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Ashleigh Gardner’s right index finger injury has been confirmed to be a fracture, and she has been ruled out of the ongoing T20I series between New Zealand and Australia as a result. “She will have further scans and seek specialist advice on return to Sydney,” a Cricket Australia statement on Saturday said.Ellyse Perry will stand in as deputy to captain Tahlia McGrath in Gardner’s absence, while Charli Knott, the 22-year-old uncapped batting allrounder from Queensland, has been brought into the squad as a replacement for the two remaining matches in the series. The second game will be played on Sunday and the last one on Wednesday.Australia lead the series 1-0 after winning the first game in Auckland on Friday, and they pulled off the comprehensive eight-wicket win, with 39 balls in hand chasing 138 for victory, with just 2.2 overs of bowling from star allrounder Gardner.Bowling the 17th over of the New Zealand innings – her third – after New Zealand had opted to bat, Gardner sent in a flighted delivery to Sophie Devine, who went down the track and hit the ball back hard towards Gardner. Gardner got both her hands on the ball attempting the catch, but spilled it and it was immediately clear that she had hurt herself. The physio was out, and Gardner went off the field soon after.The update after the New Zealand innings was that Gardner had been taken for scans and wouldn’t bat in Australia’s chase. That wasn’t required anyway, as Beth Mooney (75 not out in 42 balls) and Georgia Voll (50 in 31) took care of the runs Australia required.

Pakistan have, by far, the longer and more varied pace-bowling tradition. But don’t count out the Bangladesh bowlers on Thursday. It is not only the Bangladesh camp that is saying this. Pakistan’s white-ball coach Aaqib Javed, who has worked with Bangladesh quicks in the past, believes so too.Bangladesh have four big options. The tallest, fastest and youngest is Nahid Rana. They also have the experienced Taskin Ahmed, who has rejuvenated his game over the past several years. Mustafizur Rahman brings the left-arm angle and variety. And Tanzim Hasan has control and hustle. Javed is certainly not taking Bangladesh’s quicks lightly. They had already been good in Rawalpindi last year, though in a Test match. Taskin and Nahid had collectively taken nine wickets in a Bangladesh win.”I watched Bangladesh fast bowlers bowling against Pakistan here – and the way they bowled in West Indies – and I think they have very skilful fast bowlers,” Javed said. “Especially Nahid Rana. He’s got height, and he’s got pace. Taskin is a very skilful bowler. Another one is Mustafiz, who is very experienced, and he’s got all the varieties. I’m glad even the Bangladeshi fast bowlers are coming good.”Related

• Pakistan and Bangladesh look – or hope – to sign off on a positive note

• Aaqib Javed's post mortem: Lack of experience hurt Pakistan

This is likely the best seam-bowling unit Bangladesh have ever brought to a tournament, though their batters have scored too few runs to really give them a chance of imposing themselves. Perhaps, rain allowing, that can change on Thursday.In fact, given Jasprit Bumrah is almost inarguably the best white-ball bowler in the world (though he is not playing this tournament), and Sri Lanka also has a pace battery that runs deeper than ever (though they are not playing in this tournament), this is the closest thing to a fast-bowling golden age South Asia has ever had.Bangladesh assistant coach Mohammad Salahuddin agreed that Bangladesh’s seam stocks were strong. Some of this is down to the country having switched to the Dukes ball in their first-class cricket over the last few seasons. The Dukes ball has a prouder seam that tends to last longer through the innings, which encourages fast bowling. Salahuddin was excited about the prospect of more Bangladesh quicks coming through the system into international cricket.”We now have plenty of fast bowlers in Bangladesh who can perform at the international level,” he said. “We have youngsters coming up too. It is a good sign that our fast bowlers can dominate teams in these flat tracks. I feel Taskin, Rana and Mustafiz is our best bowling attack. They are learning, but, hopefully, one day they will dominate world cricket.”Though Bangladesh, like Pakistan, have lost both matches so far and are out of the Champions Trophy, Salahuddin said there was plenty to be gained from the match.”It is definitely a dead rubber since there’s no consequence for either team. But we are here to play a tournament, and this is our last match, so we want to see the players do well,” he said. “We have plenty of room for improvement, so we don’t want to repeat the mistakes from the previous matches. I think every match is important for the players. It might be a turning point for a particular player or even our team. This might be the end of this tournament, but the players have a future ahead of them.”

Ash Gardner shone with bat, ball and in the field as Australia chased down a modest target to seize the first points of their Ashes battle with England.Alyssa Healy, Australia’s captain, sealed her full comeback from injury with an important 70 runs off 78 balls after Australia had bundled their opponents out for 204 inside 44 overs at North Sydney Oval.Gardner, whose three wickets were pivotal in the downfall of an England batting line-up which was also culpable amid a rash of soft dismissals, saw Australia home by four wickets with her unbeaten 42, having also taken two catches.Related

• Two teams with points to prove provides ingredients for Ashes epic

• Healy cleared to resume keeping but tight schedule could be a challenge

• Knight: 'Scarred' Australia will come out 'really hard'

Healy had been battling a knee injury since mid-November which ruled her out of her home series against India and forced her to play as a batter only in New Zealand last month while her return to wicketkeeping duties could only be confirmed on the eve of this match.On Sunday, she picked the gaps to perfection as she racked up 11 fours while taking her team within 41 runs of victory.Lauren Bell should have had Garder out for 31 in what would have been an interesting twist with Australia still needing 22 runs but Sophie Ecclestone failed to control her catch as she tumbled at mid-off.Gardner and fellow spinner Alana King then combined to good effect, as they had done with the ball, to see their side over the line before 6236 fans, a record attendance for a women’s international at North Sydney Oval.Lauren Filer overcame her slippery introduction to this ground Thursday’s washed-out warm-up against the Governor General’s XI where she repeatedly lost her footing in delivery to claim two wickets.She set off England’s defence with promise when she removed Phoebe Litchfield with her fifth delivery – the 11th of the innings – an excellent wobble-seam ball that nipped across the left-hander, brushing the outside edge as Amy Jones gathered behind the stumps.Lauren Filer struck early to remove Phoebe Litchfield•Getty Images

Healy overturned an lbw decision off Bell on height and England torched a review for caught behind off Ellyse Perry with replays showing the Filer’s delivery struck the thigh pad with no bat or glove anywhere near. Filer would have had her second had Alice Capsey not dropped a sitter at fine leg off Perry.The Australian duo amped things up in a 19-run over from Filer, Perry’s flick evading Capsey to find the rope at fine leg followed by three fours to Healy, an inside edge just missing leg stump before two more convincing shots through point and cover. But England successfully reviewed to remove Perry, plumb lbw to Bell, and Australia were 43 for 2.Ecclestone entered the attack in the 15th over and she broke a 61-run stand between Healy and Beth Mooney in her next. Having launched Ecclestone for six over deep midwicket, Mooney tried the same next ball but didn’t connect so well as the spinner dragged her length back and found the safe hands of Danni Wyatt-Hodge at stationed just inside the boundary.Wyatt-Hodge executed another calm catch in the deep from Annabel Sutherland’s top-edged pull off Filer but that brought Garder to the crease and she asserted herself with a big six down the ground off Ecclestone.Gardner and Healy put on 40 runs for the fifth wicket before Healy advanced on a fuller ball from offspinner Charlie Dean and was bowled.Maia Bouchier took an excellent diving catch at point to remove Tahlia McGrath before Gardner made the most of her reprieve and King hit the wining runs with a four down the ground.Earlier, Gardner and King shared five wickets between them in the face of a below-par batting performance by England, backed up by two wickets apiece for Sutherland and Kim Garth.Alyssa Healy brought up her half-century in 53 balls•Getty Images

Heather Knight top-scored for England with 39, followed by Wyatt-Hodge with a laboured 38 from 52 balls after their side had made a nervy start.Bouchier chopped the third ball of the match onto her stumps only to be saved when it was discovered that Megan Schutt had overstepped by the barest of margins while Tammy Beaumont wafted dangerously at one outside off stump in the third over.Bouchier broke a run of 16 dot balls between the opening pair when she lofted Garth over midwicket for four but Garth responded by pushing one through from back of a length to draw an outside edge which Healy collected behind the stumps.Knight scored her fourth boundary in 20 balls faced driving Sutherland’s yorker outside off deftly through point and Beaumont broke the shackles of a slow start when she had eight off 22 balls, her lofted drive off Garth finding the boundary. The England pair brought up a 50-run partnership for the second wicket but, two balls later Beaumont chipped Sutherland straight to Garth at mid-on to fall for 13 from 31 balls.That brought Nat Sciver-Brunt to the crease and she slog-swept King for six off the seventh ball she faced. But Gardner claimed the crucial wickets of Knight and Sciver-Brunt in consecutive overs – both holing out to Perry at deep midwicket.Perry couldn’t hold on when she had to come rocketing in from the deep square leg boundary and dive forward just to get hands to Amy Jones’s pull with just one run to her name.Jones launched Sutherland for six over deep midwicket and looked in good touch with back-to-back fours off Garth, who conceded 18 runs all up in the 28th over. But no sooner had Jones raised the fifty stand with Wyatt-Hodge by driving King through mid on and she spooned the very next delivery back to the bowler to fall for a 30-ball 31.Capsey never got going and while Australia had no recourse when King struck Dean, on nought, convincingly on the pad with the DRS down, the system was back up and running and couldn’t save Dean when King hit her directly in front for 1.When Wyatt-Hodge picked out Brown at long leg off Sutherland, it fell to the tailenders to salvage a defendable total. Ecclestone made the most of being put down by Healy when she was yet to score, with two boundaries in her 17-ball 16 and Filer opened her tally with consecutive boundaries off Sutherland.But Ecclestone followed England’s blueprint for easy wickets when she sent a leading edge off Darcie Brown straight to Gardner, who then claimed her 100th ODI wicket when she bowled Bell to end England’s innings.

Shivam Dube and Ramandeep Singh have been added to India’s T20I squad for the series against England in place of Nitish Kumar Reddy and Rinku Singh. Reddy is out of the five-match series with a side strain, while Rinku experienced lower-back spasms while fielding during the first T20I against England and is out for at least the second and third matches.*With the second game set to be played later today in Chennai, Dube and Ramandeep will be available from the third T20I onwards.Reddy picked up his injury during a training session ahead of the second T20I. He will head to the BCCI’s Centre of Excellence – the newly opened National Cricket Academy premises on the outskirts of Bengaluru – for rehabilitation.Dube’s last outing for India was in August 2024, during an ODI series in Sri Lanka. He then missed India’s home T20I series against Bangladesh with a back injury. Dube returned to cricket with the Syed Mushtaq Ali Trophy, where he scored 151 runs in five innings at a strike rate of 179.76, and took three wickets at an economy of 9.31.In all, he has played 33 T20Is for India, for 448 runs at a strike rate of 134.93 with the bat, and 11 wickets with the ball. He was part of India’s T20 World Cup-winning squad in the West Indies and USA last year.Ramandeep has played just the two T20Is for India, both in South Africa last November. In the recent Vijay Hazare Trophy, the 50-over tournament, he totalled 126 runs from six innings for Punjab, mostly providing quick runs for a strike rate of 134.04.Dube’s most recent outing at the competitive level was Mumbai’s Ranji Trophy match against Jammu and Kashmir, which ended on Saturday afternoon. He was out without scoring in both innings, and picked up one wicket in the match as Mumbai lost by five wickets. Ramandeep was also involved in the just-concluded Ranji round, also minimally, scoring 16 and a duck in Punjab’s big loss to Karnataka.India won the first T20I against England, in Kolkata, by seven wickets with all of 43 balls remaining. Reddy didn’t have much to do in the game: he took two catches, but did not get to bowl or bat as India romped home. Rinku, too, did not get to bat with the top order polishing off the chase of 133.

India’s updated T20I squad

Suryakumar Yadav (capt), Axar Patel (vice-capt), Sanju Samson (wk), Abhishek Sharma, Tilak Varma, Hardik Pandya, Harshit Rana, Arshdeep Singh, Mohammad Shami, Varun Chakaravarthy, Ravi Bishnoi, Washington Sundar, Dhruv Jurel (wk), Shivam Dube, Ramandeep Singh.*

Bangladesh posted their first Test win in the West Indies in 15 years when they beat the hosts by 101 runs in Jamaica. It was a remarkable comeback by the visitors after their big defeat in the first Test in Antigua, with the series finishing 1-1. It was cathartic for a side that lost their last five Tests so emphatically, as the likes of Taijul Islam, Jaker Ali and Nahid Rana scripted their third away win in 2024 – their most in a calendar year.

Seales, Sinclair fined for Code of Conduct breaches

Jayden Seales and Kevin Sinclair have been fined 25% and 15% of their match fees respectively, for ICC Code of Conduct breaches in Kingston. Seales also got one demerit point, which will remain on his record for 24 months.
Seales was guilty of making “aggressive gestures” towards the Bangladesh dressing room after picking up a wicket, while “ignored warnings from the on-field umpires and continued using aggressive language at the visiting players”, the ICC website said.
Both players admitted to their offences and accepted the sanctions.

Left-arm spinner Taijul took 5 for 50 in the fourth innings to help bowl out West Indies for 185. It was his 15th five-wicket haul, fourth abroad and a first in the Caribbean after 10 years. Taskin Ahmed, Hasan Mahmud and Rana took the other five wickets.Rana took his maiden Test five-wicket haul in the second innings, helping bowl West Indies out for 146.Bangladesh had made only 164 in their first innings, but their revival in the second innings was a notable one too. This was courtesy Jaker, who cracked five sixes and eight fours in a counter-attacking 91. Jaker scored 62 out of Bangladesh’s 75 runs in the morning session of the fourth day.Related

• Simmons praises Bangladesh's 'positive attitude' in bouncing back from first Test defeat

• Mehidy to lead Bangladesh in West Indies ODIs, Shakib continues to miss out

• Greaves, Jangoo called up for West Indies' ODIs against Bangladesh

West Indies will feel they gave away a great start in the Test match when Jayden Seales returned remarkable figures of 5 for 4 from 15.5 overs. A fired up Seales however leaked runs in the third innings as Bangladesh shifted the momentum in a feisty third afternoon.On the fourth morning, Jaker held Bangladesh’s key to grow their lead from 211. It didn’t start well for him, as Alzarri Joseph pinged him on the top of his helmet. The Bangladesh physio Bayezid Islam Khan took a bit of time to clear Jaker, with the BCB wary of his history of concussions.The situation compounded when Bangladesh lost back to back wickets.Jaker Ali posted his Test best score of 91•Athelstan Bellamy

Taijul edged a short ball on 14, after he and Jaker added 34 runs for the sixth wicket. Mominul Haque completed his second Test pair when he fell off his fourth ball. He looked visibly ill as he walked off, with Bangladesh’s tail now exposed.With his back to the wall, Jaker went after the West Indies attack. He hooked Kemar Roach over wicketkeeper Joshua Da Silva for a boundary. Jaker then timed a pull shot off Alzarri for his first six, which took him to his third consecutive fifty in his first three Tests. He is only the second Bangladesh player with the feat after Zakir Hasan.Jaker got on a roll in the next two balls. He flayed at a short ball to get a four over the slips, and then followed it up with a hooked six. Jaker smashed Roach over wide long-on in the next over, but he fought back with two more wickets. Roach removed Mahmud and Taskin in consecutive overs.Jaker however had one more burst of boundaries in him. He smashed Shamar Joseph for two fours in an over, both pull shots, before launching Roach for his fourth six, straight down the ground. His fifth six was off Shamar, hoicked over midwicket, before falling to a catch in the deep later in the over.Kavem Hodge was the only West Indies batter to cross fifty in the match•Athelstan Bellamy

Taijul got to work as early as the fifth over when he had Mikyle Louis in a tangle. Attempting to drive the ball, Louis edged the ball on to his front foot, with Shahadat Hossain claiming a diving catch at forward short leg.Sensing the need to grab the momentum, Brathwaite went after the Bangladesh bowling. He had already picked up a boundary with a square-cut, but after the lunch break, he drove Mahmud through the covers. He launched Taijul over wide long-on for a six, but Keacy Carty couldn’t quite get the bowlers away at the other end.Taskin had Carty caught behind for 14, after a build-up of dot balls, before Taijul accounted for the big one of Brathwaite. He troubled the West Indies captain a few times, before getting one to turn and pop on the shoulder of Brathwaite’s bat. Mahmudul Hasan Joy ran to his right from slip, to complete a tumbling catch. Taijul then got one to pitch on a rough patch and spin back through Alick Athanaze’s huge gap between bat and pad. Athanaze, who went for an expansive drive, looked confused about his approach in his six-ball stay.All this time, Hodge kept his shape, looking sharp as he picked up regular boundaries. He slapped Rana and cut Taskin in consecutive overs. He struck Mehidy for two fours in an over, before going inside out against Taijul before tea.West Indies started the third session on a happy note. Hodge got to his fifty off the first ball after the interval, but he fell shortly afterwards too. Hodge played back to a Taijul delivery that kept very low, trapping him lbw. Keshav Maharaj and Shoaib Bashir have also got him out in similar fashion before.Taskin then cleaned up Justin Greaves with one that kept a little low too, but the batter didn’t make an effort to get low enough to meet the ball. Joshua Da Silva’s miserable series ended when Taijul had him lbw, again another West Indies batter falling lbw to a ball that they could have played off the front foot.When Mehidy brought around Mahmud for a second spell, he made an instant impact. He removed Alzarri and Roach to bring Bangladesh to the brink. Then came the big moment when Rana, who changed the momentum of the game with his first-innings five-for, removed Shamar with a yorker to seal the hard-fought win.

Former PCB chairman Ramiz Raja believes the hasty departure of Gary Kirsten could impact Pakistan’s ability to attract high-profile international coaching candidates in the future.Pakistan cricket descended into familiar tumult when Kirsten on Monday resigned as the head coach of Pakistan’s ODI and T20I sides. He was six months into a two-year contract and departed on the eve of Pakistan’s white-ball tour of Australia.Kirsten, who was at the helm of India’s triumph at the 2011 World Cup, leaves his role without having coached Pakistan in a single ODI.Even by PCB standards, the public struggles have been messy and threaten to deter prospective international coaches. Prominent candidates Shane Watson and Darren Sammy had previously been sounded out earlier this year before turning down offers to coach the national team.”When you search for international coaches, with the kind of backlash that you will probably get from Gary Kirsten’s resignation…it’s not going to be an easy, straightforward job for Pakistan to hire international talent,” Ramiz told reporters in a media interaction ahead of the Australia tour.”What you need to do is to make sure that once you involve and engage somebody, you’ve got to give them clarity regarding the role.”I don’t know whether that clarity was given to Gary Kirsten or how he wanted to get Pakistan into this one-day phase, what he wanted to achieve. I’m not privy to that.”It’s not great news [Kirsten’s departure] because Pakistan needed an experienced hand. From a distance, it doesn’t look great just before a tour.”A rift had developed between Kirsten and Jason Gillespie, Pakistan’s newly-minted Test coach, and the PCB since the board decided to strip them of selection powers after Pakistan’s first Test defeat against England.ESPNcricinfo understands that Gillespie, who will fill the shoes of Kirsten on the tour of Australia, has also been left thoroughly unimpressed by the recent changes. A new selection panel – a third in three months – was formed and, in an unusual development, included umpire Aleem Dar.”I don’t know about an umpire being a selector, so the jury is still out,” Ramiz said. “I still believe there’s a strong role for a leader in cricket. You can’t run cricket from the sidelines. The leader has to be made accountable and the only way to make him accountable is to give him some powers.”Pakistan will arrive in Australia with not only a fresh white-ball coach in Gillespie, but also with Mohammad Rizwan taking the captaincy reins following Babar Azam’s recent resignation.It looms as a tough initiation for Rizwan, who will lead a relatively inexperienced squad for a trio of ODIs and T20Is against Australia.”He’s got his chance and what he needs to do is to stamp his authority and maybe get the players that he wants,” Ramiz said of Rizwan. “Right now, there’s a little bit of hodgepodge where the selection committee is nominating the playing XI. I’m not too sure it happens anywhere else in the world.”I just hope Rizwan gets his playing XI that he feels comfortable with.”Having been widely lambasted for antagonising Pakistan Test captain Shan Masood during a television interview following the England series, Ramiz called for “quiet and calm” within Pakistan cricket.”I think it’s important for all the stakeholders to understand the value of a non controversial start to what appears to be an extremely heavyweight calendar,” he said.”I just hope things are on the mend. I think Pakistan clearly were on a desperate mode against England, and thankfully the series was won. I just hope they carry this momentum forward even though it’s a different format.”But it’s [Pakistan cricket] a difficult terrain, it’s a difficult area to govern because things happen very quickly.”

A century for Usman Khan and five wickets by Mohammad Hasnain inspired Panthers to their first win of the Champions One-Day Cup, beating Dolphins by 50 runs. A team batting effort that also saw quickfire half-centuries from Haider Ali and Shadab Khan helped them to 328, the third consecutive time in this competition the first innings saw a score in excess of 325. Qasim Akram’s 65 and a half-century from Sahibzada Farhan led Dolphins to the most spirited attempt at a chase in this competition, but Hasnain ripping through the middle order meant they always looked a bit shy of the target.Batting conditions have been easier in the first innings in Faisalabad thus far, and after being stung looking to chase in the opening game, Shadab had no hesitation batting first this time. His side wobbled in the early stages when Mir Hamza prised out both openers for single figures, but Usman and Haider’s 103-run fifth-wicket partnership steered the ship back on course towards the huge first-innings total that has become characteristic of this season. Once again, the bowlers were unable to stem the flow of runs in the death overs, and though legspinner Usman Qadir did take three wickets in the final over, much of the damage had already been done.Dolphins started brightly with a 68-run stand between openers Mohammad Hurraira and Farhan, but the legspin of Usama Mir and Shadab found a way of breaking through. Mir coaxed edges out of Farhan and Mohammad Akhlaq, and Shadab removed Hurraira, who had sped along with three fours and as many sixes in a 30-ball 39.It was the Hasnain show thereafter. With his trademark high pace, he kept chipping away at the middle order, a couple of sixes off the final two balls of his spell souring figures that were far more impressive than the 5 for 74 may register on the scorecard. It wasn’t until he cleaned up Qasim and Faheem Ashraf in the 42nd and 44th overs that the game irrevocably swung his side’s way, with the five-for he registered just reward for his efforts.

Pakistan have called up legspinner Abrar Ahmed to the squad ahead of the second Test against Bangladesh in Rawalpindi. Amidst a slew of other call-ups, Aamer Jamal, who the PCB had declared was ruled out of the series, will also join the Pakistan camp, his participation “subject to fitness clearance”. Shaheen Shah Afridi, who left the side after the first Test following the birth of his son, also rejoins, while top-order batter Kamran Ghulam also links up with Shan Masood’s side.Abrar was released from the squad alongside Ghulam after Pakistan contentiously decided against playing a spinner in the first Test. While the Pakistan team management have largely stood by that decision, Bangladesh demonstrated spin’s value even on an ostensibly lifeless surface, with Shakib Al Hasan and Mehidy Hasan Miraz taking seven of Pakistan’s nine wickets on the final day to bundle them out and secure a famous victory. It was a decision the PCB chairman Mohsin Naqvi called “possibly a mistake”, but Masood and assistant coach Azhar Mahmood maintained had been made after looking at conditions.Related

• Masood: Pakistan made a 'lot of mistakes' over the last four days

• PCB chairman questions depth of Pakistan's talent pool

• The champion cricketer is back – whither Shakib the Bangladesh hero?

• Has the Pakistan cricket system begun to creak?

In similar conditions on the same ground, though, Abar’s involvement now looks significantly likelier. He took four wickets in the A game against Bangladesh A, and is currently Pakistan’s frontline red-ball spinner with no serious competition. Pakistan have expressed concern including a spinner potentially lengthens their tail or adds workload for a three-pronged pace attack.Ghulam has now been on the fringes of the Pakistan red-ball side for several years and scored an unbeaten 100 in Darwin with Pakistan A last month, and 20* and 34 in the two A games against Bangladesh in Islamabad. With Pakistan’s top order struggling, he comes into the frame as a potential option.While Jamal has been recalled, and his value towards balancing the side is cruicial, his inclusion is considered exceedingly unlikely. Pakistan are not expected to rush him back from an injury they had earlier judged would rule him out of the series.The second Test starts on August 30, with Bangladesh eyeing a first series win against Pakistan.Pakistan squad: Shan Masood (capt), Saud Shakeel, Aamir Jamal (subject to fitness), Abrar Ahmed, Abdullah Shafique, Babar Azam, Kamran Ghulam, Khurram Shahzad, Mir Hamza, Mohammad Ali, Mohammad Huraira, Mohammad Rizwan (wk), Naseem Shah, Saim Ayub, Salman Ali Agha, Sarfaraz Ahmed (wk) and Shaheen Shah Afridi

Yorkshire enjoyed the better of a hard-fought opening day of their Vitality County Championship promotion battle with Division Two leaders Sussex at Scarborough, though potentially not by much.Sussex came into this 10th-round Division Two affair top of the table with six wins and Yorkshire third with two. The gap between the two sides was 27 points, and both have high hopes of playing top-flight cricket next season.Sussex, invited to bat in challenging conditions, battled hard to reach close at 187 for nine from 72 overs, including half-centuries for left-handers Daniel Hughes and Tom Alsop, who top-scored with 84 not out off 184 balls.They had to recover from 14 for 2 during the early stages of the afternoon after rain had limited the morning session to only four overs. Matthew Revis’s seam accounted for three wickets.Although the day was shortened by 24 overs due to rain at the start and bad light at the end, the play was intriguing, and it would be absolutely no surprise if Sussex’s total turns out to be a competitive one.They batted under grey skies and on a pitch showing signs of uneven bounce.Hughes, who made 53, and Alsop, the latter dropped in the slips on nine during the afternoon, both drove nicely.Australian overseas opener Hughes has enjoyed an excellent start to life with the South Coast county during the second half of the summer, mainly in the Vitality Blast. And he has just signed on to return for the majority of 2025.He drove the first ball of the match, from Ben Coad, through the covers after Jonny Tattersall had elected to bowl.Another memorable one came almost arrow straight off George Hill midway through the afternoon to move him into the forties. But, largely, he was forced to battle hard.Unfortunately, having done the hard work and got set – he reached his fifty off 85 balls – he drove Coad to cover two balls later, falling to leave Sussex at 75 for 3 in the 30th over.Either side of the morning rain, from 11.20pm to 1.10pm, including lunch, Coad had trapped Tom Haines lbw with a full ball with the last delivery of the contest’s opening over before Tom Clark was caught at point having aimed a lazy drive at Thompson.Hughes and Alsop then shared 61 for the third wicket to ease Sussex nerves.Like Hughes, Alsop has this week committed his future to the South Coast county, signing a long-term contract.He was also strong on the drive but was far more obdurate than Hughes, seemingly determined to make the most of his life on nine when Fin Bean shelled a head-high chance at third slip off the bowling of Matthew Revis.After the Hughes dismissal, Thompson trapped James Coles lbw – 85 for 4 in the 36th over.Alsop and captain John Simpson shared 40 into the evening, but the latter pulled George Hill’s seam to midwicket. When Fynn Hudson-Prentice edged Revis to first slip shortly afterwards, Sussex were 134 for six in the 55th.Shortly afterwards, Alsop reached his half-century off 142 balls.Jack Carson and Indian seamer Jaydev Unadkat then offered catches to third and fourth slip as they drove at Revis. Sandwiched in between, Ollie Robinson edged Dan Moriarty’s left-arm spin to slip as the score slipped to 172 for 9 in the 69th over.Jonny Bairstow took the wicketkeeping gloves for Yorkshire in his first county appearance of the season and was neat and tidy, while Sussex’s new ball seamer Robinson was only called upon late on with the bat and made two.Both men are hoping to rekindle their England Test careers.Shortly before bad light was called at 6.15pm, the excellent Alsop hit two boundaries – one reverse swept and the other swept – off Moriarty as he ran out of partners.

Alex Lees and Colin Ackermann scored unbeaten half-centuries to take Durham to an eight-wicket victory over Derbyshire Falcons in the Vitality Blast match at Derby.Lees made 72 off 60 balls and Ackermann 54 from 30 with the pair sharing an unbroken stand of 88 as Durham ended on 159 for 2 to claim the remaining quarter-final place in the North Group.Durham’s victory was set up by excellent bowling from Nathan Sowter, Ben Raine and Callum Parkinson, who took two wickets each to restrict Falcons to 155 for 8.Most of the Falcons got a start on a slow pitch but no one could go on with Wayne Madsen and Alex Thomson top scoring with 22.The home side fought hard to defend a modest total but Lees and Ackermann showed experience and nous to take Durham into the knock-out stages.Falcons had motored to 64 in the powerplay with Paul Coughlin leaking 33 from two overs but their adventure came at the cost of three wickets.Luis Reece went in the first over, bowled stepping across to Parkinson before David Lloyd cut Coughlin for four and six.Aneurin Donald drove Parkinson over the long off boundary but then top edged a sweep to backward square.Coughlin was cut over third man for six by Madsen but responded by having Lloyd caught behind for 20.Madsen made a brilliant century against Durham in the Blast two years ago so they were relieved when he mistimed a drive at Sowter and holed out to long off to leave the Falcons 65 for 4.Coughlin returned to have Brooke Guest caught behind and his next ball saw Ross Whiteley edge to slip where Ashton Turner spilled the chance.Samit Patel cut Matthew Potts over third man for six but Sowter was tying the Falcons down and he struck again when he trapped Patel lbw for 20.When Whiteley edged a drive at Raine, Falcons were 110 for 7 but Thomson pulled Coughlin for six before Mohammad Amir smashed Parkinson into the front of the media centre.Raine bowled Amir as he and Potts conceded only 15 from the last three overs to leave Durham chasing 156.Lees drilled Daryn Dupavillon for two fours but Amir was giving nothing away, conceding only five from his first two overs before taking a smart catch at short third off Pat Brown to remove Graham Clark.Lees pulled and drove Amir for two fours to take Durham to 45 for 1 at the end of the powerplay but they were being made to work hard by some disciplined bowling.Although David Bedingham pulled Thomson for six, he dragged the next ball to mid-wicket and after 10 overs, Durham were 75 for 2, needing another 81.Ackermann eased the pressure with two big sixes over midwicket off Thomson in the 13th over and drove Reece for another off the last ball of the 15th.Patel conceded only four off his final over but Lees and Ackermann took no risks to see Durham home with seven balls to spare.