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After seeing his side finish the day on 265 for five, nearly 400 ahead of Surrey, Somerset coach Kevin Shine said: "It’s been a very good day for us today, and we have finished in a strong position. Congratulations to Steffan Jones who took his 50th championship wicket . He has grafted hard on very flat wickets. On any other track he would have taken more. There was also some fabulous bowling from Richard Johnson – a real Test Match performance."Regarding the batting he said: "We did a professional job when we batted , and we have built upon our first innings lead of a hundred to put ourselves in a commanding position in the match. We will bat for a bit longer in the morning and hope to bat them out of the game. At the start of the day we planned to be 350 ahead by close, so we are a little bit ahead of that."

Lionel Mendis, popularly known as the father figure of cricket coaching in Sri Lanka, died on Friday, at the age of 80, after a long illness.It was on September 15 that Mendis, who was being treated for throat cancer at a private hospital in Colombo, celebrated his 80th birthday. The same month he had retired from coaching, bringing to an end a distinguished 29-year stint at Nondescripts CC where he ran his coaching school.Mendis was a key figure in the Sri Lanka cricket coaching arena and coached several former Sri Lanka cricketers, notably the country’s World Cup winning captain Arjuna Ranatunga and Mahela Jayawardene.The hallmark of Mendis’ coaching was the discipline he brought to ensure that each of his products ended up as a complete cricketer not only on the field but off it as well. At a recent felicitation ceremony given by former cricketers, Ranatunga said that Mendis had introduced a new sporting culture with his brand of coaching. “The specialty in him is his attitude to build a complete cricketer,” Ranatunga said. “He taught us how to dress, eat and how to behave in the ground. He respects the tradition and culture of our country and expects his students to follow good manners.”He never thought of earning money but spent his money on poor students. Every time he gave his students very important tips not just on cricket but also on life.”The ICC rewarded Mendis for his outstanding services to Sri Lanka cricket with an award during its centenary in 2009. Mendis’ brother Nelson Mendis is also a renowned cricket coach and at one time they were rival coaches of the two leading Buddhist schools in the country, Ananda College and Nalanda College.

Majid Saeed, the captain of the Gujranwala team, hit an unbeaten 94 in the second innings to steer his side to a four wicket win over Sheikhupura in the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy (Grade-I) match played at the Jinnah Stadium, Gujranwala.Chasing a target of 143 runs, Gujranwala were reduced to 98 for 6 when the captain came to the team’s rescue. He shared an unbroken partnership of 47 with wicket-keeper batsman, Hafiz Khalid, to safely reach home.Earlier, Sarfraz Ahmad, the left-arm seamer from Gujranwala took 5 wickets for 43 runs to send Sheikhupura packing for a paltry 146 in their first innings. Qaisar Abbas scored 67, as only two other batsmen could pass the double-figures.Gujranwala’s reply was not a confident one, as they lost 6 wickets for just 100 on the board. However, a partnership of 61 runs for the seventh wicket between Abdul Rehman and Hafiz Khalid ensured that their side takes the vital first innings lead. In the end it turned out to be a lead of 52, as Gujranwala were all out for 198 in their first innings.For Sheikhupura, Naveed ul Hassan and Jaffer Nazir took 6 and 3 wickets each for 80 and 32 runs, respectively.Sheikhupura’s start in the second innings was disastrous as they lost three wickets for only 11 runs. However, it was the gritty knock of 59 from the opening batsman, Zahid Javed, which avoided a total collapse. He was supported in his efforts by the middle and late order comprising of Mujahid Jamshed (32), Yasir Bashir (40), and Naveed ul Hassan (39).Sheikhupura were all out for 194, leaving a target of 143 runs for Gujranwala to wrap up the game in their favour.Mubbashir Nazir was the most successful of the Gujranwala bowlers taking 6 wickets for 56. Sarfraz took 2 for 71, whereas Abdul Rehman and Asim Butt bagged one wicket each.

ScorecardAshwell Prince continued his productive form with a calm hundred•Getty Images

Ashwell Prince equalled his highest List A score for Lancashire as the Red Rose boosted their Royal London Cup quarter-final hopes with a 29-run victory over Hampshire at the Rose Bowl.Opener Prince notched 102 to set up victory after putting on a record second-wicket stand with Alviro Petersen for the visitors.Adam Wheater gave hope to Hampshire to chase the 302 needed to win as he struck a century but they were bowled out for 272 as Lancashire clinched victory.Lancashire batted well within their comfort zone for much of their target setting after winning the toss and batting – with openers Prince and Karl Brown putting on 50 for the first wicket in 71 balls.Brown was the first to depart, leg before attempting to sweep Liam Dawson for 40 off 53. Prince reached his half-century from 65 balls before his compatriot Petersen joined him at the milestone in 48 deliveries – the latter’s including an impressive six charging Yasir Arafat.The visitors continued at their sedate but effective four-and-a-half runs an over, with Prince completing his 35th List A century in 111 balls. But two deliveries later he teed a catch up to Jimmy Adams on the square leg boundary ending the record-breaking stand on 147.The away side then lost two more wickets at 20 run intervals – Petersen ending his highest score for the county of 82 by slashing to Mason Crane at point and skipper Steven Croft, after a quickfire 25, picked out James Vince on the long-on rope.James Faulkner and Alex Davies then upped the run rate in spectacular style adding 36 in 16 balls with the latter ending the innings with a six over midwicket.Michael Carberry creamed a cover drive off Arron Lilley in the fifth over of the chase but the very next ball he slogged into the hands of long-on. Adams and Wheater overcame their early set back by amassing a 50 partnership before the wicketkeeper launched a six over long-on off Stephen Parry.Meanwhile, Adams followed up a club cricket ton on Saturday with a 56-ball 50 filled with type of form which had deserted him this season.Five balls later Wheater joined his former captain in the 50 club in exactly the same amount of balls before the pair celebrated a three-figure partnership.But after the glove bashing ended, Adams was wonderfully caught by Brown over his head in the square leg outfield when he sweetly pulled for a shot destined for six.Wheater survived two stumped chances from his counterpart when on 35 and 50. T20 Blast hero Vince only added 7 before he found his off stump knocked back by Faulkner and Ervine – after a speedy 37 stand with Wheater – mistimed a drive to Brown at deep extra cover.Wheater brought up his second format ton with a sublime back foot punch for his first six of the night which was scored in 104 balls. But he departed after only adding 11 to his three figures as he hoicked Parry to Faulkner in the deep before Simon Kerrigan nonchalantly caught Will Smith at deep midwicket.Dawson pounced with a speedy half-century – from 46 balls – before Wood was stumped and Dawson and Crane were bowled. Hampshire were bowled out with five balls to spare, when Fidel Edwards lofted down the ground

James Anderson fears he may not be the bowler he was before the incident with Ravindra Jadeja at Trent Bridge last year.Anderson was charged with a Level 3 breach of the ICC Code of Conduct after India alleged that he pushed Jadeja inside the pavilion as the players left the field for the lunch break on the second day of the first Investec Test.While the charges against both players were later dismissed, Anderson feels the sense of being monitored by the ICC has left him a more inhibited bowler lacking the aggression that was a key element in his game.In particular, Anderson felt the issue compromised his effectiveness in the World Cup, where he cut an oddly peripheral figure claiming just five wickets in six matches.”I’ve definitely been different since that incident,” Anderson said. “And it probably affected me during the World Cup.”It didn’t affect me during that India series because there was still that real determination to win; I was aggressive without being over the top.”But in the World Cup, there was a constant sense that the ICC were watching.”So we saw that great spell from Wahab Riaz to Shane Watson (in Adelaide) and they were fined after that. It puts you off.”Anderson has been England’s most effective bowler over much of the last seven years and goes into the Test series against West Indies starting on Monday requiring just four more wickets to overhaul Sir Ian Botham’s England record tally of 383 Test wickets. The game will also be Anderson’s 100th Test.But while his reputation as a highly skilled bowler is unquestioned, Anderson has also developed a reputation as one of the fiercest sledgers in the game. His words have often been hidden from television spectators by judicious use of an arm held over his mouth while his comments are directed at batsmen, but opposition players have long named him as an unusually abrasive competitor. At one stage during the Jadeja episode, BCCI officials suggested they were taking a stand against Anderson for the good of the game.Anderson, however, insists he needs the edge provided by the overt aggression and hopes to rediscover it in the Caribbean; albeit while staying “within the spirit of the game.””What comes naturally to me is being aggressive,” he said. “And I think that’s worked for me in the past.”Obviously you have to stay within the boundaries and within the spirit of the game. But I think it did affect me during the World Cup.”Hopefully it won’t here. It’s about trying to find a balance.”Wahab and Watson were fined after the match in Adelaide, though the ICC have clarified that the incident actually occurred after the initial spell that captured the imagination of viewers around the world.

India’s fast bowlers are on a roll but they may not have the same impact on Australia’s batsmen as Wahab Riaz had, Joe Dawes, the former India bowling coach, has said.The left-handed Wahab tested Australia’s top order, especially Shane Watson, with a menacing spell in the quarter-final in Adelaide, exposing their vulnerability to short deliveries bowled at pace, a weakness India would have taken note of, Dawes said, but India’s lack of a left-armer in their ranks might work in favour of Australia.”They’ll be doing their homework and will give it a crack. Fletch [Duncan Fletcher] is a pretty astute coach, he’ll be watching all of these things and he’ll look to try and bring that in somewhere and give it a whirl,” Dawes told . “But the left-hander is a big advantage and that’s where the Indians don’t have anyone with real pace, or any left-hand bowlers here at the moment.”The 42 wickets shared between India’s pace trio of Mohammed Shami, Umesh Yadav and Mohit Sharma is one of the prime reasons for India’s unbeaten run in the tournament. Dawes said that one of them could attempt simulating a left-armer’s angle by bowling round the wicket.”No doubt they’ll try that. [But] around the wicket is going to be a bit harder than just having a left-hander there,” he said. “They will have watched that and will give it a go, and Umesh has definitely got the pace to do it but he’s not an overly tall man so that sort of changes the trajectory and the bounce. The left-armers are proving to be quite difficult throughout the whole tournament, aren’t they?”India’s bowlers will also have to overcome the “psychological damage” they endured during a tough summer. India lost the four-Test series 2-0 and were unable to make it to the finals of the tri-series that features Australia and England.”During the Test series they really struggled for consistency,” Dawes said. “They bowled some good balls, then really let the pressure off. It looks like maybe adapting to the conditions and getting their lengths right they’ve really improved their consistency so they’re building pressure now.”MS [Dhoni] leads them well in one-day cricket and they’ve sort of got on a roll. I still think under pressure they’ll be tested. I’m not sure they’ve been tested a great deal under pressure yet.”That’s going to be the real challenge in a semi-final against Australia, where there is that little bit of no doubt psychological damage over the summer where they’ve been hit around a bit.”The turnaround kicked off with India’s win against Pakistan in the opening match. Since then, they have dismissed every opposition en route to the semi-final, a feat they had never achieved in the past.”I think they have got the tools to hurt any side, it’s just whether or not they can be consistent enough to put the ball in the right area on the day, which they have and haven’t done throughout the summer.”

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details2:35

O’Brien: Captaincy helps Warner flourish

David Warner continued to carry his team forward in the tournament on the back of his own personal form, his sixth half-century this season laying the foundation of Sunrisers Hyderabad’s fifth win in six matches that helped them catch up with Rajasthan Royals on the points table.But not before David Miller gave them a brief scare by hitting first four balls of Ishant Sharma’s last over for 6, 6, 0 and 4, bringing the equation down to 12 off two balls. He missed the penultimate ball, but hit the last one for a six again, exposing how poor that over had been. Or how poorly Kings XI Punjab’s batsmen had fared on course of their seventh consecutive loss.Ishant was the first person to embrace Miller after a scintillating 89 that included nine sixes, but Sunrisers knew it should have never come that close after how the first 34 overs of the game had panned out, with Warner’s 81 leading the way.During the course of his innings, Warner went past AB de Villiers’ tournament tally first, overtook Ajinkya Rahane as the leading run-scorer, and then became the first batsman this IPL season to cross 500 runs. He also crossed the 1000-run mark for Sunrisers, the second batsman after Shikhar Dhawan to do so.Warner’s energy rubbed on to the rest of his team-mates. Left-arm spinner Bipul Sharma, playing only his third game this season, struck twice in three balls to remove the Kings XI Punjab openers, before Moises Henriques’ 3 for 16 tightened the screws in the middle overs and left Miller, who walked in at No. 5, with too many to get. By the time Miller started teeing off in the 14th over, the required rate was already close to 15 an over.Sunrisers’ innings had suffered from similar dips but they never lasted more than a couple of overs. Warner and Dhawan blazed away to add 56 in the Powerplay, but as the spinners found some help, Warner let Henriques push on for the next six overs, while scoring 14 runs himself off 15 balls in that period.He stepped on the accelerator in the 13th over, smashing Axar Patel for a couple of sixes, the first one of which brought up his fifty. Fifty-eight runs came off five overs but just when Sunrisers looked set for 200, Warner mistimed a punch to midwicket. However, the following batsmen ensured the scored reached a challenging 185.Kings XI made a sprightly start, with M Vijay hitting a six and two fours off Trent Boult’s first over, but the innings went pear-shaped with the introduction of spin. Bipul removed both the openers, Boult edged out Glenn Maxwell with a rising delivery and Kings XI could only score 21 runs in the five overs after eighth.

ScorecardCan a Roses match be won in two and a half days? Yorkshire will be hoping so, after a successful 64 overs in which they look eight wickets, before Steven Croft held them at bay with a fighting unbeaten fifty. Play did not start until well after lunch on the second day of the Old Trafford Roses match following the heavy rain of the first day, despite a sunny morning, so sodden was the field. Even then, the umpires sought the approval of the two captains before agreeing that play should start, as the bowlers’ run-ups were not in good condition.Both teams came into this match straight off disastrous batting performances, but Lancashire took the positive option in deciding to bat on winning the toss. Almost immediately they lost the wicket of Iain Sutcliffe (3), who appeared quite nonplussed by a ball from the purposeful Matthew Hoggard that swung away slightly and removed his off stump. Stuart Law’s edged four through the slips to get off the mark did not calm any nerves, either, but he and Paul Horton dug in for a while and appeared to be building a solid stand.Then it all began to go pear-shaped. Darren Gough brought on his leg-spinner Adil Rashid to bowl the 14th over, within an hour of the start of play. It proved to be an enlightened move: Law on 18 was missed off a hard chance to slip, and then Horton (16) was beaten and trapped lbw on the back foot by a ball that went straight through. Shortly afterwards Law, with 37 to his name, steered a ball from Tim Bresnan to second slip. Lou Vincent, demoted from the opening position, slashed a ball over the slips for four, but this was his only scoring shot. He tried to cut a ball from Bresnan too close to him and was caught at the wicket.In the meantime, Faf du Plessis was looking better than anybody, and soon after tea impressed with a magnificent straight drive for four off the disappointing Rana Naved. Croft proved a good partner, especially strong on the pull. But, as so often happens with Lancashire, just as a major stand seemed to be brewing, du Plessis drove a ball from Rashid straight to short extra cover and departed for 38.It looked like a downward slide for Lancashire, as Luke Sutton (9) was caught down the leg side off Hoggard. Glenn Chapple got off the mark by hitting Rashid into the sightscreen for six, followed by a classic four through the covers, but Hoggard then comprehensively bowled him for 11. Dominic Cork, the day after he was told he wouldn’t be getting another contract, skied Rashid towards deepish mid-on, where Naved made up for his poor bowling by holding a fine catch, and Lancashire were 165 for 8.However, Croft found unexpected help from the Gary Keedy and reached his 50 off 106 balls, and was still there with 56 at the close while Keedy had 11. They had blunted the Yorkshire attack with more application than many of the top order and given their side hope again, especially in view of the current brittleness of the Yorkshire batting. But another dismal weather forecast looks likely to scupper everybody’s hopes.

A security delegation of the ICC has begun its inspection of grounds in Pakistan ahead of the Champions Trophy, to be held in September this year. The four-man delegation, consisting of two ICC officials and two from their security consultants, arrived in Karachi yesterday morning and then visited three stadiums today.Speaking to reporters at the National Bank of Pakistan stadium – which will host some practice matches – Campbell Jamieson, the ICC’s general manager-commercial, said that this was a routine visit, in line with protocol for all ICC events.”We will go to Lahore and Rawalpindi after this to review the security arrangements. This is part of normal ICC protocol. It happens at all our events,” Jamieson said. No questions were taken from journalists, Jamieson only adding that the delegation had enjoyed their time in the country so far.The team was accompanied by PCB officials Zakir Khan and Nadeem Akram and was due to meet the home secretary after the stadium visit. They then head off to Lahore in the evening to carry out further inspections tomorrow before going to Rawalpindi. Along the way, the team is expected to be briefed by various government and local security officials about arrangements for the tournament.The delegation’s findings will then be presented to the ICC for discussion at their next annual meeting on June 29th, at which a final decision will be made on whether or not to go ahead with the event in Pakistan.Though generally such inspections are routine procedures, this trip will be closely monitored because of recent upheaval in Pakistan. Last year was a particularly turbulent one, with a series of suicide bombings through the country, culminating with the assassination of former premier Benazir Bhutto in December. This year began in similar vein, but since general elections in February and the arrival of a new government, the violence has lessened considerably. It still wasn’t enough, however, to prevent Australia from postponing their trip for a full series in March-April.Before the Champions Trophy, however, Pakistan will also host the Asia Cup in June-July and it is thought that if that event goes off without a hitch, the chances of the Champions Trophy going ahead will also become brighter. The ICC has announced Sri Lanka as an alternate venue in case it is not deemed safe to host the tournament in Pakistan.

The ECB has announced a four-year extension to its existing television contract with BSkyB and Channel Five in a deal worth around £300 million (US$600 million).The current contract expires at the end of next summer, and the new agreement will keep all live home English cricket at Sky until the end of 2013. Channel Five retains the rights to show highlights shortly after the close of each day’s play.”We held extensive talks with all broadcasters and were determined to be as flexible as possible in terms of our packaging and scheduling to allow the maximum number of bids for cricket from all areas of the broadcast industry,” ECB chairman Giles Clarke said. “The ECB recognise and are grateful for Sky Sports’ loyalty to the sport – both at home and when the England team tour overseas.’It had been expected that BBC and Channel 4 might submit rival bids, but in the event neither showed interest. Channel 4 were aggrieved at losing out in 2005 and the company is in a less robust position that it was four years ago.The BBC’s decision to stay out of the process left Sky effectively unchallenged. When BSkyB was awarded the contract at the end of 2005, the ECB, with Clarke at the forefront of negotiations, was lambasted in many quarters for not keeping broadcasts on terrestrial television, but it is likely to get a much easier ride this time because of the lack of interest from mainstream broadcasters.Instead, Clarke trained his guns on the BBC for their lack of interest. “Now is the time for a real debate on the future of public sector sports broadcasting, which I know is under consideration and under review,” he said. “All these people interested in cricket buy TV licences, and surely they should have a right to expect that the public sector broadcasters mount bids for the nation’s summer sport, as they do in the case of one of them for 12 other sports?”An ECB spokesman suggested that the BBC’s lack of interest stemmed directly from their re-acquisition of the rights to Formula One motor racing, which requires a commitment of 16 weeks a year. “Just how many people play Formula One?” said Clarke. “If the BBC is to remain part of this it must answer to the millions of cricket fans in England and Wales how it prioritises its investment in sports rights.”The BBC, however, hit back with indignation at Clarke’s comments. “We’ve always said any bid for live Test cricket was subject to value for money and fitting into scheduling,” said a spokesman, “In our view neither of these criteria were met. We have consistently argued that not having cricket as a listed event puts it out of the reach of all terrestrial broadcasters. That’s the ECB’s choice and they are entitled to it, but it’s absurd to blame the BBC for this outcome.”At the weekend, Scyld Berry, the editor of Wisden, wrote in the Daily Telegraph: “Children in far more than half the households in this country will grow up without ever having seen [Andrew] Flintoff, or any other England cricketer, perform live. (And so uncool is it to watch highlights that fewer than a million watch those on [Channel 5]). How can any sport prosper when its role-models perform in purdah? No doubt the ECB will blame the BBC for not making a substantial bid. But the game’s authorities should negotiate the best bid, not the biggest.”The new Sky deal will include the Stanford quadrangular Twenty20 tournament in England as well as the EPL when it starts in 2010.At the same time Five have agreed a deal for a highlights package to be screened at 7.15-8pm. There will also be, for the first time, Welsh language television coverage of five matches involving Glamorgan on S4C with five matches plus the Welsh Village Cup.