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How the day turned out
It’s nice to pick up two wickets. It was quite a close decision on the third. Overall, I’m quite happy with that.What Australia would have done if they won the toss
I haven’t talked to Ricky [Ponting], but normal practice would be to bat, so that we can bowl last. Whether that was going to be his intention, I’m not sure. But as conditions turned out, having three quick bowlers right from the outset was a favourable move.About the bad light
The light was pretty uneven all day. I think when you turn on the lights, it improves the conditions, but here it created more complications, because behind the bowler’s arm, it became a [great] deal darker. They [the umpires] made the right decision about offering the light.What the pitch is like
No matter where you go, you will always see something on offer to the new ball. I thought once the rain had intervened, there was some moisture on the wicket, [but] it settled down reasonably quickly.On Brett Lee
There’s been a temptation to play Brett Lee for the whole series, but as we’ve said all along, the three quick bowlers we have in the side have done a fantastic job.The thinking behind picking Nathan Hauritz ahead of Cameron White
Nathan probably is a better spinner. Cameron is a batsman-bowler. Nathan is a far more experienced spin bowler. If we were to go to a line-up with two spinners, he was going to be our second choice after Shane Warne.On McGrath and Kasprowicz’s illness
They’ve passed it on to somebody else now, so there you are [chuckle]. We’ll wait and see who comes down with it next.

Chris Cairns will be out for six weeks after breaking a bone in his left hand during the final day of Nottinghamshire’s Frizzell County Championship match against Warwickshire at Edgbaston on Saturday.Cairns sustained the injury when he dropped a chance from Warwickshire’s Dougie Brown at slip. “I can’t find the words to describe just how massively disappointed I am to suffer this injury at a crucial time in the one-day season," Cairns said. “It’s the first break I’ve suffered in a 15-year career as a cricketer and it’s come as a huge blow to find out it’s come now.”It’s the lesser of two evils with it being my left hand that’s broken. But I’m still going to be out for six weeks, and that’s hard to take.”Cairns has been dogged by injury over the last year, suffering injuries to his knee, side and shoulder.

India’s surprise series leveling victory in Kandy has forced a re-think bythe Sri Lankan selectors, who have made two changes for the crucial finalTest in Colombo, as the home side looks to end a 16-month spell without aseries win, whilst India set their sights on their first overseas Testseries triumph since 1993.Sri Lanka will retain the same formation of six batsmen, one all rounder andfour frontline bowlers, but fast bowling allrounder Suresh Perera and leftarm pace bowler Ruchira Perera have been axed.Off spinning allrounder Thilan Samaraweera, who has captained Sri Lanka A inthree successive series, comes in place of Suresh Perera and will be makinghis Test debut.Suresh Perera looked short of confidence after being reported by umpireSteve Bucknor in Galle for having a suspect action and bowled just twelveovers in the game. With hindsight he should have been rested until thedoubts over his action had been eased.Fast bowler Dulip Liyanage, 29, has been chosen in place of Ruchira Perera -surprisingly left out of the final 14-man squad after two modest, but by nomeans poor, performances in Galle and Kandy.Liyanage – after beingconsistently impressive in the practice nets and throughout the lastdomestic season. He will also strengthen the lower order batting.Liyanage last played for Sri Lanka nearly eight years ago, way back in1993/94 during Sri Lanka’s disastrous and controversial tour of India. Heonly played eight Test matches after a series of debilitating injuries.Sanath Jayasuriya, speaking after the team’s final practice, called for histeam to play positive cricket: "We didn’t play well in Kandy, but that ishistory now. This is a fresh game and the team must think positively and notput themselves under pressure. The players must relax and enjoy themselves."He, though, stressed once again that the batsmen have to show greaterresponsibility: "The batsmen are in good form, but they have been gettingout in the 30’s and 40’s. When we get set we have to go on to make a bigscore."Coach Dav Whatmore pointed out that the failure of the batsmen in Kandyrevolved around the mental approach of the individuals concerned: "There isno technique problem. We have shown that we can score heavily. However, itseems to me that we can win by a large margin, but when it gets close, wefind it difficult. Sometimes we suffer from a rush of blood.""The players have to give 100 per cent and be totally committed," he warned."They must adopt that attitude that `everything depends on me’ not on anyoneelse."India, initially disappointed by their boards refusal to send Ajit Agarkar,which was confirmed by the Indian captain today, may now be somewhatrelieved, as they are considering playing 28-year-old Bombay legspinnerSairaj Bahutule, as the fourth bowler in place of Harvinder Singh.India, it seems, believe that the ball will turn appreciably. Sourav Gangulycommented that: "This does not look to be the normal bouncy SSC wicket and Ithink it will turn by day three."India are therefore expected to bat first if they win the toss. "We willhave a look in the morning and see how damp it is, but right now it lookslike a bat first wicket," said Ganguly.The curator Ranil Abeynaike, though, was singing a different song, promisingplenty of "pace and bounce" throughout the game with the prospect of lateralmovement for the fast bowlers on day one.Jayasuriya also commented that there was more grass on the wicket than therehad been in the last game England, when the ball turned sideways, and heexpects there to be plenty of encouragement for the pace bowlers. Sri Lankaare expected to field first if they win the toss.Ganguly pointed out that: "The mood within the side is good, but there wasno chance of complacency after the Kandy Test. We just want play goodcricket here. If we play well and take it session by session then the resultshould take care of itself."He defended the decision to retain Hemang Badani after three failures so farin the series: "Hemang deserves another opportunity. He is struggling a bitand not playing like he did in Zimbabwe, but it’s not right to drop abatsman after two games. Hemang has potential and maybe he will make a markin this Test."India have not won a Test series overseas since 1993 when MohammadAzharuddin’s side defeated Sri Lanka at the Sinhalese Sports Club to win theseries 1-0. There have been two matches since between India and Sri Lanka atSSC, both of which have been drawn.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details 1:48

Moonda: NZ learnt from Durban mistakes

South Africa have only once successfully chased a score of 170-plus in T20 cricket, and New Zealand made sure it stayed that way. Kane Williamson’s line-up put right what they did wrong two days ago, and built on their start with the bat to allow for a flourishing finish. Their attack adapted and studded South Africa’s scorecard with scalps to ensure the hosts were never quite in a chase of 178.Unlike Durban, where the temperatures stay tropical even in the dry winter, the arid air in Centurion has an effect and both teams thought that would warrant the inclusion of two specialist spinners on a parched, cracked surface. Both teams opened with a spinner, but neither got the desired result.Aaron Phangiso’s first ball was hammered wide of a diving AB de Villiers at cover, while Nathan McCullum’s first over was boundary-less, but only because Williamson pulled off an exceptional stop and mid-off. Instead, it was a strip for seamers but only those willing to bend their backs. The short ball proved an effective weapon as Mitchell McClenaghan showed, but South Africa did not make as much use of it as they should have.For the second match in succession, they went too full and New Zealand took advantage. The visitors scored 64 runs in the v which amounted to more than a third of their total. By contrast, South Africa only managed 26 runs down the ground and lost both Morne van Wyk and David Miller to the short ball, while only Farhaan Behardien, with a career-best 36, put up something of a fight.Behardien was the only South African who had reason to celebrate – he also took his first T20 wicket when Martin Guptill holed out to a full toss – but by then New Zealand were already faring better than they had on Friday night.Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott provided plenty that was pitched up, and Williamson and Guptill plundered runs over their heads. Their partnership was worth 50 when Williamson sliced Rabada to deep third man and when Guptill was dropped two overs later, New Zealand looked ready to replay their Kingsmead collapse.But South Africa were unable to enforce the same squeeze. Guptill was on 38 when Miller put him down, and he added another 22 runs to his score, mostly by taking on the spinners. He brought up his sixth T20 fifty – the only one of the game – with a slog sweep off Eddie Leie and breached the boundary one more time before holing out to a full-toss offered by Behardien.Grant Elliott followed Guptill in the following over when he was trapped on the front pad by a tossed up delivery from Phangiso, but still, New Zealand did not slow down. They scored 63 runs off the last seven overs as Neesham and Colin Munro brought out an array of strokes, with Munro taking 18 runs off Abbott’s third over with clean strokes down the ground.Rabada had Neesham and Munro dismissed in consecutive balls to find himself on a hat-trick for the second time in the series. Abbott did not enjoy the same fortune, though, and went wicketless for the third international match in a row.South Africa were never able to get on a similar roll. Van Wyk was cramped for room on the pull and caught behind in the third over, and Hashim Amla was caught at point in the fourth which meant an unsteady start.De Villiers, Rilee Rossouw, Farhaan Behardien and Miller all had the opportunity to put that right but none showed the patience required to do that. De Villiers departed cheaply, going for one big shot too many and Rossouw, who showed proficiency against both pace and spin, came out of his crease to pull Ish Sodhi and found short midwicket which left Behardien and Miller to score 103 runs in the second half of the South Africa innings.Scoreboard pressure increased when they found the boundary only four times in the five overs that followed and Behardien, although comfortable, through caution to the wind. He slog-swept a Nathan McCullum full toss to deep mid-wicket to begin South Africa’s slide. A wicket fell in each of the next three overs as the pressure told. New Zealand offered deliveries South Africa could not resist hitting and the visitors’ fielding was sharp enough to take the chances.Behardien, David Wiese, Phangiso and Miller joined de Villiers, Rossouw, Amla and van Wyk in falling to big shots, but the lower-middle order’s collapse was more dramatic. South Africa lost 4 for 19, stubbed out of the chase and were forced to share the series spoils.

For the first time in 19 matches, and nearly 15 years, England’s men experienced a Test victory in Australia as the MCG raced to the second two-day finish of the Ashes series. On a tough surface which will continue to come under the spotlight in the aftermath, England’s top order met their target of 175 with aggression and they eventually got home with four wickets in hand.It was only the fifth time in Test history that a series had included multiple two-day finishes, and before this summer, there had only been two in history in Australia. Although more than 186,000 had attended the match across two record-breaking days, it left Cricket Australia facing another significant financial loss – the Ashes has proved a costly affair, and Ben Stokes acknowledged it was far from ideal, but England have avoided the risk of another whitewash down under.Jacob Bethell, who was recalled for this match, compiled 40 to give a glimpse at his potential, but his dismissal meant this would be the first Test in Australia without an individual half-century since 1932 and just the fifth overall. Bethell’s wicket was followed by a little wobble with the winning line in sight. Joe Root was lbw to Jhye Richardson and Stokes carved an edge off Mitchell Starc with ten need, but four leg byes finished the job to roars from the travelling support, although more muted celebrations from England.Related

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Australia, who had earned a first-innings lead of 42 on the manic opening day which brought 20 wickets, could only manage 132 the second time around as Stokes and Brydon Carse shared seven wickets, while Josh Tongue added two more to his impressive match tally. It meant they were able to overcome the loss of Gus Atkinson to a hamstring injury early in the day.Still, the target was comfortably the highest total of the match. But the intent from Zak Crawley and Ben Duckett was clear and they wiped off 51 inside seven overs. Duckett pinged Starc through the leg side first ball and Crawley launched Michael Neser down the ground in his first over to set the tone. Starc produced some gems, especially to Duckett, and came within fingertips of getting to a return catch from a leading edge.Tellingly, though, the first ball that Alex Carey came up to the stumps against Neser, Crawley launched him straight down the ground for six and followed that with a blazing drive through the covers. Duckett also took on Neser, a top-edged hoick flying to deep third and then, most stunningly, a scoop going for six. Perhaps there was life in Bazball, after all.Scott Boland got rid of Zak Crawley to raise Australia’s hopes•Getty Images

The ball after Duckett cracked his fourth boundary behind point, Starc speared a full delivery through him, but the openers had shifted the mood. England pulled a trick, promoting Carse to No. 3, but he sliced down to deep third, which opened the door for Bethell to play what could prove a significant innings.Bethell got away with a leading edge first ball, then drove Scott Boland confidently down the ground. He started the final session by reverse-scoping Boland over Carey, then nailed a cover drive.Boland, who curiously had not been introduced until the 11th over by when England already had 70 on the board, conjured thoughts of another MCG burst from him when he trapped Crawley lbw and had Bethell caught at cover, but Australia didn’t have quite enough runs to play with.Australia had resumed one over into their second innings with Boland having survived amid heady scenes the night before. He hung around for five more overs before Atkinson found the outside edge to remove a potential frustration for England. However, Atkinson’s day – and potentially series – was soon done when he walked off holding his hamstring at the end of his fifth over, leaving three frontline quicks.The captain took on the task, Stokes striking in his first over when Jake Weatherald misjudged a delivery from around the wicket which he left alone at the last moment and was bowled. After his excellent first innings in Brisbane, returns have been lean for Weatherald, who faces a big outing in Sydney next week before Australia’s lengthy gap in Test cricket.By now, the pitch was offering some uneven bounce as well as sideways movement. Marnus Labuschagne took two blows on the gloves before being drawn into poking outside off stump, edging to first slip in a manner that suggests his game is still not in top working order, although conditions provided some caveat.Travis Head was bowled by a beauty from Brydon Carse•PA Photos/Getty Images

Travis Head was playing as well as anyone had all game, latching onto anything loose but not breaking into the full-blown attack seen in the second innings in Perth. However, even someone who had survived more than an hour and a half could do nothing about the delivery from Carse, which jagged off the seam to take the top of off stump.Three balls later, Usman Khawaja top-edged a well-directed short ball from Tongue to long leg. There was no rescue act from Carey this time as he steered a delivery to second slip, where England’s catching continued to be secure.Either side of lunch, Steven Smith and Cameron Green held firm for nine overs, adding 31 runs, to tip the balance once again. Without ever looking entirely secure, Green again got himself set, as he had in the first innings before running himself out, but flashed an edge to second slip when he drove at a short delivery.In the absence of Atkinson, Carse lifted impressively and clutched a sharp return catch, full stretch to his left, to remove Neser. Then, with the seventh delivery of the over after a no-ball, he had Starc edging to slip.Smith showed no inclination to shield No. 11 Richardson (who has a first-class average of 20.70) and a crunched straight drive suggested it was a fair call, but Richardson carved Stokes into the off side to leave England with their target. The pubs, golf courses and Boxing Day sales around Melbourne could get an unexpected boost.

It was a remarkable finale to the season, the title race going down to the last ball of the last match. The day ebbed and flowed but in the end Lancashire fell agonisingly, tantalisingly short of ending 73 years of waiting for a Championship. The title was Sussex’s, but it was a damned close-run thing.Lancashire’s quest ended in heroic failure after a nail-biting season finale at The Oval. Having been set a county record 489 to win against Surrey, Lancashire fell 24 runs short as their last remaining hope, Dominic Cork, was bowled by Murtaza Hussain for 47 with the shadows lengthening and four-and-a-bit overs remaining.On what the groundsman Bill Gordon told Cricinfo was “still a decent track”, Lancashire lost two early wickets before VVS Laxman and Stuart Law set them on their way. At lunch they were 178 for 2, up with the asking rate of five an over, and they continued that pace in the afternoon, despite losing Laxman for a superb hundred. The match turned in the penultimate over of the afternoon session when Jade Dernbach removed Law and Steve Croft.Lancashire’s tail refused to buckle. Glenn Chapple made 29 and Sajid Mahmood 26, but Surrey continued to chip away to keep Sussex and Lancashire supporters on tenterhooks. When Oliver Newby was dismissed by Jade Dernbach for 4, Lancashire were still 37 runs adrift with only the No. 11 Gary Keedy to come, and valiantly though they tried, the requirement was just too much.The Championship trophy and cheque for £100,000 had been waiting at Hove but ECB officials were poised to rush back to London. In the end Cork sized up a sweep shot, Murtaza defeated his flailing bat, and the dream was over. At the end of it all, Lancashire’s captain Mark Chilton was in tears. “I am proud of what our guys have done today,” he said. “They’ve been fabulous. I thought to even get close was a phenomenal effort …the lads are just broken.”Meanwhile Sussex’s victorious captain, Chris Adams, had been looking on nervously in the Hove dressing-room. “It’s been the most excruciating afternoon,” he said. “We were panicking like hell in there.”Sussex had earlier completed their side of the bargain by wrapping up a comfortable win over an already relegated Worcestershire at Hove. The visitors resumed on 190 for 5, still 129 short of making Sussex bat again, and showed some fight to frustrate the home support and to extend the game to the brink of lunch.

Almost inevitably it was Mushtaq Ahmed that broke a fifth-wicket stand of 117 when he bowled Moeen Ali for 85, but still Worcestershire refused to lie down. Gareth Batty and Kabir Ali put on 43 for the sixth wicket before Robin Martin-Jenkins bowled Kabir and then Mushtaq completed his second five-for of the match when Batty was well stumped by Andy Hodd. Adams took a good, low slip catch, again off Mushtaq, to remove Richard Jones and the victory was sealed when Mushtaq, who finished with 7 for 132 and match figures of 13 for 225, had Nadeem Malik caught of a bat-pad at silly point.With the Lancashire result still to come, Adams, the captain, spoke to a large crowd on the PA to thank them for their support. “It’s strange,” he said. “People have turned out in huge numbers, we’ve said thanks to and we can do no more … we just have to sit and wait.” it proved to be a long wait as well.Adams praised the contribution of Mushtaq who he admitted he had “bowled into the ground … not that he’ll mind.” He continued: “It’s not only his ability, it’s his commitment, his desire to keep bowling overs. He just turns up and keeps churning out the overs and waning to take wickets. He’s a fabulous character and he inspires so many of the other players. It’ll be a sad day when he goes.”Sussex’s players all hugged each when the last wicket fell other but the celebrations were muted as the title was still not confirmed as theirs. The win took them above Durham but they could still have been caught if Lancashire had pulled off their remarkable rearguard.After a washout yesterday the match between Hampshire and Yorkshire at Headingley was abandoned.

Final Championship Table

Bob Woolmer, the Pakistan coach, has been summoned by the tribunal investigating doping charges against Shoaib Akhtar and Mohammad Asif. Darryn Lifsun, the team physiotherapist, and Murray Stevenson, the trainer, have also been summoned.Shahid Hamid, a renowned barrister who is chairing the three-man tribunal which includes Intikhab Alam and medical expert Dr Waqar Ahmed, told Cricinfo that the three are most likely to appear on Wednesday.”They are part of the team management and we would like to know their thoughts on this very important matter. They work with the players closely so speaking to them is important. Without hearing their views, it would be tough to reach a conclusion.”The idea for holding internal dope tests was Woolmer’s, and the tests were held soon after the team returned from the tour to England.Shoaib and Asif, who were pulled out of Pakistan’s squad for the Champions Trophy on the eve of their opening game, were cross-examined by medical experts on Saturday. Both bowlers have said they will not challenge the results of their positive tests for nandrolone carried out in a WADA (World Anti-doping Agency) laboratory in Malaysia, and declined to have their B samples examined.It emerged, in the immediate aftermath of the scandal, that the PCB had suspected Shoaib of substance abuse. Shaharyar Khan, the ex-chairman, told an Indian TV channel that he had suspected this was the case for several months. Additionally, rumours had circulated among journalists of this very problem.But Hamid was adamant that media reports and such speculation would have no influence on the inquiry. “We will rely entirely on the basis of the evidence presented before us and nothing else. Newspaper or TV reports, rumours and speculation will play no part in this.”Though reluctant to put a precise date on when a verdict is likely, Hamid revealed that it would be soon after Woolmer and his team appeared. “I cannot give an exact date but I imagine it would be very shortly after they have appeared.” That raises the possibility of a verdict by the end of next week.Both bowlers face, potentially, a two-year ban, the minimum for a first offence under ICC doping rules. However, the PCB said it will make its own decision on any punishment since the tests were conducted internally.

Andrew Flintoff, who played such an immense role in helping England reclaim the Ashes, says he did not relish Nasser Hussain’s leadership style and is now flourishing under Michael Vaughan’s more relaxed approach.In extracts published in from his latest book, , Flintoff says it is not just coincidence that his best years as a cricketer have come under Vaughan, and not Hussain.”I don’t think it is any accident that I have played some of my best cricket under Michael simply because he encourages you to enjoy your cricket without fear of failure. I don’t want to turn around and see my captain throwing his cap on the floor or kicking sods out of the ground or rollicking people right, left and centre. That doesn’t make anyone feel better. I want his support.”Flintoff, who made his Test debut against South Africa under the captaincy of Alec Stewart in 1998, asserts that the difference in the atmosphere of the dressing room then and now is crucial to the team’s resurgence.”It is a totally different dressing room now. When I made my Test debut, members of the squad were so wrapped up in their own games that the mood was significantly different. I don’t know if selfish is the right word for it, but there wasn’t much emphasis on helping each other out.””I have played in sides when there has been a disgraceful attitude, when even some of your team-mates were half-hoping you failed, but that’s definitely not the case with the present day England team. Now we all enjoy each other’s success,”he said.Vaughan’s captaincy, which began when he took over from Hussain against South Africa in July 2003, comes in for special praise.”When Vaughan is in charge, he is very relaxed and chilled out and encourages people to express themselves, but Nasser was totally different to that. He was a lot more animated, ruled with more discipline and was more like a schoolteacher with us. He was a very passionate captain and also very astute, but he did it with a style I didn’t particularly like. He was confrontational and put a bit of undue pressure on the lads at times. He used to eff and jeff at mid-on and throw his cap around,” Flintoff said.

Scorecard

A maiden Test century from Geraint Jones, along with five wickets later on, put England firmly in control of the second Test at Headingley. At the close of an action-packed fourth day, Jones and Andrew Flintoff helped their side to a dominating 526 before New Zealand spiralled to 102 for 5 to give England a chance of victory tomorrow.England had the momentum all the way from Flintoff and Graham Thorpe’s stand in the morning, Jones’s century in the afternoon, and then those five wickets in the evening. For New Zealand, on the other hand, it was the worst day of their tour so far. They were dispirited in the field, blown away with the bat, and when you add to that a hamstring injury to Daniel Vettori, it was one to forget.The stand between Flintoff and Jones set the tone for the day. They came together just before lunch, and blasted England into a first-innings lead. They stepped on the accelerator with a battery of boundaries to rock the New Zealand attack. This was the third partnership of over 50, and the second over 100, between Flintoff and Jones, who are beginning to form an effective double act down the order.Jones cracked nine fours and a six on the way to his half-century. In that time, he twice lifted Chris Martin down to third man, and pulled Scott Styris for his fifth four. The boundaries just kept on coming as Jones took advantage of the continual short and wide bowling. He did have a life when, at 30, he attempted to cut another loose ball from Chris Cairns, but Brendon McCullum failed to hold on to the edge diving high to his right.Jones then cut Cairns to the fence to give England the lead, and, in the next over, he rocked back to smash Vettori through the covers. Two balls later Jones signalled his fifty by lifting Vettori over long-on and into the stands for six. Even though Flintoff was out shortly before tea, Jones continued unfazed as he carried on crunching the bad balls to the fence. He caressed Martin on the up for his 12th four, which also brought up the team’s 500, and an elegant cover-drive against Styris took him into the nineties.After a nervy tea break on 91, Jones pulled Daryl Tuffey to go to 99, and then pushed him into the off side for the magical moment. Dancing down the track, he punched the air twice as the England balcony rose to acknowledge what an important innings it was. However, the crowd were soon on their feet again when Jones’s sparkling innings came to an end. He cut another short one from Cairns, but this time he hit it straight to Stephen Fleming at point to be out for a round 100 (526 for 8).Flintoff, meanwhile, was his usual positive self from the off. He raced to his half-century, thumping Martin and Styris for five quick fours. Fleming took the new ball midway through the morning session, but that didn’t bother Flintoff. He pulled Martin into the Western Terrace for six, and signalled his eighth Test half-century by clubbing him over mid-on too.Vettori limped off the field with his hamstring injury midway through the afternoon, and everything was going wrong for New Zealand. Flintoff moved effortlessly along and he guided Styris past mid-on to take himself to 94, but then again the brain went at the crucial moment. He wanted to bring up the hundred with another big shot, but next delivery he miscued an off-drive and chipped the ball to Martin at mid-off six short of what would have been a deserved ton (457 for 6).Thorpe was the man who initially got England going. He was happy to play the supporting role as Flintoff took centre stage. He hit five fours, including a pearling drive through the covers off Cairns, but Martin temporarily lifted New Zealand’s low spirits with his wicket shortly before lunch. Martin fired in a swinging yorker which Thorpe was late to get down on, and he was clean bowled for 34 (339 for 5).

Ashley Giles gave Jones good support after Flintoff went. He cracked four quick boundaries in his 21 before edging Martin to Fleming at first slip (491 for 7). However, New Zealand’s celebrations – or lack of them – told their own story. Once Jones was out, however, the last two wickets failed to collect any runs. Martin Saggers clipped a Cairns slower ball to Shane Bond, the substitute fielder, at mid-off (526 for 9), and then Matthew Hoggard edged Tuffey behind to McCullum for 4.New Zealand trailed by 117 runs, and Mark Richardson and Fleming made watchful progress in their second innings on a pitch which showed increasing signs of misbehaving. Both batsmen made solid starts, but their resistance came to an end when Fleming, opening in place of the injured Michael Papps, inside-edged Flintoff off his pad to Andrew Strauss at short leg (39 for 1).Hoggard then produced a snorter to dismiss Richardson for a combative 40. The ball pitched short of a length and lifted sharply to take the edge through to Jones, who leapt as high as he could to take the catch (75 for 2). That was the vital injection England needed.McCullum, who had earlier launched a few meaty blows, was snapped up by a wonder catch from Marcus Trescothick. McCullum edged Stephen Harmison low to first slip, where Trescothick miraculously plucked the ball out of the air with his right hand (77 for 3). Then Hoggard struck again, trapping Nathan Astle lbw for 8 with an offcutter which kept a fraction low (84 for 4). Tuffey, in as nightwatchman, was powerless as Harmison launched another ripper which he could only glove in the air towards Jones, who took his second catch (91 for 5).Styris and Jacob Oram were left holding the wreckage together for New Zealand, but considering that both Vettori and Papps are unlikely to bat, the series could be all over early tomorrow.

Derbyshire v Somerset
ScorecardSteve Selwood’s 88 not out from 130 balls led the way for Derbyshire’s first win of the season. Selwood and Chris Bassano were the mainstays of the Derbyshire innings with a 88-run partnership for the fourth wicket. Andy Caddick gave Somerset the perfect start when he got one over his former England team-mate Dominic Cork, caught by Ian Blackwell for 0 off the second ball of the match. But Cork later went one better, removing another former international colleague, Marcus Trescothick, lbw first ball of Somerset’s reply. Despite a blistering 42 from Blackwell, and a quickfire 53 from Richard Johnson, they never recovered from their early loss of wickets, and ended up going down by 15 runs.Leicestershire v Glamorgan
ScorecardDivision One champions Glamorgan convincingly beat Leicestershire by 44 runs at Grace Road. David Hemp (83 not out), Matthew Maynard (43) and Michael Powell (40) were all in the runs for Glamorgan as they reached 249 for 5. Phil DeFreitas, the Leicestershire captain, opted to bowl first as he thought the wicket would be easier to chase on, but even with all his experience, he got it wrong. Losing early wickets was Leicestershire’s undoing – Darren Maddy’s impressive 80 from 82 balls wasn’t enough to help them recover from a treacherous 75 for 5.Surrey v Warwickshire
ScorecardNick Knight – newly retired from one-day international cricket – reminded his former England colleagues what they will be missing by bludgeoning 105 from 98 balls against Surrey, the team where most of them hang out. Even so, it wasn’t enough for Warwickshire to pass Surrey’s imposing total of 281 for 8. Mark Ramprakash (63) and Graham Thorpe (58), in a timely nudge to the selectors, top-scored for Surrey, and despite Knight’s heroics, Alex Tudor blew the Warwickshire middle order away with 4 for 54.Durham v Scotland
ScorecardA packed house at Chester-le-Street witnessed a nail-biting win for Scotland on their National League debut, showing they can match the county professionals. Disciplined bowling was the key to their success, as all five bowlers – in typically Scottish fashion – were incredibly stingy. Majid Haq stood out from the pack with 4 for 36 from his nine overs of offspin, as none of the Durham bastmen passed fifty. With only 168 needed to record a famous win, Scotland made a bright start as Douglas Lockhart and Ryan Watson put on 75 for the first wicket. But as they neared the target, a few Scottish hearts, however brave, would have jumped when Durham’s Dewald Pretorious struck twice in one over leaving Scotland on 132 for 5. But Colin Smith and Neil McRae kept their nerves to record a famous win with four balls remaining. Who needs Rahul Dravid?Hampshire v Sussex
ScorecardIn a low-scoring affair at The Rose Bowl, Hampshire overcame their south-coast neighbours Sussex. He’s the highest in the age column in the Hampshire side, and today he was the highest in the runs column. Robin Smith gutsed out a stodgy but crucial 44 from 79 balls, as Hampshire stumbled to 144 for 9. Another Hampshire old boy Shaun Udal, along with the much-younger Chris Tremlett, then bowled them to victory taking three wickets each in Sussex’s dismal 101 all out.Notts v Northants
ScorecardIn a game of heroic performances, David Sales eclipsed them all when he smashed a scintillating unbeaten century in a cracking match at Wantage Road. Chris Read – who is in exceptional early-season form with the bat – must have thought he had done enough to secure the points for Notts, with 119 not out from 108 balls in their massive total of 294 for 8. But Sales had other ideas. With the help of Phil Jaques, who kept him company for most of the run-chase with 68, Sales bulldozed Northants to a memorable win with an astonishing 133 not out from 122 balls.