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Hampshire 227 for 4 (Lumb 72*, Pothas 4*) v Yorkshire
ScorecardDespite the time of year, there was no end-of-season atmosphere at Headingley in the final match of the season. Over a thousand spectators turned out to watch and the players of both teams fought hard for supremacy. A fine unbeaten innings of 72 by the former Yorkshireman, Michael Lumb, was probably the most impressive individual feat of the day but, with the first session rather controversially lost to bad light, neither side could claim to have finished with a real advantage.The morning was dry, but at the scheduled start of play the light was very dismal, and it was announced that play would not begin until it improved. Over the next hour it did so gradually, and soon everybody seemed to think it was fit for play – except the umpires, Nigel Cowley and Martin Bodenham. The spectators grew increasingly restive and vociferous, and there were a couple of angry altercations with the umpires and other officials. Finally an early lunch was announced and play started at one o’clock, when the light looked no different than it had more than an hour earlier. Once again, cricket’s public relation skills were sadly missing and finicky umpires were responsible. When cricket is played late in September, it should be accepted that indifferent light is a regular natural hazard which needs to be endured at times.Yorkshire put Hampshire in to bat when they won the toss, and there was speculation that this might be a tactical move. Yorkshire need six points from this match to make certain they will stay in the top division, and by bowling first they will be able to assess how many batting points they need to aim for. Victory therefore is perhaps a minor objective. Dion Kruis was given the honour of leading Yorkshire on to the field in his final match for the county, and it was a pleasant moment as he modestly raised his cap and acknowledged the crowd for the ovation they accorded him.Jimmy Adams and Liam Dawson gave Hampshire a sound start against some good bowling by Matthew Hoggard, who swung the ball in his opening spell and beat the bat several times. They applied themselves with real determination, with Adams the more fluent to start with. Dawson started very slowly, but then began to open out with some attractive drives, hitting Hoggard for three fours in an over when he returned for a much less impressive second spell. But when David Wainwright came on, Dawson flicked him straight to midwicket to depart for 45; the opening stand realized 95.Adams reached his fifty just before tea, off 104 balls, but didn’t get going after the interval, playing on to Kruis for 51. Runs for a while almost dried up as Kruis and Wainwright bowled with accuracy and purpose to Lumb and Chris Benham, but the old axiom is that if you stay in, the runs will come. As the two stayed, the result was an intriguing battle between bat and ball. In the end, they added 42, and then Benham edged a ball from Ajmal Shahzad high into the slips, where Anthony McGrath pulled down a fine catch.Sean Ervine got off the mark fortuitously, edging an involuntary boundary that just evaded the slips. But now runs began to come more freely, with Lumb looking to carry the attack to the bowlers, mainly by powerful driving. Another delectable cover drive, off Hoggard, took him to his half-century off 80 balls. Ervine played fluently from the start, and Hampshire were again in the ascendancy. But Yorkshire did not wilt, and Shahzad in particular bowled well without luck in the evening sun. But their efforts brought reward in the end, as Ervine flashed loosely outside the off stump, edging a ball from McGrath to the keeper.For an ‘occasional’ bowler McGrath bowled some good deliveries and could well have secured more victims; his medium-pacers were deceptive and he even indulged in a few bouncers. But Yorkshire were unable to break through again, and the day finished well balanced, with every prospect of an intriguing battle ahead.

Scorecard andball-by-ball details
How they were out
Thilan Samaraweera’s 104 was a huge improvement over his previous highest ODI score of 38•AFP

A batting masterpiece and a fast-bowling barrage. It isn’t often that a teamcan combine both of those forces in one night, but Sri Lanka had all of that, and more,going for them. Thilan Samaraweera compileda superlative maiden one-day century and Lasith Malinga ripped NewZealand’s middle order to shreds as the hosts launched the series with athumping win, bonus point included.When Sri Lanka were restricted to 216, it seemed a tight contest was on the cards;instead New Zealand folded for 119, sending the smattering of spectatorshome early. Sri Lanka’s innings had been resurrected from 69 for 5 bySamaraweera and AngeloMathews, but New Zealand never recovered after Sri Lanka’s fast bowlerssliced through the order.Within 29 balls, Jesse Ryder (0), Martin Guptill (3) and Ross Taylor (2)were left brooding in the dressing room. New Zealand’s shot at victory hadbeen squashed and any self-belief that lingered after the Tests nowvanished.And Sri Lanka weren’t done. Malinga is hardly the man you want to see with the ball when your top order has been blown away, and what followed was stunning. With his first threeovers, comprising deliveries on all sorts of lengths, Malinga kept thebatsmen tied down. The fourth was something out of a shooting gallery.Brendon McCullum had run the risk of being arrested for loitering as hesqueezed 14 from 51 balls before Malinga rattled his stumps. Two deliverieslater Malinga held back his length and drew an edge off Jacob Oram’s bat toKumar Sangakkara. With his next ball, Malinga hurled down a corker that wentright through debutant Nathan McCullum.At 41 for 6 in the 19th over, this game was as good as done. The onlybatsmen to cross 14 were Grant Elliott, with a brave 41, and Ian Butler,whose efforts lessened the margin of defeat. Completing the rout withanother yorker was Malinga, whose aggressive bowling had undoubtedly beenfuelled by Samaraweera’s inspirational batting.Samaraweera, whose highest ODI score coming into this match was 38 not out,teamed up with Mathews and averted a meek surrender with a 127-runassociation from 134 balls. The pair combined exceptional running betweenthe wickets with some fireworks to help Sri Lanka reach a total that lookedremote when they began.Conventional wisdom and statistics at the Premadasa suggest strongly youbat first in day-night matches, and when Sangakkara won the toss it wasgreeted with loud cheers as the crowd anticipated a quick start. But thiswas an unusual two-paced track that didn’t encourage for blazing shots andSri Lanka slipped to 22 for 3.Tuffey’s reputation as a first-over specialist preceded him on hisinternational return, and it was a special wicket to celebrate too, asTillakarate Dilshan chopped on. Bond dismissed Mahela Jayawardene for 0,steering a rising delivery to slip, and Sanath Jayasuriya for 7, slashing tothird man. Vettori eased Bond back into this format with five tight overs (2for 9) and Tuffey’s consummate spell of 1 for 19 off six overs made for aclinical start with the ball. Tuffey and Bond bowled very straight andshackled the Sri Lankan top order, and the fielders were energetic andpredatory as well.There were only two boundaries by the half-way mark – both inside the firstthree overs – and a run rate of 2.72 indicated how much Sri Lanka hadstruggled. Almost immediately, Samaraweera and Mathews began to build somemomentum, unfazed by the nature of the track and energetically hunting forscoring possibilities. A boundaryless streak, lasting 143 deliveries, wassoon snapped.Mathews played his most fluent innings in recent memory. He timed the ballwell from the start, getting off the mark with a straight drive off DanielVettori, and then placed the ball far more deftly than he had in theTwenty20s. Between overs 33 and 38 the pair added 35, running hard betweenthe wickets and taking runs off Butler, prompting Vettori to call backTuffey. Samaraweera, who had reached his half-century off 78 balls, cleanlylofted and paddled boundaries to get the small crowd cheering.In the first over of the batting Powerplay, taken after 44 overs,Samaraweera turned it on: he brought up the century stand in 114 balls witha spanking cover drive off Butler, repeated the shot a touch squarer, andpaddled four more past short fine leg. Bond returned to bowl Mathews for 51,but Samaraweera achieved his watershed landmark. It was exceptional battingand got Sri Lanka to a total far beyond what New Zealand would have liked.Vettori now has a few days to raise his players’ morale. It will bedifficult after such a comprehensive defeat, especially against India. NewZealand’s next game – and potentially last – game is on Friday. They can, atbest, hope to look forward to a new pitch.

Canada and Kenya will both be seeking their first victories of their Intercontinental Cup campaigns when the tournament resumes in King City on Friday. Kenya are currently bottom of the table after a draw against Ireland, while Canada are in fourth having lost and drawn their first two matches.Canada, though, came extremely close to victory in their previous outing against Netherlands when rain on the final day allowed the Dutch to hold on with eight wickets down at Rotterdam.Pubudu Dassanayake, the Canada coach, said the near-miss was a disappointment but the form of some of his key players leaves him hopeful of another strong showing. Sunil Dhaniram hit 144 against Netherlands while Umar Bhatti and Sandeep Jyoti also impressed.”It was disappointing not to come away with full points from that game and certainly there were areas we could have done better but what it did was give us confidence,” said Dassanayake. “We now go into the Kenya game knowing we can win and we will be going all out to do just that.”Last year the team was a bit unsettled but now there is a good feeling of stability about us. There are still areas for improvement but we are definitely heading in the right direction.”Canada are without the experienced trio of John Davison, Geoff Barnett and Ian Billcliff which gives an opportunity to three of the Under-19 team that won the Americas Championship. The most eye-catching selection is 15-year-old Nitesh Kumar who Dassanayake said is “one of the best batsmen I have ever seen at that age” and he could bat in the middle order.For Kenya there will be pressure on the experienced Steve Tikolo, Collins Obuya and Thomas Odoyo while 19-year-old Seren Waters is expected to open the batting. Maurice Ouma leads the side and is likely to take the gloves in place of the dropped Kennedy Otieno.Canada Ashish Bagai (capt), Umar Bhatti, Qaiser Ali, Rustam Bhatti, Rizwan Cheema, Khurram Chohan, Sunil Dhaniram, Jimmy Hansara, Sandeep Jyoti, Shaheed Keshvani, Nitesh Kumar, Hiral Patel, Abdool Samad, Henry Osinde, Zameer Zahir.Kenya Maurice Ouma (capt), Jimmy Kamande, Alex Obanda, Steve Tikolo, Collins Obuya, Thomas Odoyo, Nehemiah Odhiambo, Lameck Onyango, Peter Ongondo, Hiren Varaiya, Rakep Patel, Elijah Otieno, Seren Waters, David Obuya, Alfred Luseno.

Division One

Chris Nash was one of three half-centurions for Sussex•PA Photos

Three half-centurions helped Sussex rack up a solid 330 for 7 on the first day against Hampshire at Arundel. Sussex made a slippery start, however, when they lost Michael Yardy for 5, lbw to James Tomlinson, and the same bowler trapped Ed Joyce in identical fashion to leave the home side on 26 for 2. Chris Nash dropped anchor with 57 from 86 but he became the first of three victims for Imran Tahir. Sussex’s middle-order fought resiliently, however, with Murray Goodwin (65), who was dropped on 42 at slip, putting on 91 with Carl Hopkinson. The pair departed in quick succession, but Luke Wright ensured Sussex’s middle and lower-order didn’t fold, with a crucial and unbeaten 53, and he was given able support by Yasir Arafat who cracked a momentum-stealing 37 from 44 balls.Click here for John Ward’s report from the first day between Nottinghamshire and Durham at Trent BridgeNo play was possible on the first day at Edgbaston between Warwickshire and Lancashire, as rain called off play at 3.30pm.

Division Two

Chris Jordan caused problems for Essex with three wickets•PA Photos

1st dayThree days after the nail-biting finish to the first Test, cricket at Cardiff returned to a gentler pace as Glamorgan closed the opening day against Kent on 295 for 8. The surface was again slow which suited the medium pace of Simon Cook and Ryan McLaren as they took three wickets each to keep the home side under control. Glamorgan’s display was led by Gareth Rees’ 80 after he overcame a laboured start where he made one run in the first hour and at lunch was 7 from 78 balls. However, he upped the tempo during the afternoon as he moved to fifty off 138 deliveries and twice hit James Tredwell for six before he was well caught, low down at slip, off McLaren. Jamie Darlymple also fell to McLaren, but Robert Croft’s busy 35 lifted Glamorgan towards the 300 mark.Ryan ten Doeschate led an Essex fightback on the opening day against Surrey at Guildford as his unbeaten 105 helped the visitors rally to 317 for 7 after the top order stuttered. Chris Jordan, who used the slope to good effect, took three wickets in an impressive spell as Essex slipped to 88 for 4 and when Tim Linley had Matt Walker caught behind they were 118 for 5.However, ten Doeschate made the most of gaining two lives on 3 and 30 to right the innings. He added 98 for the sixth wicket with James Foster (48) and 83 for the seventh with Graham Napier (43) as the depth of Essex batting came to the fore. Foster fell to a catch in the gully and Napier was well caught in the covers, but ten Doeschate had time to reach his hundred from 140 balls before the close.4th dayDerbyshire moved to top of Division Two with a comprehensive 180-run win over Gloucestershire, on the final day at Cheltenham. Gloucestershire began the day on 148 for 4, but were unable to bat out three sessions in spite of a fine hundred from James Franklin, his first in county cricket. Alex Gidman, the captain, made 60 before he was bowled around his pads by Tim Groenewald, who finished with fine figures of 3 for 64. Chris Rogers held a safe catch at slip to dismiss Steve Snell, then pulled off a stunning take the very next ball to catch a leading edge from Jon Lewis. Steve Kirby survived the hat-trick, and shortly after Franklin brought up his hundred, he was bowled around his legs to hand Derbyshire a thumping win.

Scorecard
How they were outBrett Lee consistently bowled at over 90mph and got the ball to reverse swing•PA Photos

Brett Lee guaranteed his immediate Test future with a maiden five-wicket haul in an English first-class game that came in a stunning spell of reverse-swing against the hosts’ 2nd XI. While his fast-bowling team-mates went wicket-less in Worcester, Lee delivered in a nine-over effort either side of tea to seal his spot for Cardiff next Wednesday and hold the England Lions to 302 for 6.At the start of the day Lee, who is returning from ankle surgery, was fighting for his place and with England dismissing Warwickshire for 102 in their practice game at Edgbaston, Australia needed a spark and he provided it to finish with 5 for 53 from 20 overs. Stephen Moore and Joe Denly were already enjoying a century stand and the visitors were soon distracted in their defence of 358. Lee was fooling around with the crowd when he was called to refocus by Ponting with an impromptu spell.Play stopped while he stretched at the end of his mark and he struck with his third ball, a reverse-swinging offering which broke Denly’s stumps on 66. It was not a fluke. Next delivery Ian Bell showed the resolve the Australians would expect from him when he was hit on the pads with a searing, late-moving yorker. Vikram Solanki somehow managed an inside edge to avoid the hat-trick from another toe-crusher that scooted to the fine-leg boundary. The ball was 45 overs old and when Lee held it, it curled like the wispy clouds above the ground.Lee’s speed remained above 90mph throughout another warm day and the reverse-swing gave Australia hope of matching England’s quicks during the Ashes. The late movement from the hosts was responsible for the tourists’ 2005 defeat and since then the bowlers have been searching for the answer under the coach Troy Cooley.Another curving full ball from Lee removed Solanki, who was bowled off his pad on 8, and Moore’s attractive 120 ended when he top edged a hook, Brad Haddin collecting a running catch towards fine-leg. More clever thought was shown when Lee managed an inswinger to trap the left-hander Eoin Morgan lbw on 4. His five breakthroughs had come in 40 deliveries with the ball darting both ways.He was accurate in the morning, giving up only seven runs in five overs, and missed an lbw in his first before bruising Denly’s shoulder. The only Lee-related problem was he didn’t pick up an early wicket and Denly and the local Moore put on 172 until the fast bowler returned slightly disgruntled from his Ponting directive.Playing his first game of the tour, Mitchell Johnson lacked fluency but will not be concerned as long as he receives another long spell in the second innings. However, Stuart Clark has some doubts, especially if slow and low pitches like this one are on offer around the country over the next two months. Like Johnson, he was unable to break through and tried not to grow frustrated at his lack of penetration, bounce or seam movement. Ponting loaded his fielders straight and until Lee started steaming the slip cordon was heavily trimmed.Clark may still win a reprieve for Cardiff after Nathan Hauritz was targeted successfully. The one time he was able to justify a long appeal he was jeered by the crowd. Next ball Denly thumped him to long-on, in front of the hecklers, and in the following over Moore cleared the boundary straight down the ground. Fifteen runs came from his opening three overs and by the end of the day he had 0 for 80 off 18, seemingly making four fast bowlers the only option for next week. Strangely, Marcus North, who is expected to contribute with his offspin in Cardiff, was not used until late in the day, when Steve Davies cut an edge to Michael Clarke via Haddin’s glove on 53.When Clarke was used for four overs in the second session Denly and Moore were dominating and the Australians must have been thinking about how they would cope with England’s best batsmen next week. Moore brought up his half-century with a hooked six off Johnson and the crowd stood for their boy when he cover-drove Lee for four during his vicious spell. His innings lasted 178 balls in a strong audition for back-up duties over the rest of the season. Denly also performed strongly until he was responsible for igniting Lee’s burst.It has been a good match for spearheads attempting to regain their Test status, with Steve Harmison helping to finish off Australia’s innings by removing Michael Hussey’s off stump in the morning. Hussey added seven to walk off with 150 and Harmison led his side with 4 for 80

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
How they were out
Graeme Smith was the linchpin of South Africa’s innings•Getty Images

There wasn’t much of a crowd at Trent Bridge but those who were there witnessed a clinical performance from South Africa, with all three facets of their game seemingly in order for the bigger picture ahead. Batting first on a pitch that had eased out in the hot afternoon sun, they cruised along through an 80-run opening partnership before two clutch hitters contributed cameos picked up off Pakistan’s listless pace attack. By the time Younis Khan realised that taking pace off the ball was the way to go, South Africa’s openers had raced out of the blocks. And therein lay the crux of South Africa’s victory.Graeme Smith won the toss and chose to bat first on the same strip of turf on which Australia had put up an imposing 219 in Monday’s opening fixture. Poor bowling let South Africa’s openers off the leash and allowed them to climb into the box seat, and they took full advantage. Jacques Kallis tucked into some juicy bowling on the pads, with fine leg up for the early part of the innings. Smith played a couple obligatory inside-edged drives but didn’t disappoint when offered room outside off stump.South Africa posted their fifty in the fifth over with neither openers really dominating. It was a mixture of sloppy fielding and bowling, with extras and runs off free hits constituting 14 of the first fifty, and smart placement. Shahid Afridi and Saeed Ajmal, slower of pace and harder to hit, stemmed the flow and forced Smith to reach out and sweep against the turn. Smith got bogged down yet raised his half-century from 33 deliveries, and on cue Kallis tried to put his foot on the accelerator only to fall to Ajmal for 26.That brought Herschelle Gibbs to the crease and with it some momentum. Gibbs was using his feet from the get-go, timing the ball fluently both sides of the track. Consecutive deliveries from Shoaib Malik were lofted either side, the second an effortless inside-out drive. Afridi returned to have Smith swing him for a flat six, but then had him stumped for 70 when he missed a wrong ‘un.AB de Villiers was run out before he could get himself in, and Afridi then cut Gibbs off after being spanked for four and six. Unfortunately for Pakistan, Umar Gul couldn’t figure out what length to hit and Albie Morkel duly thumped him for three successive sixes in the 18th over, each of varied brutality.Needing 187 for victory, Pakistan began their reply shakily. Salman Butt was bowled by Dale Steyn third ball, inside-edging a leaden-footed drive and Kamran Akmal lobbed a short ball from Kallis to midwicket in the sixth over. Ahmed Shahzad kept on swinging, driving Albie for consecutive boundaries, and came out to drill Roelof van der Merwe over extra cover. But van der Merwe kept his nerve and his line, and when Shahzad sized up a second boundary in the ninth over he was trapped lbw to a wild heave.Two runs later Misbah-ul-Haq was run out by miles without facing a ball, sold down the river by his captain. Few batsmen have escaped when trying to pick singles straight to de Villiers, and the fielder found his mark with ease. Younis didn’t get a chance to atone for his lapse, chipping a return catch to van der Merwe. Pakistan were teetering on 65 for 5.Afridi came and went, caught in front of the deep midwicket boundary, though he would have been the beneficiary of the third umpire had one been employed. After Johan Botha’s success Smith tossed the ball to JP Duminy and he delivered immediately by bowling Sohail Tanvir. Malik had emerged earlier but was soon heading off in the other direction, superbly held by Botha – one-handed – off his own bowling. It was one-way traffic and Pakistan fell miles short. Even in the last over, when victory was a foregone conclusion, Smith ran backwards from cover and plucked a catch with one hand.Where Pakistan sprayed the ball around, allowed extra runs in their fielding effort and applied themselves poorly with the bat, South Africa were superior in all departments. It ultimately proved to be the difference between the sides.