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Derbyshire are bracing themselves for the loss of Wavell Hinds after he took his place in the latest Indian Cricket League event.Hinds was signed as a Kolpak player, but because he has played first-class cricket in another country within the last 12 months and is a new recruit by Derbyshire the club believe they are going to encounter problems over his registration. Hinds hit a half century in his first ICL outing on Sunday.”We think we may have trouble keeping Wavell,” Tom Sears, the chief executive, told . “We are waiting for clarification from the ECB, but because he played in West Indies it could be a stumbling block.”Other Kolpak signings around the county circuit, such as Murray Goodwin at Sussex and Dale Benkenstein at Durham, are not expected to have a problem because they were with their respective counties before the ICL began.However, Derbyshire haven’t given up on still having the services of Mahela Jayawardene even though he is part of the Indian Premier League and Sri Lanka have a full international calendar. Jayawardene was due to arrive after Sri Lanka’s tour of West Indies, but there is now the prospect of the Asia Cup.”We are waiting to hear Mahela’s commitments,” said Sears. “There’s talk of the Asia Cup but we aren’t sure when. We are still keen to have him here and Mahela is keen to play for us. It all depends whether it’s worthwhile for both parties.”Unlike some counties, though, who face a last-minute scramble to find overseas cover Derbyshire are well placed in that department with Chris Rogers, the Australian opener, on their staff for the whole season. He was due to replace Jayawardene later in the season, but could now slot in at an earlier stage.”We have planned ahead for this situation,” Sears added, “so we have good cover for whatever happens.”

New Zealand 213 for 6 (McCullum 77, Sidebottom 3-51) beat England 242 for 7 (Wright 47, Mills 4-36) by 34 runs (Duckworth-Lewis)
Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out

Last week, Brendon McCullum was the surprise package in the IPL auctions – today he batted like a cricketer with a million-dollar price tag. His superlative 77 from 43 balls ensured that New Zealand finished their five-match one-day series against England as they had begun it; with a thumpingly impressive victory. Had it not been for a late collapse of 3 for 1 in seven balls, and the even later invention of rain, this result would have been as comprehensive as New Zealand’s first two victories at Wellington and Hamilton. It really was that one-sided.England were off the pace throughout. They batted too slowly, bowled too naïvely, and fielded like a side resigned to defeat – four chances of varying degrees of difficulty were shelled while the game was still live, including a howler by Stuart Broad at third man when McCullum had made 31. New Zealand were led superbly in the field by Kyle Mills, who took 4 for 36 with two wickets in an eight-over burst with the new ball and two more with his offcutters in the death overs, but none of England’s bowlers seemed willing to follow his lead.James Anderson, once again, was especially culpable. He unleashed the Kiwi beast in his third over by serving up another diet of short wide long-hops that McCullum bludgeoned up and over the covers for two fours and a six. When he returned for a second burst at 75 for 0 in the tenth over, with his side in dire need of wickets, he was clobbered for three massive sixes in a row – the first, which was spectacularly caught in the second tier of the grandstand, took him to his fifty from just 27 balls.McCullum’s form in this series has been nothing short of sensational. He finished with 261 runs from 203 balls faced, and only once, at Auckland, did he fail to reach 40 – not surprisingly, that was the only game that New Zealand went on to lose. Once again he compiled a century stand with his new opening partner, Jesse Ryder, but on this occasion Ryder was little more than a bystander. By the time he was lucklessly run out for 24 from 32 balls, his partner had pummelled his way to 72 from 34.It was England’s captain, Paul Collingwood, who eventually ended McCullum’s stay. One ball after dropping a regulation return chance, he knocked back the off stump as McCullum attempted another heave through midwicket. But Jamie How, in the form of his life, responded with two sumptuous drives before the new batsman, Ross Taylor, got off the mark with consecutive edges for four. It was clear that nothing was going to stop New Zealand now.Well, almost nothing. Just as at Napier, England found a second wind at precisely the moment that everyone else had given up on them. Scott Styris was once again the unwitting catalyst, as he wellied an attempted pull to cover off the undeserving Anderson, before Ryan Sidebottom – very much in the zone – removed the debutant Daniel Flynn and the dangerous Jacob Oram with consecutive off-stump legcutters. At 198 for 6, there was a glimmer for England and they were convinced that Vettori had edged Anderson but Billy Bowden disagreed. Then came the mandatory ball change at the end of the 34th over, and the venom went out of their challenge as the rain began to fall.In truth, England scarcely deserved to get so close to victory. Batting first, their innings had been a mishmash of partially formed anchor roles, and all-too-brief cameos. Phil Mustard never got going, Ian Bell and Kevin Pietersen played themselves in then gave their wickets away in crass fashion – Bell to a lofted drive, a shot he had been playing exquisitely, and Pietersen to a second-ball mow off the spinner, Jeetan Patel.Alastair Cook seemed set to drop anchor for the full 50 overs when he missed a quicker one from Daniel Vettori, who also served up the ball of the innings to have Collingwood stumped for 14. Owais Shah was scratchy in a rare lengthy opportunity, and in the end England owed every ounce of their competitiveness to Luke Wright and Dimitri Mascarenhas, who belted six sixes between them as 81 runs were added in the final eight overs.Unfortunately for England, Wright and Mascarenhas’s ease of strokeplay was the norm for this wicket, not the exception. By the time McCullum was into his stride, there was no doubt about the outcome. England had done well to recover their poise after the humiliations of the opening two games, but the 3-1 series result still flatters them. There is much for Collingwood and his team to work on before the return one-day series in June.

If you go down to the SCG on Saturday you’re sure of a big surprise (unless you’re already a women’s cricket follower). Because on show will be the Australian captain Karen Rolton, the vice-captain Lisa Sthalekar… in fact, most of the Australia players, who will be facing off in the state final, the highlight of the domestic season. And they’re promising exciting cricket.”The women’s game is changing now, you have to be stronger. Scores of 230, 240 aren’t going to really cut it, you have to keep striving to keep pushing for scores over 250,” says Sthalekar, the New South Wales Breakers captain who is aiming high against South Australia Scorpions, who are in their first final for a decade and hunting their first title since 1995.Rolton was playing then and is keen to win once more. “It’s been quite a while,” she smiles. “It would mean a lot to win, there’s been a lot of hard work over the years. It will be quite exciting, it will mean a great deal, and most of the girls haven’t been in a final so it’s all very exciting.”The Breakers, meanwhile, have been in every final for the last 11 years, winning nine of them. This year, they were defeated just once in the tournament, and are a well-oiled unit, beating the Scorpions twice in the opening round back in November at Bankstown Oval, by seven wickets and 25 runs. They secured a home final by coming top of the pile again.Despite sweeping all before them – their future looks bright too as they regularly scoop all the junior titles on offer, too – they remain motivated, focussed and committed. “There’s a culture of always winning and always striving to dominate but also raise the bar in women’s cricket,” says Sthalekar. “Our goal this year has been to play exciting cricket which we have done.”They’ve set the pace as the women’s game has developed well over the last few years, offering more entertainment in the form of hitting over the top and a few hostile bouncers – watch out for Ellyse Perry’s firebolts – alongside the usual skills of finesse.And a prediction for the weekend? Sthalekar believes that while the Scorpions have five match-winning players – Australia’s Rolton, Shelley Nitschke, Kris Britt and Emma Sampson, and England import Jenny Gunn (who actually plays for Sydney) – the Breakers will have the edge through strength in depth. “I was hoping we would meet them because I think they’re the two best teams. It’s going to be a tough challenge for us to get on top of them. I think we might have the depth and hopefully that will get us across the line. If we can stay with them ball-by-ball hopefully our talent will come across.””They may just have the edge,” Rolton concedes. “They’re a good all-round team and we’re developing into that, and our batters are on form. They’ve definitely got more experience but that doesn’t always mean a lot in the final. We’ve had our chances over the years and this is the best year we’ve had. We deserve to be there and we will give them a good run for their money.”Indeed, don’t write the Scorpions off. In Rolton they have the competition’s only centurion of the season, while Sampson is one of the fastest bowlers in the world. South Australia have maintained the side which beat Victoria in the last group round to seal their final spot, while adding Tegan McPharlin.The game, then, promises to be a tight one after some impressive showings from South Australia in their recent state matches, and they will be backed by a vocal band of loyal supporters. “It’s great,” says Rolton. “Our support is pretty good out of all the states. To get people over means a lot to us. It will be great to have some red tops on in the crowd, everyone appreciates the support.”Breakers head coach Richard Bates, in his first year in charge, said the team had prepared well. “The key has been making sure that the players are ready to go, mentally and physically, on Saturday morning and ready for the challenge,” he says. “It is going to be a terrific game. There are so many great players on both sides who are capable of match winning performances. No doubt it will be case of who puts their hand up when it matters and maybe who has a bit of luck too!”As for Scorpions’ preparations, “We’ve done nothing differently,” says Rolton. “The preparations have gone quite well. It’s been hard because last week was full-on, so we’ve had a bit of cricket. Everyone’s prepared well.”Get there if you can.New South Wales Lisa Sthalekar (capt), Alex Blackwell, Sarah Andrews, Charlotte Anneveld, Sarah Aley, Kate Blackwell, Leonie Coleman, Rene Farrell, Alyssa Healy, Lisa Kuschert, Ellyse Perry, Sharon Millanta, Leah Poulton.South Australia Julie Woerner, Karen Rolton (capt), Shelley Nitschke, Kris Britt, Leanne Davis, Jenny Gunn, Alicia Dean (wk), Cara Fiebig, Neisha Iles, Fiona McDonald, Stephanie Morrison, Emma Sampson, Tegan McPharlin.

Jason Gillespie has escaped with only minor injuries after an alleged assault outside a nightclub in the Victorian country town of Traralgon. Gillespie was part of the South Australia team that lost to Victoria in a one-day match in the town on Sunday and police said the incident occurred at about midnight that night.”Jason was on his own walking … it appears a couple of people targeted him,” the South Australia coach Mark Sorell told the . “But it seems like an isolated incident.”The paper reported that Gillespie might have suffered a fractured cheekbone, however the South Australia Cricket Association said he was not expected to miss any matches. Gillespie was treated in Melbourne and must now decide whether to pursue charges after reporting the matter to the police.”I can confirm we had an assault reported to us but we can’t confirm who may or may not be involved,” senior constable Eamon Leahy, of Traralgon Police, said. “The investigation is in its very early stages. At this stage the victim has asked that no information be released.”

Fears that Stephen Fleming, the New Zealand captain, could be out of contention for the forthcoming series against Pakistan eased a little today.Fleming, who returned home from India suffering an abdominal strain, did not lead New Zealand on their tour of Pakistan. He had been described as being doubtful for Wellington’s State Championship match against Canterbury, which starts tomorrow at the Basin Reserve.However, he saw a specialist today and was given the all-clear to play. His reaction to his complaint will then be assessed, to determine his availability for the New Zealand team for the first Test, which starts in Hamilton on Friday next week.John Bracewell, the New Zealand coach, said: “The specialist has advised that Stephen should play for Wellington tomorrow in order for us to determine how the injury responds. How he copes in that match will give us a clear indication of whether or not he is fit enough to be considered for Test selection.”

Former West Indies fast bowler Courtney Walsh and renowned American fielding guru Mike Young have signed on to be a part of the coaching staff at the ICC Americas selection combine to be held at Indianapolis World Sports Park in September.”I’m really excited by this opportunity to help identify and work with some of the best talent in the Americas,” Walsh said in an ICC press release. “It’s great that the ICC and the WICB are working together on this initiative that can only help cricket develop in the region.”Applications for players who are eligible to play for countries within the ICC Americas region were due to close on Friday, but the deadline has been extended an additional week through to July 24. Up to 100 players from around the region will be invited to phase one of the combine from September 18, as they compete for spots in a regional squad to participate in the WICB 50-over domestic tournament next January.A select group of players from phase one will then be invited back to phase two from September 24, where they will join pre-selected players based on performances from the ICC Americas championship in May, and the ICC World Twenty20 Qualifier currently taking place in Ireland and Scotland. After the conclusion of phase two, a final squad will be chosen and top-performing players may also receive invitations to trial for teams in the 2016 Caribbean Premier League.Walsh is currently a WICB selector and bowling coach for the Jamaica Tallawahs. In 2011, he served as tour manager for the West Indies U-19 team in Florida where they swept the USA U-19 team in a four-match 50-over series. Young, a Chicago native, has been a specialist fielding coach serving on and off with Australia for the last 14 years, including at the 2015 World Cup.

South Africa has tied the inaugural Super Challenge 2000 series at Melbourne’s Colonial Stadium at one match apiece with a eight run win in the third and final match of what has proved to be a very innovative and enjoyable series.There were several heroes for the visitors, in particular the underrated left arm spinner Nicky Boje, who took 2/29 from ten overs of very accurate left arm spin and was awarded the Man of Series award. He proved difficult to get away in the mid to latter stages of the match and along with skipper Shaun Pollock (2/36 off eight) did some valuable damage during the run chase. Pollock proved again his great ability with the new ball getting the first two wickets while Adam Gilchrist (63 off 67 balls) powered away in the opening stages of Australia’s innings.Curiously right at the death Andrew Hall, who kept very well in the absence of the finger knife slicing Mark Boucher, was called up to bowl the second last over, with 22 needed. He started with a nervous wide but held up well under the pressure to concede only eight off the over and this left the Aussies needing 14 off the last.Jacques Kallis took the ball and after a smiling conversation involving he and skipper Pollock, South Africa wrapped up the match with a bit to spare.Earlier, South Africa were in desperate trouble at 4/19 in the seventh over, after great opening spells by Glenn McGrath (3/26 off ten overs) and Brett Lee (3/56 off ten).McGrath was first to strike, finding the edge of Andrew Hall’s (1) bat and Mark Waugh accepted the hot head high chance at second slip.At the Latrobe Street end, Brett Lee, who started to find his rhythm after an early speight of no balls, struck twice in his third over, having Kallis edge a lifting ball through to Gilchrist for three and then Daryl Cullinan went, bowled between bat and pad by a very sharp in dipper for a fourth ball duck. The veteran right-hander will come away from his Colonial Stadium experience was little fondness for it after a pair of noughts in the last two matches. South Africa were now 3/19 as Neil McKenzie walked out to join the experienced Kirsten.McGrath knocked over Kirsten (9) thanks again to the safe hands of Mark Waugh at second slip and at 4/19 the 15,000 odd that had bothered to make it for the 10am start were facing a free afternoon.South Africa have come from the depths of these positions before to win matches and today the men who rose to the challenge with the bat were Neil McKenzie (45) and Lance Klusener (49) who added 98 for the fifth wicket in 26 overs. They were the initial heroes with the bat, with Shaun Pollack (34) and Nicky Boje (28 off 28 balls) ensuring South Africa got past 200 after falling to 7/150 in the 43rd over after the initial recovery. The pair added an unbeaten 56 in seven and a half overs and with the Australians slow in bowling their overs and subsequently having their innings reduced to 48 overs, the South African total reached a level of respectability.This reduction to 48 overs was a real surprise, given the fairly liberal interpretation of the rule in the previous two matches.In Game one, South Africa were 21 minutes over time and on Friday Australia were around a quarter of an hour but neither were penalised in any way. Admittedly though on Wednesday, South Africa’s bowlers were continually cleaning their sprigs giving the damp nature of the surface.In the Australian reply, Shaun Pollock picked up the first wicket, with a fairly straight ball which Mark Waugh played around as he came forward to drive. Waugh went for a single and Australia were 1/21 in the seventh over.Adam Gilchrist was making the job of batting look very easy as he opened his shoulders to eventually hit nine fours and a pulled six over square leg off Roger TelemachusRicky Ponting would have been disappointed with his dismissal as he played an impatient shot which brought about his downfall, attempting to loft Pollock over the on-side on the up. The result – a catch to Makhaya Ntini at mid on and Australia were now tottering a little at 2/31.Gilchrist continued to make batting look easy but his batting partner Michael Bevan was doing anything but, as he struggled to find a gap in the field with thirteen balls being needed before he could get off the mark.Gilchrist’s entertaining hand came to an end on 63 in the 20th over as he attempted a pull shot off Ntini and top edged it as high and as close as any ball had been near the roof, to be caught by Neil McKenzie at backward point.Ntini, who had been working up some pace during his first spell, struck the Aussie skipper Steve Waugh on the left arm with his next ball which was a sharp, rising delivery. Waugh rubbed his arm vigourously and Ntini returned to the top of his bowling mark, intent to try and put his side on top in the match.The eventual loss of the Australian captain, was a big blow for South Africa, as Waugh lofted Lance Klusener to mid off after making 17 and in the 29th over Australia were reduced to 4/114.Bevan had now started to find the gaps but when he reached 33 off 80 balls, he was brilliantly run out by Neil McKenzie from backward point in the 35th over and Australia now needed right on a run a ball if they were to win the match and clinch this series.Shane Warne was elevated up the order and lofted a few deliveries to various points of the arena without being able to pick up a boundary.Damien Martyn eased the tension somewhat as he found the first boundary for nine overs by charging and lofting South African skipper over mid wicket to the fence but in the 38th over Warne attempted to take on Nicky Boje and holed out to a great catch by Gary Kirsten at a widish long-on for seven.Shane Lee played rebustly as the run rate required found its way to over six and he and Damien Martyn added 28 in six overs before Lee hoisted a ball to deep mid wicket where a good catch was taken by Neil McKenzie, Australia were 7/171.What eventually broke the back of the chase was the demise of Damien Martyn, who after making 31 off 42 balls, was bowled by a Telemachus yorker in the 45th over at 8/176, this left Australia needing 31 off three and a half overs and this, unsurprisngly proved too much for the remaining batsmen.

KINGSTOWN – The score has been settled.With due care and diligence, Barbados completed a comfortable victory over Windward Islands with a day to spare here yesterday to reverse last year’s stunning defeat.Set 148 to win after rounding off the Windwards’ second innings in the first over after lunch, Barbados achieved a seven-wicket triumph in their opening Carib Beer Series contest without alarms, and with another 12 minutes still available on the penultimate day.Wary of an Arnos Vale Playing Field pitch that has been slowish throughout the match, Barbados initially approached their task with caution and were lifted by Sherwin Campbell’s fighting, unbeaten 66 that occupied the three-and-a-half hours Barbados needed to wipe off their modest target.It was sweet revenge for Barbados after losing to the Windwards for the first time in 19 years last season."This was a very good performance. To win your first game of the season is always special, especially against a team that beat you last year," said Barbados coach Hendy Springer.It was also a relief to start the tournament with maximum 12 points after the disappointment of last season when Barbados endured three successive defeats and finished fifth in the standings."We always wanted to start on a positive note," said captain Courtney Browne. "Over the last two years, the Windwards have been playing us well. That is something we had to look at. We needed a win to go forward."We’ve got India `A’ coming up next weekend and it is very important to go to India `A’ and Jamaica with a win behind your name."Campbell overcame an uncertain start to play solidly at times, but he was never at his best. The type of determined qualities he displayed, however, often does a lot for teams when chasing what are seemingly straightforward targets.Fellow opener Philo Wallace was also watchful, and his 32, along with Floyd Reifer’s 26 and Dwayne Smith’s 18 were equally important contributions.After adding 58 with Campbell, Wallace gave a return catch to leg-spinner Rawl Lewis, and Kurt Wilkinson duplicated his dismissal six runs later before Reifer arrived to provide some impetus to the innings.Reifer eventually skied a cross-batted shot to cover, but Campbell and Smith took Barbados home. There might have been some concern for the visitors in the middle of the morning session.As lunch approached, they had claimed just one wicket and the Windwards were gradually building a lead, but Barbados quickly regained the initiative by collecting the last four for 16 runs in 20 minutes either side of lunch.John Eugene resumed as the Windwards’ main hope of setting Barbados a difficult total, but was undone by a delivery from Ian Bradshaw that found the edge as it moved away on pitching.It was Barbados’ sole success in the first hour and three-quarters in spite of good bowling from Bradshaw and left-arm spinner Sulieman Benn, who operated in tandem for most of the session.Benn should have removed Orlanzo Jackson but Browne missed a stumping that did not prove too costly in the end.It required a big risk from the Windwards to end a potentially worrying seventh-wicket stand between Jackson and Darren Sammy.The pair were together for close on an hour when they attempted a non-existent single when the ball had only gone as far as backward short-leg.It was quickly swooped on by Wilkinson at forward short-leg and once his return was relayed to keeper Browne, Jackson was found wanting by some distance.By then, Tino Best was into the attack and got the ball to move around, but his direction centred too much on leg stump.When he was presented with a left-hander, Deighton Butler, it suited him just fine and he induced him into snicking a catch to the keeper.A typically enthusiastic Best fired in an unplayable yorker at Kenroy Peters with the last ball before lunch and after a short delay because of rain, Benn ended the Windwards’ resistance in the first over after the break when Sammy’s firm push was smartly caught by Wilkinson under the bat.It was Benn’s only wicket of the day but his fifth in the innings.SCOREBOARD:WINDWARDS 1st Innings 156BARBADOS 1st Innings 232WINDWARDS 2nd Innings(overnight 150-5)D. Smith lbw Benn 55R. Currency b Benn 41K. Sylvester c Reifer b Benn 19+J. Murray lbw b Hurley 6J. Eugene c wk Browne b Bradshaw 20*R. Lewis lbw b Benn 0O. Jackson run out 30D. Sammy c Wilkinson b Benn 23D. Butler c wk Browne b Best 3K. Peters lbw b Best 0S. Shillingford not out 0Extras (b1, lb6, w1, nb11) 19Penalty runs 5TOTAL (all out – 74.4 overs) 223Fall of wickets: 1-91 (Smith), 2-109 (Currency), 3-116 (Murray), 4-143 (Sylvester), 5-144 (Lewis), 6-173 (Eugene), 7-207 (Jackson), 8-210 (Butler), 9-223 (Peters), 10-223 (Peters).Bowling: Bradshaw 15-3-46-1 (w1, nb3), Best 7-1-17-2 (nb1), Hurley 21-2-57-1 (nb5), Thomas 2-0-23-0 (nb2), Benn 29.4-7-68-5.BARBADOS 2nd InningsP. Wallace c and b Lewis 32S. Campbell not out 66K. Wilkinson c and b Lewis 2F. Reifer c Sammy b Butler 26D. Smith not out 18Extras (b2, nb4) 6TOTAL (3 wkts – 59.2 overs) 150Fall of wickets: 1-58 (Wallace), 2-64 (Wilkinson), 3-115 (Reifer)Bowling: Butler 10-1-40-1 (nb1), Peters 7-5-4-0, Jackson 13-2-27-0, Sammy 4-1-17-0, Lewis 13-4-29-2 (nb1), Shillingford 12.2-4-31-0.Result: Barbados won by seven wickets with a day to spare.Points: Barbados 12, Windwards 0.Umpires: Goaland Greaves, Harry Rajkumar

Ray Jennings, the South African coach, can sleep in peace. Gerald Majola, the CEO of the United Cricket Board of South Africa, has not ruled him out of contention as the permanent coach of the South African team. Jennings, who took charge of the team after Eric Simons stepped down in October 2004, was appointed on a short-term basis and will continue in the job till the end of the West Indies tour in May.Majola said that Jennings had done a good job with the team and would be considered for the post, if he made an application. He also denied approaching Duncan Fletcher, the England coach, for the position. “The post has been advertised, and we will look at the applications. But as far as I know, nobody has approached Fletcher either directly or indirectly,” said Majola, to the South African Press Agency. “If we are not satisfied with the applications we receive, we will head hunt the person we think would be the most suitable candidate. But first we have to see who applies.”He rejected suggestions that Jennings was in a difficult position since he was appointed as interim coach. “When he accepted the position, he knew exactly what he was going into. He’s done a good job so far, particularly if you look at where we came from, he’s taken this team a few steps up from where it began.”Jennings had earlier revealed that he would apply for the post if his players wanted him to. “It’s not about bringing new information to the side — it’s about getting the players to understand that it’s all about respect and working as a unit,” he had said. “I’ll talk to the players, and if they want to follow me, I’ll apply for the job.”Under Jennings’ guidance, South Africa lost 0-1 in India, and then suffered a home reverse against England (1-2) for the first time in 40 years, only their second series loss at home since they were readmitted to the international fold in 1992.

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Two wickets late in the day from Andrew Flintoff and Steve Harmison put England on top for the second day running in the third npower Test against South Africa at Trent Bridge. After building a large total of 445 in which Alec Stewart rolled back the years with a combative 72, England reduced South Africa to 84 for 2 on a misbehaving pitch. And to make Michael Vaughan even happier, they dismissed Graeme Smith for less than 200.Stewart now has a maximum of five more innings to overhaul Viv Richards’s total of 8540 Test runs (he currently has 8398) and he gave the initiative back to England after a sticky morning in which they lost three wickets. He shepherded the tail with some intelligent singles and booming boundaries and belted 11 fours in all, latching on to anything short or wide. He whipped Andrew Hall through midwicket for four and signalled the 400 next ball with a square cut for two. But he saved the best shot of the lot to bring up his fifty with a thumping back-foot drive off Hall.With the exception of Makhaya Ntini, the bowling was a much more demanding prospect for England than yesterday. Pollock again led the way on a two-paced pitch, and it was he who struck early. After his stirring century yesterday afternoon, Nasser Hussain slipped straight back to his intense self, but he was unable to find the same fluency as he was trapped lbw in front of off-and-middle (322 for 4). That ended an enterprising partnership of 104 between Hussain and Ed Smith.Smith showed none of his first-day nerves as he brought up his debut Test fifty, but any thoughts of a century were dashed when Jacques Kallis came up with the perfect awayswinger, which Smith nibbled through to Mark Boucher (334 for 5).

Smith was caught flat-footed as the ball wobbled away from him, but it was an impressive start from England’s bright new spark. He walked off to hearty applause in the knowledge of that, but whether he knows he is the 15th Smith to play for England, and that his 64 is the highest score on debut by any of them, is doubtful – even if he does have a double-first from Cambridge.Andrew Flintoff also unusually took his time, but never got going. He paid for his caution, and lack of footwork, when he edged Hall to Pollock at first slip for a 20-ball duck (347 for 6). Hall, like Kallis, was moving the ball away to good effect and Flintoff, like Smith, played away from the body to his peril. Ashley Giles (22), Kirtley (1) and Harmison (14) all hung around to give Stewart some valuable support, as he used all his nous to guide England towards 450.James Anderson opened with James Kirtley, the debutant, whose first ball in Test cricket went for four when Gibbs clipped him through midwicket. But Kirtley settled down to a tidy spell, finding the odd hint of away movement, although Anderson continued to struggle. He was determined not to feed Smith’s leg-side craving, but instead gifted two half-volleys outside off stump in the same over, which were both crashed to the boundary boards as Smith and Gibbs made a solid start.While Smith was subdued by his Bradmanesque standards, Gibbs was starting to fire. He clipped Flintoff past square leg and caressed a breathtaking cover drive in the next over. But, as in the second Test, his downfall was an inside-edge off Steve Harmison. It was a better ball than at Lord’s, full and straight with a hint of movement in to Gibbs, and it cannoned into middle stump off the bat (56 for 1).Harmison wasn’t brought on till the 16th over, and that wicket gave him the gee-up he and England needed. Bowling in tandem with Flintoff, they cranked up the pace and put the pressure on with aggressive and hostile deliveries. Bowling around the wicket to Smith, Flintoff forced him to play and miss a few times, and after he edged one just short of Marcus Trescothick at first slip, Flintoff wondered what he had to do to get shot of him.Well, the answer came in his next over as Smith’s charmed life came to an end in the most bizarre of circumstances. Leaping back to defend another quick Flintoff short ball, his left foot slipped back too far and trod firmly on his own stumps (66 for 2). Smith sauntered off shaking his head while Flintoff celebrated a deserved change of fortune.The two Jacques, Rudolph and Kallis, dug in till the end and Rudolph was lucky to survive an lbw shout from Anderson with four overs to go. They’re still 361 behind and with the wicket playing some tricks, they’re up against it.Click here for the Wisden Verdict