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Round-up of the the third day of the third round of the Ranji Trophy Plate League

ESPNcricinfo staff19-Nov-2010Group ATripura remained rooted to the bottom of the points table after their third straight loss, this one by an innings and 35 runs to Hyderabad at the Gymkhana Ground in Hyderabad. Tripura actually started the day brightly, dismissing the hosts’ last six batsmen for 31 runs to limit their deficit to 172. That target, however, proved too be too much for a side that has only gone past 200 once this season, and they folded against the part-time legspin of Ravi Teja, who picked up career-best figures of 5 for 20. Biswajit Dey (31), and Timir Chandra (30*), were the only two batsmen to go past 20, as Tripura could only manage 137 in their second innings, giving Hyderabad their first win of the season.Vaibhav Deshpande’s maiden first-class hundred propelled Rajasthan to 523 against Madhya Pradhesh at the Sawai Mansingh Stadium in Jaipur, before the visitors responded with an unbroken opening stand of 131 to reduce the deficit to 392. The 23-year-old Deshpande scored briskly, taking 191 balls for his 144, giving him a strike rate of 75.39, and striking 18 fours and a six. But he was overshadowed by Pankaj Singh, who made 70 from 65, with five fours and five sixes. The pair added 110 for seventh wicket to take Rajasthan past 400. Deshpande then added 81 with No. 11 Deepak Chahar, who made an unbeaten 22. Robin Bist missed out on his first hundred of the season, falling in the third over of the day without adding to this overnight 91. Medium-pacer Amit Sharma took 5 for 109. MP openers Naman Ojha (51), who played for the scrapped IPL team, Rajasthan Royals, and Jalaj Saxena (76) both made unbeaten half-centuries to, give their team a chance of hanging on for a point on the last day.Jharkhand face a tough fight if they are to get something from their game against Goa in Porvorim, as they trail the hosts by 302 runs heading in to the final day. It could have been much worse for the visitors, who were tottering at 128 for 7, but the last three wickets added a further 139 runs. Varun Aaron, who was the last man out for 72, added 83 for the ninth wicket with Kuldeep Sharma, who made 30, to see Jharkhand safely past the 200 mark. Ishank Jaggi also chipped in with 50, while Shadab Jakati, the Chennai Super Kings left-arm spinner, led the bowlers with 4 for 77. Jharkhand were 14 for no loss in their second innings when play ended. A win for Goa would take them level with Jharkhand on seven points.Form Guide

Tracking ESPNcricinfo’s players to watch this season
Umesh Yadav: Picked up 1 for 22 in 11 overs against Kerala for Vidarbha

Group BKarimuttathu Rakesh’s unbeaten century gave Kerala control of their game against Vidarbha in Malappuram. Rakesh batted for over seven hours to make 101, his maiden first-class ton, and formed the backbone of his side’s total of 366 for 8 declared. Rakesh added 104 wtih Padmanabhan Prasanth for the seventh wicket, before Prasanth was caught of Akshay Wakhare for 59. Kanakkatharaparambu Sreejith then trapped Akshay Kolkar leg before to leave Vidharba 6 for 1, and needing another 222 to avoid an innings defeat.Jammu & Kashmir stare defeat in the face as they trail Services by 224 runs with eight wickets remaining in their second innings at the Harbax Singh Stadium in Delhi. Medium pacer Nishan Singh and offspinner Arnav Kush combined to take either wickets and dismiss J&K for 172. Nishan had the slightly better figures of 4 for 38, compared to Kush’s 4 for 40. Arshad Bhatt made 56 and Samiullah Beigh made 40, but no one else got more than 16. Made to follow-on, J&K stuttered to 57 for 2 at the close of play, with Bhatt already back in the pavilion for 8.Andhra Pradesh ended the day on 138 for 1 after opener Harshad Khadiwale’s career-best 183 had carried Group B table-toppers Maharashtra to 368 in Vishakapatnam. AP lost opener Manoj Sai with just two runs on the board, but Hemal Watekar and Satyakumar Verma knuckled down to add 136 together, and give the hosts a chance of picking up the three points that comes with taking a first-innings lead. Both batsmen played cautiously, spending over four hours each at the crease, in compiling their unbeaten half centuries. Watekar will resume tomorrow on 67, while Verma is on 59.

Sunderland sporting director Kristjaan Speakman is poised to endure a busy summer of work at the Stadium of Light at the end of the season.

Irrespective of what division the Black Cats are competing in next term, he will be tasked with putting together a squad for Alex Neil to work with – either to stay in the Championship or fight for promotion out of League One.

Speakman will also need to keep hold of the club’s talented young players to give Neil a pool of academy prospects to nurture with a view to them making their way through to the first team in the future.

One such gem who they are in danger of losing is 14-year-old Chris Rigg as Newcastle and Everton are reportedly keen on a deal for him this summer.

Rigg is already playing for the U18’s at the age of 14 and Sunderland are said to want £1m from any interested parties.

They must now avoid repeating the brutal disasterclass they endured when they sold teenager Joe Hugill to Manchester United for £300k. The striker has since been compared to England captain Harry Kane and is progressing through the ranks at Old Trafford.

Sky Sports News reporter James Cooper said this about the youngster: “Joe Hugill’s progress has come as a pleasant surprise to the coaching staff at Manchester United who recognised his potential when they brought him in from Sunderland.

“But the speed of that progress has exceeded expectations, bearing in mind he’s only been at the club for three months.

“Hugill was part of a recruitment drive that has seen some of Europe’s best young talent arrive at Manchester United in recent weeks to not only bolster the club’s Academy but also provide Ole Gunnar Solskjaer with more options further down the line.”

These quotes and the comparisons to Kane suggest that Sunderland dropped a clanger by allowing him to leave for £300k.

Speakman must now ensure that they do not repeat that mistake with Rigg. He cannot allow the talented youngster to leave the Stadium of Light and must do everything in his power to convince the teenager that staying at the club is the best option for him.

Sunderland fans do not want to be sat on their sofas in six years watching Rigg dominating in the Premier League and wondering how they only got £1m for him in 2022.

AND in other news, Fewer touches than Patterson: £2.7k-p/w SAFC gem with 87.5% duels lost flopped…

Jordan Campbell has been left buzzing over some Glasgow Rangers news which has now emerged involving James Tavernier.

The Lowdown: Players’ POTY

The Ibrox club announced on Sunday night that Tavernier has won the Men’s Players’ Player of the Year Award (POTY).

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The right-back has been dubbed the team’s best performer in both the Premiership and the Europa League, scoring an astounding 13 goals and supplying a further 15 assists in both competitions combined (Transfermarkt).

The Latest: Campbell reacts

Taking to Twitter, The Athletic journalist Campbell buzzed over the update as it was announced, claiming that Tavernier was the ‘clear choice’ alongside Calvin Bassey as Young Player as he stated:

“The clear choice this season, along with Bassey as young player.

“I think this is the best football Tavernier has played of his career as his overall game has been brilliant under Van Bronckhorst.

“He looks more emboldened than ever.”

The Verdict: Deserved

The reward for Tavernier is so well-deserved, and as Campbell suggests, the right-back really seems to have stepped up his game under new manager Giovanni van Bronckhorst.

Under Steven Gerrard earlier this season, the Englishman had managed three goals in total over all competitions. Since Van Bronckhorst’s arrival, he has added another nine, including six crucial strikes in the Europa League to help them all the way to the semi-finals (Transfermarkt).

The captain has certainly led by example, especially in Europe, and while they slack behind Celtic in the Premiership, this could still be a quite remarkable season if they manage to go all the way in the Europa League.

In other news, find out who the Gers are now targeting this summer

Central Districts broke their three-match losing streak with a seven-wicket win against Otago, while Auckland scraped home by one run against Canterbury

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Dec-2010Kieran Noema-Barnett scored the fastest half-century in New Zealand domestic Twenty20 cricket to help Central Districts break their three-match losing streak. Chasing Otago’s 175, Noema-Barnett smashed 57 off 18 to take Central Districts home with 15 balls to spare at Queen’s Park in Invercargill. It was his first half-century in Twenty20 cricket. Central Districts got off to a quick start in their chase thanks to George Worker’s 43 and were on course when Noema-Barnett came in at 100 for 2. He decided not to leave it till the last over as he smashed six sixes of the hapless Otago bowlers. Neil Broom and wicketkeeper Derek de Boorder had got Otago to a competitive total with their unbeaten seventh-wicket partnership of 79 off 38. Michael Yardy, the England left-arm spinner, and seamer Adam Milne took two wickets each to reduce Otago to 96 for 6 before Broom and de Boorder’s partnership. Central Distrcits move up to third in the table after the win while Otago are rooted to the bottom, having lost all four of their games.Auckland scraped to a one-run win at the Village Green in Christchurch after Ryan ten Doeschate failed to hit the required boundary off the last ball for Canterbury. Doeschate, who plays for Netherlands, had brought Canterbury close in their chase of 156 and finished with 51 not out off 41. Auckland had reached their total thanks to opener Jimmy Adams’ 45 off 37 and some late hitting from Colin Munro, who scored 33 off 16. They were helped by Canterbury’s bowlers, who gave away seven runs in wides. In their chase, Canterbury lost two early wickets before Doeschate and opener Rob Nicol put together a 55-run partnership. But once Nicol was out, Auckland got another quick wicket and managed to keep a lid on the runs to take the victory. Auckland move to joint top of the table with the win.It was one-way traffic at the Basin Reserve in Wellington, as half-centuries from wicketkeeper Peter McGlashan and Brad Hodge, the Australia batsman, gave Nothern Districts a 54-run victory over Wellington. Hodge had got the visitors off to a swift start with his 51 off 32, and then McGlashan’s 66 off 31 and Anton Devcich’s 48 off 30 kept the run-rate up to take them to a total of 201. Wellington’s response never kicked off and they were bowled out in 19.5 overs. Jesse Ryder, who missed New Zealand’s ODI series in India with a calf injury, was out for four in the third over and the wickets kept tumbling after that. Left-arm seamer Bradley Scott took 3 for 32 for Northern Districts, as they move up to joint top of the table.

Uttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Kaif and Madhya Pradesh’ Naman Ojha rescued Central Zone from what was a poor start to their innings in response to East Zone’s 427

ESPNcricinfo staff20-Jan-2011
ScorecardUttar Pradesh’s Mohammad Kaif and Madhya Pradesh’ Naman Ojha rescued Central Zone from what was a poor start to their innings in response to East Zone’s 427. Central lost both their openers with the score just four, and then their captain, Rajasthan’s Hrishikesh Kanitkar, was out, leaving them 55 for 3.Kaif and Ojha took their time, taking 37.5 overs for their 114-run unbeaten stand. Kaif, who was recently bought by IPL franchise Royal Challengers Bangalore, scored 78, while Ojha reached his half-century by the end of play.Central had made a positive start to the day, taking two quick wickets, but wicketkeeper Wriddhiman Saha made sure East’s score went pass 400. Saha, who returned from South Africa after the Test series during which he was India’s reserve wicketkeeper, scored 69 and had useful partnerships with lower-order batsmen Ashok Dinda and Iresh Saxena to frustrate Central. Pankaj Singh, whose 43 wickets over the Ranji season were a major factor in Rajasthan winning the trophy, finished with figures of 4 for 126.

Everton are hopeful that they can sell Richarlison for at least £50m this summer, according to Football Insider.

The lowdown

The publication had previously reported that the Toffees and their director of football Kevin Thewell intend to use the proceeds from selling the Brazilian to overhaul their squad, adding that the player himself has told his agents to line up a move to a Champions League club, regardless of whether or not Everton avoid relegation.

The Blues paid an initial £35m to sign Richarlison from Watford in the summer of 2018, possibly rising to £50m with various add-ons (via BBC Sport).

The 24-year-old is Everton’s top scorer this season with nine goals and has bagged four in their past five Premier League matches. Those include a stoppage-time equaliser against Leicester City and the winner against Chelsea on Sunday, earning Frank Lampard’s four vital points in their fight for survival.

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The latest

A ‘recruitment source’ has told Football Insider that Everton will sell Richarlison this summer if they receive an offer of £50m or more for him.

They are said to be increasingly confident that bids in that region will arrive in light of his recent form.

The verdict

Where would a £50m sale rank in the Everton record books?

The £75m reaped from Romelu Lukaku to Manchester United in 2017 is the most lucrative outgoing in the club’s history, and it won’t be in that ballpark. However, it should surpass the £48m that they received from Manchester City for John Stones in 2016.

How satisfied will Everton be to receive that amount? Richarlison has established himself a senior Brazil international since his move to Merseyside, racking up 34 caps and scoring 13 goals since his debut in September 2018.

You could argue that they should be making more of a profit on him, but the priority for Everton seems to be securing the kind of cash influx to finance a revamp of the squad and ease their Financial Fair Play difficulties.

In other news, this BBC commentator made a Goodison Park claim that Everton supporters will love

Aston Villa are reportedly willing to cash in on both Tyrone Mings and Ezri Konsa this summer, according to journalist Dean Jones.

What’s the word?

Speaking to GIVEMESPORT, the transfer insider suggested that the defensive duo could be moved on at the end of the season by manager Steven Gerrard, as the former Rangers man looks to put his stamp on the current squad.

Making comments on the centre-back pair’s future, Jones stated that: “They both could leave. I think that that’s plausible. And it’s not impossible that they could find two replacements at a decent value. Mings and Konsa, for where Steven Gerrard is heading with this side, I think it’s plausible that they would be open to offers for both players.”

That brutal assessment comes amid reports that Mings, in particular, is facing an uncertain future at the club, with Gerrard believed to be scouting a new left-sided centre-back.

Supporters buzzing

That news may come as both a shock but also a welcome relief to the Villa faithful, with the club’s backline having distinctly underwhelmed this season, hence the need for top-class replacements.

The Midlands side currently have the tenth-worst defensive record in the division having shipped 46 goals so far this season, notably succumbing to a brutal 4-0 defeat at home to Tottenham Hotspur a few weeks ago.

For many, current captain Mings has been a key part of the problem, with pundit Danny Mills suggesting that there seems to be “a mistake in his game somewhere”, with the former Leeds United man “not convinced” that the 29-year-old is an elite-level defender.

That viewpoint has seemingly been rubberstamped by his form this season, with the 17-cap international ranking in just the top 48% for aerial duels won among players in his position across Europe’s top five leagues – a damning statistic for a man of his size and stature – while he’s also only in the top 80% for tackles made.

As for his teammate, the former Brentford man has fared little better at Villa Park this term, registering just 0.5 interceptions and 0.9 tackles per game in his 26 Premier League outings, while he’s also been sent off twice thus far, proving himself something of a liability.

While the £22.5m-rated man had been tipped for a senior England call-up last year after impressing under Dean Smith, his form has tailed off dramatically this term, with pundit Alan Hutton insisting that the club are in desperate of new recruits in defence, as “it’s not been good enough” of late.

With rumours swirling of a potential move for Liverpool gem Joe Gomez, among others, it would seem that there will be a few heads on the chopping block this summer. There may not be too many tears shed if two of those casualties prove to be Mings and Konsa.

IN other news, “Destined for a move”: Journo drops exciting AVFC transfer claim, Gerrard will love it…

Adrian Barath, the West Indies opener, has said the 2011 World Cupgives West Indies the opportunity of showcasing their performances on the world stage

Sa'adi Thawfeeq05-Feb-2011Adrian Barath, the West Indies opener, has said the 2011 World Cup gives West Indies the opportunity of showcasing their performances on the world stage and a chance to get back to what they were about two decades ago.”We fancy our chances and it’s good to have our name back on top of world cricket and showcase our performances at the world stage. There is no better place to do it than the World Cup. It starts right here acclimatising to the conditions similar to India where most of our games will be played. We will definitely be looking forward to having a good World Cup.”My personal thoughts on the World Cup are that the team clicking at that point of time will win it. To me it’s anyone’s tournament right at this point of time. The West Indies are looking at another World Cup win.”Barath who hails from Trinidad, the same island as the great Brian Lara, was thrilled to score his first hundred in ODI cricket in the first game of the ODI series against Sri Lanka. “It was a great moment for me and for West Indies cricket because it’s been a while since a century has been scored in Sri Lanka in an ODI. It was special for me. I had my eyes set on an ODI century last year but unfortunately the series got called off. Thankfully the series did come off and it happened. I am thankful for the opportunity that came to me to score the hundred.”Helping 20-year-old Barath achieve his maiden ODI hundred was the experienced middle-order batsman Ramnaresh Sarwan. “I am a junior player and I try to learn as much from the senior players. Sarwan is someone who really showed me the way. Every so often he would come down the pitch and have a word with me.”Opening the batting with Chris Gayle, who is very different from Barath physically, as well as in his approach to the game, makes it difficult for opposing bowlers to settle. “With a left-hand right-hand combination and as he is tall and I am short it is difficult for bowlers to rally and strike their lengths especially if we are rotating the strike.”Gayle is someone who has been in the team for a while and I have grown up seeing Gayle playing for West Indies. It’s an inspiration for me basically to start my career and bat with someone like Chris. He is someone who can take the attack to the bowlers and I can play that role as well but on the day Chris really gets going I am prepared to play the supporting role.”Barath added that Sri Lanka fast bowler Lasith Malinga was one to watch during the World Cup. “We all know that Malinga is a world class bowler in this version of the game and in T20. We all know his unique action. Most of the guys are not used to it but at the end of the day we are going to be looking at footage of Lasith and ways of playing him.”As a team already we have looked at these things but he is on spot at the moment and any player on spot is a force to be reckoned with. All credit to him, he’s been bowling well and he has good form at the moment. We’ll be definitely looking to counteract his bowling.”

The ball didn’t turn much on a slow pitch in Chittagong but Netherlands didn’t have the skill to handle the nagging line and length from the battery of Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners

The Bulletin by Sriram Veera14-Mar-2011
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsShafiul Islam’s tight but luckless opening spell set the tone for Bangladesh’s victory•Getty ImagesThe ball didn’t turn much on a slow pitch in Chittagong but Netherlands’ batsmen didn’t have the skill to handle the nagging line and length from the battery of Bangladesh’s left-arm spinners. They stabbed, plodded and meandered to 160 and Bangladesh wrapped up a six-wicket victory in a virtual must-win match. Shafiul Islam was luckless in a probing opening spell that read 6-3-7-0 but he was instrumental in strangling the Netherlands batsmen before the spinners tightened the screws further. The result escalated the pressure on England, who have to beat West Indies to stay in the World Cup.For a brief while, 6.5 overs to be precise, there was some fight in the chase but it evaporated as Imrul Kayes took control to push Bangladesh to victory in Chittagong. Bangladesh were on a wobbly 14 for 1, for the loss of Tamim Iqbal, in the seventh over but Junaid Siddique and Kayes broke free to force Netherlands out of the contest.The total was too meagre to defend and it was due their middling effort with the bat that Netherlands lost this game. Whenever they tried to take initiative, as Tom Cooper and Alexei Kervezee did, it proved just a mirage as they got out immediately. Whenever they tried to steal some quick runs, they got involved in run-outs. Cooper had struck Shakib Al Hasan for two fours in the 25th over but he got out in the next over, run out due to a misunderstanding with Eric Szwarczynski. He rushed across for a single after pushing to point but couldn’t get back in time despite a wide throw from Shakib. Mushfiqur Rahim collected and swiveled to flick a direct hit. Kervezee crashedSmart Stats

Abdur Razzak’s 3 for 29 is his third three-wicket haul in World Cups. He has been involved in three of the top five World Cup bowling performances for Bangladesh.

The 92-run stand between Imrul Kayes and Junaid Siddique is the highest for the second wicket for Bangladesh in World Cups. The previous highest was 73 between Tamim Iqbal and Siddique against India in the first game of the 2011 World Cup.

Kayes’ 73 is the second-highest score by a Bangladesh batsman in World Cups behind Mohammad Ashraful’s 87 against South Africa in 2007.

The win was Bangladesh’s fourth against a non Test-playing nation in World Cups. Overall, they have won 50 and lost 33 matches against non Test-playing teams (including Zimbabwe). Against Test-playing teams however, they have won 17 and lost 141 ODIs.

Netherlands’ score of 160 is their fourth score below 200 in the 2011 World Cup and their eighth such score in World Cups.

During the course of his half-century, Ryan ten Doeschate became the highest run getter for Netherlands in World Cups. He now has 329 runs at an average of 54.83.

Rubel Hossain for two fours in the 33rd over but fell in the next, stumped off the bowling of Suhrawadi Shuvo. To add to their woes, four batsmen ran themselves out on a day when nothing went right for the Associate team.Szwarczynski, the opener, dawdled for 68 balls but couldn’t convert the start into anything meaningful. Ryan ten Doeschate, dropped on 14 by Kayes, hung around for an unbeaten fifty but he lacked support. The innings lacked momentum from the start, after Shafiul’s inspired opening spell, and it went nowhere in the end.It will remain a mystery how Shafiul didn’t pick up a wicket. He darted the ball in, straightened it outside off, slipped in yorkers, tried faster and slower bouncers and didn’t bowl a bad ball. He harassed the openers with movement but the ball either thudded high on the pad or missed the edge. It was one of those days. The first run off him was scored only in the 18th delivery, when he tried a slower one. Netherlands promoted Mudassar Bukhari to pinch some quick runs but Shafiul put him in his place in the 11th over. Two yorkers jammed the bottom of the bat, a bouncer pinged the shoulder and a slower one beat the waft.Shafiul paved way for the spinners, Abdur Razzak, Shakib and Shuvo, who did what they normally do: hit a tight line and length, bowl a slew of dot balls, increase the pressure, and make the batsmen feel claustrophobic. Everything went according to their script.Netherlands had a brief moment of joy in the chase when Bukhari breached the defences of Tamim with a delivery that straightened in the first over. He continued to bowl with heart, showed some skill and even sledged. He went past Kayes’ bat a few times and gave lip to Siddique, but just when the contest looked interesting, Bangladesh broke free.It was the final ball of the seventh over and Siddique had just been sledged after Bukhari banged in a short delivery. Siddique responded with a flamboyant pull to collect a boundary and that was the moment that turned things around for Bangladesh. In the next over, he dragged the offspinner Adeel Raja, who opened with Bukhari and bowled a few tight overs, to the square-leg boundary. Soon Kayes, who was on 9 off 24 balls, pulled Raja for three runs and Bangladesh took control.Post that, Kayes took ownership of the chase and started to roll out the big shots: he slapped Raja through covers, slashed a full toss from ten Doeschate over point, and drove Peter Borren through cover for successive boundaries in the 17th over. Though Siddique and Shahriar Nafees, who made a fluent 37 in his first game of the tournament, fell and Shakib combusted on arrival, Kayes stayed to finish the job.Match Timeline

A round-up of the action from the seventh round of the Regional Four-Day Competition

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Mar-2011Legspinners Yannic Cariah and Imran Khan propelled Trinidad & Tobago to a comprehensive innings victory over Guyana at Providence Stadium in Guyana. Guyana were bowled out for 216 in their first innings, in response to Trinidad’s 434, the inning’s main contributors being opener Rajindra Chandrika with 90 and Derwin Christian with 51. Imran and offspinner Amit Jaggernauth claimed nine first-innings wickets between them, skittling Guyana for 216. After Daren Ganga enforced the follow-on, the spinners had the hosts in a tangle once again. Cariah, Khan and Jaggernauth accounted for all 10 wickets, as Guyana were dismissed 45 runs shy of Trinidad’s first-innings total.Combined Campuses and Colleges sailed to a five-wicket win against Barbados at the Three Ws Oval in Bridgetown, Barbados. Resuming at 36 for 1, in pursuit of 173 for victory in a match that was wicket-heavy early on, CCC got home relatively comfortably, steered by a steady, unbeaten 78 from captain and opener Omar Phillips. CCC had a scare when Barbados’ Kevin Stoute and Jason Holder picked up three quick wickets, reducing them to 84 for 4, but a 66-run stand between Phillips and Nkruma Bonner calmed the nerves and set up the win.Jamaica barely held on for a draw against England Lions at Sabina Park in Kingston, Jamaica, finishing at 184 for 9 in pursuit of 274. England Lions, driven by an unbeaten 77 from captain James Hildreth, declared their second innings at 292 for 4, leaving the hosts 274 to get in about two sessions. Going for a win, Jamaica’s top three went for their shots, but couldn’t push on after a flurry of early boundaries, leaving their team precariously placed at 47 for 3 in 8.4 overs. A dogged 99-run stand between Brendan Nash and Chadwick Walton got Jamaica to relative safety, before a mini-collapse of 4 for 9 set up a dramatic end to the match. The last pair played out seven tense deliveries, with No. 10 Jason Dawes lasting 44 minutes and facing 31 balls for a single run. Opening bowler James Harris and left-arm spinner Danny Briggs – who took his match total to nine wickets – picked up four wickets apiece, but the Lions could not get the final wicket.Building up a 246-run first-innings lead and restricting Leeward Islands to 284 for 7, Windward Islands took control of their match at Beausejour Stadium in Gros Islet, St Lucia. Windward pushed their total to 318 for 9 declared on day three, before their opening bowlers, Nelon Pascal and Keon Peters reduced Leewards to 15 for 3. With a repeat of the first innings’ implosion on the cards, Gavin Williams fought back with a century, before tail-enders Jacques Taylor and Gavin Tonge added 61 crucial runs to ensure that the match went into the final day. But with Leewards leading by just 38 runs, with three wickets in hand, Windwards should close out the match without much difficulty.Despite finishing third in the league table, England Lions return home since the knockout stage is reserved for Caribbean sides. CCC, T&T, Jamaica and Windward Islands are the four teams that will contest the semi-finals.