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Daredevils came close to beating their losing streak in the game against Super Kings. Can they go one step further when they meet Royals?

The Preview by Sidharth Monga11-Apr-2015Match factsSunday, April 12, 2015
Start time 1600 local (1030 GMT)2:04

Agarkar: Big game ahead for Daredevils

Big PictureIt’s possible one of these teams has not spent on the entire squad as much as the other has on one player. Rajasthan Royals have shallow pockets but still deep resources. Delhi Daredevils have emptied their house season after season only to fail time and again, except during the first two seasons when they reached the semi-final; in 2008, they lost to, well, Royals. They have now lost 10 matches in a row, the last one against Chennai Super Kings, who were way off their best both with the bat and especially with the ball.Daredevils should be absolutely filthy with themselves for letting that opportunity go. There might be a core building, though: in Nathan Coulter-Nile, Imran Tahir and Amit Mishra they have an attack that will compete. Mohammed Shami and Zaheer Khan will surely be added to the mix at some point. Royals will have to work hard to score runs against them, but it is the Royals’ bowlers who will look to trip up the Daredevils batting. Tim Southee, Chris Morris, James Faulkner and Pravin Tambe could just as well be an international attack.There is enviable balance and power in the Royals side, but Daredevils will like to think they are not too far off it if only their batting can come together.Watch out for…Yuvraj Singh batted at No. 6 in Daredevils’ unsuccessful chase of 151 against Chennai Super Kings. The innings included a nice cover-drive, a leg glance, and three awkward pulls, the last of which got his wicket. There was expected rust in his batting, but it was argued – reasonably – that he batted too low. While keeping him for the crunch was an obvious show of faith in Yuvraj, he and JP Duminy at No. 7 left the top too inexperienced and the basket of these two left-hand batsmen couldn’t take the weight of all the eggs. There is merit in having a gun player for the end, but it might not be a bad idea to split the two, and have Yuvraj bat at No. 4, where he gets some time to build an innings. It will also give the inexperienced top order some confidence.This is a big season for Sanju Samson. Last year he came close to the Indian ODI team, and even travelled to England. MS Dhoni has quit Tests, and is showing signs of decline in limited-overs batting. There are going to be tours this year when Dhoni might rest. While Saha is the heir apparent in Tests, Samson will want to make sure he is the first man called up when Dhoni chooses to rest. And in India, IPL form plays a major role in ODI – sometimes, even Test – selection; just ask Karn Sharma who made a Test debut based on IPL performances.Stats and trivia Royals lead the head-to-head against Daredevils 8-6, including wins in their last four meetings, and a 2-2 head-to-head at Feroz Shah Kotla The last time Yuvraj played against Royals, he scored 83 off 38 for Royal Challengers Bangalore, but so batting-friendly was that game that Royals won with seven balls to spare Mishra has got batsmen stumped 16 times in the IPL, which is four more than any other bowler Of the 15 times that a player has scored 40 or more and taken three or more wickets in the same IPL match, six have been by a Royals playerQuotes”Last year I didn’t really know my role and played only a couple of games. I didn’t really get a handle on how to fit into the team. This year, I am glad to have played the first game. We’ll see how things unfold and take it from there.”

ScorecardTripura took firm control of their match against Jharkhand on day to in Dhanbad, going 85 ahead with four wickets still in hand after Jharkhand’s first-day collapse for 142. Both the overnight batsmen, Bishal Ghosh and Rakesh Solanki, got to half-centuries, ensuring the overnight deficit was wiped out without any drama. For 18-year-old opener Ghosh, this was a maiden first-class half-century, in his debut first-class season. The pair added 100 runs, and once they were separated Jharkhand struck twice more at regular intervals, but after that century stand Tripura were never under much pressure in securing the important first-innings lead.
ScorecardHyderabad edged ahead of Kerala on day two of the their match in scenic Wayanad, getting to 270 before reducing the hosts to 179 for 6. That they got to 270 was chiefly down to their wicketkeeper Ibrahim Khaleel’s efforts on the second morning, when he went from an overnight score of 35 to his ninth first-class fifty. He was left unbeaten on 65, in just his second first-class game since returning to cricket after a season out of the game. Kerala seamer P Anthaf finished with a maiden five-for, but Hyderabad had got enough to test the hosts on a challenging Wayanad track. In reply, several of the Kerala top order got in, but none could kick on – three of their top four got past 20, but only KB Pawan got to a fifty, and even he could not carry on from there. Captain Sachin Baby held the middle order together, but regular strikes at the other end meant Kerala ended the day with the first-innings lead looking rather far off.
ScorecardTwenty-one-year-old Darshan Misal fell three short of a maiden first-class ton, but his contribution in combination from an eighth first-class half-century from Robin D’Souza meant Goa got to a very competitive 357 against Himachal Pradesh in Porvorim. D’Souza kept going after Misal fell, adding 38 for the ninth wicket with Amit Yadav – Yadav contributed just 6 of those runs – to ensure the side got past 350. In reply, Himachal were stop-start. They lost opener Raghav Dhawan for a duck, before a 68-run stand between Ankush Bains and Ankit Kalsi. Once that partnership was broken, Paras Dogra also got out without scoring, before Kalsi and Rashmi Parida ended the day with an unbroken century stand.
ScorecardFor the second day running, a full quota of overs was not possible at the Palam A Ground in Delhi. Only 55-odd overs were possible, during which Andhra slipped from an overnight 160 for 3 to 234 all out. Apart from the four wickets apiece claimed by medium-pacers Roshan Raj and Deepak Punia, Andhra were also struck a heavy blow when they lost captain Mohammad Kaif to injury for a period. Kaif retired hurt on 1 with the score reading 177 for 4, and by the time he returned the team had slumped further to 188 for 6. They were bowled out not long after, and in the 18 overs they faced, Services got to 53 for 1 for the loss of only Pratik Desai.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
2:44

Fernando: Dickwella handled mental challenges well

Flattest track in the world, eh? Ask the South Africa batsmen. They started to bat at the SSC midway through the second session of the second day, and during the 52 overs till stumps the run-rate never crossed two. Sri Lanka’s trio of spinners teased and probed, Suranga Lakmal extracted some reverse swing, and the bad balls were virtually non-existent.Rangana Herath needed five balls to get his first wicket. Offspinner Dilruwan Perera needed only three. If South Africa’s batsmen did not already know they were in for a thorough interrogation of their technique against spin, the first hour of their innings made it absolutely clear.Like Sri Lanka on Thursday, South Africa lost lost two wickets early. Sri Lanka had responded by caning the spinners to the tune of 4.86 an over during a 99-run stand between Mahela Jayawardene and Kaushal Silva. There was no similar response from South Africa after their lost their openers early – Alviro Petersen to a soft caught-and-bowler and Dean Elgar bat-pad. Faf du Plessis and Hashim Amla showed immense concentration and patience as they ground out 58 runs in nearly 30 overs.There wasn’t massive turn yet from the track, but Sri Lanka could turn to a variety of spinners who posed different challenges. Left-arm spinner Herath got the new ball and tested out the rough against the left-hand batsmen. Perera bowled conventional offspin with a pleasingly conventional action and should have had Amla caught-behind in the 26th over, only for the debutant keeper Niroshan Dickwella to miss a tough chance. Ajantha Mendis, playing only his third Test in more than three years, didn’t have the same accuracy as the other two but his variations were enough to keep the batsmen guessing. Sri Lanka could even call on the part-time legspin of Kithuruwan Vithanage – he got some turn and several leading edges.It was finally Lakmal who ended the du Plessis-Amla stand, though, when Dickwella took a superb one-handed catch diving to his left to send back du Plessis for 36.South Africa still have their two best batsmen in the middle, but after 52 overs of bloody-minded resistance, they are still only 98 for 3. At the same stage, Sri Lanka were 205 for 3. What that punishing pace of scoring from Sri Lanka has done is allow them plenty of time to grill South Africa.Sri Lanka maintained a similarly cavalier rate of scoring in the morning. Dickwella, who was in England earlier this week with the A side and not even in the Test squad, struck an enterprising debut half-century that drove Sri Lanka past 400. He is a schoolboy star like the man with whom he put on a century stand – Mahela Jayawardene – to ensure the first day’s advantage was not squandered.Jayawardene began the day unbeaten on 140 at his favourite ground, and Dickwella was in his first Test innings facing the pace of Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel, but it was the youngster who dominated the opening hour.There were plenty of signs of his confidence on the big stage. In the 97th over, he played a deliberate upper cut over slips off Morne Morkel on seeing that third man was square. The next delivery was tucked to the fine-leg boundary. As Dickwella ambled down the track keeping his eye on the ball, he bumped into Morkel, who responded with a shove. Dickwella doesn’t even reach shoulder high for the towering Morkel, but his concentration didn’t waver even after that encounter.He skipped down the track to launch Vernon Philander over mid-on, and a delivery after Imran Tahir got the ball to rip from the rough, Dickwella countered with the reverse-sweep.At the other end, Jayawardene was continuing with his silken batting – the blade barely passed the vertical as he coaxed a full ball from Steyn to the long-on boundary. Fifty-six runs came in the first hour, and South African spirits were beginning to sag.As has been the case so often, South Africa got a lift with an outstanding bit of fielding. Petersen fired in a direct hit from fine leg to catch Jayawardene short on 165. A stylish innings ended with Jayawardene on his knees and desperately scrambling to complete the second.That wicket seemed to affect Dickwella; he went loose outside off, repeatedly chasing wide deliveries. He survived till lunch, though, but after the break South Africa mopped up the tail quickly to end Sri Lanka’s innings at 421. Tahir ended a 315-ball wait for a Test wicket by getting Perera to clip a ball to wide mid-on, Dickwella was run-out by Quinton de Kock while attempting a leg-bye and Philander soon had reward for his consistent bowling.That only set the stage for a harrowing examination against spin. Three more days of that stand between South Africa and the No. 1 ranking.

Offspinner Sachithra Senanayake is set to return to the UK, days after he arrived in Sri Lanka, following SLC’s decision to send him to the newly-accredited Cardiff Metropolitan University for the biomechanical testing of his action

ESPNcricinfo staff08-Jun-2014Offspinner Sachithra Senanayake is set to return to the UK, days after he arrived in Sri Lanka, following SLC’s decision to send him to the newly accredited Cardiff Metropolitan University for biomechanical testing of his action. Senanayake was reported for a suspect action during the fourth ODI against England at Lord’s and has to undergo testing within 21 days.”Senanayake will go in for ICC scrutiny at the Cardiff Metropolitan University within the next few days,” SLC CEO Ashley de Silva told the . “We have notified the ICC of our option and they in turn will reserve a date for Senanayake to attend the sessions.”Senanayake will bowl each of his variations, including the doosra, during the tests as he aims to prove his elbow does not flex beyond the permitted 15 degrees. His bowling action in the lab will be compared with footage of his deliveries from recent matches, to ensure he reproduces the action he uses in international cricket. Senanayake was Sri Lanka’s leading wicket-taker in the recently-concluded series, taking nine wickets at 15.11.His action had been cleared by the ICC in 2011, after biomechanical tests at the University of Western Australia had shown he adhered to the limits of the ICC’s Playing Conditions. That round of testing had come after remedial work, which had been prompted by complaints about his action during Sri Lanka A’s tour of England.Cardiff Metropolitan University was revealed as an accredited testing centre on Friday. A few more testing facilities – in England, Australia, India and South Africa – are expected to be accredited over the coming months.

Mignon du Preez, the South Africa captain, has called her side’s run to the Women’s World T20 semi-finals a “stepping stone” for women’s cricket in her country

Abhishek Purohit in Mirpur04-Apr-2014Mignon du Preez, the South Africa captain, has called her side’s run to the Women’s World T20 semi-finals a “stepping stone” for women’s cricket in her country. South Africa stunned favoured New Zealand in the group stage to make the semi-finals for the first time ahead of Suzie Bates’ team with a better net run-rate. Although they went down tamely to England in the semi-final, du Preez was proud of her side for their achievement.”Coming into this we were definitely underdogs. I think we have done exceptionally well and over the past few weeks the cricket that we have played, we have shown a lot of character and credit to the team,” du Preez said. “I am very proud of what we have done and I think this is like the stepping stone for women’s cricket in South Africa. It is nice to give something back to people who have been behind us all the way, whether you are winning or losing. I think this is going to open up the doors and be the start of great things for women’s cricket in South Africa.”South Africa lost only to Australia in Group A and beat New Zealand, Pakistan and Ireland. Along the way, they took inspiration from West Indies Women’s motto of ‘Moving in faith’ and said a prayer in the team huddle after their tournament ended against England this evening.West Indies have been probably the most improved side in women’s cricket in recent years, making the final of the World Cup in 2013 and the semi-final of this event.When asked if South Africa could be the new West Indies of women’s cricket, du Preez said she would not mind if her side was called that, as she admired Merissa Aguilleira’s side a lot. “They have come a long way over the last few years and they have played really good cricket,” she said. “They have played together as a team. Individuals do perform but they play really hard as a team. They are also underdogs but they play with a never-say-die attitude which I admire.”Du Preez did not think it was only England and Australia dominating women’s cricket and said South Africa’s run to the knockouts in this tournament proved that other sides were rapidly coming up the ranks.She pointed to the professionalisation of English women’s cricket and hoped that other countries would be able to do the same.

MatériaMais Notícias

O amor pelo futebol move o torcedor de diversas formas. Alguns fazem questão de ir em todos os jogos do seu time do coração, outros tem todos os produtos e camisas, e tem alguns que fazem loucuras, como Wanderley Davi, de 21 anos. O santista que mora em Maceió recebeu o Santos no último sábado no aeroporto e brilhou com sua “homenagem” ousada.

Para chamar a atenção e se aproximar do elenco do Santos que enfrentaria o CSA no domingo (empatou em 0 a 0), Davi, como costuma ser chamado, elaborou um cartaz com vários apelidos para o elenco, entre eles “Aguiloko”, “Sashumba”, “Deusíssimo”, “Momo” (para Pituca), e Felipe Jerry Smith, se destacam. E foram dois meses pensando em como executar a ideia.

– Me programei faz dois meses. Tentei falar com todos os jogadores e não consegui nenhum. Tentei falar com as esposas dos jogadores e também não consegui uma resposta. Até que lembrei de um amigo que jogou com o Felipe Jonatan e pela manhã o Felipe confirmou somente a hora do voo. Fiquei lá na frente com o cartaz para chamar a atenção (risos), Quis chamar a atenção mesmo. Queria ter uma proximidade com os jogadores que eu mais gosto também, que é o Vanderlei, Victor Ferraz e o Alison. Fiquei muito feliz! Foi massa – disse em entrevista ao LANCE!.

A ideia era fazer do apelido alguma referência técnica ou física do jogador. Dentre todas as criações, “Cuevapaiva” foi o que mais viralizou entre os torcedores por conta de sua fase indisciplinada na passagem pelo São Paulo. O santista explicou que foi o último apelido a ser encaixado no cartaz por receio de “gerar mal estar”.

Apesar disso, o elenco do Santos aceitou a brincadeira tranquilamente. Os santistas posaram com o cartaz e deram boas risadas analisando os apelidos. Até mesmo Cueva, principal alvo da zoeira.

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Chuteira assinada por Vanderlei (Foto: Arquivo)

– Todo mundo gostou, o Veríssimo, o Gustavo. O Cueva foi o último que eu coloquei. Antes era Bravo Cueva, porque antes de chegar no Brasil ele jogou fora e ele era conhecido como Bravo. Para não dar mal estar pensei em “Bravo Cueva” Momo foi o Sánchez que inventou para o Pituca, né? Felipe Jerry Smith foi pela aparência do Felipe ser idêntica ao cantor (risos), O Everson tem habilidade com os pés, tem uma bagagem, coloquei Everneuer, o Sánchez, que parece uma tartaruga ninja, o Raiodrigo por consegue se desvencilhar da jogada. O Sasha está bombando, que é Sashumba (mais risos)”, explicou.

Davi também faz parte dos torcedores que fizeram loucuras para ver seu time jogar. O alagoano já viajou de bicicleta e ônibus para acompanhar o Santos pelo Brasil.

– Duas vezes no CT e não pude entrar, já viajou de bicicleta e de ônibus. Já entrei no estádio do Corinthians infiltrado. Moro em Macaio e isso não facilita a aproximação, mas nunca deixei e acompanhar o Santos, que é tudo que eu faço e penso por amor – desabafou.

Veja abaixo todos os apelidos criados por Davi para o elenco do Santos:

– Vandeuslei
– Everneuer
– Ferraz Mo Vei
– Jorge Alba
– Felipe Jerry Smith
– Gustavo Empire Status
– Aguiloko
– Luiz Kompany
– Momo
– MMAlison
– Jean Pogba
– Jobshow
– Pato Ninja Sánchez
– Cuevaipava
– Soteldo Pequeno Polegar
– Jean Messi
– Raiodrygo
– Sashumba
– Golpete
– Derlis Original
– Jorgito Sampaoli

CSA chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said his position is not untenable and that there are other areas in South Africa’s cricket administration where he could make a difference

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2013

Cricket South Africa (CSA) chief executive Haroon Lorgat has said that his position is not untenable and that there are other areas in South Africa’s cricket administration where he could make a difference. Lorgat had been withdrawn by CSA from dealing with matters relating to the ICC or the BCCI until an independent investigation into the controversial comments made by the ICC’s former legal head David Becker, and Lorgat’s alleged role in it, was completed.”I offered the board on Sunday past to step aside until the Indian tour was confirmed and until the allegation against me was cleared. I’ve got nothing to fear,” Lorgat told . “I did not want to be the person that would have held up [the tour] or had the tour cancelled. I was happy to stand aside and offer to the board to have someone else take care of it, because if that’s what it takes for the tour to go ahead, no one person is bigger than the tour.”I don’t believe my position is untenable. There are plenty other things that need to be done at CSA. We’ve got a programme of development that needs to be revisited, there are transformation issues that need to be dealt with, there are competitions to unfold, there’s a Twenty20 competition that we have not fully exploited. We’ve got that scheduled for January and I would love to see our international players playing in that competition. There is a lot to be done and to suggest it’s an untenable state. I am looking forward to getting my focus in areas where I feel I can make a difference.”Although there was no official statement, CSA’s appointment of Lorgat as its chief executive despite a series of run-ins between him and the BCCI during his tenure as ICC chief seemed to have cast a shadow over India’s tour of South Africa. The BCCI, which had earlier raised concerns about Lorgat being in the running for CSA’s top job, rejected the original itinerary for the tour that had three Tests, seven ODIs and two T20s pencilled in. However, the eventual announcement of the tour ended an uncertain few months that severely tested the relations between the BCCI and CSA.

MatériaMais Notícias

O goleiro Jean deverá ser reintegrado ao elenco do São Paulo nos próximos dias. Esse é o plano do clube, que gostou do comportamento dele durante o período de afastamento.

O jogador, que ainda não foi comunicado da decisão, não treina com os companheiros há dez dias, desde que se desentendeu com Vagner Mancini. Após a derrota por 1 a 0 para o Palmeiras, o interino reuniu os atletas para fazer cobranças e reclamou do fato de alguns deles, incluindo Jean, que havia ficado no banco, terem ido tomar banho logo após o apito final, sem esperar a roda de vestiário. O goleiro não gostou e abandonou a reunião.

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Desde então, Jean tem ido ao CT em horários diferentes do restante do grupo. Ele é supervisionado pelos preparadores de goleiros do clube, que têm gostado de seu empenho e de seu rendimento. Não houve um pedido de desculpas ou uma nova conversa com a diretoria, mas o clube entende que Jean percebeu seu erro.

A crise com Jean estourou após o atrito com Mancini, mas ele já vinha irritando a diretoria há algum tempo. Antes do jogo contra o Red Bull, por exemplo, pediu para não ser relacionado ao descobrir que Tiago Volpi seria mantido na equipe após falhar contra o Corinthians. O clube ameaçou multá-lo em 40% do salário, e o jogador voltou atrás.

O São Paulo pagou R$ 6 milhões ao Bahia para ter Jean no início de 2018 – o valor poderia chegar a R$ 10 milhões se ele tivesse atingido um determinado número de jogos, o que não tem mais chance de acontecer. O clube o trata como uma promessa para o futuro, mas chegou perto do limite da paciência com os episódios recentes de indisciplina – e alguns excessos no ano passado também, como uma discussão com Sidão e um cartão vermelho recebido contra o Vitória. Agora, espera que o período de afastamento tenha servido para deixá-lo mais consciente.

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have put a cloud over Faisalabad Wolves’ participation in next month’s Champions League Twenty20

Amol Karhadkar13-Aug-2013

Political tensions between India and Pakistan have put a cloud over Faisalabad Wolves’ participation in next month’s Champions League Twenty20. An incident on the border has inflamed emotions in India and left administrators wary of the public response to a Pakistan team’s presence for a sporting occasion.The BCCI has, as in the past, thrown the ball in the government’s court. “When it comes to any team from Pakistan featuring in a tournament in India, the final decision rests completely in the foreign ministry’s hands. And we will follow the ministry’s advice,” a senior BCCI official told ESPNcricinfo.The Ministry of External Affairs – the foreign ministry – has been non-committal. “We have been approached by a cricket team from Pakistan to participate in the Champions League Twenty20 event,” a spokesperson in the MEA was quoted as saying by . “It does not start for a month. We will carefully examine (the situation) before we take a decision in this regard.”The CLT20 governing council is likely to arrive at a final decision regarding the Wolves’ participation before the month end; the tournament itself starts on September 17. Rajiv Shukla, a BCCI representative on the CLT20 governing council and a junior minister in the federal government, didn’t respond to ESPNcricinfo’s query.The PCB, on the other hand, has said it “remained concerned” about the security of Faisalabad Wolves’ cricketers. Despite processing the visa applications of the Wolves’ squad members on Monday, the PCB is monitoring the situation closely.

Shane Watson followed James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc in providing a tantalising glimpse of the destructive power to be found within this Australian side as they warmed up against Somerset

The Report by Daniel Brettig27-Jun-2013Stumps
ScorecardMichael Clarke looked in no discomfort in his first innings back from injury•Associated Press

Shane Watson followed James Pattinson and Mitchell Starc in providing a tantalising glimpse of the destructive power to be found within this Australian side as they warmed up against Somerset. In sending Watson up to open the innings and promising he will stay there, the new coach, Darren Lehmann, appeared to bring an immediate change to the allrounder’s previously drifting game.An innings of 90, on a blameless pitch against presentable bowling, does not quite indicate that Watson is to regain the Test match effectiveness that won him two Allan Border Medals, and had him named as Michael Clarke’s deputy in 2011. In fact the score itself was emblematic of Watson’s career aversion to making Test hundreds. But the clarity of his stroke production and the ease of his rapid scoring was exactly what Lehmann will hope for against Jimmy Anderson and company.It was a marked contrast from Watson’s previous innings, a brief affair against Sri Lanka in the Champions Trophy when one cover drive was followed by a horrid attempt to cut in line of the stumps. Wasteful dismissals such as these have been a significant factor in the failure of Watson to deliver on a promise that has hung in the air around him for a decade now, but there was nothing muddled about the way he opened up at Taunton, driving when the bowlers overpitched, pulling or glancing when short, and leaving most in between.Michael Clarke also offered a promising cameo, finding touch in his first innings of any kind for three months before rain brought an early end to day two. A pair of low scores for Ed Cowan and Usman Khawaja did not enhance either left-hander’s chances of winning a place in the XI for the first Investec Ashes Test at Trent Bridge. As the others proved, these were ideal conditions for batting.Phillip Hughes and Brad Haddin were easing their way towards useful tallies when the showers arrived. Haddin lofted George Dockrell down the ground with typical flourish to have the ball pounding off the scorers’ window in the Taunton press box. When the match resumes, Hughes should have the opportunity to press his case for retention after Cowan and Khawaja had failed to capitalise on their precedence in the batting order.Watson ran up a huge percentage of his runs in boundaries, his straight drives a particular delight. He also took full advantage whenever Craig Meschede angled into the pads, flicking with wristy power between midwicket and mid on. He briefly threatened to collar a century before lunch, but a front edge from the bowling of the slippery Craig Overton ended a stay that lasted only 94 balls, 20 of which reached the rope.Clarke’s start was a little less forthright, as could be expected for someone who had not batted since the Mohali Test match against India in March, when the suspension of four players for failing to follow instructions was followed by the flaring up of his chronic back condition. But he punched a couple of drives through cover off the back foot to get going, and showed familiar balance and footwork against Dockrell’s left-arm spin. It took a precisely-pitched away swinger from Meschede to dislodge Clarke, although by then he had probably given his back enough of a work out.Cowan, whose odds of playing in Nottingham were lengthened somewhat by the coach Darren Lehmann’s declaration that Watson would definitely open, fell in the very first over of the morning when he was deemed to have touched a Gemaal Hussain delivery on its way through to the wicketkeeper Alex Barrow. The dismissal had Cowan pointing agitatedly towards his trouser or pocket, but whatever the merits of the decision it now means one less opportunity to make the runs that would shore up his place, which may need to be earned again to some extent under Lehmann.Khawaja survived somewhat longer for his 27, but it was a scratchy effort with numerous angled deliveries troubling him outside off stump. He was struck on the body when trying to pull Overton, who was slippery, and fell in an unsurprising manner by wafting at Meschede to be pouched in the slips. Hughes had time to snick one streaky boundary before the morning session concluded.Minus Watson, the afternoon’s scoring was more sedate, but Clarke’s lack of discomfort was a welcome sign that his back has settled, and Hughes worked the ball around effectively with only the occasional flirt through the slips. He remained a little more hesitant against spin, but at least managed to get off the strike every now and then, which represented progress from India. Like Watson, a fresh start may be about to do him some good.