India's Supreme Court rejects petition to stay IPL playoffs

The Supreme Court of India has rejected a public interest litigation (PIL) to stay the IPL playoff matches until the completion of investigations of the alleged spot-fixing in the tournament. It has, however, given the BCCI a 15-day deadline to conclude its investigation, which is being carried out by the board’s anti-corruption unit chief Ravi Sawani.The PIL, filed on Monday by a resident of Lucknow, sought a stay on the playoffs and the setting up of a Special Investigation Team (SIT) to probe spot-fixing. The petitioner had asked that the matches be put off until the SIT completed its inquiry.In its ruling, the court observed that cricket was a gentleman’s game “and it should remain as gentleman’s, not tainted”. At the same time, it said was not a case for the court to “interfere and ban matches”.It was critical of the BCCI’s attitude. “Definitely, there is some kind of irregularity. But the biggest problem is the lackadaisical attitude of BCCI. It should stop. There has to be some scientific, dispassionate and impartial approach to solve these problems.”It warned that the viewers “may not be able to retain their quietus” if the BCCI didn’t act.The Delhi High Court, on Wednesday, also rejected a similar petition that sought a stay on the IPL matches.**08.45GMT, May 22: The article has been updated after news of the Delhi High Court’s ruling came in

Parvez Hossain Emon hits 53-ball hundred as Bangladesh brush off UAE

Muhammad Jawadullah’s four-for goes in vain for UAE as Bangladesh take 1-0 lead

Mohammad Isam17-May-2025
Parvez Hossain Emon smashed a 53-ball hundred to lead Bangladesh to 191 for 7 and set up a 27-run win for a 1-0 lead in the two-T20I series against UAE in Sharjah on Saturday. Big hits from Muhammad Waseem, Rahul Chopra and Asif Khan meant that UAE make a good fist of the chase, but clever death bowling from Mustafizur Rahman, who is headed for IPL 2025, gave Bangladesh victory.Parvez’s century was only the second by a Bangladeshi in T20Is after Tamim Iqbal had scored an unbeaten 103 against Oman in the 2016 T20 World Cup. Parvez also set the Bangladesh record for most sixes in a T20I innings, hitting nine, beating Rishad Hossain’s seven against Sri Lanka last year.Related

  • Waseem and UAE make history after acing 206 chase against Bangladesh

  • Mustafizur cleared to join DC for remaining IPL 2025 league games

UAE had Muhammad Jawadullah to thank for keeping Bangladesh under 200 as the left-arm quick took four wickets. He became only the second Associate bowler to take a four-wicket haul against Bangladesh. The first was Hong Kong’s Nadeem Ahmed in the T20 World Cup in 2014.UAE’s batters put pressure on Bangladesh’s attack, but a late collapse damaged their cause.

Asif can’t take UAE home

After Waseem’s fall in the 12th over with UAE at 103, Asif hit some massive sixes, giving Bangladesh a scare during his 21-ball 42. He took a liking to Mahedi Hasan, pasting him for three sixes down the ground in the 13th over. In all, Asif took the spinner for 23 off five balls at a strike rate of 460.Wickets, though, kept falling at the other end. Chopra and Dhruv Parashar fell in successive overs, but Asif continued to go big, hitting Hasan Mahmud for a straight six and four in the 17th over. Sanchit Sharma and Muhammad Zuhaib fell in quick succession as well before Asif was the eighth UAE batter to be dismissed in the penultimate over. That meant game over.

Waseem’s fiery start

In a surprising move, Bangladesh had offspinner Mahedi operating with the new ball against the right-handed Waseem, who launched him for six first ball. In that second over of the innings, Mahedi conceded 19 runs.Waseem then tore into Tanzim Hasan, hammering him for a six and two fours in the third over, before UAE lost two wickets in the space of four balls. Waseem then attacked Tanvir Islam with sweeps, taking 14 off another over, and then reached his fifty off just 32 balls in the tenth over.Chopra was also similarly aggressive and had an answer for everything that Mahmud threw at him, including a scooped six. Chopra also struck Mustafizur for a superb boundary. The fall of Waseem and Chopra, though, hurt the chase.Muhammad Waseem set UAE’s chase up with a 39-ball 54•Emirates Cricket Board

Parvez brings the sixes

Parvez offset the early dismissal of his opening partner Tanzid Hasan with a four and a six off Parashar in the third over. His second six, a belt over long-on against Matiullah Khan, went out of the stadium. Parvez also lined up Sanchit, hitting him for three straight sixes in an 18-run over.The left-hand batter reached his fifty in the ninth over, with a straight four against the legspinner Haider Ali, before Parashar removed Towhid Hridoy to break a 58-run third-wicket stand. There was a short break from boundaries after that, but Parvez resumed the big-hitting the 14th over. The only one of his nine sixes that wasn’t hit down the ground came then as Parvez struck Zuhaib over square leg.Jaker Ali also struck Zuhaib for a six but he fell off the next ball, caught at long-on, for 13. Parvez, though, kept swinging at the other end, hitting Zuhaib for his eighth six, breaking the Bangladesh record for most sixes in a T20I innings.He got a life on 84 when he was caught down the ground but the bowler Matiullah had overstepped. Parvez struck his ninth six to move into 96 and went on to bring up his century in the penultimate over of the innings, with a quick single, before falling next ball.

Jawadullah impresses

The six-hitting mayhem, however, stopped whenever Jawadullah came into the attack. He conceded just one boundary in his four overs, picking up wickets at every opportunity.Jawadullah removed the Bangladesh captain Litton Das, yorking him with his first delivery. He then removed Mahedi, Bangladesh’s new vice-captain, in the 12th over. Mahedi was late to Jawadullah’s hard length, falling caught behind for two. The dangerous Shamim Hossain was his next victim, given lbw swinging across the line, before Jawadullah signed off with Parvez’s wicket in the last over.Impressively, Jawadullah only gave away six runs in the 20th over of Bangladesh’s innings, but his spell was not enough for UAE to topple Bangladesh.

Gambhir dropped for Dhawan

India squad for first two Australia Tests

MS Dhoni (capt.), Virender Sehwag, Sachin Tendulkar, Virat Kohli, Shikhar Dhawan, M Vijay, Ajinkya Rahane, Cheteshwar Pujara, Ravindra Jadeja, Harbhajan Singh, Ishant Sharma, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, R Ashwin, Pragyan Ojha, Ashok Dinda
In: Shikhar Dhawan, Bhuvneshwar Kumar, Harbhajan Singh
Out: Gautam Gambhir, Piyush Chawla, Parvinder Awana

Gautam Gambhir has been dropped for the first two Tests against Australia. Delhi’s Shikhar Dhawan replaced him in the squad, which retained Tamil Nadu’s M Vijay. Harbhajan Singh replaced Piyush Chawla, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar earned a first Test call-up ahead of Parvinder Awana as the third change to the XV that played the Nagpur Test against England. Ravindra Jadeja and Ajinkya Rahane retained their places.Both Vijay and Dhawan opened the innings for Rest of India in the ongoing Irani Cup match. Vijay scored a century, and Dhawan scored 63. Mumbai opener Wasim Jaffer scored centuries in two Ranji Trophy knockout matches and in Irani Cup to become a late contender, but Dhawan pipped him.Dhawan has scored 833 first-class runs this season at an average of 55.53, including four hundreds and three fifties. He started with back-to-back hundreds in the quarter-final and semi-final of the Duleep Trophy. In eight Ranji Trophy matches, he scored 524 runs, averaging 47.63 with two hundreds and two fifties. He also scored 110 for Delhi against England XI in the warm-up fixture before the ODI series.Gautam Gambhir has not scored a century in Tests in over three years•Getty Images

Gambhir replaced Dhawan in the India A side, and will lead the them in a three-day game against the Australians from February 16. Since his last Test century, more than three years ago, Gambhir has averaged 30.2 over 26 Tests. “No sympathies plz,” he tweeted. “Lookin forward to training n then d india a game. Chin up guys, its time to show some steel. Come on.”Had my bak to d wall in d past 2, dis is no difrent. Will fight. Very hapy 4 vijay n shikhar. Want India to win @ all costs, wid or widou me”Harbhajan, who was dropped from India’s Test squad for the fourth match against England, has taken 16 Ranji wickets for Punjab at 32.23. In the Irani Cup, he took three wickets in the first innings, and two in the second. “Relieved at getting selected,” Harbhajan said after Rest of India won the Irani Cup on first-innings lead. “This was a big match. I bowled really well. And got the opportunity to play against Australia, my favourite team.”Bhuvneshwar seems to have benefited from his impressive run in the limited-overs formats against Pakistan and England. Ishant Sharma and Ashok Dinda are the other two pace-bowling options.

LANCE! Espresso: Marta: na calçada do futebol feminino, existem mais rachaduras do que fama

MatériaMais Notícias

Marta, eleita seis vezes a melhor jogadora do mundo pela Fifa, será a primeira mulher a figurar na calçada da fama do museu do Maracanã, que ainda terá uma espaço totalmente dedicado à jogadora, com exposição de camisas, chuteiras e troféus. A cerimônia para eternizar os pés da alagoana foi realizada na última segunda-feira. A justa homenagem escancara também o tamanho da exceção que Marta personifica. Após receber a Bola de Ouro durante premiação promovida pela ESPN Brasil, a atacante do Orlando Pride chorou e foi contundente no discurso. “Eu quero dedicar essa linda homenagem a todas as mulheres, a todas as meninas que lutam. É justamente por conta disso tudo que a gente continua na luta e não vai desistir nunca”. Aos 32 anos, Marta tem prateleira lotada de conquistas. Venceu da Liga dos Campeões à Copa Libertadores e, pela Seleção Brasileira, foi bicampeã dos Jogos Pan-Americanos (2003 e 2007), vice na Copa do Mundo (2007) e prata nas Olimpíadas de 2004 e 2008. Foram 110 gols com a camisa amarela, batendo a marca de Pelé (95) no ranking dos maiores artilheiros da Seleção. Tudo construído com seus próprios pés, desde o momento que deixou a cidade de Dois Riachos para encantar o mundo com a sua rara habilidade. A homenagem recebida por Marta é também o retrato de como o futebol feminino ainda engatinha no Brasil, com falta de patrocinadores, infraestrutura precária e um abismo de distância em relação aos salários e premiações destinados aos homens. Na calçada do futebol feminino, ainda existem muitos mais rachaduras do que fama.

Quer ler mais opinião e informação todos os dias? O LANCE! Espresso é uma newsletter gratuita que chega de manhã ao seu e-mail, de segunda a sexta. É uma leitura rápida e saborosa como aquele cafezinho de todos os dias, que vai colocar você por dentro das principais notícias do esporte. A marca registrada do jornalismo do LANCE!, com análises e contextualização de Fabio Chiorino e Rodrigo Borges. Clique aqui e inscreva-se.

RelacionadasMais EsportesConfira as principais notícias desta segunda-feira esportivaMais Esportes10/12/2018Futebol NacionalCalçada da Fama: após perder item, Maraca refaz homenagem a MartaFutebol Nacional10/12/2018Futebol NacionalPelé reprova atitude de Neymar na Copa e fala sobre seu estado de saúdeFutebol Nacional05/12/2018

Antes do Ceará, Rabello alerta para equilíbrio do Brasileirão: 'A tabela está muito embolada'

MatériaMais Notícias

O Botafogo enfrenta o Ceará, na segunda-feira, e segue em preparação no Estádio Nilton Santos. Apesar de a partida ser na casa do adversário, a recente invencibilidade de quatro jogos e a superioridade na classificação do Campeonato Brasileiro poderiam animar o Glorioso. Mas o zagueiro Igor Rabello mantém os pés no chão.

– É uma situação que, tanto para cima quanto para baixo, torna importante fazer os três pontos para sairmos dessa situação de baixo. A tabela está muito embolada até esse jogo com o Ceará – avalia o defensor.

Com 34 pontos, o Glorioso, em 12º lugar, está a três do Fluminense, oitavo (perderia nos critérios de desempate). Porém, olhando para baixo, está a iguais três pontos da Chapecoense, primeira equipe fora da zona de rebaixamento. O Vozão aber a zona de rebaixamento, com 30.

– A gente tem que entrar concentrado. Sabemos que o time vem motivado. Depois que o Lisca chegou, o Ceará deu uma evoluída. Eles jogam no contra-ataque, e temos que estar bem ligados para sairmos com um bom resultado – entende Igor Rabello.

A arrancada do adversário do Botafogo começou exatamente no duelo entre as equipes pelo primeiro turno. Era estreia de Lisca pelo Ceará, e o defensivo time daquela partida deixou o Nilton Santos com um 0 a 0. O resultado pavimentou a estrada para reerguer a equipe, então lanterna da competição e apontada por muitos como provável rebaixada.

RelacionadasBotafogoBochecha não treina e é dúvida no Botafogo; Jean aparece no campoBotafogo11/10/2018BotafogoSaulo destaca evolução no Botafogo e crava titularidade contra o CearáBotafogo11/10/2018BotafogoEmplaca, Zé! Como está o Botafogo após dois meses da estreia do técnicoBotafogo11/10/2018

مستفيدًا من الفوز ذهابًا.. إنتر ميلان يتعادل مع بورتو ويتأهل إلى ربع نهائي دوري أبطال أوروبا

تعادل فريق إنتر ميلان مع فريق بورتو، سلبيا، مساء الثلاثاء، في إياب دور الستة عشر من دوري أبطال أوروبا، على ملعب دراجاو، ونجح في التأهل إلى ربع نهائي البطولة.

وشهدت المباراة إثارة كبيرة، واسبتسال دفاعي غير عادي من جانب إنتر ميلان، وتعرض إيفانيلسون لاعب بورتو للإصابة بالدقيقة 71 ليغادر الملعب ويدخل توني مارتينيز بدلا منه.

اقرأ أيضًا.. وكيل لاعب ليفربول يعرضه على ميلان وإنتر

وبعدها بثلاث دقائق، تعرض مدافع إنتر ميلان، أليساندرو باستوني للإصابة ليغادر الملعب ويدخل بدلا منه ستيفان دي فراي، قبل أن تشهد الدقائق الأخيرة إثارة كبيرة ويضرب لاعبو بورتو القائم والعارضة 3 مرات، بالإضافة إلى تصديات أندريا أونانا، الذي تصدى لـ6 كرات منها 3 داخل الصندوق.

حصل مدرب بورتو، سيرجيو كوينسيساو على بطاقة صفراء للاعتراض، وحصل بعدها بيبي مدافع بورتو، على البطاقة الصفراء الثانية والحمراء بالدقيقة السابعة من الوقت بدل من الضائع، لتنتهي المباراة بالتعادل السلبي، وتأهل إنتر بمجموع المباراتين 1-0. تألق لاعبي بورتو امام انتر ميلان في الدقائق الاخيرة في دوري ابطال اوروبا

All-round Shukla gives Bengal title

An unbeaten century and four wickets from allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal beat Mumbai at the Feroz Shah Kotla, and lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since the tournament’s inception

ESPNcricinfo staff12-Mar-2012
ScorecardAn unbeaten century and four wickets from allrounder Laxmi Ratan Shukla helped Bengal beat Mumbai at the Feroz Shah Kotla, and lift the Vijay Hazare Trophy for the first time since the tournament’s inception. Mumbai had scored 295 at the Kotla in the semi-final, on Saturday, but could only manage 248 this time, after Shukla prevented the top-order batsmen from kicking on from starts, and repeated strikes in the middle overs prevented an acceleration.It was still a competitive total, though, and Shukla came in after Bengal had crawled to 69 for 2 in 17.5 overs. He took control of the chase, and, after losing a couple of partners, found company in Anustup Majumdar, who scored 50 not out off 45 balls. The pair shared an unbeaten 107-run partnership to take Bengal home in 46.1 overs. Both were aggressive: Shukla hit 12 fours and two sixes in his 106 not out off 90 balls, while Majumdar struck seven boundaries in his half-century.The partnership came after Sourav Ganguly’s 38 off 53 balls and Shreevats Goswami’s 42 off 73 had left Bengal behind the asking-rate. When Wriddhiman Saha was dismissed for 11 in the 33rd over, Bengal were 145 for 4 and the match was still even. Shukla and Majumdar took it away from Mumbai, whose spinners were expensive.Mumbai chose to bat, after the strategy had worked in the semi-final, and had a bright beginning thanks to Wasim Jaffer’s 61 off 48 balls, which included 10 fours and a six. They were 83 for 0 in the 13th over when Shukla bowled Jaffer. Shukla then dismissed Ajinkya Rahane and Anup Revandkar to slow the run-rate down. The dangerous Abhishek Nayar was dismissed for 11 and Bengal kept chipping away at the wickets after that. Suryakumar Yadav held one end up, and scored 50 off 68 balls, but once he was dismissed, Mumbai’s lower order failed to make significant contributions, and they were bowled out in 49.2 overs, Shukla taking the final wicket.

Misbah helps Pakistan plod ahead

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWickets late in the day got England back into the match•Getty Images

Smart stats

  • The 114-run stand between Mohammad Hafeez and Taufeeq Umar is the sixth century opening stand for Pakistan against England and their first against England since 1996.

  • This is only the sixth time that both openers have scored over fifty in an innings for Pakistan against England. The previous occasion was the forfeited Oval Test in 2006.

  • Hafeez scored his seventh half-century in Tests. The 88 is his second-highest score against England after the 95 in the forfeited Oval Test in 2006.

  • Taufeeq’s half-century is his 13th in Tests overall and his third fifty-plus score in his last four innings. Since his comeback in 2010, Taufeeq has scored 1026 runs at an average of 44.60 with three centuries.

  • Misbah-ul-Haq became the sixth Pakistan batsman to score over 1000 runs as captain. His average of 74.07 is comfortably the highest on the list followed by Saleem Malik’s 52.35.

  • Misbah also became the 28th Pakistan batsman to reach the 2000-run landmark in Tests. His average of 46.47 puts him fifth on the list of Pakistan batsmen with 2000-plus runs.

  • England have won only two Tests in the subcontinent after conceding a first-innings lead. Both the wins have come against Pakistan, in Lahore (1961) and Karachi (2000).

Misbah-ul-Haq, the captain who has brought discipline back to Pakistan cricket, was not about to forego a perfect opportunity for an attritional day. There was a Test to be won and he was determined to win it slowly. The stadium was virtually empty and he seemed of a mind to empty it further. He might prove to be a wise old bird.Misbah is a batsman to slow a heartbeat. He is also a captain to calm a nation. His drip-feed innings enabled Pakistan to negotiate the second new ball, but it did not quite make the match safe. He had plodded to 52 in nearly three-and-a-quarter hours when Graeme Swann won an lbw decision, via the review system, in the penultimate over of the day. It was appropriate that his final shot was a studious defensive push.His departure filled England with fresh resolve. They immediately grabbed another wicket in the final over, James Anderson’s late swing proving too much for Abdur Rehman. Pakistan’s lead at the close was 96, but in such favourable batting conditions England could be satisfied at taking seven wickets in the day.Only once in the past 20 years have England won a completed Test after making less than 200 in the first innings of a match. They bowled with great discipline in the last two sessions and stifled Pakistan, but Saeed Ajmal’s career-best 7 for 55 has left them with a monumental task.Misbah’s main ally was Mohammad Hafeez, who has played only two Test innings against England and has narrowly missed a hundred on each occasion. The first time, at The Oval in 2006, Pakistan refused to play in protest of ball-tampering allegations and England won by a forfeit. There were times when another Pakistan forfeit seemed to be England’s only chance of getting out of this one.Hafeez’s 88 spanned four hours. He had a century for the taking when he swept in ungainly fashion at a floated delivery from Graeme Swann and was struck on the boot. He opted for the DRS in the belief that he might have got outside the line, but umpire Bruce Oxenford’s decision was narrowly upheld.Swann’s two wickets provided a necessary lift. His personal battle with Ajmal is expected to be one of the decisive duels of the series and Ajmal’s seven wickets, perhaps five of them gifted by England’s batsmen, invited excessive expectations on a sedate pitch. He was in his 14th over when Hafeez fell and his previous over had disappeared for 13, including a slog-sweep for six by the same batsman.England’s challenge in the first session rested with Stuart Broad. Taufeeq might have been run out on 38 when Ian Bell, from square leg and with one stump to aim at, narrowly missed. Instead, Broad struck 21 overs into the second day when Taufeeq was bowled by an excellent delivery from around the wicket that held its line to strike off stump.Broad’s emotions had swirled quite differently the previous ball. Hafeez, on 52, mishooked a bouncer towards short midwicket where Chris Tremlett made ponderous progress, dived and dropped it. Broad flashed one of his Draco Malfoy looks and it was a wonder that Tremlett did not turn to stone. Perhaps Broad imagined that he already had.There was much of Malfoy in Broad’s morning. There normally is. Andrew Strauss is a captain who has learned to resist Broad’s glowers whenever he wants an appeal referred to the third umpire. In his second over of the morning, he nipped one back to strike Hafeez on the pad, but Strauss resisted his overtures and the television replay proved him right.Ten minutes from lunch, Broad nipped one back to Younis Khan, still on nought, and pressed Strauss to refer the lbw appeal. The captain smiled benignly. The replay showed the ball was too high. As one observer has memorably observed, Broad indulges in L’Oréal appeals – because he is worth it. Broad’s second wicket, Azhar Ali, came earlier in the same over, a hint of away movement enough to find the outside edge.Dubai was a world away from the first Test of the last series between these sides: Trent Bridge 2010, where the ball hooped around for England’s swing bowlers and Pakistan were hustled out in no time for 182 and 80 on their way to a 354-run defeat.England have nine players remaining from that Test, Ian Bell and Chris Tremlett being the only additions; Pakistan have nine missing, all bar Umar Gul and Azhar. The restructuring of Pakistan’s Test side has gone far beyond the replacement of the three players jailed for spot-fixing. Salman Butt’s Pakistan has been virtually scrubbed from memory.England had a bonus shortly before tea, when Jonathan Trott cut one back sharply to have Younis lbw, so adding him to Jahurul Islam, of Bangladesh, and Sri Lanka’s Tharanga Paranavitana as one of his three Test victims.They only collected one wicket with the second new ball, Jimmy Anderson having Asad Shafiq caught at the wicket, when they needed to turn the match. Misbah nudged here, nurdled there and pulled a few faces. The scoring-rate fell from 3.5 runs per over in the morning to barely two in the final session. But England got him in the end and will believe this Test is not over yet.

Warne's BBL decision expected next week

Shane Warne is expected to make a decision next week on which Big Bash League to play for, and Cricket Australia will contribute a marketing bonus to encourage him out of retirement

ESPNcricinfo staff28-Oct-2011Shane Warne is expected to make a decision next week on which Big Bash League to play for, and Cricket Australia will contribute a marketing bonus to encourage him out of retirement. Warne said last month that he was “definitely going to play a few games” but he had not yet decided for which team, with his hometown sides the Melbourne Stars and the Renegades the likely options.The reported that Cricket Australia was so keen to entice Warne, 42, to play that it would kick in a cash allowance on top of the salary cap, believed to be less than $50,000, to market the new eight-team BBL. Mike McKenna, CA’s Big Bash project owner, told the paper Warne would be considered a terrific asset for the new tournament.”We made that offer to all the teams of an amount of money in exchange for him doing things like making appearances for us,” McKenna said. “He is an asset, he will excite people across the league not just the team he plays for. Coming out of retirement would make it extra special.”If Warne is keen to return to the MCG, the Stars would be his best option, and the team’s CEO, Clint Cooper, said the organisation was doing everything it could to secure his services. The Docklands-based Renegades are Warne’s other Melbourne option, and while teams in other cities would be keen to sign Warne, it is expected he would choose to play in Melbourne, where his children live.Warne has not played elite cricket in Australia since he retired from Test cricket in January 2007, when Australia whitewashed Andrew Flintoff’s England side in a memorable Ashes series. However, he has continued to play Twenty20 and retired from the IPL earlier this year.

Mickleburgh and Masters put Essex in command

David Masters claimed his sixth five-wicket haul of the season in an innings as Essex moved into a commanding position on day three of their County Championship Division Two clash against Gloucestershire at Colchester

19-Aug-2011
Scorecard
David Masters claimed his sixth five-wicket haul of the season in an innings as Essex moved into a commanding position on day three of their County Championship Division Two clash against Gloucestershire at Colchester.The 33-year-old fast bowler took 6 for 75 as the visitors were bowled out for 264. That left Essex with a first-innings lead of 99 and they built on that by reaching 243 for 4 in their second innings before the close.Gloucestershire had resumed on 176 for 6 overnight and Masters was soon adding to his list of victims when he had Jack Taylor snapped up in the slips with only 13 added. And he was to bring the innings to a close by removing David Payne leg before to take his season’s Championship tally to 73, more than anyone else in the country.Ryan ten Doeschate and Graham Napier grabbed the other two wickets, the former getting rid of Jon Lewis, who scored 23 in a partnership of 32 with Richard Coughtrie to ensure his side were not asked to follow-on. Ian Saxelby had scored 27 when he was caught behind off Napier, who finished with three for 43 but no-one was able to remove Coughtrie, whose rearguard action saw him grind out 38 in 107 balls before he ran out of partners.Tom Westley was soon scoring freely for Essex as they set about building a substantial lead. Driving confidently, he smashed seven fours on his way to 30, at which point he was well caught at mid-off by Hamish Marshall.The tempo slackened considerably upon Westley’s departure with the total on 36 – Billy Godleman needing 28 balls to reach double figures. Owais Shah was soon following Westley back to the pavilion, trapped leg before wicket by Will Gidman, paving the way for Godleman and Jaik Mickleburgh to post a stand of 67 in 17 overs.It ended when Godleman, having batted with more fluency to gather seven boundaries in reaching 50, pushed forward against the spin of Jack Taylor and edged to slip. The tempo was to increase with the arrival of Adam Wheater, whose century on the opening day spearheaded an Essex recovery.He struck four fours and a six whilst making 38 in a stand of 63 with Mickleburgh before he was caught on the mid-wicket boundary to give Taylor another success. Immediately afterwards, Mickleburgh completed his half-century having faced 85 balls and will resume the final day on 68 as Essex go in search of a victory needed to keep alive their slim promotion hopes.

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