West Indies are three wickets away from clinching the Antigua Test against Bangladesh. The visitors ended the fourth day on 109 for 7 after they were set a target of 334. Kemar Roach and Jayden Seales led the way for the hosts with three wickets each, as Bangladesh’s specialist batters failed to put together a performance for the umpteenth time this year.West Indies themselves couldn’t put up a bigger target after they were bowled out for 152 in the second innings. Taskin Ahmed got his maiden five-wicket haul in Tests, finishing up with 6 for 64. This came on the back of Bangladesh’s surprise declaration on the fourth morning, despite being 181 runs behind West Indies’ first-innings total of 450 for 9.Bangladesh’s batters, however, couldn’t repay their bowlers. Both their openers got out similarly to how they were dismissed in the first innings. Zakir Hasan inside-edged Roach on to his stumps, while Mahmudul Hasan Joy edged Seales to third slip. Roach then set Shahadat Hossain up in the 11th over, getting the ball to seam away several times before bowling a booming inswinger. The ball kissed Shahadat’s gloves as he tried to get out of the way, before Joshua Da Silva took the inside edge.Shamar Joseph then saw two dropped catches in his first over, both of Mominul Haque. Da Silva dropped a chance down the leg side, before Mikyle Louis couldn’t hold on to a straightforward one at gully. Mominul, however, couldn’t last long, as Roach took a superb caught and bowled from his drive in the next over.Taskin Ahmed took a career-best 6 for 64•CWI

But Shamar’s bad luck continued at the other end. Alick Athanaze dropped Mehidy Hasan Miraz at second slip, with the Bangladesh captain on 14. Litton Das cut one uppishly, only for Seales to get a hand on it at backward point. Shamar’s exasperation at having four catches dropped off his bowling, however, didn’t last too long. He had Litton caught at fine leg for 22 to reduce Bangladesh to 59 for 5 in the 18th over.Mehidy was the only one fighting for Bangladesh, riding out the short-ball barrage, and keeping the scoreboard moving. He made 45 off 46 balls with five fours and a six, before Seales got him caught behind, as Da Silva took a fine catch. Seales then clean bowled Taijul Islam as well.West Indies’ morning had started with good fortune despite the declaration surprise. Shahadat, at first slip, dropped captain Kraigg Brathwaite on 9. Next ball, Taskin slammed an inswinger into Louis’ front pad, but umpire Kumar Dharmasena said not out. Replays showed that the batter was plumb in front, but Bangladesh hadn’t taken the review.Taskin, however, removed Louis in his next over when the opener was caught behind for 8. Taskin then had Keacy Carty caught at third slip, a further reward of his excellent line and length in his first spell. Brathwaite then guided Shoriful Islam to second slip in the following over, as the visitors’ decision to declare got an early vindication.Kavem Hodge and Alick Athanaze nearly got West Indies out of trouble. The pair struck eight fours either side of the lunch break, but just when they added 50 for the fourth wicket, Bangladesh struck three times in as many overs. Taskin’s beautiful delivery that nipped slightly away had Hodge caught behind for 15. It was also Litton Das’ 100th catch in Tests.File photo: Jayden Seales also finished the day with three wickets•AFP/Getty Images

Mehidy then removed Athanaze in the following over. He made 42 off 63 balls, with seven fours, but the young left-hander played a superfluous shot, struck on the back foot while trying to cut a ball that was spinning into him. Then Taskin clipped Justin Greaves’ off stump with another fantastic delivery, as the first-innings centurion made just 2 in the second.Alzarri Joseph immediately counterattacked against Taskin, and this time there were no verbal exchanges between the two. Da Silva followed suit by getting two fours off Taskin’s next over. He struck Taijul for a straight six, but then the left-arm spinner got one to get big on Da Silva, who gave a catch to point.Alzarri then holed out to short fine leg after top edging Mehidy. He had earlier survived a similar top edge, but Mominul had dropped a relatively difficult chance. Mominul had earlier also dropped Carty at short cover.It was, however, all forgotten when Taskin yorked Shamar to complete his first five-for. He finished up the West Indies innings when Mehidy took a brilliant diving catch at mid-off, after Roach was deceived by a Taskin’s slower ball.But Bangladesh’s batters couldn’t be inspired by their bowlers, as they crumbled on the fourth day.

Jake Weatherald has been slower to find his feet in T20 but it has been a combination of persistence by the Adelaide Strikers and evolution on the young left-hander’s part that led him to Sunday’s innings

Daniel Brettig in Adelaide04-Feb-2018Two years ago, in his fourth first-class match, Jake Weatherald opened the batting for South Australia in a Sheffield Shield final and looked right at home. So much so, in fact, that he made it to 66 and 96 before throwing his hands away with a pair of shots that might best be described as presumptuous. In the second innings his skied slog at Fawad Ahmed, after a brief scoreless period, ushered the collapse that won a more composed Victoria the title in an away decider at Glenelg Oval.These memories were at the forefront of the mind of Adelaide Strikers captain Travis Head as he batted in the slipstream of Weatherald on another day when he looked in control – the Big Bash League final in front of more than 40,000 spectators at Adelaide Oval. At 24, Head has already captained his state for three seasons and the Strikers for this tournament, and he made sure he was in the ear of Weatherald who, at 23, is one of the richer batting talents in the Australian system.Unlike the four-day game, Weatherald has been slower to find his range in T20 matches, but it has been a combination of persistence by the Strikers and evolution on the young left-hander’s part that led him to Sunday’s innings. With Head in his ear to keep him focused, he surged to the first-ever century in a BBL final, underpinning a total of 202 that was ultimately far too much for even the redoubtable Hobart Hurricanes to chase, and enough for the Strikers to defend without the speed of Billy Stanlake and the wrist-spinning wiles of Rashid Khan.”It just comes down to experience, he got those scores in the Shield games and he had the foot on the throat and didn’t capitalise. Today I just kept reminding him, just kept telling him to capitalise,” Head said of Weatherald. “He didn’t slog, he played great cricket shots, he was very calm, selective on who he targeted and that just comes from experience.”He’s a mature man now, he’s played a lot of cricket, he’s played in big games, a lot of our big games for South Australia and today he’s gone out and shown he’s learned from experience and a few opportunities he’s had in the past and really put his foot down and made sure it was a match-winning performance. Last year and the start of the year, he probably didn’t give himself much of an opportunity, and we knew how good he was in the sheds, so we backed him in.”We gave him every game, we said we weren’t going to change that, him and Kez [Alex Carey] were going to open the whole time and gave him full confidence to go out there and back his skill and ability. We knew how good he was but he probably wasn’t giving himself the opportunity he would’ve liked, and at the back end he showed he’s given himself a chance and had some crucial innings for us.”The innings Weatherald conjured on Sunday arrived at the end of a period in which he had been trending ominously upwards. Scores of 65, 3, 56 and then 57 in the semi-final thriller against Melbourne Renegades on Friday night indicated that Weatherald was ready to step up from handy to substantial, and he was helped by some less than precise Hurricanes bowling in doing so. Their captain George Bailey said that Weatherald’s strengths square of the wicket were well known, particularly on a ground like Adelaide, but that his attack had offered too many deliveries in his strong zones.”I reckon he hit a lot of balls where we talked about not letting him hit balls,” Bailey said, his typical smile more of a grimace. “Like most of these young blokes they’re beautiful strikers of the ball, so you want to make them hit the ball where they don’t like to or they’re not as strong as they are [elsewhere]. He’s very strong square of the wicket and I reckon he hit too many pull shots and cuts shots today.”Having blazed eight sixes and nine fours Weatherald, too, agreed he had been offered the chance to play the square-of-the-wicket shots with which he is most comfortable, following a long tradition of South Australian left-handers from Clem Hill and David Hookes to Darren Lehmann. “I wanted to stick to my strengths and thankfully they bowled to them today,” he said. “Throughout the tournament I haven’t been overly successful, but thankfully they bowled where I wanted and I was able to hit to the boundary”I felt like I was hitting the ball really well throughout the tournament, I said that to anyone who asked me, I felt I was close to getting a big score and everyone around me was so supportive and saying the same thing, which was probably why they stuck with me. It’s really good to perform when I and the team really needed it.”The support staff have been so great throughout the tournament, letting me know my spot’s secure and backing me in to perform at some point. It was great they were so supportive throughout, all the players were supportive too, we’ve got such a great group, and that’s why we’ve been so successful.”Much like the Strikers themselves, Weatherald has taken time to find his best ways of succeeding in the shortest format, often seeming in too much of a hurry for one so capable of striking the ball cleanly once he has had a few sighters. But the ball-striking talent he possesses has been gradually honed through the faith of the captain Head, the coach Jason Gillespie, and the parallel state set-up led by Jamie Siddons. Tim Nielsen, the former Australia coach, serves as the high performance link between the two.”To be honest I found T20 cricket the hardest of all formats,” Weatherald said. “You obviously don’t have as much time, and I hadn’t really played too much T20 cricket before I played Big Bash, so it was a massive learning curve, the first 14 games I really found it quite hard to play, but just having good support staff around, Greg Blewett, “Dizzy” Gillespie and Jamie Siddons my Shield coach has been amazing. They’ve got around me and said ‘just bat the way you normally bat and you’ll make runs in T20 cricket’. My game’s evolved to hopefully perform in all formats, which is slowly coming together.”It is in finding the aforementioned adaptability that a link can be drawn from the Weatherald of the 2016 Shield final and the Weatherald of the 2018 BBL finale. For Head, there is satisfaction in knowing that several players have now come through the experience of losing three finals for their state – also the 2016 limited-overs decider and the 2017 Shield final, this time in Alice Springs – to be part of a dominant team on the most high-profile stage in Australian domestic cricket.”It was nice to take a back seat to Weathers today, he was exceptional, a match winner,” Head said. “That’s what we asked for Friday night and asked for that today, you want to step up in big games, be a match winner, he’s probably gone a bit unnoticed earlier in the tournament, probably teased us a little bit, been in really good form, but it’s fantastic that he’s gone out and played an unbelievable innings and won us the game.”It was nice to get it off the back I guess and nice for a lot of the guys who’ve played in them to celebrate winning a final and hopefully we can build something really special with this group of guys. Looking at it from the SACA perspective there’s a lot of guys in there that are playing Shield cricket for us and it’s great for South Australia but it’s also great for the Strikers. I’m sure this team will roll out the same next year and we expect nothing less than to win. We’ve set the example now.”That does not just bode well for the Strikers and South Australia, but for the national team at the top of the Australian pyramid.

Nearly all the pieces are in place, but the wicketkeeper-batsman’s form is a worry, particularly in a team that wants to play five bowlers

Firdose Moonda in Johannesburg23-Jan-2018With a 2-0 series lead and an eye on closing the gap between themselves and India to a fraction of a point at the top of the Test rankings, it would seem South Africa don’t have any serious concerns ahead of the finale but there is one. After three scores under 20 in his four innings in the series, and a long-format lean patch stretching back several months, the form of Quinton de Kock has become a worry especially if the team strategy of six specialist batsmen is going to hold in the long term.De Kock’s last Test score of significance was his 68 in the first innings against England in Nottingham in July. He was batting at No.4 in that match, after JP Duminy was dropped and de Kock, one of the few in-form batsmen at the time, was given the freedom to choose his position. But he only batted in that position for two matches before Temba Bavuma took over and now the job has gone back to AB de Villiers.The promotion up and demotion back down seems to have destabilised de Kock. In his last 12 innings, de Kock has not gone past 50, only once for lack of opportunity, when he scored an unbeaten 28 against Bangladesh in October when South Africa declared at 573 for 4. Since then, de Kock has scored 24, 43, 8, 0 and 12 and while the rest of us are looking at the numbers and the history, Faf du Plessis wants de Kock to do the opposite.”The key for someone like him is not to overanalyse or overcomplicate things. It happens when a guy goes one or two or five Tests without scoring runs, you tend to want to overanalyse but with Quinny that’s the last thing you want to do,” du Plessis said. “His biggest asset is that he is a free player and when he is on, he completely takes the pressure back onto the opposition. I know he would like to score runs. From the team perspective, the language we speak to him is to just keep having the positive intent and when he gets the opportunity to score runs, that he cashes in. He will be very hungry to put in a play in this last Test.”De Kock’s natural aggression and instinctive style of play have bought him the licence to be considered a wild child, who will perform in sporadic bursts if left to his own devices. That may work in a side with the luxury of a seventh batsman and it has worked well for de Kock. He has made more than half his 1641 Test runs at No. 7, including all three of his Test hundreds, and averages 55.53 at that position. In contrast, de Kock has scored only 349 runs in 14 innings at No. 6 at an average of 26.84 with two fifties, both made back in 2014, and needs to start taking greater responsibility, which du Plessis has stressed in a series where batting conditions are tough. “If you get in, with your partner, try to string together a nice partnership,” he said.Du Plessis only expects it to get tougher at the Wanderers, especially for a player like de Kock, who prefers flamboyance over fastidiousness. “This is the ground where it swings a little bit more than anything else. Your disciplines as a batsman become important,” du Plessis said. “When you do get through the tough times, that’s when you get value for your shots. The outfield is very quick and the wicket can get good to bat on but there are challenging times for a batter and you need to get through them.”Happily, de Kock knows the Wanderers better than most. It was the ground where he played his franchise cricket at the start of his career and he understands its nuances. Perhaps even more happily, de Kock’s long-time mentor, former national batting coach Neil McKenzie, was invited to attend South Africa’s pre-Test training session, though not specifically to address the de Kock issue.”He was just assisting. He was part of the Proteas set up for a while and his role going forward will be to look at the next tier of batsmen coming through. So it’s just to see how we are working,” du Plessis said. “I do know Neil has quite a good relationship with Quinny but he was going to come to Jo’burg anyway, before Quinny didn’t get runs the previous game.”McKenzie played an important part in fine-tuning de Kock’s game, as much as it could be fine-tuned, when de Kock was dropped early in his career after a tour to Sri Lanka in mid-2013. At the time, McKenzie was still playing franchise cricket and took de Kock under his wing, though he joked that as much as he talked, he wasn’t always sure de Kock was listening. When de Kock was recalled to the side in late 2013, he scored his maiden ODI hundred against Pakistan, reeled off three against India, and made his Test debut the same season.A (re)start so convincing may have to stall at some point but South Africa will want to get de Kock going again soon, especially since the slump has been long. De Kock had a poor domestic T20 campaign in November-December, when he played eight matches and scored 118 runs at 14.75, with a top-score of 39. With limited-overs matches looming, South Africa will want him to find the touch that took him to a sensational 168* against Bangladesh in the first ODI in October last year.After that innings, de Kock credited the work he had been doing with McKenzie and South Africa will only hope the same can happen now, so they can fit the last piece of their Test puzzle into place before the Australia series in march.

England U19 314 (Singh 67, Hurst 55) and 254 (McKinney 70, Foreman 58*) beat Australia U19 268 (Singh 64, Anderson 53, Foreman 4-66) and 276 (Blackford 106, Kelly 5-69) by 24 runsBen McKinney, the England men’s Under-19s opener, said that his team had taken inspiration from Ben Stokes’ seniors after securing a first Youth Test victory in Australia since 2003.England’s 24-run victory came on a tense final day in Brisbane, as Australia – 142 for 4 overnight, chasing 301 – were bowled out for 276 with the Hampshire seamer, Dominic Kelly, claiming figures of 5 for 69.Kelly’s wickets included the crucial dismissal of Australia’s top-scorer Liam Blackford, who had reduced the deficit to 34 before he was ninth man out for 106, with McKinney himself claiming the catch that exposed the tail.”We got ahead of the game and took a good initiative, which is how we want to play in every game,” McKinney said after the match. “We took a few risks, but we always felt we could bowl them out. We were pretty confident, and then we had a great finish on the final day.”Despite the final-day tension, England had held the upper hand for much of the match. They secured a useful first-innings lead of 46, thanks to half-centuries from Harry Singh and Matthew Hurst and a four-wicket haul for Bertie Foreman, then pressed along at five runs an over in setting Australia’s target of 301.McKinney, England’s white-ball captain, set the tempo from the top of the order with 70 from 45 balls, while Foreman’s unbeaten 58 from 59 balls at No.10 helped lift the total from a dicey 172 for 8 to 254 all out.”It was quite tough early on, but the boys did well in the middle and worked hard for a good score,” McKinney said. “That first innings was the only score above 300 all match. Then we bowled them out in less than a day, which really helped us get some control. The way we went about it was pretty aggressive. We had good fields and our approach was different to what they wanted to try to do.”We’re going to follow suit from the England Men’s senior team,” he added. “We’ve got the skill level already, but this approach also helps your skills to progress because you’re not worried too much: you’re just focused on your strengths. That’s the best way to play. The last time the men’s U19s won in Australia was 2003, and maybe this approach is the difference. I think our aggressive intent definitely helped us win this Test.”England and Australia meet again in Brisbane next week for the second Test, before three ODIs and a T20I, and McKinney said the experience of the trip was already proving invaluable, ahead of a 2023 home summer in which he hopes to break into Durham’s first team.”It’s been so good,” he said. “Obviously, the main goal was to win every single game, the next match is the next big test.”It’s my first time in Australia and it’s a great place to be. But the tour is about winning. Our reaction when the last wicket fell showed that. But when we’re playing this way, it’s also helping us to socialise and get together as a team.”The main thing I’ve learned to face is the length of time you’re away from home,” he added. “I’ve never been away for 35 days before. That’s the toughest part. You’ve got to learn when to switch on and when to switch off. While you’ve got to concentrate on your game, you’ve also got to know how and when to step away. It’s about keeping your confidence level high, and all the boys are doing that so far.”England’s last Youth Test victory over Australia featured a team boasting five future international players – Ravi Bopara, Samit Patel, Luke Wright, Liam Plunkett and Tim Bresnan – who defeated their Under-19 counterparts by 14 runs in Adelaide.

A two-member panel will now conduct a review before announcing their verdict within 14 days

Shashank Kishore14-Mar-20233:27

Chopra: If every Test lasts only two-and-a-half days, there is a problem

The BCCI has filed a formal appeal with the ICC over the “poor” rating given to the Indore pitch by match referee Chris Broad, an official of the Madhya Pradesh Cricket Association, which owns Holkar Stadium in Indore, told ESPNcricinfo. A two-member ICC panel will now conduct a review before announcing their verdict within 14 days.The Test, the third of the Border-Gavaskar Trophy series between India and Australia, finished well within the first session on the third day after 30 wickets fell in the first two days. Twenty-six of the 31 wickets in the Test went to spinners as Australia completed a nine-wicket win to claw back in the series after losing the first two Tests.In his report, Broad had said that the “pitch was very dry and did not provide a balance between bat and ball, favouring spinners from the start”. He further stated that there was “excessive and uneven bounce throughout the match”.Broad’s rating meant the venue has now accrued three demerit points. This will remain active for a five-year rolling period. If it receives two more demerit points, the venue will be suspended from hosting international cricket for 12 months.In the Indore Test, 26 of the 31 wickets went to spinners•Getty Images

Andy Pycroft, the match referee for the first two Tests, had rated the surfaces used in Nagpur and Delhi as “average”. Those Tests also finished inside three days, India winning both.Match referees have six distinct markings for surfaces: very good, good, average, below average, poor and unfit. Only those rated below average, poor or unfit attract demerit points.Indore was given short notice to host the Test after the BCCI inspection team found the outfield at Dharamsala not yet up to par after it was relaid in the winter. The BCCI announced the shifting of the venue on February 13, about two weeks before the scheduled start of the game on March 1.It is unusual for boards to appeal against pitch ratings, but not unheard-of. In fact, the PCB did it recently – and successfully – for a demerit point given to the surface in Rawalpindi, which hosted the Test against England in December last year. Pycroft, the match referee there too, had rated the pitch “below average”. England won that Test by 74 runs.

United suffered a demoralising defeat to Tottenham in Bilbao and questions over Ruben Amorim's future have continued to circulate.

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Red Devils lost to Tottenham on WednesdayFerdinand gives verdict on Amorim's futureUnited without European football next seasonFollow GOAL on WhatsApp! 🟢📱WHAT HAPPENED?

United suffered a disappointing defeat to Tottenham in the Europa League final on Wednesday night as Brennan Johnson scored the only goal of the game. The performance was lacklustre, leading to questions about the manager's tactics and team selection, but Ferdinand has stated Amorim should remain at the club and be given the opportunity to rebuild despite the outcome.

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United's loss marks another low point in a season riddled with inconsistency and underperformance. Missing out on Champions League qualification puts added pressure on new minority owner Jim Ratcliffe to invest and turn the club around. Ferdinand believes Amorim deserves a chance to implement his vision with a full pre-season and the opportunity to recruit players, though this recent failure may however discourage potential signings.

WHAT FERDINAND SAID

Speaking on Rio Reacts, Ferdinand said: "Ruben Amorim, I think he went a bit defensive. I think he went a bit conservative.

"I don't think the result will determine his future. I don't think any type of result or performance will affect him going into next season. I think he was definitely assured of that.

"He didn't want to come in the first place at this part of the season that they got him because he knew he wouldn't have had a pre-season. He knows the importance of a pre-season.

"If you can switch it and try and find a positive from not being in the Champions League next season and not being in Europe is that he is going to get more time to coach the players on the pitch, less games, less midweek games that he's going to get time to coach these players and then there's no excuses.

"These fans, me and Scholes were sitting there and some of these players are getting songs sung after him. The managers got a song sung after him. They're languishing in the league. They're coming out in their thousands still and supporting this team. These guys need to start giving them something to sing about and justifying why they got there."

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Getty Images SportWHAT NEXT FOR MAN UTD?

Amorim faces a crucial summer transfer window to reshape the United squad. Ratcliffe will need to provide the necessary funds to attract new players, while Amorim focuses on implementing his tactical vision during pre-season. However, the Portuguese coach will be under pressure to show fast improvement during the early stages of next season.

Gus Poyet insists Chelsea have "no more excuses" as they aim to qualify for the Champions League and win the Conference League.

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• Blues aiming to finish in top five
• Must win final two games
• Poyet urges Maresca's side to get over line

• WHAT HAPPENED?

  Chelsea face Manchester United on Friday evening and are acutely aware that they must win their final two games of the season if they are to guarantee qualification for the Champions League. They currently sit fifth, the final qualification spot this season, but are level on points with Aston Villa and are only one clear of Nottingham Forest in seventh.

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  Chelsea also have a Conference League final against Real Betis to prepare for, which comes just three days after their final game of the season against fellow Champions League hopefuls Forest. Nevertheless, Poyet insists standards have slipped at Stamford Bridge – a stadium that has witnessed the Blues lifting the Premier League trophy – and has told manager Enzo Maresca that he has no excuse if the club fail to finish in the top five.

• WHAT GUS POYET SAID

  Poyet told : “Chelsea must qualify for the Champions League next season. It was too early to call in the middle of the season, and then they had a great run of form. People even thought they could challenge for the title. After Enzo Maresca played down their chances, they went on a really bad run.

  “Can they balance their focus between the Premier League and the Europa Conference League? There are no more excuses for Chelsea. The expectation used to be top two, then top three, then top four and now top five! Qualifying for the Champions League would stop the slide.”

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  WHAT NEXT?

  Chelsea face United on Friday night. With Aston Villa playing Tottenham Hotspur on the same evening, the Blues will hope their London rivals can do them a favour.

Brydon Carse records maiden first-class hundred before Durham take 15 wickets in day

ECB Reporters Network28-Apr-2023

Brydon Carse gave the England selectors a quiet nudge ahead of the Ashes by scoring his maiden first-class century and taking three wickets to put Durham on the verge of victory in their LV= Insurance County Championship Division Two match against Derbyshire.Carse began the day needing 23 runs to reach his maiden ton and rocketed through the gears to secure his hundred from 113 balls before Durham declared on 452 for 9. The home side then ran through the Derbyshire line-up as Matthew Potts and Ben Raine reduced the visitors to 6 for 4. Luis Reece top-scored with 56, but his team were made to follow-on after being skittled for 165.Potts and Raine made further breakthroughs early on to leave Derbyshire in a world of trouble at 7 for 2 second time around. Durham maintained their patience to edge their way towards their second win of the season, reducing the visitors to 92 for 5 at stumps, still boasting a dominant 195-run lead at Seat Unique Riverside.Carse began the day 77 not out with his team positioned on 410 for 8, and he signalled his intent to get to three figures by dispatching Zak Chappell’s first ball of the day to the fence.Derbyshire skipper Leus du Plooy challenged Carse to penetrate the field, and the allrounder found the gaps to surpass his previous best of 91 made last week against Glamorgan before reaching his maiden ton with a nudge into the leg-side.Carse almost forgot to complete a second run in the midst of celebration, but comfortably made it back to acknowledge his delighted team-mates. He ended the Durham innings by clubbing Ben Aitchison over long-on for a huge six, securing maximum batting points.Durham declared 10 minutes before lunch to leave the Derbyshire openers with an awkward over to see out, but Raine made the breakthrough to remove Billy Godleman. Matters would only get worse for the visitors after the interval.Potts produced a sensational over to clean bowl Haider Ali and Wayne Madsen in the space of four deliveries before Derbyshire’s top order was left in tatters when Raine pinned Brooke Guest lbw for 2. Durham’s new-ball pair struck again as Matthew Lamb and du Plooy continued the Derbyshire procession.It was then the turn of Carse. He delivered a brute of a ball that rose sharply off the deck and Chappell could only fend meekly into the hands of Graham Clark at short-leg. Carse notched a second to remove Aitchison before Reece and Sam Conners offered a semblance of resistance with a final-wicket stand of 68, Reece top-scoring with 56 unbeaten. Matt Parkinson, on loan from Lancashire, claimed his first wicket to end the Derbyshire innings still trailing the hosts by 287.Scott Borthwick enforced the follow-on, and Godleman continued his day to forget as he collected a pair, lasting only two balls before he was pinned lbw by Raine. Potts was equally effective at removing Haider for the second time in the day as Derbyshire’s openers again failed to emerge beyond the second over intact.Madsen survived two dropped chances to put on 44 with Guest, but Carse produced another gem of a delivery to find his outside edge. In need of stability from their skipper, du Plooy gave his wicket away on 14, clipping a tame on drive straight to Potts, while Guest fell just before stumps for 35 to leave the visitors with a mammoth challenge to avoid an innings defeat after losing 15 wickets on day two.

Captain Mitchell Marsh smashed a belligerent century in his first Sheffield Shield match in almost two years to power Western Australia into a commanding position over Tasmania at the WACA.Marsh, playing as a specialist batter, returned to his best with an unbeaten 108 from 111 balls to lift WA to a first innings total of 336 and a lead of 157.Tasmania reached stumps on day two at 1 for 27 with Caleb Jewell on 21 and Jake Doran on 1.Opener Tim Ward, who top-scored with 44 in the first innings, fell lbw to left-arm quick Joel Paris for five to leave Tasmania facing an uphill battle to keep their final’s hopes alive.Having recently returned from a three-month layoff after ankle surgery, Marsh was in commanding form and hit nine fours and four sixes. He combined with Charlie Stobo in a last-wicket partnership of 113 to thwart Tasmania’s attempts at a comeback.After a subpar opening day, where they were bowled out for 179 in their first innings, Tasmania had clawed back into the contest with regular wickets through the opening two sessions.Offspinner Jarrod Freeman, who had claimed in-form Cameron Bancroft late on day one, dismissed opener Sam Whiteman for 64 to leave WA wobbling at 4 for 132 at lunch.Freeman added another after the long break when allrounder Aaron Hardie smashed a long-hop straight to midwicket with WA still 25 runs behind.Marsh, playing his first Shield match since April 2021, came to the crease looking to step up his preparations ahead of the upcoming ODI series in India.He was run out for a duck in his return against Tasmania in the 50-over Marsh Cup, but Marsh showed little rust as he navigated a short-pitched assault from speedster Riley Meredith who is arguably the fastest quick in the country.After a searing Meredith bouncer sailed over his head for byes, Marsh then counterattacked with a beautiful drive to the boundary followed by a six over midwicket.But Marsh was running out of partners with WA slumping to 9 for 223 with a lead of only 44 runs. He was on 38 when Stobo joined him and then hogged the strike by resisting singles.Marsh quickly sped past his half-century as he targeted Freeman straight down the ground while taking on Meredith’s sustained short-ball line.Tasmania had taken the extra 30 minutes before tea in a bid to claim the final wicket but their flagging attack was left frustrated as Marsh closed in on his century.He smashed a six off Freeman to move to 94 before reaching his ton moments later much to the delight of the smattering of fans in the terraces.Marsh received strong support from Stobo, who made a first-class career-best score of 38 off 84 balls to prove his worth having batted in the top-order for his local club in Perth grade cricket.Stobo finally fell as the shadows crept onto the WACA turf as WA moved closer to securing a home Shield final.

Messi scored two, Suarez added a double of his own, and Inter Miami returned to winning ways against lowly Montreal

Lionel Messi bagged a brace and Luis Suarez was also at the double as Inter Miami rolled past a poor Montreal side to break a poor spell in MLS play with a 4-2 win Wednesday night. The Argentine was instrumental throughout, while his old Barcelona teammate found some life as well, leading the Herons to three vital points.

Messi, as expected, opened the game up after a sluggish start. It was a classic Messi goal, a quick exchange with Sergio Busquets followed by angled curled finish from the top of the box. It was an otherwise languid first half, Messi popping up here and there without creating much.

Then, the second half exploded. It started with a double save from Oscar Ustari, who twice denied close-range efforts with insinctive stops. Miami took advantage immediately, going straight down with a well constructed counter attack. Messi provided the key moment again, dinking a ball into the box that Suarez – afforded far too much space – controlled and finished. He added another three minutes later, reacting first to a loose ball and stroking into the bottom corner.

Montreal gave themselves a glimmer of hope after 73rd minute, Dante Sealy ghosting inside and tucking the ball into the bottom corner. But Messi had the final word, combining with Suarez and dinking over a stranded goalkeeper to wrap up a win.

A late Montreal goal only made the scoreline appear narrower. The result, though, was remarkably comfortable.

GOAL rates Inter Miami's players from Chase Stadium.

• Goalkeeper & Defense

  Oscar Ustari (6/10):

  Made an impressive double save before conceding a couple of goals he really couldn't do anything about.

  Ian Fray (6/10):

  A solid shift on the right. Got up and down without ever really providing the killer ball.

  Gonzalo Lujan (N/A):

  Seemed to pick up a groin issue after 12 minutes.

  Noah Allen (6/10):

  Tidy at the back until he was absolutely skinned in the run up to Montreal's goal. He looks more and more comfortable with each game.

  Jordi Alba (N/A):

  Went off injured early on. Miami will hope it's not serious.

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  Midfield

  Tadeo Allende (5/10):

  Ran around a lot and looked to connect, but completed just 61 percent of his passes.

  Sergio Busquets (8/10):

  Class throughout. Assisted the first goal and was instrumental in a couple more. Tackled well and fouled at the right times, too.

  Federico Redondo (6/10):

  Ate up ground in the Yannick Bright role. Ensured that there wasn't much of a drop off in the engine room.

  Telasco Segovia (7/10):

  A more measured evening from last weekend's hero, who offered plenty of control – and linked up with Messi well.

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  Attack

  Lionel Messi (9/10):

  Scored a typically outrageous goal. Did all sorts of nice things, and then assisted Suarez wonderfully. Capped off his evening with a delightful dink.

  Luis Suarez (8/10):

  Pretty sloppy in the first half, and then deadly in the second. Scored two instinctive goals, and then set up another. Quality.

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  Subs & Manager

  Tomas Alives (5/10):

  Came on and then went off injured. Miami are struggling at center-back.

  Hector Martinez (6/10):

  Did his job without being revolutionary. Might be asked to play more going forward.

  Maxi Falcon (6/10):

  A mixed second half. Solid at times but also completely lost his man on Montreal's second.

  Benja Cremaschi (N/A):

  Barely involved in 20 middling minutes.

  Fafa Picault (N/A):

  Late legs to stretch the game a bit.

  Javier Mascherano (7/10):

  Not a bad night's work, all said. Got his system right and relied on his star men for a convincing win. The seat cools down – for now.