The growing dispute between Cricket Australia and the country’s players escalated over the weekend with a report claiming that the cricketers are angry at what they see as a deliberate leak of information aimed at undermining their position.A report in The Sunday Age said that Tim May, the Australian Cricketers Association’s chief executive, had admitted that the players had reacted badly to the revelation last week of details relating to contracts, match payments and sponsorship income. They were, he added, especially uneasy of the timing of the leak and its source, given that the board was due to present a proposal to the ACA. “The players are suspicious about where the disclosure of individual contracts came from," he said, "and where the figures on sponsorship deals came from.”The players are concerned that Cricket Australia wants to change the way their pay is calculated. In 1997, similar negotiations nearly brought a players’ strike. At the moment, all Australian players, whether they represent state sides or the Test team, are paid from a 25% pool of Cricket Australia’s revenue. By way of comparison, their rugby counterparts share a 30% pool of their board’s revenue.Cricket Australia proposed on Friday that the players should receive a fixed amount rather than a percentage. The players want a continuation of the revenue-share system, because it makes them feel like shareholders rather than merely employees of the board, but CA says that it cannot afford to continue that arrangement.Another contentious issue is that of the number of centrally-contracted players. The Herald Sun cited five such players – Stuart Clark, Ashley Noffke, Michael Hussey, Wade Seccombe and Matthew Elliott – who received a total of Aus$640,000 in seasons they never played a Test or one-day international.May is expected to put the players’ position to the board on Tuesday.
Tasmania and South Australia will battle for cricket redemption at Bellerive Oval tomorrow after both suffered first-round losses in the ING Cup.Tigers coach Brian McFadyen today said he had left the line-up unchanged after last weekend’s four-wicket loss to Queensland at the Gabba.”We felt we played some good cricket throughout,” he said.”We were really happy with our later order batting, our fielding and the pressure we were able to apply with the ball.”However, a “bit better effort” from the top order batsmen was needed to pull the hometeam through.Only two of the Tigers top seven – captain Dan Marsh and Sean Clingeleffer – managed to crack the 30-run mark last week.”If we can play five or 10 per cent better this week, I am sure we will have a good day,” McFadyen said.South Australian skipper Greg Blewett said the only change to the Redback’s line-up was the inclusion of 19-year-old Mark Cosgrove.The talented teenager replaces the injured Mick Miller, who strained his shoulder while bowling during the Pura Cup win against the Western Warriors at the WACA last week.The former Queensland all-rounder is expected to be out of action for up to a fortnight.Blewett said tomorrow’s match was very important given the team’s opening season ING Cup loss against WA last Friday.The Redbacks went down by 99 runs.”If we drop another one, it’s going to be very hard work for the rest of the season,” he said.”The boys trained really well today. The motivation is very high at the moment.”He said the wicket at Bellerive was looking “very batsman friendly”.The Tigers and Redbacks will also face off in a Pura Cup match next week, starting on Monday.TEAMSSouth Australia: Greg Blewett (c), Mark Cleary, Mark Cosgrove, John Davison, Shane Deitz, Callum Ferguson, Andy Flower, Mark Higgs, Ben Johnson, Graham Manou, Paul Rofe, Shaun Tait.Tasmania: Daniel Marsh (c), Shane Watson, Jamie Cox, Michael Di Venuto, Michael Dighton, Scott Kremerskothen, Sean Clingeleffer, Damien Wright, Xavier Doherty, Brett Geeves, Adam Griffith, Andrew Downton.
Brushing aside an unbeaten 207 from Vijay Bharadwaj, Tamil Nadu cantered to a four-wicket victory over Karnataka in their Ranji Trophy league match at Bangalore on Wednesday.Resuming overnight on 233/3, with Bharadwaj on 125, Karnataka lost wickets are regular intervals, primarily to Tamil Nadu medium-pacer L Balaji (4-120). Bharadwaj forged on unhindered at the other end, almost as if he were playing on a different pitch and against a different attack.In 273 balls, Bharadwaj made 207, a knock that featured 32 fours and a six. He remained unbeaten as his side was dismissed for 388. Only Sunil Joshi and Dodda Ganesh could offer him any support, and they took fell cheaply.Set only 136 to win, Tamil Nadu experienced some early scares as tight bowling from Karnataka saw the visitors collapse to 69/4. Heman Badani’s unbeaten 34, however, guided his team to victory, and Tamil Nadu picked eight points by virtue of their outright win.
A fine unbroken 64 run partnership between Thilan Samaraweera (12*) and Indika De Saram (64*) means that Sri Lanka finish on top at the end of day two in this third and final test match. Sri Lanka now trail Zimbabwe by just 7 runs with six wickets remaining. The partnership rescued the Sri Lankans who had slumped to 55-4 in reply to Zimbabwe’s first innings score of 126.Indika De Saram was the chief architect of Sri Lanka’s strong position with an innings of real class. Keen to impress the selectors of the national team he has been the only batsman to come to terms with this difficult Matara wicket. His unbeaten half-century has so far spanned 165 minutes and included seven stylish boundaries.Whilst the Sri Lankans may not be struggling on the pitch they certainly had difficulties getting to the ground on time. They arrived after the scheduled start of today’s play and only had 12 minutes to prepare before the delayed start-time. The Zimbabweans looked on in a bemused fashion as the team coach finally arrived at three minutes past ten. The players were quickly ushered into the dressing room by an embarrassed management team and only had time for a couple of stretches before walking on the pitch.Like many of us at the Stadium the previous night they had assumed that there would be no play until after lunch today. The tropical storm was so severe that the curator had actually written off playing for 48 hours! However the hot sun that blesses this land is Sri Lankan crickets greatest ally. Without it, little cricket would be possible throughout such monsoonal times. In this case it quickly burnt off the excess moisture and played was eventually delayed by just 15 minutes.Not that every-one believed the conditions were fit for play. Zimbabwe’s coach, Kevin Curran, was not happy with the state of the wicket in particular and the state of the ground in general. Pointing to surface dampness on the wicket just before the start of play he was clearly worried about the safety of the batsmen and incensed that the groundsman had taken so long to remove the covers.Whilst his worst fears may not have materialised the wicket continued to be of uneven bounce and pace. At times the ball rose alarmingly during the first hour of play. Greg Lamb (17) was clearly unsettled by the behaviour of the ball and was the first to go in a morning session that claimed five Zimbabwean wickets.Backing away from a short pitched delivery from Dilhara Fernando, Lamb was easily caught in the gully off the outside edge of his bat. Raymond Price (13) and Craig Wishart (3), who had batted so confidently in the second test match, tried to consolidate after the fall of Lamb’s wicket but only succeeded in stagnating. With the innings grinding to a halt, especially against the spinners who went for only one run per over throughout the innings, Wishart became the second victim of the day when he was quickly stumped by an ever-alert Prasana Jayawardena.Aware that they needed to raise the tempo if they were to seize the initiative, the Zimbabweans promoted Donald Campbell (21) to take the attack to the spinners. The plan partially succeeded as he struck three boundaries from the otherwise miserly Samaraweera. Unfortunately for the visitors the Sri Lankan captain got his revenge when Campbell failed to control a drive and was caught at mid-on. Almost immediately after Dion Ebrahim(3) continued his poor form on the tour by offering a simple catch to first slip off the leg-spin of Bandara. Five overs later he was followed by the obstinate Raymond Price, who had dourly defended 151 balls for his 13 runs.After lunch the Zimbabweans again tried to raise the tempo and briefly threatened to recover in a 39 run partnership between Peacock (17) and Blignaut (27). However the fall of Peacocks wicket singled the end for Zimbabwe as they lost their last 3 wickets fell for just 12 runs. All three caught at mid-on or mid-off.When the Sri Lankans replied it looked as though Avishka may get them off to a flyer again as he twice cut Mutendera to the square cover boundary in the opening overs. However much to the delight, and visible relief, of the fielders he was bowled by the same bowler in the seventh over.The home side, perhaps momentarily disorientated by the unusual failure of their opener, then started to struggle. Angus Mackay trapped Pradeep Hewage (8) LBW immediately after the tea interval and then had Sangkkara (0) caught at leg slip for a duck to leave the innings precariously placed at 28-3. Charmara Silva (10) and Indika then put on 27 for the 4th wicket before Charmara top edged a sweep from Peacock and was caught at fine leg.It was the left to Thilan and Indika to salvage the situation and reassert Sri Lanka’s control over this match. However this match is not over yet and the Zimbabweans know that they are still in the game if thy take early wickets tomorrow.
Leeds United have been boosted by the news that Diego Llorente and Robin Koch are both available for the Premier League clash with Tottenham on Saturday.
The Lowdown: Huge game for Leeds
The Whites were thumped 6-0 away to Liverpool on Wednesday night as their hugely worrying form continues ahead of the business end of the season, with just one point taken from the last 15 on offer.
On Saturday lunchtime, Leeds welcome Spurs to Elland Road for a vital league clash between two out-of-form sides, with Antonio Conte’s men losing four of their last five matches in the division.
Injury problems have hampered the Whites throughout the campaign, but some positive news has emerged on that front going into the weekend.
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The Latest: Whites receive double boost
Speaking in his pre-match press conference on Friday [via Yorkshire Evening Post], Marcelo Bielsa confirmed that Llorente and Koch are available this weekend, having both missed the Liverpool game. In the latter’s case, it was due to a head injury he suffered against Manchester United last Sunday.
The Leeds manager revealed: “Llorente and Koch are available. With respect to the knock to his head, I never said that it wasn’t dramatic for a player to receive a knock, I said that knocks have grave and dramatic consequences. What I did say that we shouldn’t dramatise situations that don’t deserve to be dramatised.”
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The Verdict: Timely returns amid defensive concerns
This is undoubtedly a positive update, one which means that Luke Ayling will be able to revert to his preferred right-back role on Saturday, duly giving the team more balance.
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Defensive stability has been an issue throughout the season – Leeds have conceded 56 goals in 25 league matches – but having Llorente and Koch both potentially starting tomorrow should make Bielsa’s team more solid at Elland Road.
It is imperative that the Whites stop the rot quickly and avoid getting dragged into the relegation zone – victory on Saturday would feel like a big moment in their season in that respect.
In other news, a journalist has dropped a Leeds injury claim. Read more here.
Table-toppers Rajshahi let themselves down on the opening day of their first away game on a sluggish pitch at the Bir Shrestha Ruhul Amin Stadium. Electing to bat first, Rajshahi’s opening duo of Junaid Siddique and Jahurul Islam eased to 68 in 25 overs with no discomfort against Tareq Aziz and Aftab Ahmed, handed the new ball as Chittagong banked on its spinners to do the job at home. Rajshahi’s slow scoring-rate, however, hurt the batting side more as wickets fell at regular intervals. Siddique (78 off 210) continued to graft in an uncharacteristically dour fashion but when he spooned a tame return catch to Aziz with his side on 164 for 5, the wheels suddenly came off their innings. Showing excellent control over his reverse swing, Aziz inspired a batting collapse that saw Rajshahi lose four wickets in just over four overs. He then picked up his fifth wicket of the innings to wrap up Rajshahi’s first-innings for a modest 192. Chittagong, failing to take a cue from a poor Rajshahi performance, replied in an even more listless manner. Mohammad Shahzada usually enjoys bowling on pitches with a bit of moisture and with this pitch under covers for a whole day, the stage was set for the Rajshahi paceman. He tore into Chittagong’s batting line-up and accounted for Nafees Iqbal, Nazimuddin and Aftab for a combined score of 12. Farhad Reza (3 for 20) joined in the fun and Chittagong were reduced to 60 for 8 before No. 10 Aziz stroked an unbeaten 35 to help his team reach 115. Rajshahi declared their second-innings on 232 for five, with an overall lead of 309, with Reza making a run-a-ball unbeaten 69 and sharing an unbroken sixth-wicket partnership of 106 with Mushfiqur Rahman (50*). Chittagong didn’t falter like the first innings despite Shahzada picking up Nafees in the first over and reached 115 for 3 when both captains decided to accept a draw.Imrul Kayash’s maiden first-class hundred and Shakib Al Hasan’s third fifty in as many matches took Khulna to 274 after the first day of their match against Sylhet at Fatullah got washed out. Kayes and Shakib both fell to the Enamul Haque jnr, the left-arm spinner, who claimed 5 for 65 while preventing Khulna from reaching an imposing total. Sylhet looked on course with Rajin Saleh, Mushfiqur Rahim and Alok Kapali scoring half-centuries on the third day after Mashrafe Mortaza had removed the openers cheaply. From a promising 200 for 3, Sylhet crashed to 232 all out as four of the last six batsmen were dismissed without scoring as Syed Rasel and Ziaur Rahman took four wickets each. Rezaul Haque inflicted early damage as Khulna lost four wickets with only 43 on the board, but Habibul Bashar (73) played his more fluent innings in recent times to take his side to 174 as Sylhet decided against starting the second innings with not much time left in the match.
Dhaka’s tussle with Barisal turned out to be the match of the round. Mohammad Ashraful opted to bat first at the Sher-e-Bangla National Cricket Stadium in overcast conditions and saw his side dismissed for 157 as left-arm medium-pacer Sajidul Islam (4 for 40) moved the ball sideways with great precision. Dhaka’s bowling attack lacked genuine firepower as Shahriar Nafees and Hannan Sarkar, the Barisal openers, progressed slowly to 63 in just under 35 overs, determined not to give Dhaka any early impetus. Sarkar’s laborious 85 took 273 balls as Barisal racked up 304 in 148 overs. Sensing a kill after picking up three wickets for 64, Barisal received a bonus when Ashraful’s wild swing off Talha Jubair resulted in a disturbed set of stumps. A sixth-wicket 106-run partnership between Shamsur Rahman (66) and Mahmudullah (39) stretched the Dhaka innings to 257 and with 111 runs to get from just over 40 overs, Barisal were the firm favourites. Mahbubul Alam and Mohammad Sharif, however, had different ideas as they decimated the batting order with swing and the first six wickets went down for 38 inside 16 overs. Arafat Salahuddin and Shahin Hossain halted the slide with a 63-run partnership before left-arm spinner Mosharraf Hossain achieved a double breakthrough in the 35th over. Sharif sent back Jubair in the next over and at 102 for 9, the match was evenly poised. Feeling that the batsmen would walk off if offered the light with a fast-bowler operating, the off-spinner bowled the last two deliveries of that over. However, neither side were able to progress from that point onwards as the umpires called off the match due to bad light.
For the second game running, Siddique (68) and Islam (89) shared a century opening partnership and Rajshahi followed their 295 in the previous match with 290 for 5 against Chittagong . It needed a typical cameo from Aftab (65 off 49) to keep Chittagong in the game as he raced to his half-century off only 27 deliveries. Rahman, however, got rid of Aftab and then Dhiman Ghosh for 66 as the wicketkeeper threatened to take the match away. Dhiman’s dismissal left Chittagong needing 34 off 29 deliveries with four wickets in hand. However, they fell seven short of the target as Rajshahi celebrated their third successive win.The Fatullah crowd were treated to another Kayash special as a fluent 121 allowed Khulna to finish on 259 for 9. In reply, Sylhet slumped to 116 for 8 by the 35th over as Rahim contributed a quickfire 55. Tapash Baishya’s fighting 68 at No. 10 only delayed the inevitable as Sylhet could only manage 203 for 9.Dhaka restricted Barisal to 151 for 9 at Mirpur but then made a rash of an easy run-chase as they went past the target with only three wickets left and three overs to spare.Player of the week Imrul Kayash Little was known about Kaysh before this season apart from the fact that he was a doughty opener with ambition. In a Khulna side filled with stars – Bashar, Tushar Imran and Shakib to name a few – he has managed to hold his own. His success so far has come through the simple ploy of offering a straight bat and his footwork against the spinners has been a treat to watch. After making 127 in the first innings of the four-day match and 121 in the one-day match against Sylhet, Kayash is well on track to win a bet against himself – scoring five hundreds in NCL this year and push for a trip to New Zealand.
Points table
National Cricket League
Team
Mat
Won
Lost
Tied
Draw
Aban
Pts
Rajshahi Division
3
2
0
0
1
0
38
Khulna Division
3
0
0
0
3
0
33
Barisal Division
3
1
1
0
1
0
29
Dhaka Division
3
1
0
0
2
0
26
Chittagong Div
3
0
1
0
2
0
17
Sylhet Division
3
0
2
0
1
0
14
Note: Points include bonus points for batting and bowling and points for the first-innings lead in the drawn gameNational Cricket League one-day
Shane Warne has hit out at England’s decision to recall Geraint Jones behind the stumps in place of Chris Read, and believes that Australia will be handed a huge advantage if Ashley Giles is also named in the side that takes the field at Brisbane on Thursday at the expense of the up-and-coming Monty Panesar.Speaking to the media after a training session at Brisbane Grammar School, Warne accused England of negativity in their thinking, and warned that – in conjunction with the loss of their specialist first slip, Marcus Trescothick – the ploy could backfire on Australia’s bouncy pitches, where edges fly hard and fast and the need for a specialist gloveman is all the greater.”It’s surprising that they’d go back to [Jones],” said Warne. “He’ll be under enormous pressure. I think it’s a known fact – and it’s not me sledging him – that Jones is in the side more for his batting than his keeping. His keeping is steady at best and we saw him drop some crucial catches [in the last series]. You don’t want to be dropping Ricky Ponting when he’s on half-a-dozen in the first Test of the series, especially when you’ve just been brought back into the side.”Though Jones clung onto the one chance that really mattered, on that final morning at Edgbaston, he missed seven chances in all in 2005, and has been sketchy so far this tour. He reprieved Phil Jaques at Canberra, who went on to make a century, and also has fluffed two stumping catches, including one against Michael Clarke in the match against New South Wales.And without the soothing presence of Trescothick at first slip – a man who has learned to ignore Jones’ off-putting habit of launching himself at chances that are out of his reach – Warne predicted more problems for England behind the wicket. “It takes a while to get used to a new keeper,” he said. “When we had [Ian] Healy, myself and Mark Waugh [in the cordon] we knew exactly whose catch was whose. Trescothick’s a good catcher, and he’ll be missed.”Warne was in no doubt about who was behind the reversal of policy in the England camp. “Duncan Fletcher has definitely got a few favourites,” he added. “I think that’s well-known between everybody. That’s why some blokes keep coming back into the side, because they are favourites. But in Australia you need your best keeper because the ball does bounce and carry, and so I’d be very happy to see England go back to Jones and Giles.”As a man who revived the art of spin bowling, in conjunction with the matchless glovework of first Healy and then Adam Gilchrist, Warne was passionate on the subject. “They think they are just trying to strengthen their batting and their tail, but actually what they are doing is losing two of the finest arts in the game, in keeping and spin bowling. England have got two guys that can do that exceptionally well, but they want them to go to bring in handy lower-order batters. That’s what the top six are there for. You need 20 wickets to win a Test.”Giles is a very good cricketer and a lovely guy,” said Warne, damning the man with faint praise. “But they’ve got an exciting spin bowler in Panesar, as we saw this summer. Don’t mess around with him, just let him play, enjoy the conditions, keep learning and bowl. He needs to enjoy the challenges that lie ahead. I think it’s a backwards decision to go back to Jones and Giles, and a good sign for us.”So far on this tour, Panesar has not set the world alight. He was arguably out-bowled by Giles at Sydney, and then picked up just two wickets in two innings in the recent match at Adelaide. Warne, though, was sympathetic. “He’ll be getting used to bowling with a Kookaburra ball instead of a Duke, and he’s probably very nervous as well – anxious to see whether he’s playing or not. He knows the wicket is going to spin and so he’s probably trying a bit hard. But I’d be very surprised if they don’t play him.”Warne, however, was under no illusions about England’s prospects in the series. “They’ll be tough to beat, and anyone who thinks it’s going to be a walkover doesn’t know much about the game,” he said. “They are stronger now than they were when we played them last time. But at the end of the day everyone’s done enough talking and answering the same questions. We’re just looking forward to getting out there and playing, and playing well.”
Sarfraz Ahmed, the left-arm fast bowler and Sialkot’s hero of their Quaid-e-Azam Trophy triumph, took 6 for 49 for Water and Power Development Authority (WAPDA) on the third day of their four-day, Group B, first-round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match against Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited (ZTBL), at the Sheikhupura Stadium on Monday. Four-time champions ZTBL were bowled out for just 171 runs in their second innings, which meant that after having surrendered a first innings lead of 45 they finished only 126 runs ahead of WAPDA, who had ended as runners-up behind them in the 2003-04 competition. By the close of play, WAPDA had responded strongly by chopping 51 runs off their target, with both openers still in occupation of the crease.Pakistan International Airlines (PIA) required another monumental 330 runs to avoid the follow-on. on the third day of their four-day, Group A, first-round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match against Habib Bank, they replied to the latter’s first innings score of 681 for 8 declared with 202 for four, at the United Bank Limited (UBL) Sports Complex Ground No.1 on Monday.In a rather strange move Habib Bank, who had resumed at their overnight 663 for 8, continued batting for just three more overs, added 18 runs and then declared their innings closed. Junaid Zia was thus left unbeaten at 49, one short of a half-century, made off 63 balls with two boundaries. In the day’s remaining 78 overs, PIA made a rather shoddy 202 runs for the loss of four wickets. There was a 72-run third-wicket partnership between Kamran Sajid (46) and Bazid Khan (39), before the fourth wicket fell at 136.Faisal Iqbal, the captain, with an unbeaten 42, and Asif Mujtaba, 39-year-old left-hand batsman, rescued their team with an unbroken 66-run stand for the fifth wicket. Faisal has so far faced 98 balls and hit five boundaries. Habib Bank, record seven-time winners of the Patron’s Trophy title, had to share the title last season with PIA after the final was abandoned due to rain. PIA have never won the competition outright since its introduction in 1972-73.Khan Research Laboratories (KRL) finished 225 runs ahead of Pakistan Customs but had only one second innings wicket standing, as the third day of their four-day, Group A first-round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match ended at the National Bank of Pakistan (NBP) Sports Complex on Monday. Earlier, KRL bowled Customs out for 223 runs that gave them a first-innings advantage of 54 runs. In their second innings, however, they had lost nine wickets with only 171 runs on the board. Mohammad Wasim, the captain and a former Pakistan opening batsman, was still at the crease though with an unbeaten 92 to his name. He has so far faced 161 deliveries and sent nine hits to the ropes.Pakistan Telecommunication Company Limited (PTCL) needed a further 127 runs with nine second-innings wickets in hand, to win against Service Industries, as the third day of their four-day, Group B first-round Patron’s Trophy Cricket Championship match ended at the Iqbal Stadium on Monday. Riaz Afridi (4 for 45) and Tahir Mughal (4 for 53), the fast bowlers, bowled out Service for a poor second innings 153 after they had gained a 50-run first-innings lead over PTCL. By the close of play yesterday, after having been left with 204 runs to win, PTCL had steadily moved to a score of 77 for the loss of one wicket.
Scorecard Day 5 Bulletin – Australia complete another easy win Verdict – A no-contest NZ View – The Bracewell factor Roving Reporter – A window into Adelaide’s rich past Roving Reporter – The heavyweight dash Quotes – ‘We deserved the criticism’ – Fleming Quotes – ‘We achieved what we wanted to achieve’ – Ponting The Big Picture – Two apieceDay 4 Bulletin – New Zealand on the slippery slope Verdict – McGrath’s critical contribution Commentary – Cartoon capers Quotes – ‘It’s always going to be tough’ – Oram The Big Picture – Chin musicDay 3 Bulletin – Australia march into dominant position Verdict – Warne’s unrequited love Roving Reporter – Not just for flannelled fools Quotes – ‘We are being thumped’ – Fleming The Big Picture – Fleming’s close shaveDay 2 Bulletin – Aussies on top after Langer double-century Verdict – Paying for a lack of penetration Analysis – Changing the pace of the game Quotes – Vettori – ‘I’ll take five against Australia any day’ The Big Picture – Langer’s double-hundred Day 1 Bulletin – Langer and Hayden put Aussies on top Roving Reporter – A day for cork hats Verdict – The rewards of toil Quotes – Langer – ‘I am the aggressor’ The Big Picture – Feeling the heatPreview package Preview – Standing their ground News – Chappell offers help
England v South Africa, 3rd Test, Trent Bridge, Day 4
Shaun Pollock: his just deserts at last
This is how it was meant to be all along – two ferociously well-matched teams, asking no quarter and giving none in return. Forget, if you can, those hopelessly one-sided encounters at Edgbaston and Lord’s. The Trent Bridge Test has developed into a monumental series-deciding tussle.England have a remarkably good track record in backs-to-the-wall encounters, and on this evening’s showing, they will go into tomorrow’s showdown as favourites. But the desire shown by Neil McKenzie and Mark Boucher has guaranteed that there will be one or two twists to come on a gripping final day. That same pair added 129 to transform South Africa’s first innings, and England are using a ball that can only get softer. They cannot afford any sighters tomorrow morning.Boucher, moreover, has the memories of South Africa’s 1998 tour to drive him onwards, in particular his fateful drop off Allan Donald on this very ground. Donald, who was in the midst of a legendary duel with Michael Atherton, was unable to lift himself to the same heights after that mishap. Then – as might be the case now – England capitalised to draw level in a series that they had no right to poke their noses into.Suspicions were raised about the Trent Bridge pitch as early as the second evening, so the loss of 14 wickets in 80 overs today should take no-one by surprise. In fact, had it not been for McKenzie’s first-innings masterpiece – a performance which drew the sting of England’s attack – a similar clatter of wickets could have been expected in yesterday’s play.There was no such durability from England today, although in Shaun Pollock, South Africa had a bowler tailor-made for the conditions. Pollock is a cricketer who has not been given his just deserts in recent times. He rarely exceeds 80mph these days, and astonishingly for a man with a Test average of 20.49, he had picked up more than two wickets in an innings just once in his last 20 attempts. But he remains a man from whom no liberty can be taken – just ask Andrew Flintoff and Ashley Giles, both of whom perished while attempting to force the pace. He is to miss the Headingley Test for the birth of his child, so his figures of 6 for 39 were the timeliest of gifts to the team.But England bit back to stunning effect, much as they had done at Headingley in 1998 when defending a meagre 219. Despite – or more likely, because of – his injured calf, Steve Harmison bowled as well as he has ever done for England. He was obliged to throttle back and concentrate on rhythm, with every ball thundering down from eight feet and bouncing disconcertingly.James Kirtley, on the other hand, showed the merits of a low-slung action on a dodgy track. His wicket-to-wicket deliveries, with more than a hint of swing, required a stroke to be played to every delivery, and must have raised a wistful eyebrow or two from Darren Gough, wherever he is watching from.England’s best moment, however, was the dismissal of Herschelle Gibbs, suckered by the positioning of a leg gully and holing out to mid-on. It was a trick straight out of Nasser Hussain’s book of tight finishes, and you can bet that Hussain will be on hand with one or two more suggestions before this match is out. Vaughan wants 11 captains on his field, and tomorrow, 11 responsible men is precisely what England will require if they are to secure their victory.Click here for the Wisden Bulletin