difficult to prosper under the current ranking system. I have little clue what it is based on.”

Scorecard
Yorkshire were not ready to countenance another batting performance with the shortcomings of their first innings here but their prospects of escaping with a draw were advanced substantially nonetheless by a rain interruption that eventually spanned more than three and a half hours.Two down for 85 in the second innings when a heavy shower heralded the frustratingly long stoppage, they added a further 41 runs in 50 minutes after play restarted at 5.40pm without further loss and will need to add another 57 to make Lancashire bat again on the final day.Joe Sayers completed his second half-century of the match and Andrew Gale is three runs away from following suit. With the pitch taking spin, Lancashire had Steven Croft bowling offbreaks in support of Gary Keedy and might wish they had stuck with Simon Kerrigan after his match-winning performance at Edgbaston. Then again, with Jimmy Anderson itching for a big send-off ahead of next week’s first Test, Lancashire will expect their seamers to inflict some damage on the final morning.It had taken only 11 deliveries for Lancashire to lose their last two wickets as the day began in relatively pleasant weather, albeit a good 10 degrees cooler than the balmy days of late April when Somerset were beaten here.Steve Patterson, whose form has been patchy but who looked somewhere near his best in this match, had Luke Procter leg before with his first ball of the morning as the left-hander tried to work the ball to leg and uprooted Gary Keedy’s off stump four balls later. The 6ft 4ins seamer finished with 4 for 51 from 24.5 overs, which will advance his claims for a regular place in the side as Yorkshire seek to settle on their best attack.Nonetheless, Lancashire’s lead of 188 on a pitch that has generally played slow and low would have left Yorkshire with a lot to do to escape with a draw had the forecast of passing showers not proved somewhat optimistic.When umpires Neil Bainton and Richard Illingworth ushered the players off just after two o’clock it was expected to be only a brief interruption but a scheduled restart at five past three had to be knocked on the head and every hint of brightening skies seemed to prompt another intense burst.Even so, Yorkshire will still have something to do on the last day against a Lancashire attack that seems more than capable of setting up a fourth win in five matches and a first home win over their cross-Pennine rivals since 2000.Anderson, who will not play again in the Championship after this match until at least late in the season (and only then, perhaps, if he is not recalled for England’s one-day team), looked as motivated as ever to make his contribution meaningful. After one fevered appeal for a caught behind off a short ball to Joe Sayers was turned down, Anderson’s follow-through ended with him eyeball-to-eyeball with the batsman, presumably asking him to reflect on his good fortune.It did not impress Sayers, who is little by little reacquiring the characteristic stubbornness that made him such a doughty opponent before he was laid low by illness last year. Anderson has found as much life in this pitch as anyone and was unlucky to be wicketless after bowling seven consistently challenging overs before the rain came.The wickets instead went to Chapple, who upped the pressure on the Yorkshire batsmen by not conceding a run until his seventh over, and Farveez Maharoof.Chapple struck in his fourth over with a ball that stopped on Adam Lyth enough to induce a tame return catch from the left-hander, who is struggling to match the form he enjoyed in the early part of last season, when he went close to the coveted feat of scoring 1,000 first-class runs by the end of May.His return thus far this season has been a paltry 283, even taking three half-centuries into account. He has been dismissed in single figures in five of his last seven innings, although talk of his being dropped is premature.Yorkshire need his quality, especially now that the loss of Jacques Rudolph is being felt. Joe Root, the 20-year-old from Sheffield, has made a good impression every time he has played but it is on the shoulders of Lyth, Sayers and Andrew Gale that responsibility lies, and with Anthony McGrath when he regains his fitness.Root fell to Maharoof, in two minds about whether to go forward or back to a ball that kept a touch low. Apart from the moment that Anderson thought he had found an edge or a glove, when he had scored only one, Sayers has looked solid. With no Jonny Bairstow or Gerard Brophy to come, he and Gale hold the key to Yorkshire’s survival.

The date has been set for the hearing that will decide Old Trafford’s future as a Test match ground. The Court of Appeal will hear the case against Lancashire’s planned ground redevelopment on July 4, a day that the chief executive Jim Cumbes has called “a day of destiny”.”The future prospects for the club will rest on the decision, make no mistake,” said Cumbes. “We are confident of winning and bringing to an end a protracted legal process which has been draining the club financially and preventing us from transforming our ageing ground and facilities.”The club’s long-running legal battle with Derwent Holdings, the rival company trying to block the development plans for the area around Lancashire’s home ground, had appeared to be at an end in March when the High Court ruled in Lancashire’s favour and refused Derwent leave to appeal but the company, owned by billionaire Albert Gubay, made it clear they would seek to take the case further.Tesco, the supermarket chain, are backing Lancashire’s plans and building a store in nearby White City while contributing £21million to the cost. Their joint planning application was approved in March last year, and at the same planning meeting Derwent, who own the White City retail park, had a scheme to build a Sainsbury’s at the site refused. Derwent argued that Trafford Council applied double standards in refusing its plans.Derwent’s repeated legal challenges created great uncertainty for Lancashire’s plans, but the first part of the redevelopment was completed last year with the opening of the The Point, a large red complex to the side of the pavilion, and continued over the winter with the turning of the square 90 degrees to prevent problems caused by the setting sun in autumn.New floodlights are being installed and Cumbes said the four 53metre-high pylons would be in place in time for England’s Twenty20 match against India in August. If Lancashire are successful on July 4, the club is hopeful that all the renovations will be completed in time to host an Ashes Test in 2013.