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With only three matches left in the UAE, the Pakistan Super League and its franchises are beginning the process of figuring out which foreign players will travel to Lahore, where the final is scheduled for March 5.On Sunday evening in Dubai, Karachi Kings became the last team to qualify for the play-offs. They begin on Tuesday in Sharjah, with Peshawar Zalmi and Quetta Gladiators, the two teams that finished top, playing each other. Looming over the games, though, is the question of who from the foreign contingents of the four teams is ready to travel to Lahore.The PSL management is expected to further brief the overseas players before the play-offs begin and the primary aim remains to try and convince as many of them as possible to make the trip. However, preparations are also underway to create a nominated pool of foreign players willing to travel in case the finalists’ current roster pulls out.On Monday, the Punjab government finally gave a public go-ahead to the staging of the final in Lahore. In theory, that ends the uncertainty of recent days caused by a wave of terrorist attacks across Pakistan that have claimed over 100 lives, including a suicide attack in Lahore two weeks ago when 13 people were killed.There was another blast in the city last Thursday, when at least seven people perished, heightening nerves and casting fresh doubt on the sense of bringing the final to Lahore. Though reports initially said it was a bomb, the government has since claimed it to be the result of a gas leak from a cooking cylinder.Senior league officials have worried over the fluidity of the situation, and had been waiting for a definitive go-ahead from government authorities. With that now in hand, the situation of the foreign players needs resolution. Najam Sethi, the PSL chief who was in Pakistan on Monday, said: “I will be going back to Dubai now and once the finalists are confirmed I will again talk to the franchise owners and foreign players. We have also prepared a back up list of foreign players in case the overseas signings of the finalist teams refuse to come to Lahore. “Kumar Sangakkara, who was in the team bus which was attacked in Lahore eight years ago, is almost certain not to travel to the city again•PCB/PSL

Of the four remaining teams, Peshawar are the most confident their foreign contingent will go to Lahore should they reach the final. No player, however, has come outright and said so yet. And though no official word has come from Islamabad United, it is believed neither Brad Haddin nor Shane Watson will stay on.The two teams who might face greatest difficulties are Quetta Gladiators and Karachi Kings. Kevin Pietersen, of the former, will almost certainly not travel and Tymal Mills is also unlikely. Others such as Luke Wright and Rilee Roussow, who were considering making the trip, are said to have reassessed after the recent spate of attacks.Officially Karachi say their players will make a decision once the team’s fate is clear. Until then, it is said, their players do not want to “jinx” their chances of getting to the final by talking about it.It is almost inconceivable that Kumar Sangakkara and Mahela Jayawardene, two players who were in the team bus in Lahore when it was attacked eight years ago, will travel. They have told officials that they cannot take the decision alone and have to consult with their families. And the call they make could potentially have an impact on what Chris Gayle and Kieron Pollard do as well.One-off payments, ranging from USD 10,000 – 50,000, are being offered to foreign players should they agree to play in Lahore. That, as one foreign player considering taking part in the final pointed out, brings its own complications. “What is the difference in me playing in Lahore under a security threat and a Pakistani player doing so?” he said. “In any attack both are at risk. And physios and masseuses? A life is a life, mine or a Pakistani player’s.”In case the teams end up severely shorthanded, a pool of nominated foreign players could be roped in. The list, initially of 54 names, has now grown to above 60 and is said to be composed of those who were not picked in the draft last October as well as additional names from outside the draft, who are willing to travel to Pakistan.Each franchise will nominate five to six players from the long list and hand it to the PSL, who hope that ultimately, accounting for common names that appear in multiple lists, they have a shortlist of 12 to 15 waiting on standby to participate in the final.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:15

Macpherson: Sixers have amazing depth in line-up

Like they did in the first edition of the Women’s Big Bash League, the Sydney Sixers thrashed the Hobart Hurricanes to book their spot in the final. Last year, the margin was ten wickets (Duckworth-Lewis method) and this time, under the scorching Brisbane sun, it was equally emphatic: 103 runs.Alyssa Healy’s 77 provided the backbone of a charge to 169, before the Hurricanes were bowled out for just 66. The Sixers will travel to Perth to face the Scorchers on Sunday and, if their male counterparts beat the Brisbane Heat at the Gabba, only two clubs will compete the finals.A Healy hurricane
Healy has reveled as captain since she took over from an injured Ellyse Perry. In her first game as stand-in captain, she made 84 off 56 against the Melbourne Renegades. Here, she was even more belligerent, making a magnificent 77 off 45 balls before cutting Hayley Matthews to point in the 13th over.Having opted to bat first, Healy thumped Amy Satterthwaite over long-on for six in the second over and by the time Ashleigh Gardner became the second batsman to be dismissed, caught brilliantly at point, Healy had scored 41 of the Sixers’ 49 runs. In the following over, she brought up her half-century with a pull over midwicket for six, and went on to play a cover drive, late cut and reverse sweeps for boundaries. Perhaps the most impressive aspect of her innings, however, was her running between the wickets and the ability to turn ones into twos.She was dismissed with the Sixers on 108, and resourceful knocks from Sara McGlashan (38), who was carrying a hamstring injury, and Marizanne Kapp (36 not out), left the Hurricanes with a stiff target of 170.In her two matches as stand-in captain, Alyssa Healy has scored 161 runs•Getty Images

Sixers’ fabulous fielding
Gardner has been the competition’s break-out star this season, largely due to the three half-centuries that have underpinned her brilliant batting efforts. But her bowling – she took her ninth and tenth wickets of the season, including the vital one of Hayley Matthews for a duck – and fielding have been excellent, too. It was a moment of magic from Gardner that nipped a solid start from the Hurricanes in the bud. She lobbed an off-break up at Erin Burns and it was drilled hard back at her, but barely a foot off the ground. She dropped low in her follow-through and took a fine catch, which was so tight that it had to be reviewed.That was not the last of the Sixers’ superb interventions in the field. Each of the seam bowlers hammered away with a consistent line and length, while the spinners were tough to get away. Angela Reakes took an excellent catch in the deep to get rid of Emma Thompson, but it was the run-outs of Heather Knight and Amy Satterthwaite – with sharp throws from Kim Garth and Dane van Niekerk (the latter a direct hit) – that guaranteed the Hurricanes would fall short.And yet… Hobart self-destruct
Hobart were out-classed but they also contributed to their own downfall. Healy was dropped on 18 by Brooke Hepburn at mid-on, and on 60 by Thompson at short third man, while Kapp was given a life on 13. With the bat, Satterthwaite was responsible for the run-outs of Knight and herself. They are the Hurricanes’ most reliable batsmen and once they fell, there was no way back for the side.The best two teams in the final
This was a complete performance from the Sixers and showed the intimidating depth in the squad. Amy Jones, the England international, could not make the side for this, while Lisa Sthalekar’s experience was not required either. Perry has been ruled out of the final but, given the Sixers’ dominance in the league stages and their performance today, the final against the Scorchers could serve up a humdinger.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details3:45

Chappell: Pakistan have shown they can adjust quickly

Pakistan’s bid for a world-record chase fell a mere 40 runs short, allowing Australia to exhale after coming close to coughing up a match they had dominated over the first four days and nights at the Gabba.Asad Shafiq’s sublime century and sturdy support from Yasir Shah took Steven Smith’s men close to their wit’s end, but a Mitchell Starc short ball did for Shafiq when the visitors needed only 41 runs to steal the most fanciful of victories. Three balls later, Smith struck the final blow, running out Yasir from slip after the No. 10 wandered out of his crease, ending a match that had seemed destined for a much wider margin.Starc’s speed and direction were vital throughout, and it remains to be seen whether the huge number of overs bowled by him and Josh Hazlewood will have an impact on their physical preparation for the Boxing Day Test in Melbourne. The Australians had a hangdog air in the field for much of the final day, and their relief at the final wickets was palpable.Pakistan, by contrast, will now feel they are very much in the series, with matches on friendlier surfaces in Melbourne and Sydney to come. The Gabba has always been a major competitive advantage for Australia, and the close result will afford plenty of confidence to the tourists even if they are now 1-0 down with two to play.When play began half an hour early, both sides seemed a little unsure of their ground. Shafiq did not take singles he would have gone for the night before, while Smith’s fields were notably defensive, often sparing only one slip in a match where catches in the cordon have been comfortably the main mode of dismissal.After the first few overs passed without incident, Shafiq and Yasir grew in confidence, doubtless aided by a vocal contingent of Pakistan supporters who made their presence felt in an otherwise deserted stadium. Shafiq was able to find numerous off-side gaps, while Yasir married impressive defence with the occasional flourish, including an upper cut over the slips and later a handsome flick over midwicket off Jackson Bird.At length Smith brought Nathan Lyon into the attack, but the spinner was unable to find enough consistency to trouble either batsman – even if Matthew Wade appealed for a stumping from a straighter ball that Yasir played inside. Lyon soon found himself relieved of duty.As the runs ticked down the tenseness on Australian faces was acute. Several near misses took place: Yasir square drove in the air a millimetre out of the reach of a diving Lyon; he was given out lbw to Hazlewood padding up, but on review was reprieved by the bounce. Next Yasir appeared to get the slightest of touches when glancing Starc, but Wade could not hang on and any appeal was strangled.Only 41 runs were required when Starc finally found the delivery to break the stand, a throat ball that Shafiq could only throw his bat at, resulting in a skier that David Warner was able to cling onto at gully. Rahat Ali took a single first ball, but Yasir’s composure was clearly at an end when he swung wildly at the next one.Next ball Yasir dug out a Starc yorker but ventured out of his crease long enough for Smith to throw the stumps down from slips and begin relieved celebrations for a team that went from dominators to nervous wrecks over the course of Shafiq’s wondrous innings.

ScorecardFile photo – Chad Soper derailed Hong Kong’s chase early to help PNG defend 201 in the second ODI•ICC/Getty

In a low-scoring match dominated by the opening bowler from both sides, Chad Soper’s career-best 6 for 41 trumped Nadeem Ahmed’s 4 for 50 as Papua New Guinea edged past Hong Kong by 14 runs in the second ODI and levelled the three-match series.PNG opted to bat first at the Mission Road Ground in Mong Kok and were dismissed for 201 in 45.5 overs after left-arm spinner Nadeem scythed through their top-order. Like Nadeem, Soper, too, dismissed the top-three, before adding three more to his tally to bowl Hong Kong out for 187 in 48.1 overs.PNG’s innings was built on two partnerships. First, Assad Vala, their captain, who top scored with 70, added 78 for the fourth wicket with Sese Bau to lift them from 39 for 3. Vala then shared a 43-run sixth-wicket partnership with Mahuru Dai. The association ended with Vala being stumped off Anshuman Rath, the left-arm spinner. He had faced 87 balls and pinged nine fours and two sixes. PNG’s innings lasted a further 67 balls after Vala’s dismissal, but they could only score 30 runs more.Rath finished with 3 for 28 in 10 overs. Aizaz Khan took two wickets and Ehsan Khan accounted for last man out Soper.Hong Kong had a few solid contributions from the middle order, but none of them could stay on to see the team through. Like PNG, Hong Kong could also string together only two partnerships of note. Nizakat Khan (33) and Rath (21) pulled them from 31 for 3 to 80 for 4. Shahid Wasif (45) and Ehsan Khan (27 not out) then joined hands for a 56-run sixth-wicket stand. The chase ended with the dismissal of Nadeem, who was bowled by John Reva, the right-arm medium pacer, for 1.Vala followed up his 70 with economical figures of 1 for 33 in 10 overs. Dai finished his quota with 2 for 42.The deciding ODI will take place on Tuesday at the same venue.

USA preserved their perfect start to WCL Division Four with a tense one-wicket win over Italy in a match that was reduced to 41 overs a side due to rain. Timroy Allen was named Man of the Match for his vital 53 off 27 balls at No. 7, which rescued USA after they were 107 for 5 in their chase of 186.Allen struck four fours and two sixes and teamed with Elmore Hutchinson to add 46 for the eighth wicket – USA’s best partnership of the match – before falling in the 35th over with nine still needed to win. Allen was dismissed by left-arm seamer Luis di Giglio. Hutchinson was also caught behind off di Giglio two overs later to force last man Danial Ahmed into the fray with two runs still required.The 37th over ended with two dot balls and and No. 10 Jessy Singh took a single to third man off the first ball of the 38th, from Gian Meade, to level the scores. Ahmed then guided the next ball to short third man and a frantic single clinched victory for the hosts. It was a moment of redemption for Ahmed after he conceded 18 runs in his only over of the day.Italy elected to bat first on an overcast morning and rain then caused a 30-minute delay to the start of play and curtailed the match to 46 overs a side. Allen had bowled only one delivery before the rain returned and play was delayed for 45 minutes, causing the overs to be cut down to 41.USA’s pace bowlers struggled to grip the wet ball but USA added to their troubles by missing six chances in the field. Italy’s openers Manpreet Singh and Supun Tharanga got a reprieve each when they were on 5 and 1 respectively. Tharanga’s was the easier of the two chances, spilled at second slip by Alex Amsterdam off Hutchinson in the sixth over. Both batsmen went on to make half-centuries and put together a 118-run opening stand.The partnership showed no signs of slowing down but was broken due to a blunder by the batting pair, which arguably cost Italy the match. Manpreet flicked a single off Timil Patel to deep midwicket to bring up his fifty in the 26th over and, in their excitement to celebrate the milestone, both batsmen left their crease to meet at the centre of the pitch. However, Jessy Singh had not yet collected the ball running in from the boundary, let alone relay it in to the wicketkeeper Akeem Dodson. The bails were taken off by Dodson and USA appealed. After a lengthy discussion to confirm the ball was still live, umpire Iftikhar Ali raised his finger to rule Tharanga out for 52.It was the catalyst USA needed to slow down Italy’s progress and three balls later Manpreet top-edged a pull off Amsterdam’s part-time offspin to be caught at midwicket by Allen for 50. Italy struggled to regain momentum as Allen took 1 for 16 bowling five overs of offspin after going wicketless in three overs of medium-pace with the new ball.Oman survived a scare from Bermuda before prevailing by four wickets at Severn Cricket Field. Following their loss to USA in the first match, Bermuda shook up their batting order, promoting Kamau Leverock and Dean Minors as openers after they were asked to bat in a match reduced to 40 overs a side. The move had the desired effect as Leverock left Oman shellshocked by racing to 30 off 18 balls in the first five overs to take the score to 40 for 0.Leverock eventually made 47 off 37 balls before the opening partnership of 72 was broken by Mohammad Nadeem in the 13th over. Once Leverock fell, Bermuda added 101 runs to their score in 27.2 overs and were kept in check by legspinner Khawar Ali’s 4 for 25, which limited them to a score of 173 for 9.The Oman chase got off to a shaky start as both openers fell within the first three overs to make it 15 for 2. Midway through the chase, Oman lost two wickets in the space of three balls – Saturday’s Man-of-the-Match Swapnil Khadye was run out by Leverock’s relay throw for 24 and Ajay Lalcheta fell for a golden duck in the next over – and found themselves at 70 for 5.Jatinder Singh held his nerve to score an unbeaten 68 off 52. His unbeaten 55-run seventh-wicket stand with Amir Ali helped get Oman over the line with six overs to spare.Denmark, too, were unbeaten after recording a six-wicket win over Jersey in another match reduced to 40 overs after morning rain. Denmark sent Jersey in to bat at the toss and bowled them out for 158 in 36.4 overs. Offspinner Bashir Shah wiped out Jersey’s top order, taking four of the first five wickets, to finish with his second successive four-for.Anthony Hawkins-Kay top-scored with 35 at No. 6 for Jersey and dismissed Freddie Klokker for 9 at the start of Denmark’s chase but Denmark cruised through the rest of the innings. Man-of-the-Match Saif Ahmad struck an unbeaten 67 and added 83 for the third wicket with Hamid Shah to take their side to within 17 runs of victory. Ben Kynman broken the stand and then added Michael Pedersen to his haul of 3 for 45 but lacked support from the rest of the attack as Denmark achieved victory with 7.5 overs to spare.The tournament will resume on Tuesday after a rest day on Monday. USA and Oman will clash at Wright Cricket Field while Denmark will take on winless Bermuda at Wong Cricket Field. Italy and Jersey will square off at Severn Cricket Field with both sides seeking their first win, while the loser will be in danger of relegation.

Alastair Cook admitted England have “a lot to work on” as they approach their five-Test tour of India.England slipped to a 108-run defeat in Mirpur on Sunday – their first loss to Bangladesh in Test cricket – after the morning saw them drop a host of chances and the evening saw them lose 10 wickets in a session.It left Cook bemoaning England’s “inexperience” in such conditions and accepting that England “haven’t got world-class spinners”.He also warned that the team had to “stay strong” and “stay together” in the coming weeks to ensure they were no long-term damaging effects of such a chastening defeat to the No. 9-ranked Test team. England leave for a five-Test series against the world No.1 team, India – a tour for which Cook rated England as “pretty heavy underdogs” – later this week.”We showed our inexperience in these conditions,” a shell-shocked Cook said. “A lot of these guys have not played many Test matches and when that ball got rolling we found it very hard to stop.”You lose a couple of wickets, then men come round the bat and the crowd get into it. Being able to deal with it and get through it is crucial. You know it doesn’t last forever, but that half an hour is crucial and we just weren’t good enough. We have to learn fast. There’s a lot of talent in this team and the experience on this trip will only help us if we take the right things out of it. There’s a lot to work on.”England lost all ten of their wickets for 64 runs in the final session, but Cook accepted his side had also erred in the field. They put down several chances of varying difficulty while the spinners struggled to maintain control.”I thought 240 would have been a really good chase,” Cook said. “They got 30 too many. We had four or five, not easy chances, but chances you need to take and I started the rot with one at leg slip. You need to take them, especially in low-scoring games.”We didn’t bowl great. And yes, their spinners did out-bowl our spinners. We’re not hiding behind the fact that we haven’t got world-class spinners.”It doesn’t mean our spinners are bad bowlers. We’ve got guys who can bowl some really good balls and spells. But we can’t quite control well enough at the moment. We don’t hold our length and line well enough. We bowl jaffas, but we’re easy to knock off strike and we don’t build the kind of pressure we’d like.”Amid the acceptance of his own team’s faults, however, Cook was keen to praise a much-improved Bangladesh side.”It’s very easy sitting back and saying ‘it’s just Bangladesh’ but in these conditions, on spinning wickets, their bowlers are good,” Cook said. “I know the guy who got 19 wickets – Mehedi Hasan Miraz – isn’t experienced, but he’s a very good bowler and he’s experienced in these conditions.”Conditions have been very tough, but I have no complaints about it: that’s what Test cricket is about. Bangladesh thoroughly deserved their win. They’ve obviously taken big strides. They’ll find it hard on bouncy wickets, but in these conditions they’ve a good side.”Despite the defeat, England look likely to stick with the same balance of the side that they utilised here. While one or two of the personnel will change – Gary Ballance, who averaged 6 in the series, looks especially vulnerable, while Stuart Broad is certain to return in place of Steven Finn – Cook remains keen on an attack featuring three seamers and three spinners.”I like three and three,” he said. “We know we have our strength in seam bowling and reverse-swing. We take more wickets with that than with our spinners.”We go to India as pretty heavy underdogs, there’s no doubt about it. But sometimes English people like being underdogs.”England are due to arrive in Mumbai on Wednesday – though they may try to arrange an earlier flight – and had planned to give the players a few days off with no training planned before Saturday. With Saqlain Mushtaq joining up with the squad for a brief stint as spin consultant in Mumbai, it may be that those training plans are reconsidered.Certainly it seems likely that a few players will ask for one-on-one sessions with Saqlain, but plans to allocate any of those players who have yet to enjoy much game-time on this trip to a club side around Mumbai have been all but abandoned. They fly to Rajkot on Sunday.

USA are set to hold a five-day camp in Indianapolis from September 17-21 as part of their preparations for ICC WCL Division Four in October.The camp will take place at the Indianapolis World Sports Park, which hosted the 2015 ICC Americas Division One Championship as well as the inaugural ICC Americas Combine in September 2015, when nearly 100 players around the region trialed for spots in a final 15-man squad that went to Trinidad & Tobago for January’s Nagico Super50 competition.USA will also host a Marylebone Cricket Club side in Indianapolis for a pair of 50-over matches on September 17 and 18, part of a six-match MCC tour of America. It marks the MCC’s first men’s tour to the USA since 2010 and coincides with the inaugural MCC Women’s tour to the USA and Canada.After the two matches against the MCC, the USA squad will have three days of practices and intra-squad matches, before the selection of a final 14-man squad for the ICC WCL Division Four – squads are due for submission to the ICC 30 days before the start of the tournament – being played in Los Angeles beginning October 29. USA will be competing with Bermuda, Denmark, Italy, Jersey and Oman for a top-two promotion spot into WCL Division Three as part of the qualification pathway to the 2019 World Cup in England.According to an ICC Americas official involved with the organisation of the camp, 20 players are scheduled to be invited to Indianapolis, from the 30-man squad that flew to Florida in July for USA’s initial seven-day camp to kick off preparations for Division Four. That camp coincided with six Caribbean Premier League matches in Florida and included a T20 contest between a USA XI and a CPL Invitational XI.Though the list of 20 names invited to the camp hasn’t been released, one confirmed change is the absence of David Pieters. The fast bowler from San Diego suffered a torn meniscus in his right knee during a 50-over intra-squad trial match and required surgery that will keep him out of action until the end of September. Though he will be healthy in time for Division Four in October, his chances of being selected are remote with the new USA selection panel putting an emphasis on proving fitness at the upcoming Indianapolis camp.A new USA men’s coach is likely to be announced before next Friday when the MCC tour begins in New York. Sources have indicated the coach will be in place to observe USA players who will be participating in matches against the MCC touring side in New York on September 10 and 11, as well as to lead the team at the five-day camp in Indianapolis.Former Nepal coach Pubudu Dassanayake is a leading candidate for the position, having been shortlisted as a finalist in July. Dassanayake was present in Florida during USA’s last seven-day squad camp, acting as a guest coach during the intra-squad matches. He also traveled to St Vincent in August to coach the combined ICC Americas U-19 squad, which competed in the WICB regional U-19 50-over tournament.

ScorecardDavid Masters picked up five wickets in 32 balls before lunch•NurPhoto/Getty Images

There is an air of expectancy around Chelmsford these days. Not only are they top of Division Two, eyes set on the sole promotion spot, but their team possesses the perfect blend of youth and experience. Their Championship performances have eclipsed those in recent seasons and, as a bonus to winning games, they are doing so in style. For an Essex fan, it makes uncomfortable viewing.For the last few years they have had to temper expectations. Previous dawns have been false. Any calm a precursor to an unforeseen yet expected storm. At least in their eyes. In 2013, when Ben Foakes, now of Surrey, helped save Essex’s blushes against Kent with a composed 86 – his highest score at the time – one fan shouted up to the player’s balcony as a wide-eyed Foakes, knowing only of Essex, was being interviewed: “Well played Foakesy, but you’ll leave like the rest of ’em!” Twice in this match you got the feeling some felt more comfortable in that default state of self-mocking .The first was a period after lunch, when Ben Cox led a Worcestershire charge, ably supported by George Rhodes, which saw boundaries flashed through the off side at will, as 94 was put on at over four an over. “This would be so Essex,” grumbled one fan sat in the sun-soaked stand opposite the Pavilion.Those five words came to mind when Nick Browne pressed forward and left a delivery from Joe Leach, who got one to move into the left-hander enough to strike his pad in front of the stumps. Off he went with the scoreboard gleaming 1 for 1. But as the dominant passages that engulfed those two blips indicated, even the most pessimistic fan would have left with a smile. Who knows, they may have joined the gaggle of well-oiled punters screeching “There’s only one David Masters” as Chelmsford closed up for the evening.

Masters’ undying love

David Masters: “I’m getting a bit older now and can’t play as many games, so when I am playing I’m generally fresh. They’ve looked after me well this year and I’ve played when they’ve needed me to play and hopefully I don’t disappoint. I still love it. My body takes a bit more of a battering now and it takes me a bit more time to recover. I still love playing, I love bowling and I enjoyed today.”
Matt Mason, Worcestershire assistant coach: “I think our captain Daryl Mitchell summed it up in the dressing room just then when he said it was a very, very disappointing day. He’s not very happy with us as you can imagine. We probably lacked a bit of application with the bat, particularly early on with some soft dismissals in there. And that last session was probably the poorest we have had as a bowling unit this year, so not an ideal day.”

After a sedate start, with Daryl Mitchell and Brett D’Oliveira reaching 35 for none, it was David Masters who produced a remarkable spell which saw him take five wickets in the space of 32 balls, for the concession of just two runs.The first three fell in the 13th over, Masters’ second running from Hayes Close, as Ryan ten Doeschate asked the 38-year-old to try his luck from the less favourable end. D’Oliveira gave ten Doeschate a catch at bat-pad, Tom Fell overbalanced to the off side and was struck in front before Joe Clarke misjudged the line badly enough to be bowled past his outside edge, despite the ball moving in. Worcestershire skipper Mitchell was then given out lbw for the fourth before Ross Whiteley was bowled through the gate to hand Masters his first Championship five-wicket haul since 2014.It was from 48 for 5 where Rhodes and Cox’s resistance began, but both raised half-centuries. Cox in particular looked in fine touch, bringing up his with 11 fours, compared to Rhodes, who took the steady approach to raise a second fifty of the season, off 107 balls. But one drive too many from Cox saw him caught at cover to give Jamie Porter his 50th Championship wicket of the season. Further help from Leach allowed Worcestershire to breach 200, before he and West Indies quick Miguel Cummins, on Worcestershire debut, gave Masters his sixth and seventh wicket of the innings, respectively.The wicket of Browne was as good as it got for Worcestershire’s bowlers, who toiled till close and were jeered off by a partisan group who had made full use of the hospitality bar to the left of the Pavilion. Tom Westley’s unbeaten innings of 58 provided them with some late entertainment, as he registered a 10th score of fifty or more with some gorgeous shots through midwicket, a pair of straight drives taking him to 51 from 74 deliveries. The knock also made him the first Essex batsman to pass 1000 Championship runs this season (the first time he has achieved the feat).It feels like most of those runs have come with England captain Alastair Cook watching on from the other end, something which will undoubtedly work in his favour when Cook sits down with selectors to determine the make-up of the Test squad to tour this winter. Cook himself looked in good order, unbeaten on 43. However, he should not have made it past 12 when Leach, the pick of the visiting bowlers, drew him into a poke outside off stump. The chance, presented to Rhodes at third slip, was put down.

Captaining a cricket team is about man management, according to Mahela Jayawardene, who said his style of leadership was about allowing individuals the space to express themselves within a framework of rules. Jayawardene was speaking on , to be aired on July 22 on SONY ESPN, about captaincy and how he grew into the job for Sri Lanka.Jayawardene captained Sri Lanka in 38 Tests (won 18, lost 12), 126 ODIs (won 68, lost 49) and 19 T20Is (won 12, lost 6) between 2004 and 2013. Under his leadership, they made the finals of the 2007 World Cup and the 2012 World T20.During his tenure as captain, Jayawardene said he took pains to understand the players under his charge. “I thing it’s about man management for me number one, because the team will trust you more than a coach or anyone else,” he said. “You need to understand the characters in the team and allow them to showcase what they’ve got, give them that freedom but in a manner that, you know, you don’t treat each and every individual differently because there should be a set of rules to guide all these people.”But at the same time, they have that little bit of freedom to express themselves and to understand who they are, I mean the background, the family backgrounds, what triggers them, how do they react to situations and how can you get the best out of them.”Jayawardene felt that a good way to build a rapport with the players was to be a “friend” rather than “a captain at the top giving orders.””I realised I could get the best out of the guys a different way, where I’d be their friend and then allow them to be leaders in their own right, allow them to make decisions and back those decisions, and tell them that they’ve done a good job. Even when they make mistakes we sit down and have a discussion … and they would like to know that from you rather than someone else or a selector or a coach.”Jayawardene’s career overlapped with that of his close friend Kumar Sangakkara, who captained Sri Lanka in 82 matches across formats between 2009 and 2012. He was a senior player while Jayawardene was captain and vice versa, and Jayawardene said their personal equation had not interfered with team dynamics.”When Kumar was captain, I would always question certain decisions he made and when I was captain he would do the same,” Jayawardene said. “You need that kind of friend and those kind of people in your team. I allowed people to ask questions because that’s when I would make better decisions as a captain. I allowed the younger members of the team to ask questions because they might have a brilliant idea and if you shut them down, you will never know that.”So my theory on teamwork is everyone talks and everyone has to contribute and I will pick things from them, and if nothing comes up then I’ll take the decision but whatever the decision I take out there, it’s my decision, I take responsibility for that. It doesn’t matter that it came from a different person, but it’s my decision once I’ve made that call. So, Kumar was fantastic in the sense that we had very honest, opinionated discussions on certain matters and they were good for both of us.”Watch with Mahela Jayawardene at 9.30 pm (IST) on July 22 (Friday) on SONY ESPN

AB de Villiers has identified the last 10 to 12 overs of South Africa’s innings as the period of play that cost his side the match in their tri-series opener against hosts West Indies in Guyana.South Africa had made 130 for 2 in 30 overs, before de Villiers got out off the first ball of the 31st. Thereafter, the innings fell apart, with the last five wickets falling for 16 runs to leave South Africa 188 all out.”It’s a disappointing loss tonight,” de Villiers said. “Definitely, in the last 10 to 12 overs with the bat in hand we lost our way a bit. I thought we set it up exceptionally well and the communication was that 220-plus would be a winning score. Unfortunately, we couldn’t get there. I had a nice partnership going with Riley [Rossouw], [but] I got out and after that there were no partnerships and we just lost our way. Like I said, 30 or 40 runs more would have been a very competitive total, probably a winning score.”Despite the defeat, de Villiers was happy with the team’s assessment of the conditions in Providence.”The positive out of that is that our assessment [of the pitch] was good. Unfortunately the execution wasn’t spot on in the last 10 overs with the bat in hand. We knew that it would be a turning track, very slow. That’s why we played the extra spinner. Our [team] balance was the same as that of the West Indies team. So we got all of that right.”De Villiers was also full of praise for his spin duo and for the bowling effort as a whole. Imran Tahir and Aaron Phangiso took 5 for 81 in 20 overs between them as South Africa fought hard to defend a low total.”I thought Imran Tahir and [Aaron] Phangiso had a great partnership going there, so I was proud of the way they performed. Unfortunately, one or two just went over the boundary. That could have changed the game a little bit, but those are the small margins of this beautiful game we play.”There’s nothing more the bowlers could have done. Maybe one or two half-chances could have gone our way, but, as I said, it is with the bat in hand that we cost ourselves tonight.”