Johnson and Co pick up major sports awards in Wellington

Wellington’s cricket feats of the summer were acknowledged in the region’s annual sports awards last night.State Firebirds coach Vaughn Johnson was named the coach of the year. He headed off the legendary Wellington golf coach Mal Tongue for the award.And the Firebirds’ success in winning the State Shield in such convincing fashion was acknowledged with the winning of the team’s award ahead of the Titahi Bay surf-lifesaving team and the Wellington men’s pair who won the national title.Mountain runner Melissa Moon took out the overall title of Wellington Sportsperson of the Year.

Proteas pulverize Pakistan's final dream

TANGIERS-It went down the wire, but it was South Africa who held their nerve to defend a most modest total of 196, in the end winning by eight runs, with nine deliveries remaining unconsumed.With this second defeat on the trot, Pakistan’s dream of making it to the Morocco Cup 2002 final lay in tatters, and Sri Lanka and South Africa stood qualified with one league match still to go.Led by Allan Donald (4 for 43) and Lance Klusener (2 for 21), the Proteas never gave up hope and kept coming back to take wicket after wicket, until they ensured the narrow victory which never seemed possible when Shahid Afridi was tearing into them with unalloyed aggression.Pakistan was off to a bad start, with Imran Nazir gone in the first over, and Shoaib Malik following him after a stand of 49 for the second wicket with Afridi. That turned out to be the best partnership of the match.After Shahid Afridi’s (62, off 40 deliveries, 6 fours, 4 sixes) whirlwind knock helped overcome the early jitters, Pakistan somehow managed to bat themselves out of the match.With 92 runs on the board for the loss of two wickets when Afridi was going great guns, Pakistan was scoring at around five runs an over till the 19th over, and reaching the target of 197 inside 40 overs to earn a bonus point looked probable. From this position of enormous strength, they lost eight wickets to be snatch defeat from the jaws of victory by some rank inept batting.The South Africans bowled exceptionally well, especially Donald, Klusener and Pollock. But it was the Pakistani batsmen who kept throwing their wickets away. The most crucial of these were that of Yousuf Youhana, who needlessly played one down the throat of Nicky Boje at square-leg after Inzamam-ul-Haq had been dropped by Donald in the last over. That started the rout that could not be stemmed.Younis Khan followed next ball, leg before to Klusener. Abdul Razzaq was bowled in the next over by Boje on a spinning delivery. From the excellent position of 92 for three, Pakistan was reduced to six for 119 to give South Africa the vision of a victory.Sensing that Pakistan had hit a trough, the South Africans never let go from here as Donald bowled Rashid Latif and Inzamam smote Justin Ontong for a six but in the process stepped on his wicket. At eight for 163, Wasim Akram and Azhar tried to make a fist of it. But Donald got Akram bowled middle stump, and soon it was all over as skipper Waqar Younis holed out to long-on off Allan Donald with Graeme Smith pouching the catch to bring Pakistan’s innings to a close.Pakistan attack restricts Proteas to under 196:
Earlier, another excellent bowling performance by the Pakistan attack, especially by the new-ball duo of Wasim Akram and Waqar Younis – the two of them sharing five wickets, four of them taken inside first 8 overs — restricted South Africa to 196 for eight.Probably acknowledging that it was desperate times which required desperate measures, both sides strengthened their batting, making two changes apiece. To the extent that for South Africa Pollock came at No 10, while Akram had a similar position in the order for Pakistan.Strengthening the batting, however, didn’t work for the Proteas, in the main because they lost too many wickets too early in the match, starting with the first ball dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs.From five down for 49, they recovered enough, though — because of good hands by Boetta Dippenaar (55, 89 balls, 8 fours), Mark Boucher (57, 99 balls, 5 fours) and a much-restrained Lance Klusener (28, off 42 deliveries).Wasim Akram struck a major blow first ball, as Herschelle Gibbs chased a wide one outside off-stump, guiding it into Rashid Latif’s safe hands. Younis got Jacques Kallis on a fuller delivery next over, and the two most experienced batsmen in the top half of the order were gone. Akram had Smith leg before two balls later, plumb in front playing too far back to an incutter. Justin Ontong took boundaries off Akram and Younis, and was the first to double figures, but Younis had him caught and bowled off a miscued drive. At 29 for four, the South Africans were in deep trouble.After rewarding first spells, Akram (2 for 13 in 5 overs) and Younis (2 for 27 in 6 overs) gave way to Azhar and Razzaq. A 20-run stand between Boeta Dippenaar, who seemed to be the best of the Proteas, and Jonty Rhodes steadied the innings somewhat but Azhar removed Rhodes to put it back on the rocks.From here on, Dippenaar and Boucher quite considerably revived their team’s fortunes with a stand of 78 for the sixth wicket and were getting more adventurous when Azhar Mahmood’s throw from deep square-leg got the former a couple of feet out of his crease. The breakthrough got Pakistan amongst the wickets again. Boucher soldiered on, taking fours off Razzaq, Younis and Azhar, but Azhar got him in his last over, the waist high full hitting the top of middle and leg stumps.Despite the hard-hitters packed in the tail, the late charge never came; only 50 runs came in the last 10 overs for the loss Boucher and Boje. The Pakistani bowlers remained in control throughout the innings; only 4 fours were conceded in the last 10 overs, and just one in the last six.

Case against board dissolution postponed

The recently sacked Sri Lankan cricket board, headed by ThilangaSumathipala, received a set back in their fight to reinstate the Board ofControl for Cricket in Sri Lanka (BCCSL) yesterday when the Court of Appealpostponed their case until 22nd May.Mohan de Silva and Trevor Rajaratnam, the secretary and treasurer of theoutgoing board, filed a petition on the 4th April, which argued that thedissolution of the BCCSL by the Sports Minister and the subsequentappointment of an Interim Committee was unlawful according to the presentSports Law.The decision to postpone the case ensures that the uncertainty over thelegitimacy of the Interim Committee is to continue, but considering thewidespread political support for the dissolution, the Interim Committee isexpected to hold office until the 2003 World Cup.The Interim Committee unveiled it’s plans for the future at a recent pressgathering, which included a constitutional review, a corporate sector stylemanagement, the separation of financial management and policy making, andemployment of Barry Richards as a batting coach. Yesterday they revealed theappointment of several former players as committee members in the caretakeradministration.In a separate case, filed by Clifford Ratwatte, the uncle of the Sri LankanPresident and a former cricket board contestant, Sumathipala has been givenuntil the 12th June to file his objections. Ratwatte has argued thatSumathipala and eight other former members of the cricket board, violated aDistrict Court order, which had prevented them holding office.

Sugar-caned

If there were a crime called cricket brutality, Barbados cricketerswould be wanted men this morning. And most likely, they would becharged, convicted and given the maximum sentence.For the second day running, West Indies ‘B’, a team comprising reserveplayers from around the Caribbean, were battered, bruised and beateninto submission.The youngsters spent the first half of the day constantly retrievingballs from the boundary as Barbados sped to the highest total of theseason with the help of Ryan Hinds maiden first-class hundred and somebig-hitting from a few others.The lashes were enough to deflate them, and, for the second half ofthe day, the West Indies ‘B’ team went through even more misery inlosing all but one of their first innings wickets.They now trail by the small matter of 407 runs.No team has had it so rough during the season and it does not take arocket scientist to predict that Barbados will complete the mostemphatic victory of the tournament sometime today or early tomorrow.It will not get them to the semifinals of the Busta InternationalShield unless the Windwards Islands secure first innings points in adrawn match against Trinidad and Tobago. The progress by the Windwardsyesterday, however, will offer some encouragement to SherwinCampbell’s men.Having scored more than 400 against Guyana in the previous series,West Indies ‘B’ were expected to give a good showing, but they wereundermined principally by left-armers Sulieman Benn and Pedro Collinsafter early defiance from Krishna Arjune and confident strokeplay fromDonovan Pagon.Benn followed up his five-wicket haul in Anguilla with a similareffort, while Collins took three wickets, one with the finest ball ofthe day that shattered the stumps of Antonio Mayers, one of the fourBarbadians in the West Indies ‘B’ team.Roland Holder, the most experienced of them, fell to one of the mostdisappointing strokes, a cross-batted swing that found him leg-beforefor 27.Benn also removed Pagon, the century-maker on debut last week who wasstruck low on the boot to a faster ball.Pagon had shown some enterprise by swinging Benn for a six overbackward square-leg, but his downfall was at the start of a slide inwhich seven wickets fell for 64 runs.Even the most die-hard Barbados supporter might have felt sorry forthe West Indies ‘B’ team.The batting just did not click yesterday and their bowling attack isclearly not up to the standard you would expect to see in a firstclass match.The onslaught of the previous day extended until early into theafternoon session when Barbados finally declared after reaching thesecond 500 of the season.Ryan Hinds, 87 at the start, duly completed a long-overdue first-classcentury in his 31th first-class match and 18th at the regional level.The Barbados vice-captain went on to make 166 off 246 balls, aninnings that he will cherish for some time.I thought that it came at a very vital stage. This is my fourth seasonand it was very important that I got a hundred under my belt, the 21-year-old West Indies recruit said. I was very patient. Thank God I hada chance to make it today. The support was good. Floyd (Reifer) andKurt (Wilkinson) kept me going. Apart from Hinds’ 100, following thoseof Campbell and Wilkinson on the opening day, there were halfcenturies from Reifer and Courtney Browne yesterday that contributedto Barbados’ cause against a very weak bowling attack. One might wantto say that, but at the end of the day, this is cricket we are playingand I thought that it was an important 100, Hinds said. I have beenworking very hard in the nets. Most of the guys have been trying tohelp me and I am very thankful for it. Hinds arrived at his century 20minutes into the day and would soon launch into Reon Griffith,cracking the Guyanese fast bowler for three boundaries in an over. Oneof those was a disdainful straight hit that typified the confidence ofthe left-hander, whose innings included 17 fours and a six that wascarted over mid-wicket off off-spinner Chaka Hodge. That set thepattern for the mayhem that followed. There was only one other six inthe morning session, coming from Reifer, who hoisted Hodge back overhis head. The scoreboard ticked over to the extent that the firstsession yielded 132 runs, but the fireworks were reserved for thebrief period after lunch, when many spectators might have beenexpecting a declaration at 481 for five. Hinds and Browne were stilltogether and Browne exploded with awesome venom after the break. Heneeded only a few deliveries to move from eight to 52 not out, hisrapid advance highlighted by four beefy sixes, including three insuccession from Vishal Arjune. The ‘keeper’s half-century came fromonly 43 balls. After Hinds was well caught by fellow Barbadian AntonioMayers on the mid-wicket fence, Benn came out and clobbered threesixes off four balls.

Warriors collapse hands Cobras narrow victory

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsA century by Davy Jacobs went in vain as Warriors lost six wickets for 30 runs to lose by 18 runs in a thrilling Sunfoil Series match against Cape Cobras in Paarl. Jacobs, who scored 104, fell in the 71st over and Warriors’ innings lasted for 59 more deliveries. The game, after similar first-innings scores, drifted towards Cobras after a century by Cobras opener Alistair Gray but Jacobs’s hundred and JJ Smuts’ half-century helped Warriors get close.After choosing to bat, the Cobras got off to a positive start through opener Gray’s 67. The innings progressed through stops and starts, and a couple of productive innings by the lower-order batsmen – wicketkeeper Dane Vilas (45) and Rory Kleinveldt (36) – helped them to 262. Left-arm spinner Smuts was the top wicket-taker for Warriors with three wickets.The Warriors, though, failed to start their innings well. After being reduced to 37 for 3, Ashwell Prince and Colin Ingram added 121 runs, with both batsmen scoring half-centuries. The pair had departed by the 75th over, with the score at 205 when Ingram went, and their innings didn’t last much longer. Simon Harmer scored 33 to boost the total to 266 – four more than the Cobras had made. Vernon Philander and Kleinveldt took three wickets each.But the Cobras laid the base for a strong second-innings total when openers Gray and Andrew Puttick put on 93 runs. Stiaan van Zyl stuck with Gray and the pair weren’t separated for 41.1 overs. At 209 for 4, when the pair had departed, they again lost wickets quickly, largely through Smuts, who claimed four wickets.Warriors were in command in their chase at 211 for 3, but Kleinveldt and seamer Johann Louw took six wickets between them. Justin Kemp took two wickets off the 80th over to finish the match.The match between Dolphins and Knights was abandoned without a ball being bowled because of a wet ground.

Customs beat National Bank by four wickets to clinch Patron's Trophy

Pakistan Customs lifted the Patron’s Trophy after knocking off the required 155 runs for the loss of six wickets on the fourth day of the final against National Bank, played at the Gaddafi Stadium, Lahore.National Bank did go down in the match, but not until putting up a valiant fight in which they took four Customs wickets on the morning of the penultimate day of the five-day final.Starting the day at 51 for two, still requiring 104 more runs to claim the ultimate honours, Customs lost their third wicket at 68. Nasim Khan, the top scorer in the Customs first innings could make 14 in the second before being adjudged lbw off the bowling of Zahid Saeed.Aamer Bashir who made 70 in the first innings, stabilized the Customs innings, getting a fine 37 (52 balls, 6 fours) while adding 27 for the fourth wicket with Naved Latif. However, with the departure of Naved at the personal score of 12, the balance of the match tilted slightly in National Bank’s way as their bowlers claimed three wickets, including that of Aamer Bashir, with the addition of 16 runs, reducing Customs to 111 for 6.At this juncture, Ali Naqvi combined with the wicket keeper Wasim Yousufi to knock of the remaining runs without any further casualty. Ali remained not out on 41 (47 ball, 9 fours) while Wasim made an unbeaten 9 (15 balls, 1 four).Shabbir Ahmed was the pick of the bowlers taking three wickets for 42 in 17 overs. Zahid Saeed also claimed three wicket giving away 85 runs.

Rehman banned for 12 weeks for cannabis use

Abdur Rehman, the Pakistan left-arm spinner, has been banned for 12 weeks by the ECB under its anti-doping rules after testing positive for the recreational drug cannabis during his stint with Somerset in the English domestic season. The penalty is binding on all countries signed up to the World Anti-Doping Code.Rehman will be suspended until midnight of December 21. He has already been withdrawn from the Sialkot Stallions squad for the Champions League T20, which begins on October 9 in South Africa.The sample that tested positive for cannabis was provided by Rehman on August 8, during the County Championship match between Somerset and Nottinghamshire. “I apologise to my family, the PCB, the ECB, Somerset County Cricket Club, my team-mates and my fans,” Rehman said. “It was an error of judgement on my part that will cost me dearly and I would like it to be a lesson to all others in sports elsewhere.”I will do my best to stay fit and focussed during my suspension, and, god-willing, will be available for selection for the India series should the PCB see it fit.”Somerset chief executive Guy Lavender said the club supported the ECB’s decision. “The club does not condone the use of illegal drugs in any circumstances and all Somerset players are made fully aware of this policy on a regular basis.”Rehman played four Championship matches for Somerset and took 27 wickets, which included 9 for 65 against Worcestershire. He had established himself as a key player for Pakistan over the past year and caused England plenty of problems during the Test series in UAE, where he claimed 19 wickets in three matches. Overall he has 81 wickets in 17 Tests at 28.40 apiece.

Zimbabwe's last chance to convert promise

Match facts

September 10-14, 2013
Start time 1000 local (0800 GMT)Another trial by spin awaits Zimbabwe•Associated Press

Big Picture

In March this year, Zimbabwe arrived in the West Indies absolutely undercooked. Their only internationals in the previous 12 months: two Twenty20s in Hambantota. The two Tests in Barbados and Dominica lasted five days in all. They barely avoided losing by an innings in the first, but succumbed to the ignominy in the second.Six months later, in what has been a hectic year compared to the famine of 2012, they took a sizeable first-innings lead against Pakistan, and had them effectively 91 for 5 in the second. Then Younis Khan decided to restore order, and Zimbabwe went through one of their capitulations in the fourth innings. The first Test in Harare will become another addition to the long list of heavy Zimbabwe defeats, completely obfuscating their dominance over the initial three days. The scorecard of the Barbados Test says West Indies won by nine wickets but a closer look reveals Zimbabwe had a chance of taking the lead then too, having reduced the hosts to 151 for 6 in response to 211.With utmost justification, Zimbabwe keep clamouring for more cricket. Amid a crippling monetary crisis, they have managed to squeeze in six Tests, 14 ODIs and six T20s this year. The numbers would have been higher had the shortage of funds not caused the postponement of Sri Lanka’s visit. While there was the embarrassment of a 0-5 defeat against a second-string India side, there was also the ODI win over Pakistan, followed by the unexpectedly competitive performance in the first Test.It is a hopeless situation to be in. Very few tours to high-ranked nations because they do not see much value in playing you. Few incoming trips because your board does not have the money to arrange more. How do you improve? A glance at the FTP provides little hope in the near future. The second Test against Pakistan will be Zimbabwe’s last international match before the World Twenty20 in March. Can they make a final, bigger statement of promise?It will not be easy. Pakistan were playing their first Test in more than six months last week. Misbah-ul-Haq warned after the game that his team could not afford to start slowly repeatedly. Complacency, if there was any among the new arrivals for the Tests, will not be there this time.

Form guide

Pakistan WLLLD (last five matches, most recent first)
Zimbabwe LLWLL

Watch out for

Zimbabwe lost 15 wickets to Saeed Ajmal and Abdur Rehman in the first Test. Their batsmen are not accustomed to facing high-quality spinners, and there is no shame in failing to tackle Ajmal when better sides have struggled to. But before this series, Zimbabwe were confounded by Amit Mishra. In West Indies, they lost 29 of 40 wickets to Shane Shillingford and Marlon Samuels.It is only going to get tougher. The Harare square has taken such a battering this season there are concerns over how the pitch will behave, with Hamilton Masakadza expecting a lot more help for spin. Although it has been kept covered to try and retain whatever moisture there is, less than three days is hardly any time to prepare a Test surface, let alone on a ground which has seen so much cricket in recent months. Junaid Khan and Co can be counted on, but again, the real test for the Zimbabwe batsmen will be the Pakistan spinners.Mohammad Hafeez averages 8.00 with the bat in Tests, all outside Asia, this year. He had two productive years after almost a decade of disappointment but questions are now being asked whether he fits in as opener in a format where he is not needed too much as a bowler. He remains important in limited-overs but he’ll be 33 in October, and even if persisted with for a while, is certainly not a long-term option. Which also means he will have to come good quickly, and often.

Team news

The one change Pakistan could make is to bring in the quicker Wahab Riaz in place of Rahat Ali, who took 1 for 105 in the first Test. Mohammad Hafeez ran gingerly between the wickets last week, after straining his hamstring in the third ODI. However, Misbah has claimed that Pakistan’s T20 captain is fit.Pakistan (probable) 1 Mohammad Hafeez, 2 Khurram Manzoor, 3 Azhar Ali, 4 Younis Khan, 5 Misbah-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Asad Shafiq, 7 Adnan Akmal (wk), 8 Wahab Riaz/Rahat Ali, 9 Saeed Ajmal, 10 Junaid Khan, 11 Abdur RehmanBrendan Taylor will return to lead Zimbabwe after missing the first Test to be with his fiancee and newborn son but has said he will not keep wicket. It is not often that Zimbabwe have to fret over who to leave out. Sikandar Raza was handed a Test debut after Taylor decided to sit out last week, and looks the most likely candidate to be omitted, although that is no justice for a man who made 60 and 24.Zimbabwe will decide in the morning whether to play a second spinner. If they do, it will mean a Test debut for young legspinner Natsai M’shangwe but they will have a hard time deciding which fast bowler to leave out, as all performed manfully in the first Test. In fact, they carried such a heavy workload – 161.1 overs – that Hamilton Masakadza joked they needed “bed rest and maybe a drip”. Brian Vitori could be called upon if one of them fails to recover.Zimbabwe (probable) 1 Vusi Sibanda, 2 Tino Mawoyo, 3 Hamilton Masakadza, 4 Brendan Taylor (capt), 5 Malcolm Waller, 6 Elton Chigumbura, 7 Richmond Mutumbami (wk), 8 Prosper Utseya, 9,10 & 11 Three out of Tinashe Panyangara/Shingi Masakadza/Tendai Chatara/Natsai M’shangwe/Brian Vitori

Stats and trivia

  • Younis Khan is 48 short of becoming the fourth Pakistan batsman to reach 7000 Test runs, after Javed Miandad, Inzamam-ul-Haq and Mohammad Yousuf
  • This will be the 12th international game this year at Harare Sports Club, easily the most matches at a ground

Quotes

“We can learn from their mental awareness and the way they switched on and off at different times in the game. We were on top of them for three-and-half days but their two best performers made it tough for us. If we can just switch on at the right times, we could do better.”

Sacking 'totally unfair', says Arthur

Mickey Arthur has claimed he had no choice but to take legal action against Cricket Australia over the “totally unfair basis” for his sacking. Arthur has also said he was given a positive appraisal by Cricket Australia before the Ashes tour and that his reputation had suffered extensive damage after his axing, which would make it hard for him to find another job.Arthur has been in South Africa since his sacking and on Sunday arrived in Perth, where he delivered a statement to the media. Arthur reiterated that he was not responsible for last week’s leaking of details of his legal claim against Cricket Australia, in which a rift between Michael Clarke and Shane Watson was detailed. But he homed in on the CA chief executive James Sutherland’s admission that Arthur had been made a “scapegoat” as the key to his case.”James Sutherland himself said that, to an extent, I had been made, I quote, ‘a scapegoat’,” Arthur said. “I find that a totally unfair basis to end my career. The damage to my reputation and career has been immense, which means the chances of me getting a senior job are that much less. I was truly shocked and devastated by my dismissal. I had received a positive appraisal on all my key performance indicators just prior to departing for the Ashes tour.”I am told that David Warner’s conduct was ‘the last straw’ for the board. I received no hearing at all over that issue, and no one was doing more to improve discipline in the young Australian team than I was. After my dismissal, I received nothing in writing from Cricket Australia, no contact, and no payment at all, not even of my basic leave pay, until I was forced to bring in lawyers to assist in the process. I had tried on a number of occasions to make direct contact at a very senior level of Cricket Australia, for days there was just no response.”I thought, perhaps naively, that, under all the circumstances of my dismissal, that Cricket Australia would be willing to have sensible and good faith talks in private. Sadly that hasn’t happened. And here we are today. I never wanted to launch legal action but Cricket Australia simply left me no option.”Arthur said the handling of David Warner’s punch at Joe Root in a Birmingham bar during the Champions Trophy had been the catalyst for his axing, despite his attempts to instil discipline in the developing squad.Responding to Arthur, CA released the following statement: “Cricket Australia stands by its earlier statements on this matter and disputes a number of claims made by Mickey Arthur today. We will not be articulating these disputes publicly except to say that we are confident in our legal position, are comfortable with the level of support provided to Mickey and look forward to resolving this matter in an appropriate manner.”Arthur and CA will hold conciliation talks this week in Sydney.

Title defence not beyond Warks

ScorecardJeetan Patel helped bring about the Notts collapse•Getty Images

On a day of tricky moments for their stand-in captain, Varun Chopra, Warwickshire played themselves into a position from which they can reinforce their conviction that a successful defence of their 2012 title is not yet beyond them, despite winning only once in the first half of the season.If Chopra’s decision not to enforce the follow-on was met with puzzlement among some Warwickshire supporters inclined towards conventional thinking, it looked like the right thing to do by the close.After Chris Woakes and Rikki Clarke had blazed away at a run-a-ball in a sixth-wicket stand that added 104, Chopra called a halt with a lead of 426, exposing Nottinghamshire to an uncomfortable 11 overs in which they came through unscathed, just. Alex Hales, on 8, was put down by Clarke at second slip off Keith Barker; a difficult chance high to his right, but not beyond his scope.They need a further 389 to win or more realistically to avoid losing 10 wickets, otherwise Warwickshire will be take 22 points from a second win from as many games so far in the second half of the season. The gap between themselves and leaders Sussex stood at 50 points going into this match.Earlier, Nottinghamshire had been bowled out for 217, which may look like a fairly feeble performance from 131 for 2 overnight given Warwickshire’s formidable first-innings total but interpreted in that way would not do justice to some fine bowling, particularly by Barker, the left-arm seamer whose progress in the last three seasons has been so impressive.Barker took 3 for 44 from 16 overs, the wickets all coming in the space of 16 deliveries in which he produced three jaffas, essentially, to dismiss Samit Patel, forced to play and caught at first slip, James Taylor and Chris Read, both caught behind. Taylor was looking very comfortable, closing in on a third Championship century of the season, when Barker produced a ball that squared him up but then left him late to take the edge.Had he not taken so much out of himself last season, when he and Chris Wright bowled themselves into the ground to win Warwickshire the title, and then missed five matches through injury this year, Barker would surely have been in the England Lions squad at least.Barker is developing a wide set of skills, although not all of them appreciated by every opponent. Ajmal Shahzad, for instance, was not impressed by seeing Barker stick out his left hand, as if he were signalling a turn on a bicycle, as he ran in to bowl and twice stepped away from his crease, complaining he was distracted.It was this that prompted Chopra’s other tricky moment as a spat threatened to develop, with Shahzad and Clarke — standing at second slip and presumably offering an opinion — involved in a verbal exchange. Umpires Trevor Jesty and Richard Illingworth in turn spoke to Chopra before calm resumed. Shahzad was drawing attention to himself anyway by walking off towards square leg between every delivery he faced – and not just a couple of strides; more like four pitch widths. Clarke appeared to have a view on that practice, as well.One way or another, Nottinghamshire’s morning did not go well, with four wickets lost for 69 runs added, beginning with a sharp return catch held by Jeetan Patel off a leading edge offered by Michael Lumb. Patel, the offspinner later had David Hussey caught at short midwicket and bowled Luke Fletcher. Warwickshire will look to him mainly on the last day.It was Clarke who saw off Shahzad in the end while Boyd Rankin belatedly got among the wickets by bowling Andre Adams, whose absence with a sickness bug when Nottinghamshire were asked to bowl again, did not appear too much of a hindrance as Warwickshire, who had Ian Westwood caught at second slip before they had added a run, slipped to 75 for 5. Laurie Evans, their first-innings champion, perished for 2 this time, running into a good ball from Shahzad that clipped his off stump.But they had the comfort of a big lead and between them Clarke and Woakes comprehensively took the game away from Nottinghamshire, were they not already out of it.

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