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Paul Collingwood has admitted he wondered if he had the will to continue playing after England effectively ended his international career when they dropped him from their one-day teams last summer, in the process stripping him of the Twenty20 captaincy.”It came right out of the blue,” Collingwood said. “There had been no inkling, so when Geoff Miller came to see me to tell me what had been decided I felt it was very, very harsh. It took me a while to get my head around it. You look at all the options and there was a point when I had to ask myself if I wanted to carry on.”Collingwood, under whose leadership England won their first international one-day trophy in the 2010 ICC World Twenty20, retired from Test cricket in January last year after helping England win the Ashes in Australia.But after subsequently playing in the 50-over World Cup he believed he could continue his international career in one-day competitions and had not given much thought to what he might do if he was not given the chance.”When you are in the England bubble your concern is only with playing and giving your best and you don’t really focus much on the future. Suddenly I was out of that bubble and in the big wide world again.”But I thought it was important to give myself time and not make a rash decision. Cricket is my skill, the career I had been working towards since I was 14 or 15 years old and going down a different route is not something you can do immediately.”Instead, Collingwood – who will be 36 next month – gave himself until the end of the season to determine how he felt, and found his appetite for the game at county level remained keen enough to accept the offer of a new three-year contract with Durham.He has not given up hope yet of an England swansong, although he accepts that it would take “some miraculous performances” to force his way back into contention.”I’m not bitter about what happened,” he said. “I am a realistic man and accept that times move on and there comes a crossroads in everybody’s career where the hierarchy are going to make decisions about you.”I don’t bear any grudge towards the management or the selectors. If you put yourself in their position you understand that they have to make calls that they consider to be in the best interests of the England team in the long term. But I think I need to keep it as a goal, to get back in the England side. It is a big motivational factor. There are things about being in the England side that I really, really miss and it would be silly to say I’ve retired.”I realise I’m going to have to put in some miraculous performances but I still feel young, I still feel fit and I still feel I can contribute. You never know what might happen.”With that goal in mind, it has not helped that the planned third leg of his winter Twenty20 itinerary has effectively been cancelled after IPL franchise Rajasthan Royals, to whom he was contracted for a second year, told him he had little chance of seeing any action.”Rajasthan called me up two or three weeks ago and said they had made four new signings, which gave them about nine or ten overseas players,” he said. “They said they would fly me out immediately if they had a couple of injuries but said rather than drag me round India for seven weeks I should stay at home and play some cricket.”They did not want to release me from the contract but I think it highly unlikely I will be going out, the way they were talking. I told them I would like to fight for my place but they were honest enough to say I was well down the pecking order. It is disappointing. If you are out there you can at least be in the nets and try to make an impact.”Collingwood had a more successful time in Australia, where he helped Perth Scorchers reach the final of the inaugural Big Bash League, and captained the newly-formed South African franchise Impi.”Perth was brilliant. Having the family out there was great and playing competitive cricket in front of big crowds was fantastic. Every game attracted about 20,000 spectators – and getting to the final means we will be in the Champions League.”South Africa was different. There weren’t the crowds and the team I captained consisted mainly of fringe players from other franchises and the challenge was to make them competitive. But I loved both competitions and hopefully there will be more opportunities next winter.”The change in his IPL plans makes Collingwood available for Durham for their opening County Championship match against Nottinghamshire next week, when he will reacquaint himself with playing cricket in England in April – his warm anticipation of which may have been cooling a little as snow fell at Chester-le-Street.”It is the first April I’ve had in England for seven or eight years but it is exciting to be focusing solely on Durham. There were a couple of other offers and Derbyshire was one of the places mentioned but coming from the north-east, where my family is, and being a Shotley Bridge lad, I want to play for Durham.”Durham are the people that gave me the opportunity to play international cricket. You want to give something back and hopefully I can pass on to the younger players some of the knowledge I have gained from playing around the world. But it isn’t just about that because obviously I want to continue playing, win games for Durham and win some silverware.”

Match facts

David Warner has made some starts in this series but Australia need more•AFP

March 25, Beausejour Cricket Ground
Start time 0930 (1330 GMT)

Big Picture

This was not how most people expected the series to play out. With one match remaining, West Indies cannot lose. The worst they can do is emerge with a 2-2 draw. Their best-case scenario is a 3-1 win, which would mean a lot to a side that has not beaten Australia in a one-day series since 1995. It would be especially pleasing for Darren Sammy if he was able to secure his first ODI home series win with a victory in his home country of St Lucia. And the way they played on Friday, it would be a brave person to tip against them in this final match.Australia began the tour with a victory but at no stage in this series have they produced a strong all-round match. The bowling has let them down too often and none of their batsman have made a big enough score to set up a game. Under Shane Watson’s leadership they arrived in the Caribbean fresh from a triumph in the tri-series but they struggled to adjust to the slow St Vincent pitch and were outplayed in the more familiar conditions of St Lucia on Friday. Eight men in the ODI squad will stay on for the Test series, so they will not wish to concede to West Indies the psychological advantage of a series win.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
West Indies WTWLL
Australia LTLWW

In the spotlight

Kieron Pollard has always had talent but in the past few months he has started to turn that into big international scores. His first ODI century came in December in India and his second was the match-winning 102 on Friday. He has power and confidence, and will be one of the men West Indies can thank if they win the series.David Warner has had a couple of good starts in this series without posting a big score. He arrived in the Caribbean fresh from two centuries in the three tri-series finals against Sri Lanka but the St Vincent pitch was a challenge and he missed out early in Friday’s game. But the quicker St Lucia surface should suit him, and Australia will be hoping he gets a start on Sunday and capitalises on it.

Team news

West Indies will be reluctant to change a winning side, which could mean Tino Best and Devendra Bishoo will end the series without having played a match.West Indies (possible) 1 Adrian Barath, 2 Johnson Charles, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Dwayne Bravo, 6 Kieron Pollard, 7 Andre Russell, 8 Carlton Baugh (wk), 9 Darren Sammy (capt), 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Kemar Roach.Australia have name an unchanged side from the one that lost on Friday.Australia 1 David Warner, 2 Shane Watson (capt), 3 Peter Forrest, 4 Michael Hussey, 5 David Hussey, 6 George Bailey, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Brett Lee, 9 Clint McKay, 10 Xavier Doherty, 11 Ben Hilfenhaus.

Pitch and conditions

There were plenty of runs in the pitch on Friday but Shane Watson said after the match there was just enough sideways movement to keep the bowlers interested as well. “I think this wicket was a beautiful wicket,” Watson said. “It’s as close as you get to an Australian wicket, with the pace and the bounce and a little bit of seam movement. I thought this was a brilliant one-day wicket and I’m pretty sure we’ll get the same thing next game as well.”

Stats and trivia

• Clint McKay took his 50th ODI wicket on Friday and became the fourth-fastest Australian to the milestone, behind Dennis Lillee, Shane Warne and Len Pascoe
• West Indies will move ahead of New Zealand on the ICC’s one-day rankings if they beat Australia in this game

Quotes

“We are already up 2-1 and we cannot lose the series but we want to finish with a win. We have worked really hard to get here and we want to go all the way. The job is not yet done.”
“We’ve got to execute better with the ball, especially up front. We need to execute better to not let them get away like they did [on Friday].”

Jade Dernbach wants to use Surrey’s return to Division One of the County Championship to bowl himself into contention for a call-up to England’s Test side. Dernbach hopes strong performances in the opening championship matches will help his cause for selection against West Indies in May.Dernbach, 25, bounced back from a disappointing tour of India in October, where England lost the ODI series 5-0, to play a large part in England’s victories in the ODI and T20 series against Pakistan in the UAE. He now wants to push on and earn a first call up in Test cricket.”We’ve got four championship games before the end of April and if I can take wickets ahead of the Test matches against the West Indies then that’d be great,” Dernbach said. “Now we’re in the first division, the standard’s going to be that little bit better and there are players in the England set-up that are affiliated to Division Two clubs. Division One is held in a higher regard so if I can come and take wickets and prove that I’ve got the skills to be Test bowler than that would hold me in good stead.”He faces a challenge to break into a Test side brimming with high-quality fast bowling. James Anderson and Stuart Broad have become England’s set partnership with the new ball and Steven Finn, with his highly-acclaimed one-day showings against India and Pakistan over the winter, and Tim Bresnan, who has batting ability to fill the allrounder’s slot, are considered the main options to complete the attack.But Chris Tremlett’s absence from the West Indies Tests because of injury eases Dernbach’s potential route into the England side. He will have the chance to play in five matches before England’s first Test of the season on May 17. “I’m pretty premature in my international career so there’s a lot to learn,” he said. “But hopefully at the start of the season I’ll put my name forward for Test honours.”He feels he has developed his cricket since taking a large knock in confidence after England’s drubbing before Christmas. “India was at the end of what was a very long summer and things just didn’t go right,” he said. “Conditions were alien to a lot of us younger guys who hadn’t necessary played there before and India were ready for the backlash after the summer over here. We didn’t really envisage things going that way but we’ve learned from our experience.”Dernbach took 1 for 168 on that tour. Suddenly the tattoos and arsenal of slower balls looked less threatening. He turned to David Saker, England’s bowling coach. “David’s been brilliant to me ever since I’ve been involved with England. It was just a matter of talking to him and Andy Flower and formulating a plan.”After the debriefing from the Indian tour, Dernbach took some time off. “I totally got away from cricket and spent some time with the family and had a holiday which was great to clear my mind,” he said, before describing how his cricket didn’t exactly get back on track in Australia’s Big Bash League. “I was unfortunate to be in a team that didn’t necessary want me; these things happen. I’d love to have another chance to go back and prove that I’m capable.”But despite ambitions to break into England’s Test side, Dernbach has a more modest modest yardstick for what will constitute a successful season. “If I can have what I had last year, wickets and trophies for Surrey than that would be fantastic.”

Ireland’s tour to Kenya in February is in doubt because of the ongoing security situation in the country.Both British and Irish governments have warned of an increased risk of terrorist attack within 150 miles of the Somali border. While Mombasa is well outside that zone, Cricket Ireland is liaising with the ICC and Kenya’s cricket authorities and the matches may be relocated if the safety of Ireland’s players cannot be guaranteed.Ireland are due to play five matches against Kenya in Mombasa – an Intercontinental Cup match, two one-day World Cup qualifiers and three T20s. They then head to Port Elizabeth for a training camp and onwards to the UAE for the ICC World T20 qualifying tournament.Warren Deutrom, Cricket Ireland’s chief executive, said: “At this stage nobody is advising us against travel, but we recognise the need to monitor the situation very closely.”Under ICC regulations, Kenya are obliged to submit a security plan for every tour to the Anti-Corruption and Security Unit and Ireland are likely to insist upon tighter security protection.”We toured Zimbabwe in 2010 after much consideration and had a security officer with us on that occasion,” Deutrom said. “That is an option we might consider again.”Information is that several al-Shabab cells operating out of Somalia have crossed the border into Kenya and pose a credible threat to western interests in the capital, Nairobi.There are fewer concerns in Mombasa, on the south-east coast, where Ireland are centred.Ireland’s Department of Foreign Affairs has five stages of warning and at the moment their advice about Kenya is at Level 3, which advises visitors to the country to travel with extreme caution.More threatening to Ireland’s winter schedule would be if Government advice reached Level 4, which advises against all non-essential travel, or Level 5, which advises against all travel.The Foreign Office has advised British citizens to “exercise extra vigilance and caution inpublic places and at public events.””We have spoken to the DFA and will look at the situation further when YP Singh, the head of the ICC’s anti-corruption unit, returns to Dubai,” said Deutrom. “We are also in touch with Tom Sears, Kenya’s CEO.”There’s still a bit of time before we have to make a decision, but we will wait on the advice that comes back. If it is safe we’ll go ahead, if not we might have to consider the possibility of relocating the matches.”Sears advised that Kenyan cricket was taking the advice very seriously. “The security arrangements for both sides are of paramount importance,” he said. “We are reviewing the security plans and are liaising with Cricket Ireland and the ICC. I remain confident the games can be staged without problems.”

The Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) has formed a task force to advise the board on how to improve domestic cricket in Pakistan. The team will study and review the existing structure of domestic cricket, consider its weaknesses and strengths and will make recommendations within two months. The recommendations of the team, though, will not be binding on the PCB.The team is made up of familiar names in Pakistan administration: former Pakistan captains Javed Miandad, Intikhab Alam, Zaheer Abbas and Moin Khan, and former players Sarfraz Nawaz, Iqbal Qasim, Imtiaz Ahmed and Zakir Khan, who is director of domestic cricket in Pakistan. Alam, who has been both a coach and manager of the national side and is now both the director of international cricket for the PCB and director of academies, will be chairman of the task team. Wasim Akram, the former Pakistan captain, was also approached to be a part of the team but declined because of other commitments.Some of the members of the team have questioned why it has only been given a recommendatory role.Nawaz said the team members would use their experience to determine why Pakistan’s domestic cricket was not producing more world-class cricketers. “The board want our input and we are ready to use the best of our experience to give them that. It is their responsibility to either implement it or not,” Nawaz told ESPNcricinfo.”There is definitely some problem with our existing domestic structure that is hampering the quality of our players. We have to sit down and discuss it right from the start. All the members of the team have rich experience of playing the game. Most of the members have played ample first-class cricket in different eras and understand the structure. I think the quality is missing and that is why we are not producing world-class cricketers. So we have to sit and pen down the differences in the structure of domestic cricket over the years and look for flaws that need to be fixed to get back the quality we had on our circuit.”The structure of domestic cricket in Pakistan has seen several changes over the last six decades. The period from 2001 to now has been the most inconsistent, with changes made every two years. The present structure starts with the inter-district Under-19 tournament, then has the inter-district senior championship followed by the National Under-19 event. After that there is the Patron’s Trophy grade II and then the country’s premier first-class event the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. The format of QEA has remained intact from last season, with 22 first-class teams – both regional and departmental outfits – competing in a two-league structure. The one-day tournament is the next event, followed by the Pentangular Cup: a first-class tournament among provincial teams and sometimes featuring a combination of provincial teams and top teams from QEA – again an inconsistent format. The season ends with the Twenty20 Cup played among all the 13 regional teams.Nawaz said the returns the board were getting from domestic cricket were not equivalent to their spendings. “The PCB has invested a huge amount in domestic cricket but the output isn’t a quality one,” he said. “Most of our current players aren’t in the same class as Wasim [Akram], Javed [Miandad] or Waqar [Younis]; they end up playing a maximum of two years of international cricket. We want to produce players who can play international cricket for at least five to ten years on their own abilities.”We will be studying the structures of most of the successful playing nations and will come up with feasible and the best recommendations for domestic cricket. After that it is the PCB’s responsibility to take up our suggestions and implement them.”Iqbal Qasim, who is now head of sports for the National Bank of Pakistan, also said there were faults in Pakistan’s domestic cricket. “It’s a good sign that the board have at least realised there are flaws and the system requires evaluation,” Qasim told ESPNcricinfo. “Every member in the body has huge experience of domestic cricket and I hope the team can come up with the best recommendations that are helpful for Pakistan.”

There was no decision on the appointment of a full-time Pakistan coach at the PCB’s first major meeting in five months. Some members also expressed concern that the ICC’s directive from its Hong Kong conference about the democratising of member boards was not being addressed.The board did approve the formation of a vigilance and security division in the PCB that will be responsible for managing issues related to corruption and security. The division will be headed by a senior retired police or army official.The meeting, chaired by the new PCB chief Zaka Ashraf, had as many as 14 items on its agenda, including a presentation on cricket infrastructure in Pakistan, the appointment of a new director for co-ordination – who will head the chairman’s secretariat – and approval of a benevolent funds policy for players, umpires and scorers among others.The ICC’s directive calling on member boards to democratise within a two-year deadline came up for discussion even though it was not on the agenda.A member of the board told ESPNcricinfo that the meeting’s participants were quite concerned about the lack of progress in this regard. “We have suggested putting all the 11 elected members from the regional cricket associations in the governing board and giving them the right of vote,” the member said.”The cricketers and the technocrats should keep their places to give their inputs but without the voting rights, and this is how we can make a democratic body. Unfortunately, nothing has been done so far about it. Though this item wasn’t on the agenda, we insisted this be included in the debate.”A PCB release said the views of the governing board members on democratisation had been noted.The PCB’s chief operating officer Subhan Ahmed, after the meeting at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, said: “There was a lengthy list of agendas and each drew a long discussion. There were several matters discussed and members were asked for their views. The opinions were frank.”The meeting included a presentation on the infrastructure plan to establish more academies in the country, there were discussions regarding the renovation work at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium and the board was also updated about the new ground at Garhi Khuda Bux that was given a completion deadline of December 29. There were also concerns expressed about the delays in the building of the Multan and Karachi cricket academies. A committee comprising Javed Miandad, who has worked with players at the National Cricket Academy in Lahore, and Mir Haider Ali Talpur, the president of the Karachi Cricket Association, was formed to visit these projects and present their report.A new coordination division was also approved for better coordination with government departments and within the PCB, and to bring the grievances and inputs of regional cricket associations and other domestic cricketing bodies to the PCB.

ScorecardSri Lanka Women notched up another easy victory over Bangladesh Women ahead of the ICC Women’s World Cup Qualifier that begins in Bangladesh on November 14. Sri Lanka had come to Bangladesh early to play two matches against the hosts and after winning the first by 64 runs, cruised home by six wickets and with 21.5 overs to spare in the second. Bangladesh were put in to bat, and like in the first game scored extremely slowly. They lasted the whole 50 overs but scored at just 2.58 an over to reach 129 for 8. Most of the top order got into double digits, with Farjan Hoque’s 34 the top score, but none of the top six batsmen had a strike-rate over 50.Sri Lanka’s spinners, left- armer Suwini de Alwis and offspinner Shashikala Siriwardene, struck at regular intervals and finished with five wickets between them. The chase was always going to be comfortable and Sri Lanka got to the target in 28.1 overs. Prasadani Weerakkody scored 38 at the top of the order while Eshani Kaushalya raced to 40 not out off 36 balls.

Ijaz Butt will continue in his role as the PCB’s chairman until Pakistan’s president Asif Ali Zardari, who is also the Patron of the board, decides on whether to extend his tenure. The matter is under consideration at the moment, and till a decision is arrived at, the incumbent will continue in office.Butt, whose constitutional three-year tenure ended today, left for Dubai to attend the ICC’s executive board meeting, putting to an end speculation of an immediate removal. “The matter of the extension of his tenure is under consideration,” the president’s spokesman Farhatullah Babar told ESPNcricinfo. “As per the normal practice in our governmental system, anyone whose tenure ends can carry on with [the president’s] consent.”So, while the case of his extension is being considered, he can work.”Butt took over from Nasim Ashraf on October 8, 2008 and, unlike several of his predecessors, completed his tenure – in the previous decade and a half Tauqir Zia, Shahryar Khan and Ashraf all had to step down before their tenure ran out.His tenure, though, has been plagued with controversies, including the armed attack on the Sri Lanka team in Lahore that resulted in Pakistan being denied the chance to co-host the 2011 World Cup, the spot-fixing scandal (and the problems with the ECB in its aftermath when Butt made controversial accusations against the England team), Zulqarnain Haider’s fleeing to the UK mid-way through a tour after receiving threats from bookies and, most recently, a much-publicised clash with Shahid Afridi.Pakistan’s on-field results in the same period though were commendable, the highlights being the team’s triumph in the World Twenty20 in England in 2009, the semi-final finish in the 2011 World Cup and a successful tour of New Zealand.

Five English cricketers were named in the ICC’s Test team of the year, reflecting England’s rise to the No. 1 spot, achieved during their 4-0 whitewash of India earlier this month. Two batsmen, Alastair Cook and Jonathan Trott, and three bowlers, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann and James Anderson, made the XI, but there was no place for Ian Bell despite his averaging 89.50 and making four hundreds during the qualifying period from August 11, 2010 to August 3, 2011.Dale Steyn, the South Africa fast bowler, made the team for the fourth straight year, while Sachin Tendulkar was named to the team for the third consecutive year. Three South Africa batsmen, Hashim Amla, AB de Villiers and Jacques Kallis, plus Kumar Sangakkara, the former Sri Lanka captain, made up the rest of the XI, while India fast bowler Zaheer Khan was named 12th man. Sangakkara was named captain and wicketkeeper, though he no longer performs either role for Sri Lanka in Tests.”While selecting the squad, the selectors didn’t rely only on statistics only, but took into account all other factors like the opposition, pitch conditions, match situation etc,” Clive Lloyd, the former West Indies captain and chairman of the ICC Awards selection panel, said in a release. “But when you have only 12 places to fill from a big group of world-class players, there will always be a few who will miss out. In the panel’s expert opinion, it has selected the best team based on performances over the past 12 months.”The ICC also released the short-list for its annual awards and Tendulkar will have a chance to repeat as Cricketer of the Year award but will have to fend off challenges from Amla, and the England pair of Cook and Trott to do so. Tendulkar wasn’t quite as prolific as last year, but still managed to score 973 runs in 10 Tests at an average of 64.86 and 513 runs from 11 ODIs at an average of 46.63.Cook and Trott were also short-listed for the Test Player of the Year award alongside their team-mate Anderson, with Kallis the other nominee. Cook was in particularly inspired form in Tests, making 1302 runs from 12 games at an average of 76.58 with six centuries and four half-centuries. Trott was almost as good, accumulating 1042 runs from 12 Tests at an average of 65.12 with four centuries and three half-centuries. Anderson meanwhile was a handful with the ball, picking up 50 wickets in 11 Tests at an average of 25.48 and a strike-rate of 54.00.Amla was nominated for the ODI Player of the Year award as well, along with Kumar Sangakkara, Australia allrounder Shane Watson and India opener Gautam Gambhir. Watson continued to excel in the 50-over game, making 955 runs in 19 matches at an average of 59.68 and a strike-rate of 111.17, while also chipping in with 15 wickets.New Zealand’s Tim Southee’s five-wicket haul against Pakistan was up for the Twenty20 International Performance of the Year, alongside England’s Tim Bresnan, Watson and South Africa batsman JP Duminy.Test team of the year: (in batting order) Alastair Cook, Hashim Amla, Jonathan Trott, Sachin Tendulkar, Kumar Sangakkara (capt/wk), AB de Villiers, Jacques Kallis, Stuart Broad, Graeme Swann, Dale Steyn, James Anderson, Zaheer Khan (12th man)

The short-lists

Cricketer of the Year: Hashim Amla, Alastair Cook, Sachin Tendulkar, Jonathan Trott
Test Player of the Year: James Anderson, Alastair Cook, Jacques Kallis, Jonathan Trott
ODI Player of the Year: Hashim Amla, Gautam Gambhir, Kumar Sangakkara, Shane Watson
Emerging Player of the Year: Azhar Ali, Devendra Bishoo, Darren Bravo, Wahab Riaz
Associate and Affiliate Player of the Year: Ryan ten Doeschate, Hamid Hassan, Kevin O’Brien, Paul StirlingTwenty20 International Performance of the Year: Tim Bresnan 3-10 v Pakistan, JP Duminy 96* v Zimbabwe, Tim Southee 5-18 v Pakistan, Shane Watson 59 v EnglandWomen’s Cricketer of the Year: Charlotte Edwards (England), Lydia Greenway (England), Shelley Nitschke (Australia), Stafanie Taylor (West Indies)Umpire of the Year: Aleem Dar, Steve Davis, Ian Gould, Simon TaufelSpirit of Cricket: MS Dhoni for his recall of Ian Bell during the second Test match between England and India at Trent Bridge, July/August 2011, and Jacques Kallis for walking twice during the World Cup 2011 after clarifying with the opposition fielder if they had caught the ball cleanly
People’s Choice Award: Hashim Amla, MS Dhoni, Chris Gayle, Kumar Sangakkara, Jonathan Trott

Members of the voting academy

Former players: Andy Bichel, Naimur Rahman, Aamir Sohail, Pat Symcox, Nasser Hussein, Russel Arnold, Robin Singh, Shane Bond, Grant Flower, Desmond Haynes, and John Davison (Associate Representative Cricketer)Media: Greg Buckle (Australia), Abdul Majid Bhatti (Pakistan), Azad Majumdar (Bangladesh), Kevin McCallum (South Africa), Stephen Brenkley (England), Chris Dhambarage (Sri Lanka), Ayaz Memon (India), Tony Becca (West Indies), Bryan Waddle (New Zealand), John Ward (Zimbabwe) and KR Nayer (Associate Representative) Elite panel of ICC referees representative: Chris BroadElite panel of ICC umpires representative: Aleem DarChairman of ICC cricket committee: Clive Lloyd

Scorecard
Sixteen wickets fell in the day – almost half of them during a career-bestspell of 7 for 21 by Darren Stevens – as Kent fought back strongly on thesecond day of their County Championship match with Surrey at Canterbury.Stevens’ haul helped Kent dismiss the visitors for a paltry 127 inside 44 oversand secure a surprise first innings lead of 139, only for the hosts to then losesix wickets of their own during a chilly final session which lasted 45.4overs.Kent went in at stumps on 167 for 6 and holding an overall advantage of 306at the midway point of the game. The hosts had captain Robert Key to thank for their position of strength – his watchful, unbeaten 70 is the only half-century to date in this Division Twotussle to date.Having been completely outmanoeuvred on day one, Kent’s seam attack led theirworthy fightback by making the most of a cross wind and a thickening bank oflate morning cloud cover. Once the sunshine disappeared Kent’s Pakistan paceman Wahab Riaz formed a dangerous ‘little and large’ partnership with swing bowler Stevens that sawSurrey slip from 54 without loss to 127 all out.Their capitulation started with the loss of five wickets for 10 runs in thespace of 37 deliveries in the face of some excellent bowling, particularly byStevens.He started the rout by having Steven Davies caught low at second slip for 23 byMartin van Jaarsveld. In the next over Mark Ramprakash attempted to get off the mark with a risky single off Riaz, only for Joe Denly to swoop in from cover point and run outRory Hamilton-Brown (34) with a direct hit at the striker’s end.One run later Zander de Bruyn followed a Stevens’ awayswinger to guide a simplecatch to Key in the gully and depart for one. Then, without troubling the scorers, Ramprakash nicked a lifting awayswinger to keeper Geraint Jones to give Stevens a third, highly-prized scalp.Surrey’s demise gathered momentum when Jason Roy also went without scoringafter spooning a simple cut off Riaz to Denly at cover point. A short but heavy shower led to a 30-minute interruption and an early lunch, yet Surrey were still unable to stave off their collapse come the resumption.Tom Maynard’s hesitant shuffle at a Stevens’ off-cutter saw him perish legbefore wicket for 16 and though Gareth Batty and Zafar Ansari both limped intothe 20s, Kent and Stevens in particular were unstoppable.Ansari holed out in the deep off Adam Ball, leaving Stevens to mop up thetail. He trapped former team-mate Yasir Arafat leg before wicket and had both TimLinley and Jade Dernbach well held low at third slip by Matt Coles.Further showers led to the loss of five overs after tea and the break inconcentration led to the demise of Denly, caught on the crease and leg beforewicket to Linley’s second ball after the resumption.Linley had Sam Northeast caught behind and returned for a third stint to snareJones lbw, despite the hint of an inside edge, for a plucky 22. However, there were no mitigating circumstances for Stevens, van Jaarsveld and James Tredwell, who all fell to ill advised shots late in the day.