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MELBOURNE, Oct 29 AAP – Key Australian players Shane Warne and Ricky Ponting showed differing approaches today to the punishing schedule of international cricket which awaits them.While Warne’s unprecedented fitness and his outstanding form meant there was no way he would miss the Pura Cup match against Tasmania from tomorrow, Ponting will rest.Warne was super-keen to play because his friend and team-mate Darren Berry will become Victoria’s most-capped player.New Tasmanian coach Brian McFadyen said he had been hopeful Ponting would play, but the Australian Cricket Board asked for the national one-day captain to have some time off.”It’s disappointing, we’d love for Ricky to play,” McFadyen said.”We’re hopeful he’ll be available when we play Queensland between the first and second Tests.”Ponting needed surgery in June to help fix a stress fracture in his left foot.Warne, on the other hand, has regenerated his career after losing weight through a dedicated fitness regime.Australia’s top cricketers will soon start seven months of Tests and one-dayers, including the Ashes series and the World Cup.Warne was man of the series in Sri Lanka and Sharjah against Pakistan, with 27 wickets in three Tests.When asked if he had second thoughts about playing in this match, Warne replied: “Obviously when it was 53 degrees in Sharjah.”For me, I know it’s important just to keep bowling.”I think it’s up to the individual – if they want to play that’s good, if they don’t then that’s cool as well.”I don’t think it should be held against anyone.”Warne would also be anticipating a spin-friendly wicket towards the end of this match.The MCG pitch is unusually dry for this time of year and it should be a good batting track early in the match.Another obvious change will be the arena, with some of the Ponsford Stand missing.This will be the first event at the ground since redevelopment work started late last month.”You can actually see the Melbourne skyline, it’s a good little feel, a few of the boys said there should be a hill there,” Warne said.Warne will captain Victoria for the first time in three years, having regained the spot under new coach David Hookes.While delighted to be in the side when Berry sets the all-time Victorian record with 125 caps, he regrets their never having been together at Test level.”Darren Berry can pick what I bowl in my run-up – anything new, he knows exactly what I’m doing,” Warne said.”It’s probably a bit of a tragedy he’s never had the opportunity to play at higher honours.”If we didn’t have great keepers such as Ian Healy and Adam Gilchrist, he probably would have played 100 Tests by now for Australia.”Teams (12th men to be named):VICTORIA: Shane Warne (capt), Jason Arnberger, Darren Berry, Will Carr, Matthew Elliott, Ian Harvey, Shane Harwood, Brad Hodge, Mathew Inness, Nick Jewell, Jon Moss, Graeme Rummans.TASMANIA: Jamie Cox (Capt), Sean Clingeleffer, Graeme Cunningham, Gerard Denton, Michael DiVenuto, Michael Dighton, Shane Jurgensen, Daniel Marsh, David Saker, Shannon Tubb, Shane Watson, Damien Wright.

Hampshire’s second XI lost their third one-day Trophy final in four years against Kent yesterday – by five wickets with just two balls remaining, writes Simon Walter.Jimmy Adams and John Francis made 58 and 49 respectively after resuming their partnership when rain forced the 50 overs clash into the reserve day at The Rose Bowl.Alex Morris had smashed a 31-ball 38 before the rains came on Monday but yesterday James Hamblin provided the impetus to Hampshire’s middle order, belting 40 off 26 deliveries, including two sixes and a four.That was after Adams and Francis had put on 72 for the fourth wicket but Hampshire’s last four wickets fell for 26 runs and they were bowled out for 238 with five balls left of their allocation.Off spinner Irfan Shah took 3-45 in his ten overs but Kent skipper James Tredwell won the match for his side with 111 at the top of the order before he was stumped by Iain Brunnschweiler off the medium pace of Lawrie Prittipaul.James Schofield was Hampshire’s only other wicket taker while first teamer James Tomlinson was the most economical, going for 34 off his ten overs.Adams, Francis, Prittipaul and Hamblin were also in the second XI side that lost the first of the three recent one-day trophy finals, also against Kent, at Canterbury in 1999.

BRISBANE – Australia’s cricketers will play in Sri Lanka next month eventhough three New Zealanders have withdrawn from the Champions Trophy forsafety reasons.Craig McMillan, Matthew Horne and Brooke Walker were today left out ofthe New Zealand squad after making themselves unavailable for theInternational Cricket Council’s one-day tournament.The trio were part of the New Zealand squad which abandoned its tour ofPakistan in May when a bomb blast outside its Karachi team hotel killed14 people.”I don’t want to go into specifics and I’ve not needed counselling but… I didn’t think I was mentally ready to cope,” McMillan told NZPA.”It is only sport after all.”But the Australian Cricket Board, which cancelled its October Test tourof Pakistan last Friday, is satisfied with the security arrangements inSri Lanka.An ACB spokesman said the 14 players selected for the Champions Trophyfrom September 12-29 had not expressed any concerns about playing in SriLanka.Australian Cricketers’ Association chief executive Tim May said the NewZealand players would have taken a different view than the Australiansafter their Karachi experiences.”There is a clear differentiation with matters to be considered forAustralian players and New Zealand players,” May said.”They might be trying to manage a trauma of the past and, from ourperspective, we haven’t experienced any of those traumas first hand.”We have gone through an identical process for every tour where weassess security risks and we are quite satisfied with the security thatwill be offered to the players in Sri Lanka.”New Zealand Cricket chief executive Martin Snedden said the Black Capswere not placed under any pressure to tour Sri Lanka.New Zealand cricket has experienced security problems in Sri Lanka, withtours in 1987 and 1992 disrupted by bomb blasts, while there was civilunrest in Colombo during the Black Caps’ latest tour last year.”It is accepted that when travelling overseas we cannot make anyabsolute guarantees about safety,” Snedden told NZPA.”When deciding whether to attend the tournament the safety of the teamwas our top priority.”We made a thorough assessment of risks to the team which includedspeaking to government agencies and a visit to Sri Lanka by team managerJeff Crowe and security adviser Reg Dickason, to speak to American,British and Australian Foreign Affairs staff and to check securityarrangements.”We have been advised that a ceasefire has been in place in Sri Lankasince February and the country is the most stable it has been for sometime.”Snedden said New Zealand Cricket accepted the decisions of McMillan,Walker and Horne.

BCCI.tv On the milestone 100th Test
I honestly never thought that I will play 100 Test matches. It’s been a long journey. Played a lot of cricket over the course of these 100 Test matches, lot of international cricket. I am just grateful that I have been able to make it to 100. With the amount of cricket we play in this day and age, God’s been kind. I have worked really hard on my fitness. It’s a big moment for me, my family and my coach, who is happy and proud of this Test as long as I am concerned.On a knock that changed things for him
I think my first Test hundred is something I remember very fondly. It’s still very fresh in my memory. That is one day that will be always very, very special. Knowing that it came in Australia will be very special. It was an overseas hundred, for a young guy wanting to establish himself in Test cricket, for the first hundred to come in Australia really boosted my confidence. If you see, my career really took off from there after that Test match and my confidence grew leap and bounds.Related

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On the culture he set in Test cricket
The way people look at Test cricket being played under me as Indian team or just the way I went about playing Test cricket and how I thought and wanted to play Test cricket, it hasn’t happened by chance. I have put in a lot of effort, I have made sure that core moral values when it comes to the game remains intact, which is wanting to play Test cricket and wanting the purest form of the game to stay alive. For that we needed to play in a certain manner.I have given my heart and soul to this format. It feels great to contribute to my environment and to the culture in bigger ways than just strategies and plans and trying to get batsmen out and trying to manoeuvre bowlers. If you have a bigger impact on your environment, it is a matter of pride and really something to feel blessed about because this opportunity comes rarely to people.On his stint as India’s Test captain
I’ve had the privilege and the opportunity to create a culture which I think I have set as a leader in the last few years. I have done my job to the best of my abilities and have fulfilled my responsibilities. I look back very proudly on that period. I have played with some amazing team-mates, some of the guys who have shared this journey with me for most number of Test matches.I clearly remember when I took over Test captaincy, I had this vision for the team that we needed to play certain kind of cricket and we need to be a certain kind of team in international cricket and we ended up achieving that five years in a row. So immensely proud. Just the atmosphere was something magical to be a part of; you entered the dressing room and you felt that you could win anywhere and that feeling was so empowering.You went to every tour without any baggage, without any nervousness, without any hesitation. It was just opportunity after opportunity and something that when I sat in the dressing room and I looked around I felt like I was able to fulfill my responsibility.Virat Kohli will become one of only 12 Indians to play 100 Tests•BCCI

On a moment he cherishes in Tests
From 2015 to 2020, those five-six years, the kind of Test cricket we played, each one of those tours or games is a special memory in itself. We have had some tough losses; we have had some amazing comebacks. Immensely proud of the whole phase. Looking back at how amazing and magical the journey was, I can’t pin-point one memory. It would be wrong for me to point out winning (a series) in Australia or coming out of England 2-1, potentially getting the trophy back with us. We understand those moments on a daily basis we experience which is far more special than these things.On staying motivated
I love playing this game. I am still passionate about winning games for my country. That was my prime motivation when I started playing. I wanted to play for India and win matches for my team. That was my single-minded motivation. I continue to be in that phase. The chat around stats and numbers, its fantasy for people on the outside. I never really focused on these things. If I did, I wouldn’t have scored the amount of runs I have scored or achieved the milestones over the past 10-12 years. Your intent has to be right and it keeps on being in the same space and that is winning matches for India.On playing 100 Tests for India
It feels surreal. I never imagined I would play 100 Tests for India. There was a time where I remember I had told myself I will do anything possible to play for India. Nothing could de-motivate or distract me anymore. I was completely focused on getting to the top and playing for a long period. Things unfolded in a way that the journey kept on going.Life is unpredictable in many beautiful ways and I don’t think we should put any restrictions on life in terms of how many amazing moments you can witness in the future. You have no idea what the future holds. It is best not to panic or get de-motivated by what might not happen because my career, my life is an example of what is possible.On walking out on the morning of the 100th Test
I hear that crowds have been allowed as well. It’s going to be a special, special morning. There will be some butterflies, I won’t lie. There have to be butterflies till the last game you play for India. They’ve remained for a long period of time and they remain to be.

After much chopping and changing, Sri Lanka have finally announced their 17-man squad for the upcoming home ODI series against Zimbabwe, with eight changes from their last outing against South Africa – though even more had originally been slated.Kusal Perera, Wanindu Hasaranga, Avishka Fernando, Dhananjaya de Silva are the biggest names to miss out – the first two are nursing injuries, the third tested positive for Covid-19, and Dhananjaya is on paternity leave following the birth of his first child. Bhanuka Rajapaksa, meanwhile, ruled himself out of contention following his decision to retire – a decision he has now rescinded. Lahiru Kumara was named in the squad but failed Sri Lanka’s newly beefed-up fitness tests. Pace bowler Binura Fernando and spinner Akila Dananjaya are the other two to miss the cut.Related

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In their place come Kusal Mendis, Jeffrey Vandersay and the uncapped trio of Nuwan Thushara, Shiran Fernando and Chamika Gunasekara; Dinesh Chandimal, Nuwan Pradeep and Kamindu Mendis meanwhile have been recalled, having been dropped from the initial squad.Indeed, Sri Lanka’s selectors had originally planned to go with an even more fresh-faced unit with the uncapped trio of Kalana Perera, Kamil Mishara and Janith Liyanage also included, but the latter two tested positive for Covid-19 while the former fell short of fitness requirements. Of the three, Liyanage will likely be the most disappointed, following a breakout LPL campaign with the Dambulla Giants.The dropouts meant room opened up for some familiar faces to return with the biggest beneficiaries from the rejigged squad undoubtedly Chandimal and Mendis, both of whom had outstanding LPL campaigns and would have been forgiven for feeling a little hard done to have been omitted in the first place.While his LPL season brought just the sole half century – an unbeaten 65 in a narrow defeat – only twice in nine LPL innings did Chandimal fail to score less than 25, making him undoubtedly the most consistent force in the tournament. Mendis, meanwhile, ended as the tournament’s highest run-scorer, including a match-winning 53-ball 85 against eventual champions Jaffna Kings in the first Qualifier.The pair supplement a batting line-up that boasts quite a bit of potential if not international experience, led by the promising young duo of Pathum Nissanka and Charith Asalanka. Lower down, allrounders Chamika Karunaratne, Dasun Shanaka and Ramesh Mendis offer big-hitting prowess, while Minod Bhanuka will likely vie with Chandimal for wicketkeeping duties.On the bowling front, the pace contingent will be led by the ever-improving Dushmantha Chameera, who finished 2021 as the year’s leading ODI wicket-taker, albeit with the necessary caveat of having played the most matches and the lack of ODI involvement by other Test-playing nations. The veteran Pradeep and uncapped trio of Thushara, Shiran Fernando and Chamika Gunasekera are the other seamers in the squad – though the likes of Shanaka and Karunaratne also offer alternatives.Pradeep had a decent LPL picking up 10 wickets in largely unfavourable conditions, while Thushara, whose slingy action has unsurprisingly drawn comparisons to Lasith Malinga, showcased his potential in the shortest format, going wicketless just twice in eight games, including a career-best 5 for 13 in the crucial first Qualifier against the Jaffna Kings – he will be keen to test his skills in the 50-over game. Both Fernando and Gunasekera meanwhile have had modest domestic returns but seem to have been picked largely on potential.It’s in the spin bowling department though that Sri Lanka will feel most light, with the still green Maheesh Theekshana likely to lead the line alongside left-arm spinner Praveen Jayawickrama and the returning Vandersay. Legspinner Vandersay though is in the midst of a career renaissance, set for his first ODI since 2019 following an impressive LPL; having had to wait till halfway through to tournament to get any game time for the Colombo Stars he ended it with 11 wickets in four games, including a career-best haul of 6 for 25. There are also the part-time options afforded by Ramesh and Kamindu Mendis, with the former having showed signs of taking his game up a notch in the recently concluded Test series against the West Indies.Ashen Bandara, Pulina Tharanga, Nimesh Vimukthi, Ashian Daniel, Asitha Fernando and Vishwa Fernando have been named as standby players.Full squad: Dasun Shanaka (capt.), Kusal Mendis, Pathum Nissanka, Dinesh Chandimal, Minod Bhanuka, Charith Asalanka, Chamika Karunaratne, Kamindu Mendis, Maheesh Theekshana, Ramesh Mendis, Praveen Jayawickrama, Dushmantha Chameera, Nuwan Pradeep, Jeffrey Vandersay, Nuwan Thushara, Chamika Gunasekera, Shiran Fernando

Ben Stokes denied himself a wicket in his first over back in Test cricket when he bowled David Warner with a no-ball. It soon transpired that he had overstepped on the first three deliveries of the over as well – but a broken system meant they weren’t called by the third umpire under the new protocols.It was later confirmed that the technology put in place to allow the TV official to monitor the frontline had gone down before the match started so this Test is being played under the previous playing conditions where only wicket-taking deliveries are checked. Host broadcaster Channel Seven later showed that in Stokes’ first five overs there had been 14 no-balls with only one called on field.Warner was on 17 during the second morning when he played around a full delivery but Stokes almost aborted his celebration, as if fearing that he was over the front line. Shortly after the non-dismissal the host broadcasters replayed footage of the start of the over and Stokes had no-balled each time.England bowler coach Jon Lewis said after the day’s play that it was frustrating that Stokes had not had the opportunity to adjust his delivery when he initially overstepped. It was the first time since an ODI in 2014 that Stokes at played at the Gabba.”Would be the first time he’s run-up from that end for eight years so he’ll need some feedback from the umpires as to understand where his feet are to then make an adjustment,” Lewis said. “If you don’t know where your feet are it’s very hard. Would have been nice for the first no-ball to be called then he’d have made the adjustment and from there he would have been behind the line because he knows where his feet are landing.”The ICC first trialled the use of the TV umpire monitoring the front line every delivery in 2019 and it was used for the first time in Test cricket when England played Pakistan in 2020.The ICC playing conditions for the World Test Championship state: “The third umpire shall review television replays of the bowler’s front foot landing and, if he/she is satisfied that any of these three conditions have not been met, he/she shall immediately advise the bowler’s end umpire who shall in turn immediately call and signal No-ball.”Joe Root maintained a diplomatic stance when speaking briefly to Fox Cricket during the drinks break. “Slightly frustrating but we can’t let that get to us,” he said.This is Stokes’ first Test match since March following his break from the game and he has had very little proper preparation leading into the series due to the poor weather in Brisbane.During the 2013-14 Ashes, Stokes was denied his first Test wicket when he had Brad Haddin caught behind off a no-ball in Adelaide.On England’s tour of Sri Lanka in 2018, broadcasters counted as many as 12 no-balls missed by the umpires during one five-over spell. In the 2019-2020 Australia-Pakistan series, Channel Seven tallied up to 21 had been missed during two sessions on the second day in Brisbane.

The role of a head coach in the Indian cricket team has never been as ambiguous as it has been since the first murmurs of trouble between Virat Kohli and Anil Kumble began. Kumble himself didn’t have much experience as a coach, but in the one year he spent in the job, he came across as somebody actively involved in working with bowlers, passing on some tips to batsmen, playing a role in strategising and also keeping an eye on the supply line.However, as each passing day conspired to get Ravi Shastri back as the coach, you wondered what India wanted in their coach. Now there are specialist bowling, batting and fielding coaches in the side. If Shastri had not picked them himself, the Cricket Advisory Committee would have enforced through Zaheer Khan and Rahul Dravid. What exactly does Shastri do then?”My role is to be in charge of the entire support staff, and to make sure that we get the boys in some great mental space to go out and express themselves with nothing else on their minds but to go out and play a brand of cricket which you have seen India play over the last three years: positive and fearless,” Shastri said, two days before the SSC Test.When asked how exactly he does that, Shastri shot back: “That is a skill, that is why I am here and you are not there.”Later he said, though, that all he had to do to achieve the right atmosphere in the dressing room was “walk in”. “That was enough”It is instructive that a press conference two days before the middle Test of a series revolved more around Shastri’s role in the team than around the Test or the series. “For me, I don’t carry any baggage,” Shastri said about the winning start in Galle. “For me it was like walking into the dressing room as I had left it. Nothing had changed, and no special buttons I had to press. It was just that one play button, and off you went.”The boys were fantastic in the last Test match but what we are striving for is improvement. There are still areas to improve from the last game. And we have discussed that and what we want from this team as a unit collectively is consistency. Not just where you are good in one game and totally the opposite in the other. Your levels of consistency have to be high.”Shastri was even asked how he makes sure he is not “overbearing” and balancing out the need to speak to players and giving them their space. “When you have been around the game for 37 years, you probably learnt a little bit,” Shastri said. “So that experience is very handy for me in knowing exactly how to deal with the players.”Just walk in, press the play button and using his 37-year experience (as player and commentator), coaching India sounds easy. He was asked how easy it exactly was. “I have been manager, director, now I am head coach, and it’s the same role,” Shastri said. “Absolutely the same role. So there is nothing that I have to change. The fact that you played the game and watched the game for long periods of time without a break does help. So you know what’s contemporary and what’s happening at the moment and you relate with people in that fashion.”I don’t think at this level coaching is needed. At this level, it is all about fine-tuning and getting the blokes in a good mental space to go out and play the game. They know they have reached here because they are good. At times you might need to just fine-tune them a bit because the amount of cricket that’s being played you might just get into the odd bad habit without you realising it. That’s where the experience of having played, probably having watched you can pick it up and pass on the message.”Shastri also said this team had achieved what many Indian greats had failed to achieve. “They have already done things that a lot of Indian teams and a lot of big names couldn’t do in their careers,” Shastri said. “Like, for example, to win a series here [in Sri Lanka] for 20 years. A lot of big names have played for 20 years, they have come to Sri Lanka many times, and they have never won a series. But they [this team] have done that. They have won a one-day series in 20 years, which a lot of teams haven’t done.”This team is used to doing things that a lot of other teams haven’t done, and that too overseas. Forget Australia, I am not even touching the Australia tour, so when you say overseas like South Africa, England, it is a lot of tough cricket coming up. I see it as an opportunity. I am very positive here that this team can do things that probably no other Indian team has done.”

England have named five uncapped players in their 16-man squad for three T20s against South Africa at the end of June. Liam Livingstone and Mason Crane have won first call-ups, while Dawid Malan, Tom Curran and Craig Overton are also included ahead of potential debuts.Joe Root is among several white-ball regulars rested for the T20 series, meaning he can play Championship cricket for Yorkshire ahead of his first Test as England captain in July. Moeen Ali, Adil Rashid, Jake Ball and Ben Stokes have also been released to their counties, while Tymal Mills is missing through injury.Mark Wood will only be available for the first match of the South Africa series, with his workload likely to be managed by England after a starring role in their run to the Champions Trophy semi-finals. For the final two matches, his place will be taken by Somerset’s Craig Overton – who was previously called into the ODI squad in 2015, alongside his twin Jamie, but did not play. Jonny Bairstow is included for the first two matches before returning to Yorkshire.The inaugural round of day-night Championship matches on June 26-29 will see the involvement of Root, Moeen, Rashid, Ball, Stokes, Wood and Bairstow, as well as former England captain Alastair Cook and fast bowlers Stuart Broad and James Anderson, who is expected to have recovered from a groin injury.Livingstone had been tipped for inclusion in England’s one-day squad at the start of the summer and has been in impressive form for Lancashire and the Lions. “I found out yesterday and it’s obviously a very nice moment for me and I’m really looking forward to next week,” he said.”I’ve really enjoyed my time with the Lions whenever I’ve been involved. You’re given a lot of freedom and a free role to play. It’s a great environment to be involved in and especially with the way I play my cricket, it’s very exciting … I’ve always tried to not change how I am or the way I play so I’ll just go in and try to do what I’ve done for Lancashire.”From the very first day of hitting a cricket ball, it’s what you want to do and it’s what you work hard to achieve. A lot of hard work has gone into it, so if I was to make my debut it would be a very special moment for me and my family.”Crane, the Hampshire legspinner, made headlines when selected as an overseas player for New South Wales during the winter and was among the leading wicket-takers in the group stage of the Royal London Cup with 14 at 27.42. Malan, 29, is a former captain of Middlesex’s T20 side and was a non-playing member of the squad for the one-off T20 against Sri Lanka last year, while Surrey seamer Curran won his maiden England call-up to the ODI squad on the tour of the Caribbean in March.”The T20 series against South Africa presents us with an opportunity to incorporate several players who have come through the talent pathway into the senior group,” James Whitaker, England’s national selector, said. “The squad has an exciting blend of youth and experience and we are looking forward to a competitive series against strong opposition.”With five uncapped players selected, there is undoubted talent coming through the system and we are excited to see some of these players showcase their skills at the highest level.”Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Tom Curran and Craig Overton have impressed for the England Lions over the past 12 months and have transferred their skills across all formats, in particular with their respective counties.”Young legspinner Mason Crane is another player with great promise and he has made great strides with Hampshire this season and has added to his experience with stints in the North-South Series earlier in the season, where he took crucial wickets and even earned selection for New South Wales in Australia’s premier domestic competition the Sheffield Shield.”England T20 squad: Eoin Morgan (capt), Jonny Bairstow (first two matches of series), Sam Billings, Jos Buttler, Mason Crane, Tom Curran, Liam Dawson, Alex Hales, Chris Jordan, Liam Livingstone, Dawid Malan, Craig Overton (last two matches of series), Liam Plunkett, Jason Roy, David Willey, Mark Wood (first match of series)

ScorecardSteven Croft’s power-packed innings sparked Lancashire•Getty Images

Steven Croft’s violent century lifted Lancashire to a much-needed 26-run victory over Warwickshire in the Royal London Cup at Edgbaston.Croft exploited a very short boundary on the Hollies Stand side of the ground to smash 127 from 83 balls with eight fours and eight sixes, his best limited-overs score, which lifted Lancashire to 351 for 8.They then bowled Warwickshire out for 325 in the 49th over to record their first group win at the fourth attempt. The triumph at last got Lancashire up and running in the competition, though they still have little margin for error in their remaining games if they are to qualify.Cup-holders Warwickshire’s grip on the trophy, meanwhile, hangs by the slenderest thread after a fourth defeat in five games.Put in, Lancashire lost Alex Davies, lbw to Rikki Clarke, in the eighth over but were given a brisk start by Karl Brown before he edged Olly Hannon-Dalby to the wicketkeeper.Haseeb Hameed and Liam Livingstone added 54 in 12 overs but after Livingstone nicked Clarke and Hameed swept Ateeq Javid to short fine-leg, Lancashire were a wobbly 130 for 4.They were fortified by a stand of 103 in 87 balls between Croft and Dane Vilas (55) then, after Vilas lapped Javid to short fine-leg, Croft hit overdrive.The skipper and Jordan Clark added 114 from 56 balls, a thunderous assault which included a remarkable 35 from the 45th over, delivered by Hannon-Dalby. Of the over’s ten balls, four were lifted over the boundary rope with one, from a no-ball, scoring eight. Croft also biffed four sixes off Keith Barker in the penultimate over before holing out in the last.Kyle Jarvis then spiked Warwickshire big guns with two wickets in an excellent opening spell of 5-1-18-2. Jonathan Trott flicked to square leg and Ian Bell, having hoisted James Anderson for successive sixes, nicked behind.Sam Hain lifted a short ball from Anderson to deep point and Matt Lamb was bowled by Simon Kerrigan, at which point Warwickshire were 95 for 4.Tim Ambrose (68) and Clarke (76) kept their side in the game with a stand of 126 but both perished in the space of eight balls.Clarke charged at Simon Kerrigan and missed and after the in-form Ambrose, having taken his RL Cup run-tally to 222 in four innings, was beaten by Anderson’s direct hit, a target of 124 from the last 15 overs proved too much for the lower order.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details1:59

Moonda: Elgar has bedded in as senior opener

Could New Zealand’s twin-spin attack prove a masterstroke? It may yet depend on the Dunedin weather, with rain forecast for the final day of this nip-and-tuck Test, but late wickets under leaden skies set up what could be a wonderful final day. South Africa, who could barely push their scoring rate above two-an-over, closed with a lead of 191 and four wickets in hand.The shape of the day – a grey, chilly day that demanded deep resolve from players and spectators alike – changed deep in the final session. After Jeetan Patel removed Dean Elgar, 11 short of becoming the sixth South Africa batsman to make two hundreds in a Test, he cleaned up his bunny, Quinton de Kock, with a beauty (the tally of four successes in four innings not escaping Patel as he celebrated). Between Patel’s brace, Temba Bavuma also departed, the ball rolling back off his defensive shot to dislodge the off bail – success for Mitchell Santner who had been ignored for almost 60 overs.New Zealand’s strong end to the day came after being deprived the services of Trent Boult who did not appear after tea due to a sore hip. The second new ball initially went to the two spinners due to poor light, then the immense Neil Wagner – who has had a vast workload – wound himself up for another burst. Boult won’t be able to bowl for the first 90 minutes on the final morning and with a tight turnaround of three days to Wellington his prognosis will be a very significant factor.By close, when the light finally did close in with eight overs remaining, Faf du Plessis suddenly loomed as a crucial figure, unbeaten on 56 from 155 balls with the bowlers for company to try and push the lead over 250. The success for Patel and Santner will encourage him as Keshav Maharaj, who took five wickets in the first, could be a crucial weapon in defending a target alongside his pace trio.For most of the day it was about Elgar – given out caught behind 73 but saved by the DRS – as he took his time at the crease in the match to almost 13 hours before skipping down the pitch to Patel and finding deep mid-off. However, New Zealand had their chances to remove him earlier and put the heat on South Africa with more time to play with.On 35, James Neesham found his outside edge from round the wicket but BJ Watling could not gather the chance low to his left. It was the second time in the match that Watling had given an Elgar a life; in the first innings he was spilled down the leg side on 36. Then, on 48, a drive was drilled through the hands of substitute fielder Colin de Grandhomme at cover as Elgar went to his fifty from 144 balls.Coupled with poor use of the DRS, missing a chance to review against Duminy when he would have been lbw on 20 but using it when he got an inside edge, and dropping the same batsman on 6, it had been a messy first half of the day for New Zealand. However, as events later showed, South Africa’s scoring rate meant they were never out of touch and at risk if wickets fell in a flurry.South Africa resumed just five ahead and Hashim Amla departed early, flicking Wagner to the leg-side trap at midwicket to continue his poor time in New Zealand. Wagner returned after lunch to pin Duminy for a scratchy 39. At that stage South Africa’s lead was only 80. Duminy should have gone early when Boult, in the midst of a luckless opening spell, found the edge but Tom Latham, deputising for Ross Taylor at first slip, missed a regulation chance.For most of the first two sessions Williamson put the onus on Wagner, Boult (with potentially damaging results) and Patel – the latter bowling a 28-over spell – not using Santner until the 65th over. The left-arm spinner created an opportunity first ball when Elgar flicked firmly into Latham at short leg, but the ball ballooned in front of midwicket. Elgar then played a rare attacking stroke, advancing down the pitch to loft Santner straight, but the ball spinning into him created uncertainty and an outside edge fell just short of slip where Neesham and come up from his stance too quickly.Du Plessis was in no rush to try and escalate the scoring rate against accurate bowling. Late in the day he moved to his half-century off 142 balls with a hint of more aggression, with a brace of boundaries off Wagner, but it was South Africa who were the relieved players when the day ended. Du Plessis will have walked off knowing that his side have not been allowed to dictate terms in this match. Please, don’t rain.