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ScorecardNeil Dexter closed the day with an unbeaten half-century•Getty Images

Somerset supporters concerned that their talented yet unfulfilled team is growing old together can take heart from days like this: the young ‘uns are coming. Foremost among the new breed is Jamie Overton whose career-best 4 for 65 challenged Middlesex’s visions of supremacy at the Tractor Ground.It is not really the Tractor Ground, of course, but “County Ground” is always so unimaginative (its only saving grace is that it is not named after an airline) and it sounded like the Tractor Ground shortly after lunch when Tractor himself – arguably Somerset’s most famous fan and ill-advisedly unprotected against the unseasonable chill – was on full revs, bellowing for all he was worth for Alfonso Thomas to slow Middlesex’s progress.Thomas failed, largely because Joe Denly, whose first 10 scoring shots were boundaries, reached 40 by a mixture of good fortune, easy pickings and a decent shot or two. But what the Great Alfonso could not deliver, the Young Pretender did, finding the outside edge to take three of the first four Middlesex wickets to fall. Toby Roland-Jones made up the foursome with two for grabs on the morrow.The Middlesex wickets that matter are those of the openers, Sam Robson and Chris Rogers. Neither particularly catch the eye, but they have an adhesive quality which is at the heart of Middlesex’s championship challenge and which makes up for a flaky middle order. Overton removed then both, at which point five more wickets tumbled for 66 in 18 overs before Neil Dexter summoned a necessary response with an unbeaten 73. Rogers’s Australian late coming this summer might not set the Ashes alive but England will value his wicket as much as most. Like many squat batsmen he can look frustratingly immovable.Overton, still only 19, and still routinely confused by all but the most committed Somerset observer with his equally promising twin brother, Craig, bowled at a fair lick in his 21 overs. The first thing that strikes you about him is his robust appearance for one so young; he may need it at Taunton which is not exactly a fast bowler’s dream. Somerset’s skipper Marcus Trescothick put Middlesex in on a green pitch, but Rogers and Robson dealt with what limited threat there was..Somerset recovered in the afternoon session with three wickets in as many overs. Rogers, who had not been as solid as his young fellow Australian, Robson, nicked Overton to wicketkeeper Jos Buttler. The next over saw the left-arm spinner Jack Leach bowl Denly shouldering arms and then Overton struck again when Dawid Malan was snapped up by Trescothick in the slips off Overton.Leach, like Overton a promise of good things to come, bowled with good control and finished the day with three wickets as James Hildreth snapped up John Simpson at short-leg off Leach and Gareth Berg swept a catch to Peter Trego at mid wicket.”Nailed on draw and you don’t get many points for a draw,” muttered one Somerset sage soon after lunch as Middlesex prospered. He will doubtless return with a more optimistic slant on things for the second day. At Taunton, 293 for 8 at the end of the first day suggests that stalemate should be avoided and it is Somerset who have the edge.

James Harris, the Middlesex seamer, has aggravated the hamstring injury he picked up during the opening Championship match of the season and has been ruled out for another two weeks starting with the local derby against Surrey this week.He picked up the original problem against Nottinghamshire at Trent Bridge during his first-class debut for Middlesex, but had been passed fit to return against Cambridge MCCU last week where he took four wickets in the game and struck an unbeaten 43.He then played in a friendly 40-over match against the Unicorns, the team made up of players without professional deals that will compete in the YB40, during which he felt further problems with his left hamstringAngus Fraser, Middlesex’s managing director, said: “Everybody at the club feels sorry for James who is desperate to get his time at Middlesex off and running. But we are all confident that this is just a minor setback and that he will have a major role to play in our season as it develops.”At the moment we have the fast bowling resources to cope with James’ injury and it will be great to get him back fully fit for when Steven Finn departs for England duty.”Although Middlesex will be able to call on Finn, Toby Roland-Jones and Tim Murtagh for the Championship match against Surrey the following four-day fixture against Warwickshire could be more of a challenge if Harris is still sidelined because Roland-Jones has been named in the England Lions side to face New Zealand.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball details
Aaron Finch provided Pune Warriors with an effective start•BCCI

They keep saying you have got to do the basics right, more so in Twenty20. They lie. On Monday night in Chennai, Pune Warriors did most of the basics wrong against the much-fancied Chennai Super Kings, but still won by a huge margin.While batting only two of the seven Warriors batsmen went at a strike-rate of more than 112.5, and one of them faced 18 dots out of 45. They wasted a flying start – their best in all IPLs – with a muddle in the middle, Mitchell Marsh holed out into the deep and didn’t even cross over, Manish Pandey slogged when he should have handed over the strike to Steven Smith, T Suman dropped a sitter that would have reduced Chennai Super Kings to 2 for 2, and they were consistently on the worse side of minor fielding errors.Still, riding on Aaron Finch’s 67 off 45 and Steven Smith’s unbeaten 39 off 16, and Bhuvneshwar Kumar’s impeccable swing at the top of the defence, Warriors pulled off the upset. Their basics might not have been perfect, but there was enough of the spectacular from the three aforementioned gentlemen.The first ball Finch faced he drilled back past Dirk Nannes for four. He would hit seven more fours in the Powerplay. With a short back lift and a punch packed behind them. Robin Uthappa at the other end, though, fumbled his way to nine off 12 at the end of the Powerplay. The singles didn’t come, Uthappa kept struggling, but Finch kept hitting enough boundaries to take this stand to the best opening for Warriors ever.Then came on R Ashwin’s spin and Chris Morris’ bustle, and Warriors lost their way. In going from 96 for 0 to 128 for 4, they consumed 29 balls and looked set for a below-par total, especially after the 18th over produced just three runs. However, Smith, who wouldn’t even have played but for the Tamil Nadu government’s problem with Sri Lankan cricketers, had other ideas. He went crazy against Nannes and Dwayne Bravo, reverse-flicking the latter for a huge six over third man in the final over. Twenty-eight came off those last two overs, but this was still a strictly fighting total.Under Bhuvneshwar’s swing, the total grew a leg. With his second delivery, he trapped S Anirudha – who replaced Michael Hussey – with an inswinger. He looked like he could get Suresh Raina with each of the remaining deliveries of that wicket-maiden. Catches kept getting dropped, the fielding was not the sharpest, but Bhuvneshwar nipped out Raina soon.Abhishek Nayar’s cutters and Rahul Sharma’s accuracy did the job in the middle overs, and once again Super Kings were left with close to 14 an over to chase through MS Dhoni, Bravo and Albie Morkel. It wasn’t to be this time as the bowlers and fielders held their nerve.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsWest Indies bowling and fielding charged them to a series win against Sri Lanka with a 33-run victory in the third ODI in Dambulla. After they managed to score only 191 for 9 in their 50 overs, West Indies defended their modest target led by Tremayne Smartt’s figures of 2 for 26 from her 10 overs and four run-outs.Sri Lanka took advantage of their decision to field when they reduced West Indies to 51 for 4 within 15 overs. Eshani Kaushalya and Chamani Seneviratna struck twice each and devoid the West Indies of a healthy run-rate. Merissa Aguilleoira and Deandra Dottin stayed together for 14 overs and scored 42 runs but Dottin was then dismissed for 16, and soon Aguilleira was stumped for 29. Shemaine Campbelle continued her good form with a 37 and after partnerships with Kyshona Knight and Shakera Selman, took the team to 191.Sri Lanka got off to a cautious start but both their openers were dismissed within a span of four runs, at 31 and 35. West Indies did not let the hosts settle down from there, striking at regular intervals. Smartt took two wickets out of the five which also included three run-outs, of Dilani Manodara, Eshani Kaushalya and Chamani Seneviratna. Sri Lanka were now 128 for 7 and a long way from winning the match and West Indies continued their habit of defending low scores from the World Cup. Only Shashikala Siriwardene provided resistance with a 78-ball 29 but could not avoid the series defeat.

ScorecardTuskers, helped by a defiant century by Bilal Shafayat, held Mountaineers for a draw after following on at Mutare Sports Club. Trailing by 134 runs at the start of the fourth day, Tuskers faced a tough task of saving the match with seven wickets in hand. They lost overnight batsman off the fifth over of the morning, but Shafayat and Sean Williams forged a 143-run partnership that helped the Tuskers clear the deficit. Shafayat carried on after the fall of William’s wicket and completed his second century in as many matches. By the time he was out, he had helped Tuskers use almost the entire quota of the day.Mountaineers had chosen to bat in a bid to get close to Tuskers in the points table and declared their innings after scoring 475 on the second day at a healthy rate of 3.50. Greg Lamb and Timcyen Maruma scored centuries while Kevin Kasuza and Kudzai Sauramba chipped in with half-centuries.It was Shafayat who held together Tuskers in the first innings too with a half-century, but Mountaineers bowlers struck regularly and had reduced Tuskers to 223 for 9. Some late resistance by No. 11 Jason Nyumbu, who scored 65, helped Tuskers to get close to 300. Shingi Masakadza and Maruma shared four wickets each.Tuskers maintained their unbeaten record in the competition and are placed at the top with 35 points, six ahead of Mountaineers.
ScorecardMashonaland Eagles scored over 300 runs on the last day of their match against Southern Rocks, but it was the Rocks who took one point form the drawn match because of their first-innings lead.Once the Eagles chose to bat, opener Keith Kondo anchored the innings, after they lost two quick wickets, with 98. He was accompanied by Stuart Matsikenyeri who made 76. Scores in forties from Sikandar Raza and Forster Mutizwa from the middle order took them past 350 after Tawanda Mupariwa took four wickets.Rocks had a similar innings when they were struggling at 26 for 3 and were steered to safety by opener Matthew Pardoe. After he also got out in the nineties, Richmond Mumtumbami (76), Prince Masvaure (94) and Trevor Garwe (75) made sure they got a first innings lead of 75 runs.With more than a day to spare, Rocks would have fancied a chance of dismissing the Eagles again but six out of their top seven batsmen contributed with useful scores which ended the match in a draw. The Rocks are second from the bottom with 15 points while the Eagles are at the bottom with only one point.

In another coup for rookie coaches, the two teams battling it out for the first-class title in the final week of fixtures are both managed by men in their first season in charge.Paul Adams’ Cobras are top of the table and look likeliest to clinch the prize while Geoffrey Toyana’s Lions must beat third-placed Warriors and hope Cobras do not win to claim the silverware. The two franchises shared the domestic one-day cup as well after the final was rained out twice to ensure Adams and Toyana made powerful statements in their opening summers.While the two coaches celebrate their early success, South African cricket on the whole has reason to be pleased. Yet again, the first-class competition will be decided in the final round of fixtures and this season has been one of its most closely fought.Of the 27 matches played, there have been only six draws and three washouts. Of the 24 which have been played, 13 went into the final day, 10 were completed in three days and one lasted two. The decrease in draws reflects South Africa’s more aggressive attitude to cricket which is evident at Test level, especially since Graeme Smith’s men claimed the No.1 ranking last year.What it points to is that the level below international cricket is strong as South Africa continue to produce players ready to play Test cricket. “The depth of quality on the domestic circuit is huge,” Toyana said. “If you look at the guys who play franchise cricket who make it to the national team and immediately perform, it is really impressive. Just look at Faf du Plessis who was magical in Australia.”Du Plessis is one example, Dean Elgar, who scored his maiden Test century against New Zealand in Port Elizabeth and Rory Kleinveldt, who replaced Vernon Philander twice due to injury, are two others. Bubbling under are Dolphins’ paceman Kyle Abbott, Lions’ allrounder Chris Morris and Warriors’ offspinner Simon Harmer.Kleinveldt has been made available for the Cobras match by South African team management, and will be a big boost to the team. They have had to replace batting allrounder Alistair Gray with Richard Levi after the former broke his arm and although Kleinveldt cannot make up for Gray’s absence, the presence of a national team member is always regarded as a bonus.Cobras are a team used to success and want more of it. “We need tunnel vision for the match against the Knights. Our focus is on winning the match, not on the cup,” Justin Ontong, their captain said, while Adams added that his team need to produce “top-class cricket,” to win the tournament.For Lions, the approach is more measured. They have not won a first-class competition since the turn of the millennium in 1999-2000 and are pleased to have come this far. “It’s been a great experience for me and the boys. They’ve responded well to my coaching style and I’m quite happy with where we are. It’s a photo finish in the Sunfoil Series,” Toyana said.However, amid the back-slapping, Boeta Dippenaar, the former South Africa batsman and current commentator, sees cause for concern. “Is this an indication of a more attack-minded playing mentality and ‘win at all costs’ attitude within the four day game? Or is it an indication that the players are playing too much one-day cricket, with the effect that the need for patience in building an innings is no longer of importance,” he asked.”I also wonder whether wickets are being prepared for a true battle between bat and ball, or are they being purely prepared for an outright result.”As a possible answer to Dippenaar’s questions is that this season there have only been seven scores of over 400, compared with 18 last season and 20 the season before. That could be an indication of conditions becoming more seamer-friendly across the board, especially as South Africa claim to house the best pace attack in the world and want to ensure they have adequate replacements. Or it could be a reflection of a wetter summer which has left surfaces under-prepared.While the administrators and pundits ponder the reasons why South African cricket has become more cut-throat, the teams involved are looking for one more big push. “It’s always been good to see the sides play competitive and winning cricket. It’s exciting to not have had so many draws and it’s improved this season. Our depth is good and the youngsters coming through are all really impressive,” Toyana said. The Test team can only benefit from that.

Chanaka Welegedara will not bowl again in the Boxing Day Test and is unlikely to recover in time for the third Test, after initial scans revealed a tear in his right hamstring. Wicketkeeper Prasanna Jayawardene is unable to keep wickets for the remainder of the Test, having fractured his right thumb while batting the previous day, but the Sri Lanka management are hopeful he will bat in the second innings. Kumar Sangakkara has taken the gloves in his stead.In addition, scans on Thursday revealed Nuwan Kulasekara was suffering from a hairline fracture to a rib, which was originally thought to be nothing more than bruising. He suffered the injury when he took a blow to the ribs on the final day in Hobart, and was left out of the second Test when he was unable to bowl comfortably in the nets, in the lead-up to the match. Sri Lanka are hopeful that both Kulasekara and Jayawardene will be available for the Sydney Test which begins on January 3rd, but their condition will be reassessed closer to the start of that Test.Having opened the bowling for Sri Lanka on the second morning, Welegedara was halfway through his fourth over, when he pulled up during his approach to the crease. He bent down to stretch his right hamstring, and appeared to be in discomfort as he left the field. Shaminda Eranga completed his over. Welegedara will undergo another scan on Friday to confirm the extent of the damage, but the situation does not look promising, batting coach Marvan Atapattu said after play on day two.Welegedara has had an injury-plagued year, having missed eight months of Test cricket with two separate injuries. He strained his groin in March during the home series against England and though he had recovered from that by June, he tore a shoulder muscle as Sri Lanka prepared to play Pakistan later in the month. The Hobart Test against Australia was his first taste of competitive cricket since March, as his recovery period did not coincide with Sri Lanka’s domestic season.He is regarded as the leader of Sri Lanka’s pace attack, and his presence was missed on day two, when Australia amassed a lead nearing 300, with two wickets still intact. Welegedara had been the leading wicket-taker for Sri Lanka in the first Test in Hobart.The loss of Jayawardene may have also hurt Sri Lanka, with two clear-cut chances having been missed by Sangakkara behind the stumps. Shane Watson was spilled late on day one as Sangakkara dived to his right, and a difficult stumping chance off Michael Clarke also went begging in the first session on day two. Clarke and Watson made 106 and 83 respectively, and were involved in a 196-run partnership that took Australia to a commanding position from 117 for 3.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsAn all-round effective bowling performance by Matabeleland Tuskers took them to a close nine-run win against Mountaineers in a rain-shortened contest at Mutare Sports Club. Chasing 220, Mountaineers were seven down for 164 when Natsai M’shangwe helped them accelerate to bring down their required run-rate to less than four runs per over with three overs remaining. But by then, they were eight down, and two wickets off the 41st over sealed a win for their opponents. Seamer Keegan Meth’s two wickets and a run-out at crucial stages, and Chris Mpofu’s four wickets, proved costly.Matabeleland Tuskers’ innings, earlier, progressed through stops and starts, and was built on two significant partnerships of over 70 each. After being put in to bat, seamer Tendai Chetara reduced them to 22 for 3, and a 75-run fourth-wicket stand between opener Moeen Ali and Sean Williams, both of whom scored 48, helped them recover. But Shingi Masakadza and Donald Tiripano took two wickets each to leave them struggling at 139 for 7 in the 28th over. Charles Coventry and Glen Querl played patiently thereafter, adding 72, which helped them go past the 200-run mark.Mountaineers, according to D/L calculations, required 219 off their 50 overs, and fell short.
ScorecardThe game between Mashonaland Eagles and Southern Rocks was called off due to rain. After being put in to bat, Mashonaland Eagles batted for 21.5 overs before rain halted play, and rain would not allow play to resume again.

Match facts

December 7, 2012
Start time 1430 (0830 GMT)Marlon Samuels showed the value of grinding it out and it’s up to the other batsmen to follow suit•Associated Press

Big Picture

Having got one must-win game out of the way, West Indies are facing another in order to draw level with Bangladesh in the five-ODI series. One wrong step in Mirpur on Friday could make the final match on Saturday a dead rubber and consign West Indies to a series defeat, a backward step after their recent success in international cricket.West Indies made amends for their poor showing in the first two matches in Khulna by changing their approach to batting. In Khulna, the batsmen were guilty of trying to hit out every time they were bogged down. In Mirpur, however, Samuels led the change, by battling more than batting on a pitch that had irregular bounce and lots of turn. West Indies now need their other batsmen – Chris Gayle, Darren Bravo, Kieron Pollard and Darren Sammy – to follow the Samuels way. The visitors also had another positive in the third match – Sunil Narine finally found form on this tour with a four-wicket haul.Bangladesh are leading the series 2-1, and despite their struggle in the previous game, they scored 227, an indication of their increasing comfort levels in ODIs. They will be heartened to see the bowling unit put up a fight. A worry, though, is the form of Rubel Hossain, who looked rusty during a five-over spell that cost 42.

Form guide

(Most recent first)
Bangladesh LWWLW
West Indies WLLWW

In the spotlight

Bangladesh offspinner Sohag Gazi was wicketless for the first time in an international match, in the third ODI in Mirpur, where he had figures of 9-1-36-0. He has been a revelation for Bangladesh this winter, and will hope that the previous match was a blip in an otherwise encouraging start to his career.Kieron Pollard has become a figure of ridicule in Bangladesh for his comments after the first ODI in Khulna. He hasn’t been in form either and has thrown away his wicket at crucial times. He will be expected to hit a few into the stands at least, if not out of the city, like he threatened to.

Team news

Mushfiqur Rahim and Bangladesh’s interim coach Shane Jurgensen will not tinker too much with the team combination as it offered balance to the attack. Bangladesh however have the option of playing left-arm spinner Elias Sunny, who was added to the squad for the final two ODIs.Bangladesh (possible): 1 Tamim Iqbal, 2 Anamul Haque, 3 Naeem Islam, 4 Nasir Hossain, 5 Mahmudullah, 6 Mushfiqur Rahim (capt & wk), 7 Mominul Haque, 8 Mashrafe Mortaza, 9 Sohag Gazi, 10 Abdur Razzak, 11 Rubel Hossain.West Indies possibly got it right by picking both spinners in their line-up and are likely to continue with the winning combination.West Indies (possible): 1 Chris Gayle, 2 Kieran Powell, 3 Marlon Samuels, 4 Darren Bravo, 5 Kieron Pollard, 6 Dwayne Smith, 7 Darren Sammy, 8 Devon Thomas, 9 Ravi Rampaul, 10 Sunil Narine, 11 Veersasammy Permaul

Pitch and conditions

The pitch for the third ODI was a challenge for the batsmen, but the one for the fourth game could be a batting paradise. In that case, batting second will be much easier under lights.

Stats and trivia

ScorecardIan Blackwell took a career-best 7 for 52 with his left-arm spin as Durham secured a 19-run victory against Australia A. The visitors were well placed on 99 without loss chasing 224 but after Ruel Braithwaite made the initial breakthroughs Blackwell, following his crucial innings on the second day, worked his way through the middle order.The openers, Ed Cowan and Liam Davis, resumed with a half-century stand already to their name and made good progress for nine overs until Cowan fell to Braithwaite who then quickly removed Michael Klinger for a duck.Blackwell, who played one Test for England in 2006, then started to make his impression by dislodging Peter Forrest but the key breakthrough came in his next over when Davis, who had made 62, was trapped lbw. Before this game Blackwell had only played second XI cricket since May, yet soon had three wickets to his name when Tom Cooper was caught behind for a duck.George Bailey and Tim Paine momentarily steadied the chase but Blackwell then jolted the innings again with two wickets in two balls. Firstly Bailey was caught by Ben Stokes at slip and Nathan Coulter-Nile was taken at short leg. Mitchell Starc hit the hat-trick ball for four but was bowled from the next delivery he faced against Blackwell, whose seventh wicket was that of Jon Holland.The last-wicket pair, Paine and Alister McDermott, edged Australia A towards their target but the last ball of Mitchell Claydon’s first over back in the attack ended the game when McDermott picked out deep cover.This was Australia A’s last warm-up match before their two-match series against England Lions which begins on August 7 at Old Trafford.