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In September, Aaron Finch and Shaun Marsh smashed the Australian record for the all-time highest opening partnership in a one-day international. Finch’s maiden ODI century was a key factor. Four months later, Finch’s second one-day hundred has now put a serious dent in Marsh’s hopes of getting back in the side.Finch’s 148 in that match will always occupy a special place for him as his first hundred for his country in the 50-over format. But his 121 in Melbourne on Sunday evening, against sterner opposition, and in front of nearly 40,000 fans, will remain special for Finch for another reason. He became the first Victorian to score an ODI century at the MCG.”I didn’t know that until after the game,” Finch said. “It’s a very nice feeling. It’s a phenomenal place to play cricket, the atmosphere, the ground, everything is ideal for cricket. It’s a place that I’ve loved playing over the years for Victoria and when you get accolades like that it’s nice. I thought that Deano [Jones] definitely would have got one before me but he must have missed out a couple of times.”The closest Jones ever came to achieving the feat was his 93 against England in 1986-87, although he was also left not out in the 80s on two other occasions. As a young boy growing up in Colac, in Victoria’s south-west, Finch would have seen the back end of Jones’ international career while dreaming of emulating, let alone surpassing, his feats.Finch’s 121 against England was far from a chanceless innings – he was dropped on 8 and continued to ride his luck throughout – but it has given him confidence that a place at the top of the ODI order can be his for the long term. The home World Cup is just over a year away and the Finch-David Warner opening combination may well be the one Australia carry in to that tournament.”Marshy has been in good form in the Big Bash and he was in England before he got injured again,” Finch said. “It’s always nice to do well early in a series and keep the pressure on and hopefully keep my spot for a couple more games.”I think [the World Cup] is a little bit on everyone’s mind. It’s important to start a series really well. As a batsman, it gives you a lot of confidence going through the series and it’s not an easy game when you’re chasing your tail and chasing runs and trying to grind them out towards the end of the series.”It’s important to get them early and then you can play on the back of that with confidence and really try and turn it into an outstanding series personally and for the team and really try and cement your spot. I don’t [think] there’s a hell of a lot of one-day cricket to be played before the World Cup in 2015, so I think it’s really important to get runs and stay in the side. It’s going to be hard with the quality of players lined up to take your spot, it’s exceptional, so to keep them at bay for a little while longer is a good feeling.”For now, Finch is doing just what he needs to – scoring big runs when he gets the chance in the national side. Since the end of the Ashes in England, he has made 780 runs at 55.71 in all formats for Australia. Nobody has a better average than Finch in that time and only George Bailey and Shane Watson, who are also part of the Test side, have scored more runs.Finch celebrated his hundred in the middle of the MCG with a high five from his captain and batting partner Michael Clarke, as they ran through for a couple of runs, followed by a hug and a lengthy acknowledgement of the crowd’s standing ovation. Although Finch fell with 33 runs still required for the victory, his effort was easily sufficient to earn his third Man of the Match award for Australia from 28 one-day and T20 appearances.”With the hug, it was a very big relief to get the hundred,” Finch said. “In front of my home crowd, it was very special. I was pretty keen to get on with the game and continue on, but he [Clarke] made sure I soaked it up and really appreciated the moment. He just said enjoy it, soak it up, keep going, let’s keep playing well. Make sure you’re not out at the end. So I let the captain down a little bit there.”Finch and James Pattinson, who did not play the first ODI, will now be released from the squad to play for the Melbourne Renegades against the Sydney Thunder on Tuesday, before rejoining the group ahead of the second ODI in Brisbane. Shane Watson will be rested from that Brisbane match on Friday as Australia continue to manage the workload of their Test and ODI players, but Mitchell Johnson will be back after being given the Melbourne match off.

Graeme Swann would probably like Alex Doolan, for nobody could accuse Doolan of being up his own backside. The former Tasmania coach Tim Coyle has always believed in him. So has Michael di Venuto, once the state’s batting mentor and now part of the national setup. But it wasn’t until Doolan was told by Ricky Ponting that he was good enough to play for Australia that he really believed in himself.Like Ponting, Doolan is a classy No.3 from Launceston. Like Ponting, cricket runs in Doolan’s family; Ponting’s uncle Greg Campbell played four Tests, Doolan’s father Bruce was a wicketkeeper-batsman for Tasmania. Like Ponting, Doolan is a cricket bat nerd, constantly picking up and inspecting the bats of his team-mates in the change rooms. There the comparisons must end, for, at 28, Doolan has only six first-class hundreds and an average of 37.92.But the No.3 Test position filled by Ponting for a decade could be occupied later this week at the SCG by Doolan, after he was named in Australia’s 14-man squad for the Ashes finale. It was last summer when Ponting spent much of the season playing for Tasmania that Doolan really started to develop, and two century partnerships with Ponting were high points in his season, along with his unbeaten 161 for Australia A against the touring South Africans.”He led by example. He didn’t necessarily tell me how I had to go about it,” Doolan said of Ponting after being called up for the Sydney Test. “He just tried to instill the belief in me and made sure I believed I was a good player and that I could do it and not be satisfied with anything I’d done. If you got a hundred, to make sure the next time you batted you were looking to get a hundred again.”There’s a difference between belonging and wanting to dominate and contribute every game. I’ve probably felt I belonged at the level for a while but probably had been happy just belonging and not wanting to be one of the best players in the competition. That’s one of the differences for me, that I actually, after having chats with Ricky, wanted to play for Australia.”It hadn’t really been a goal or an ambition of mine … an ambition it was, but I hadn’t set goals in place to play for Australia. And that’s the difference, once he spoke to me and told me he thought I was good enough to do it, that’s what I wanted to do.”Doolan finished the summer with 876 first-class runs at 51.52 and was mentioned by national selector John Inverarity as one of four players considered to replace the newly retired Ponting for the home series against Sri Lanka, along with Phillip Hughes, Rob Quiney and Usman Khawaja. The role went to Hughes, and Khawaja has since then had opportunities and failed to grasp them, and now it could be Doolan’s turn.”He’s a fine young batsman Alex Doolan who over the last year and a half has really started to believe that he is a good player,” di Venuto, who has seen plenty of Doolan as Tasmania’s batting coach and now the national batting coach, said. “He benefitted greatly last year from having Ricky Ponting around at Tasmania quite a bit and learnt a lot from just being up the other end from him.”He was involved in quite a few partnerships with Ricky throughout the year. He actually matched it with him a few times and that’s where he really got his belief that he is actually a very good player. He has had another good start to the season with Tasmania. He scored a very impressive hundred in a run chase against NSW. Michael Clarke was playing in that game and he said it was an outstanding innings. He deserves his spot.”However, Doolan’s overall output has been down this year compared to last summer, and he has 432 first-class runs this season at 38.36. He sits 17th on the Sheffield Shield run tally this summer, well behind Hughes, who must have been a strong contender to come in for the Sydney Test if Shane Watson’s groin problem rules him out.One of Doolan’s greatest challenges has been to ensure the Twenty20 format does not affect his red-ball form; a fortnight ago he conceded that had been the case last summer when he played for the Melbourne Renegades. Doolan said he would play for the Renegades against the Brisbane Heat in Melbourne on Monday night before joining the Test squad in Sydney, and he hoped he would be able to adjust back to long-form cricket.”You’ve got to keep yourself prepared and ready, as much as you can,” Doolan said. “It’s a long [Ashes] series and you never know with form slumps or injuries. But my focus because we’ve had such a hectic start to the Big Bash with the Renegades, basically travel, play, train, travel, play, train, it’s been hard to focus on the Test cricket but it’s always in the back of your mind, I think.”Doolan’s chances of playing in Sydney will most likely rest on Watson’s ability to bowl after picking up a groin injury on the first day of the Melbourne Test. Watson batted and made a valuable contribution in Australia’s victory but appeared hampered by his groin problem while bowling and fielding in the second innings.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
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Manjrekar: Pujara, Kohli key for India

First session: 96 runs at 2.73 runs per over. Second session: 102 at 7.20. Third session: 73 at 1.91. The vastly varying scoring rates that Test cricket allows were on vivid display as the game meandered in the morning, before South Africa stepped on it post-lunch in search of a declaration, after which India’s batsmen put up a backs-to-the-wall display in the murky light at Kingsmead.Despite the fluctuating run-rates, it was a day on which South Africa progressively increased their advantage, first taking a substantial lead and then prising out the Indian openers. India face a fight for survival on the final day of the series.The morning was all about one man. Jacques Kallis slowly and steadily made his way to an emotional farewell century, his 45th in Test cricket, went past Rahul Dravid to become the third highest run-getter in Tests and gradually pushed India towards an unwinnable position.The sentiments involved were clearly evident early in the day itself, when nightwatchman Dale Steyn hugged Kallis after a miscommunication over a single. No South African wanted to be remembered as the person responsible for causing Kallis to be dismissed in his final Test, especially not before he reached a century.In that session, it seemed as if both teams were waiting for the other to make the play. South Africa weren’t playing with the intent of setting up a declaration, and India were content sitting back and limiting the runs with an increasingly ragged ball which was used for as long as 146 overs.The bowling was almost entirely about one man too. Ravindra Jadeja bowled unchanged for half the day in a marathon 25-over spell as he provided the control India were searching for. Jadeja also finally broke the stubborn 86-run partnership between Kallis and Steyn by getting Kallis to top edge a slog sweep and complete his five-for.Jacques Kallis celebrates a century in his final Test•Associated Press

As Kallis walked back, there were poignant scenes. The Sunday crowd saluted him with a standing ovation, the South African team greeted him with hugs outside the pavilion, and the captain Graeme Smith kissed him on his head.There wasn’t too much initiative from South Africa even after that dismissal, but a short rain break after lunch shook things up. Robin Peterson and Faf du Plessis came out looking to play the big shots, and in the first three overs they plundered 29 runs – almost as many had been made in 16 overs leading to lunch.India were clueless against the adventurous batsmen, and the flood of runs continued after the umpires finally forced a ball change midway through the session. Peterson galloped to a half-century off 44 balls, and the highlight of his innings was a stunning switch hit over the right-hander’s long-on for six. Du Plessis was marginally slower, playing more orthodox but equally eye-catching strokes – such as a gentle flick over mid-on off Mohammed Shami – and in little time the lead had ballooned past 150.Peterson perished going for another big hit to end a partnership of 110 off 108 balls, and the rains returned to cut the session short, giving time for Smith to mull over whether it was time to declare. The decision was taken out of his hands when play resumed as Jadeja ran to his right and dived to secure Morne Morkel’s leading edge to take six for the match and end the innings.That left India needing to bat out about two-and-a-half hours on the day. Steyn and Vernon Philander turned in a high-intensity spell with the new ball. Steyn harried the batsmen with the short ball but couldn’t get the breakthrough as he delivered 5-4-1-0. Philander had been ineffective in the first innings but had more impact this time as he set up Vijay perfectly – a series of short balls, followed by the fuller one which Vijay nicked through to slip after taking only half a step forward.Shikhar Dhawan, who has had a mediocre tour so far, survived the initial examination, constantly urging himself to concentrate, and leaving as many deliveries as he could. Cheteshwar Pujara was struck on the armpit with a vicious bouncer early on but slowly he gained a measure of the pitch.The light wasn’t great in the evening, but not so poor that they could come off with a significant chunk of the session still left to play. India would have wanted this on the first day when they were dominant, instead of today but Dhawan and Pujara were showing signs that they could make it through till stumps. That feeling grew as the umpires deemed that only spinners could bowl in the fading light.Dhawan though went for a big hit off Robin Peterson, only to see du Plessis at short midwicket pull off one of the catches of the year with a one-handed leaping effort. India’s best batsmen, Pujara and Virat Kohli, were in the middle at stumps, and how long their partnership lasts could determine the course of the match tomorrow.0:00

Cullinan: SA have played India out of the match

In an opening Australian victory notable for its loud and brutish nature, Chris Rogers and Shane Watson were conspicuous by their muteness. Senior members of the Test team and critical components of the batting order, both men struggled for effect at the Gabba, and are seeking more substantial showings in Adelaide.Brisbane’s bounce was a significant factor in their struggles, startling Rogers on the first morning while also contributing to each of Watson’s dismissals, a fend in the first innings and a skied pull in the second. No one knows exactly what to expect from Adelaide Oval’s drop-in pitch, but it is fair to surmise that Rogers and Watson will join England’s batsmen in not complaining should the ball arrive at hip rather than armpit height as they chase a better batting rhythm.Before flying west, Rogers visited his Victoria teammates during their Sheffield Shield engagement with South Australia at the MCG. He also ventured to the visitors’ dressing room for a chat about how Adelaide’s pitches had played in the first two matches since their unveiling, and was happy enough with what he heard.”I spoke to a few of the South Australian guys, it will be a typical drop-in wicket I think, not dissimilar to the MCG but a bit more flat and that will mean the bowlers will have their work cut out,” Rogers said. “It would be nice to see a few runs in this game but also a bit of bounce for our fast bowlers.”Since returning home from England and a northern summer in which he found himself playing for the national side in addition to his county obligations for Middlesex, Rogers has struggled to feel entirely comfortable at the crease. A noted technical theorist, he has worked assiduously between Tests on his balance, and also on ensuring he plays in the straight lines that have served him well over a prolific career.Another clue to his approach in Adelaide could be found in the first-innings exits of Aaron Finch and Rob Quiney in the aforementioned Shield game. Each perished essaying a cross-bat stroke early on the MCG drop-in, mistakes that helped the Redbacks rush the Bushrangers out for 118 on the first day. Do not expect too many such strokes from Rogers in Adelaide until the Kookaburra’s seam has softened.”I have probably hit the ball a bit better but I was able to do some good work this week and iron out some flaws,” Rogers said. “I didn’t contribute in the first game as much as I would like to be so it would be nice to get some in this game. I want to be playing the whole series and scoring runs, that’s my job, so I probably can’t afford too many failures.”Watson’s low scores in Brisbane, meanwhile, can be partly attributed to the fact that the opening Test was the first red-ball fixture he had played since the final match of the previous series against England at The Oval in August. In between, Watson fulfilled Twenty20 and ODI duty for Australia while also turning out for Rajasthan Royals in the Champions League.A hamstring injury cast doubt over his ability to bowl at the Gabba and also prevented him from taking part in the one Shield match available to him between the end of the India ODI tour and the first ball of the Test series. While Watson’s bowling is an important element of Australia’s combination, it is of far less import than his ability to punch England’s fast bowlers through the field and loft Graeme Swann over it.After David Warner and Michael Clarke showed the value of controlled aggression in Brisbane, Watson wishes to do likewise in Adelaide. Should he and Rogers find their games in time for Thursday, the climb ahead of England will become a decidedly steep one.

An all-round performance by Sialkot earned them a four-wicket win against Lahore Ravi in the opening Group 1 game of One-Day Cup in Lahore. Choosing to field, Sialkot bowled out Lahore Ravi in 40 overs, before their batsmen scripted key stands to overhaul the target with eight balls to spare.Sialkot’s chase of 194 was dominated by two stands – the first between openers Adnan Zaheer and Salman Ali for the first wicket, then, a 70-run stand for the sixth wicket between Naved Sarwar and wicketkeeper Ahmed Butt. The opening stand gave the team a strong platform before the batsmen conspired to throw it away, with five wickets falling for 40 runs. But Sarwar and Salman thwarted the Lahore attack to take the team on the doorstep of the win.Lahore had only one partnership of note – 65-run sixth-wicket stand between Zeeshan Ali and Adnan Danish – but Bilal Asif and Salman picked up three wickets each on either side of that stand to bowl Lahore out for less than 200.Karachi Whites‘ No 10 Shahzaib Ahmed held his nerve to hit 15 runs off 12 balls to help the team clinch a nail-biter against Lahore Shalimar by one wicket at the Gaddafi Stadium. Chasing 220, Karachi were reduced to 206 for 9, but Shahzaid added an unbeaten 15 runs for the last wicket to thwart the home team. The chase, though, was set up by opener Fazal Subhan, who hit his first List A century. Fazal held up one end while regular wickets fell at the other. He shared a critical sixth-wicket stand of 82 with Ahmed Iqbal to bring Karachi back into the game after they had been reduced to 98 for 5 from 98 for 2. Lahore Shalimar’s innings had similarly been held up by opener Arsalan Ahmed, who scored 81, as the team scored 219 for 8 in their 45 overs.Wicketkeeper Javed Mansoor smashed a career-best 72* to help Karachi Blues script an easy five-wicket win against Abbottabad in Karachi. Chasing 210, Karachi were in trouble at 125 for 5, as Abbottabad’s Aziz-ur-Rehman picked up three top-order wickets, but Mansoor counterattacked and added an unbeaten 85 for the sixth wicket with Faraz Ahmed to push Karachi over the line. Mansoor’s innings was laced with 12 fours and took only 55 deliveries. Abbottabad’s innings had no such problems at the top, but their batsmen failed to take advantage of starts, four of them falling in their 30s. From 157 for 3, the team was bowled out for 209 as the lower order succumbed against Karachi bowlers. Usama Basharat and Faraz picked three wickets each in the innings.Quetta opened their campaign with a thumping eight-wicket win against Hyderabad in the Group II match played at the Niaz Stadium in Hyderabad. The home side was asked to bat but suffered early blows as three wickets went down before 50 were put on the board. Two more batsmen were dismissed before the team could score 100, before they eventually were bowled out for 164 in the 43rd over. Faizullah did the most damage with three wickets for 30 runs.Quetta’s response was solid as their batsmen put up strong stands. Shahzad Tareen was the top-scorer with an unbeaten 62 off 108 deliveries as Quetta overhauled the target in the 40th over with ease.Half-centuries by the openers Shoaib Nasir and Naved Malik helped Rawalpindi beat Bahawalpur by six wickets in Bahawalpur. Rawalpindi’s chase of 242 was built on the opening stand of 128 by the pair. Both scored at more than a run a ball – Nasir’s 65 coming off 62 balls and Malik’s 70 off 68. Rawalpindi lost only four wickets and chased down the target with nearly five overs to spare. Bahawalpur’s lone half-centurion was Mohammad Yasir, who scored 87 off 100 balls at No.3. Imranullah Aslam scored a quick 43 off 33 balls to help the side to 241, but it wasn’t enough.A century by Mohammad Shahid and a four-wicket haul by Fahim Ashraf helped Faisalabad to a five-wicket win over Multan at Iqbal Stadium. In a match reduced to 45 overs, Multan chose to field and made early inroads, leaving Faisalabad struggling at 48 for 4. Shahid was the mainstay, scoring 109 off 106 balls with 11 fours and two sixes. The next highest score was 28 by Mohammad Miqdad. The lower order pushed Faisalabad to 259 for 9. The Multan openers added 43 but lost quick wickets. They lost half their side for 92 and were eventually bowled out for 171 in 37.2 overs.

ScorecardGary Ballance became the 13th Yorkshire player to score two centuries in a first-class match in another assured display•PA Photos

If this match is seen as a shootout for the England No. 6 slot in Brisbane, Gary Ballance can begin whitening his pads for the Gabba after becoming the 13th Yorkshire player to score two centuries in a match.It was his second composed innings of the game, taking him past 1200 Championship runs for the season, and saved his side from defeat on the final afternoon at The Oval. His unbeaten 108 rescued Yorkshire from a slippery situation and extended their unbeaten away record in the Championship to 21 matches.Ballance could not have delivered a better four days following his England call-up and there could not have been a greater juxtaposition between him and Jonny Bairstow, an incumbent at No. 6 during the Ashes. There was an air of sureness about Ballance’s batting that his colleagues lacked in falling into the end-of-season, mind-wandering trap. Without Ballance, Yorkshire would have suffered a defeat that would have soured an excellent campaign that defied many expectations.His hundred in 158 balls was chanceless and he dealt with the increasing spin threat of Zafar Ansari and especially Gareth Batty with positivity: defending out in front of the footholes outside his off stump and attacking with quick sorties down the pitch or a scythe of the blade square of the wicket.Far from bowing under the weight of expectation at being a Test batsman in waiting, Ballance thrived on being that bit closer to the international stage.”I’m not really sure about Brisbane,” Ballance said. “I haven’t really thought about it. I just went to try and build an innings and luckily it came off twice. It’s a great feeling and it was nice to finish the season well. One thousand runs was a personal target for me so to have achieved that for the first time is very satisfying.”It was nice to get the call and it’s been a nice week. I’m glad this game has gone well for me. I was pretty confident and it was a good wicket to bat on, there was a bit of turn but we got through.”The calm poise Ballance showed was in contrast to an all-too-familiar skittish innings from his team-mate Bairstow, which had another very disappointing ending to a straight delivery.Bairstow clearly has a lack of confidence in his defensive technique. While handsome clips off his pads and photogenic cover drives raced away off the middle of the bat, there remained a sense that he was never in full control. After two years of international cricket he is yet to shrug off the whippersnapper tag.He struck Tom Jewell for four fours in succession but six overs later failed to deal with an ordinary delivery from Tim Linley, slightly angled in. Bairstow got too far towards the off side and fell lbw for a second disappointing return in the match. Despite assurances to the contrary, he still appeared to be shaking off the blow he suffered in slipping on the third evening.A return of 955 first-class runs at 38.20 would not have been the year Bairstow was hoping for. His performances in the Test matches this summer, coupled with Ballance’s superb tally of 1363 runs at 64.90, may well sway the England selectors. Since his career has come into sharper focus, Bairstow has mixed attractive strokes with loose dismissals. Here he might have sensed the pressure of Ballance’s innings and the situation of the game, which gave few excuses for a poor return.Even after four days, batsmen could trust the surface and strokemaking was straightforward. But Yorkshire coughed up enough wickets to take the game into the last hour. Adam Lyth and Alex Lees both edged balls sent across them by Linley and Phil Jaques dragged on trying to drive a ball from a poor position.Kane Williamson is a man for a crisis and nudged and tucked his way to a much-needed fifty. But when he was caught off bat and pad, Gareth Batty’s demeanour hardened and he began to find turn and bounce to justify three men around the bat. With some more luck, Batty could well have bowled Surrey to victory.

ScorecardEoin Morgan made his first half-century of the season in any format•Getty Images

Acting Middlesex captain Eoin Morgan warmed up for England’s forthcoming limited-overs series against Australia with a season’s best 90 to inspire his side’s four-wicket Yorkshire Bank 40 win over Leicestershire at Lord’s.Although neither side could progress from Group C, Morgan caught the eye of England’s national selector Geoff Miller – watching from the media centre – by hitting eight fours and four sixes in a match-defining innings as Middlesex reached their target with10 balls to spare.In pursuit of Leicestershire’s impressive 40-over total of 274 for 8, Middlesex struggled early on under the pressure of an asking rate of 6.88 an over and some tight Leicestershire bowling.Leading scorer Dawid Malan had still to get under way when he followed a delivery from left-arm seamer Rob Taylor to edge to the wicketkeeper. Then, with the total on 22, Paul Stirling aimed an expansive cover drive at Nathan Buck only to drag the ball onto middle stump.The experienced third-wicket pairing of Joe Denly and Morgan regrouped with a partnership worth 72 inside 11 overs that came to a surprise end when Denly chipped a return catch to diving slow left-armer James Sykes.Morgan reached a 43-ball 50 – his first in all forms of cricket in a hugely disappointing domestic season – by chipping six into the Tavern Stand against Josh Cobb. He was just 10 short of his century when a mistimed slog sweep against Shiv Thakor flew to Greg Smith at long-on.Morgan helped add 81 in 10.3 overs for the fourth wicket with Adam Voges during a breezy 63-ball stay, but Voges blotted his copybook by holing out to the same fielder to make it 197 for 5.Needing 77 from their final 10 overs, Middlesex added 60 in 44 balls through debutant Ollie Wilkin and John Simpson before the former cut to backward point with only 18 required. Simpson saw the hosts home with a brisk unbeaten 58 from 39 balls with a six and eight fours, the last of which won the game.Batting first after losing the toss on a bright St John’s Wood afternoon, Leicestershire lost Cobb for six when he miscued to mid-off against England paceman Steve Finn.Leicestershire opener Smith moved smoothly to a 61-ball half-century with four fours and two sixes. But only 11 balls later, Smith perished when attempting to clip spinner Ravi Patel over long-on, spooning to long-off to end a second-wicket stand worth 61 in 13.1 overs with Ned Eckersley.Eckersley was joined by left-hander Matthew Boyce, who took advantage of a short boundary on the Tavern side by twice depositing short deliveries from Patel directly into the Mound Stand.Eckersley also reached 50 from 53 balls and with eight fours but the former MCC Groundstaff player top-edged his pull shot high to Toby Roland-Jones at mid-on to depart for 73. Boyce, having added 95 in 12.2 overs in tandem with Eckersley, became the third visiting player to pass the 50 milestone, his 50 coming from 51 balls.Rookie Middlesex seamer Wilkin claimed his maiden YB40 wicket by removing Boyce for 53 then, four balls later, the 21-year-old made it two for 44 when Michael Thornely flailed outside off to be caught behind for 19. The visitors lost three for 11 in six balls in the quest for late runs, which worsened when Ben Raine was caught at deep extra cover for seven.Yet Middlesex were docked six penalty runs for a slow over rate going into the final over by Harris, which also led to the departure of Thakor to a comfortable catch at long-leg by Finn. The last five legal deliveries of the innings cost 24 runs as Tom Wells threw the bat to plunder two sixes and three fours in a cameo unbeaten 31.

ScorecardLuke Procter made his fifth half-century in as many Championship matches•Getty Images

The first day of this game suggested a variety of potentially intriguing individual stories. There was Brad Taylor, a 16-year-old offspinner who became the youngest player ever to represent Hampshire in the County Championship; there was Simon Kerrigan, who was returning to first-class domestic cricket perhaps seeking balm for his mauling by Shane Watson at The Oval; and there was Matt Coles, a loan signing who was making his Hampshire debut having announced that he is to leave Kent at the end of the season.In the event, a day’s cricket which resolutely defied simple analysis produced other tales, albeit that Coles’s hostile second spell offered some explanation why counties may consider adding the allrounder to their staff in the autumn. By the close Lancashire had made good progress on a wicket which currently offers few terrors for the batsmen. Luis Reece and Ashwell Prince both made polished half-centuries in the first half of the day and Luke Procter ended proceedings unbeaten on 65, his fifth Championship half-century in consecutive innings and a most diligent, hard-grafting effort against a Hampshire attack which applied itself well for all but an hour in the morning session.Lancashire go into the second day of this game on 296 for 8 after Hampshire, to their great credit, managed to bowl 97 overs in six hours, a marvellous example to other counties of simple efficiency.. If Glen Chapple’s team currently hold the advantage in this contest, it is not by much, for their total seems little more than par on a good wicket on a small ground with a fast outfield.Indeed, Lancashire coach Peter Moores may be a trifle disappointed given the apparent dominance his batsmen exercised just before lunch when Reece and Prince had added 120 for the second wicket in only 26 overs. But that was the high point of Lancastrian fortunes. Prince edged Sean Ervine to Adam Wheater and departed for 63 two overs before the break while the very promising Reece, having also reached his fifth successive half-century in the Championship, was lbw when he shuffled across his wicket and was lbw to James Tomlinson for exactly 50 in the second over after the restart.The afternoon’s cricket was in sharp contrast to the morning’s play. Just 74 runs were scored off 34 overs as the Lancashire middle order sought and failed to shake off the manacles placed upon them by Jimmy Adams’s bowlers. Steven Croft fell to Liam Dawson for a 52-ball 9 and Andrea Agathangelou could only fend Coles to third slip James Vince when he had laboured 99 minutes for 30.At tea Lancashire were 207 for 5 and Hampshire’s bowlers had restored parity. If the Red Rose shaded the evening’s play it was because they now have a decent score on the board and victory in this match would virtually guarantee a return to Division One.The highlight of the final session, perhaps, was the quartet of boundaries struck by Gareth Cross off Tomlinson after the visitors had taken the new ball. But the seamer responded by having Cross caught by Ervine in the slips a couple of overs later and finished with a creditable 3 for 56. It was that sort of day: as soon as the match followed one pattern, an event or two scribbled “nonsense” on one’s tentative conclusions. Procter’s diligence in facing 137 balls and hitting eight boundaries in his 65 not out was arguably the only consistent factor in the second half of proceedings.As for the players we thought might capture our attention, Kerrigan was the only one not to appear and Taylor bowled eight overs for 42 runs. Just as the Lancashire spinner discovered at The Oval last week, the Hampshire offspinner found out what it is like to make the step up to a new class of cricket. But Taylor sent down a fairly decent second spell and he will undoubtedly remember his first day in what, for him, is the big time.

ScorecardLuke Fletcher cut through Somerset’s middle order•Getty Images

Struggling Somerset are waiting to learn whether their plan to re-sign international spinner Abdur Rehman for the final few weeks of the season has been dashed by Pakistan’s re-arranged tour of Zimbabwe.Somerset’s Championship batting currently leaves a lot to be desired, as was evident during today’s grim top-order collapse between the showers. With relegation an all too real possibility, regardless of whether they scrape a draw from this contest, a boost, any boost, is needed – and Rehman’s return to the County Ground would surely fit the bill.The left-arm spinner captured 27 wickets at just 14 runs apiece when he played four Championship matches at the end of last season – and something similar this year might do wonders for the county’s chances of avoiding the drop.All appeared to be in place for Rehman’s arrival well before Somerset’s next four-day game – against Warwickshire, at Edgbaston, starting on August 20 – but now there is considerable uncertainty.Pakistan have scheduled a month-long Test and limited-overs tour of Zimbabwe, from mid-August onwards, to replace a trip that was postponed last year. What they have not done so far is to announce their squad, or indicate whether it will be full strength or largely experimental.”There should be an announcement in the next few days,” Dave Nosworthy, Somerset’s director of cricket, told the West Country’s newspaper. “If Abdur is not picked he will join us straight away because his visa has now been approved.”If he is selected for the Zimbabwe tour he won’t be coming, simple as that. But we have a Plan B in place should that happen. We can only wait and see what happens.”Rehman’s short stay with Somerset last year ended up being remembered at least as much for a failed drugs test as his splendid bowling performances. He was found to have used cannabis when he was tested during a match against Nottinghamshire and served a 12-week worldwide ban.Now 33, Rehman would be welcomed back with open arms, however. He apologised to all and sundry for his “error of judgement” and his contrition was accepted by Somerset.The county, currently third from bottom, could certainly do with a lift, be it through runs or wickets. No side in Division One has achieved fewer batting bonus points than Somerset – and it was easy to see why today as they crumpled to 81 for 6 before mounting a mini-recovery led by Craig Meschede.Nottinghamshire deserve plenty of credit for maintaining pressure throughout a start-stop day of four rain interruptions. And in Luke Fletcher they had a bowler who gnawed away non-stop at the hosts’ fragile confidence by drilling a challenging line and length ball after ball.But while Fletcher followed his splendid late-order half-century with some excellent seam bowling (he had figures of 3 for 7 from 11.2 overs at one stage and produced a spell of 3 for 1 in six overs), some of Somerset’s shot selection was inexplicable.Their problems began during the day’s first over, although Chris Jones can be excused for having his off stump disturbed by an Andre Adams bail-trimmer.Neither Nick Compton nor James Hildreth will want to watch too many replays of their dismissals, however. Compton may have been deceived by a slower ball from Fletcher but, either way, it was wide enough to leave alone and what was ultimately a one-handed shot sent a simple catch to cover.As for Hildreth, a top-edged hook to long leg, against Adams, looked especially horrible given Somerset’s already sticky position.Craig Kieswetter soon fended fatally outside off stump, then Peter Trego edged a good one from Fletcher to give the paceman two wickets in as many balls. Neither of those wickets were gifts, but Jos Buttler’s horribly miscued pull against Samit Patel certainly fell into the ‘thanks very much’ category.At 122 for 7, the follow-on figure of 229 looked hopelessly distant. And when bad light finally ended play for the day, with 49 overs lost to the weather, it still looked out of reach at 188 for 9. But at least Meschede and George Dockrell, with whom he added 53, closed the gap while using up valuable time.Meschede, who lifted Patel for two sixes during an 87-ball stay, was finally undone by an inside edge against Harry Gurney. But his third first-class half-century, and first this season, at least brought a little light to Somerset’s proceedings.

ScorecardSteven Davies was left stranded on 65 as the tail fell away and Surrey lost their last five wickets for 25•PA Photos

A day that started with Surrey in possession of all the right cards turned out to be a bluff, as Nottinghamshire dismissed the hosts for 198 on a track that will deteriorate as the game progresses. Certainly, that’s the impression garnered from Surrey’s decision to select three spinners in Gareth Batty, Gary Keedy and Zafar Ansari.On the same pitch that was used in last Friday’s Twenty20 derby against Middlesex, their decision to bat first after winning the toss in conditions that looked optimum for batting was no surprise. Even the loss of the first two wickets could be passed off as a blip, such was the assurance with which Rory Burns and Ricky Ponting batted initially.But Nottinghamshire’s attack are continually showing their capacity to maintain focus during long passages of play and that was in evidence again, as wickets came as a result of carefully knitted together periods of pressure.There was a healthy crowd on hand to applaud Ponting out for his penultimate first-class innings and we were greeted to a few staples – the entrance routine (heel kicks, two shadow drives, a flick of each wrist followed by heel kicks) and a trio of swivel-pulls – as he settled into a groove with Burns.It is hard not to think what lies further ahead for Burns, Surrey’s leading scorer in four-day cricket, with a game so tight he could bat in a telephone box. There was enough pace in the pitch to let his technique do the talking, as he drove down the ground with exceptional timing; his cover drive off Ajmal Shahzad eliciting a purr that floated around the ground like a Mexican wave born out of satisfaction rather than tedium.But when the boy wonder was strangled down the leg side on the stroke of lunch, Harry Gurney ending the only fifty partnership of the Surrey innings, Nottinghamshire went into lunch with their tails up.Tighter lines in the afternoon session saw a further three wickets fall for 80 runs, as Chris Read paired spin with pace to good effect. It was only in the 52nd over that he asked anything of Graeme White, the slow left-armer in his first game back after a month-long loan spell at Northants, by which time Samit Patel had bowled 20 overs. It was Patel who removed Ponting, who gave a simple catch to Riki Wessels trying to turn the ball around the corner.Surrey’s capitulation could have been worse were it not for Steven Davies, who worked with Zander de Bruyn and then Ansari to try and get the score past 200. But when both departed in rather cheap fashion – de Bruyn lazily swiping at Shahzad and Ansari nailing the ball at bat-pad to give White his first wicket – the run scoring fell solely on the keeper’s shoulders. He managed 25 more, trying to incorporate some malice into his elegance, as the last four batsmen failed to make a single run between them, leaving Davies unbeaten and frustrated on 65.A Nottinghamshire wicket would have been nice from a Surrey perspective, but nothing was forthcoming – Wessels and Steven Mullaney bringing up a collective 50 with a single off the last ball of the day.