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Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsEoin Morgan showed all his class with a match-winning innings against Pakistan•Getty Images

Kevin Pietersen produced arguably his most composed innings since his return from Achilles surgery, while Eoin Morgan continued the improvisatory form that has made him an instant veteran of England’s limited-overs squads, as Pakistan were overwhelmed by an unbeaten 112-run partnership in the first Twenty20 in Dubai.The stand was England’s highest for any wicket in Twenty20s, and fittingly it was Morgan who sealed the match with a six – a monstrous hoist over deep backward square – as England rattled to victory with nine balls to spare. It was an impressive way to bounce back after the disappointment of losing to the England Lions in Abu Dhabi on Wednesday, and the victory was on the cards from the moment that Pakistan were restricted to 129 for 8 despite winning the toss and batting first.England being England, they made heavy weather of their run-chase at first, slumping to 18 for 3 in 4.2 overs before Pietersen and Morgan turned the tide to impressive effect. Jonathan Trott and Joe Denly strode out to form their country’s 15th opening partnership in 24 Twenty20 matches, but between them they mustered five runs from 13 balls.Denly, whose first two appearances in the format had both resulted in first-ball ducks, this time made it to his third delivery before spooning a high-elbowed drive to mid-on for 1, shortly before Trott was cramped for room by Abdul Razzaq and bowled off an inside-edge for 4. When Paul Collingwood followed 10 balls later, run out for a duck as he dived in vain after taking on a second run to deep midwicket, England were in all sorts of trouble.But following a chastening tour of South Africa, Pietersen was arguably the most motivated man in the stadium, and with Morgan deflecting all the pressure by steaming along in his own ultra-confident bubble, he set about launching a personal quest for redemption.A nine-ball over from Shoaib Malik gave Pietersen the leg-up he needed in his innings, as he swept powerfully through fine leg for his second four of the innings, and though the ever-impressive Umar Gul maintained a disciplined approach to keep England’s momentum in check, Morgan sashayed superbly inside the line of the last ball of his second over, to hoist an effortless six over the head of fine leg.Pietersen responded with a flick through midwicket as he advanced down the track in Malik’s next over, but it was Morgan who really turned the tide of the contest with three fours in four balls from Razzaq – all from sweetly timed leg-side strokes – as the required rate plummeted from 52 in 42 balls, to 38 in 36.From that point onwards, there was no stopping England – especially Morgan, whose only blemish came in the undignified manner in which he reached his half-century ( from 43 balls) with a sprawled dive for the crease. Gul, who is so often unplayable in this format, was creamed for five fours and a six from his last eight balls of the match, including 14 runs in three deliveries as the match was sealed at a canter.It simply wasn’t Pakistan’s night. On a pitch that offered a touch of unsettling bounce, they faltered from the start of their innings, with Imran Nazir produced a fretful 2 from 15 balls before top-edging a loose pull to Denly at deep square-leg. At the other end, his opening partner, Imran Farhat, squandered a promising start with a wasteful run-out, as Pietersen swooped at mid-off to ping down the stumps at the non-striker’s end with a sharp under-arm shy.After the six Powerplay overs, Pakistan had limped along to 25 for 2, their slowest start in any Twenty20 match, and their predicament soon worsened when Khalid Latif snicked Luke Wright’s third delivery through to the keeper, Matt Prior. One over later, Umar Akmal joined the procession as Graeme Swann – a man with a penchant for striking early in a spell – found some extra bounce with his third delivery, and Broad at backward point leapt impressively to his left to cling onto a top-edged cut.Malik and Fawad Alam did their best to regroup in a 47-run stand for the fifth wicket, the highlight of which was Fawad’s effortless flick off Collingwood to notch up the first six of the match in the 13th over. But just when their stand was beginning to look imposing, Swann returned for his second over of the match, and Malik obliged by clipping nonchalantly to midwicket.Razzaq picked up the momentum by bludgeoning a Broad long-hop into the midwicket boundary boards for six, but England’s bowlers held their nerves impressively as the closing overs loomed. On 12, Razzaq was dropped by Morgan on the midwicket boundary, but four balls later, Fawad’s cameo came to an end for a run-a-ball 23, as Broad banged in a bouncer and Prior gathered a wafer-thin top-edge behind the stumps.Pakistan tried to accelerate in the closing overs, but continued to lose wickets as Bresnan claimed Sarfraz Ahmed then the dangerous Razzaq, with a cunning slower-ball bouncer, to quell any late charge and England believed their target was attainable. Despite a dodgy start, it proved to be well within their capabilities.

Queensland 160 (Putland 4-55, George 3-32) and 2 for 132 (Townsend 74*) lead South Australia 72 (Swan 5-26, Feldman 4-14) by 220 runs
ScorecardChris Swan starred with 5 for 26•Getty Images

Chris Swan and Luke Feldman demolished South Australia in one session to give Queensland a big lead at the close of a day on which 20 wickets fell at the Gabba. The Redbacks capitulated for 72 in reply to Queensland’s 160 and then watched as the Bulls top order reached 2 for 132 in the second innings to extend the lead to an imposing 220.Swan and Feldman, the tailenders who batted the Bulls to victory against Victoria recently, did the job with the ball as the Redbacks collapsed in 30.3 overs. Swan picked up a career-best 5 for 26 and Feldman grabbed 4 for 14 as the swinging ball proved a major weapon against a South Australian line-up in which only two men reached double figures.Tim Ludeman top scored with 20 after Michael Klinger had reached 11 and the failure of the South Australian tail to wag was the big difference from Queensland’s first innings. The Bulls had been in big trouble at 9 for 93 when Feldman (31 not out) and Nathan Rimmington (32) fought back with the biggest partnership of the innings.Their 67-run stand proved vital after Gary Putland tore through the top order and finished with 4 for 55. Despite rain washing out almost the entire first day’s play, the pitch held up well and that was shown by Ryan Broad and Wade Townsend, who put on 127 for the opening wicket when Queensland batted for the second time.Broad was caught off the bowling of Peter George for 49 and Lee Carseldine fell in the same over for a duck but the Bulls were well and truly on top already. At stumps, Townsend was unbeaten on 74 and the teenage debutant Chris Lynn was on 4.

Ryan Sidebottom is set to fly home from the England tour of Bangladesh, after failing to recover from a thigh injury, and he could yet be joined on the plane by Stuart Broad and Graham Onions, both of whom are being sent for MRI scans on their lower back, as the England camp was hit by a wave of injuries ahead of the third ODI in Chittagong.Sidebottom produced an off-colour performance in the first ODI in Dhaka, before being replaced by the spinner James Tredwell for the second, having aggravated a thigh injury he sustained after landing on the boundary rope during the opening Twenty20 in Dubai last month. He will be replaced in the Test squad by the Yorkshire paceman, Tim Bresnan, who took the new ball in Sidebottom’s absence on Tuesday.For Sidebottom this is the latest in a long line of injuries which have hampered him since his peak in early 2008 when he was England’s leading bowler. He was first struck down with an Achilles problem later that summer against South Africa before picking up a side strain in India. He then played against West Indies, in Barbados, when he was clearly unfit before recovering to be selected for the World Twenty20 last year. On England’s recent tour in South Africa he also picked up a side strain while with the performance squad, but was recalled for the final Test in Johannesburg.Arguably, though, it is Broad’s condition that is causing the management the greatest concern, given how integral he has become to England’s teams in all three forms of the game. He could barely walk when he arrived in the team hotel after a delayed flight from Dhaka on Wednesday evening, and England’s coach Andy Flower, confirmed he had injured the facet joint in his lower back.”There has been a lot happening at the moment, Flower said. “Sidebottom has pulled a side muscle and will be going home on Saturday after the one-dayers have finished. He won’t be fit for the Test matches so he has to go home.”We also have concerns over Broad and Onions. Broad injured something in his back in the last ODI and Onions is also struggling with something in his back. Both of them are having MRI scans tomorrow and we will know more about their results tomorrow afternoon.”Although neither Broad nor Onions has yet been ruled out of the forthcoming Test series, which gets underway on March 12, England have already taken precautions by calling the Middlesex and Lions seamer, Steven Finn, into the squad for the remainder of the tour. England were already without their leading quick, James Anderson, who was rested from this tour due to his ongoing knee problem.”I am delighted to be given such a fantastic opportunity,” Finn said. “To be called up to the full England side is a real honour for me, and I am really excited to be joining up with squad over in Bangladesh.”Whether I get to play any matches over there remains to be seen, however the opportunity alone to train with the squad and impress in front of the coaching team is a fantastic enough experience for me. Whilst I am coming in as cover for the bowling unit, I intend to work as hard as I can and enjoy the experience of being around the England squad and coaching staff.”Finn caught the eye of Flower during the same net session where Ajmal Shahzad was spotted when the performance squad trained with the full team in Pretoria before Christmas. Shahzad made his debut in the second Twenty20 against Pakistan, in Dubai, taking two wickets in his first over and will contest the vacant slot for the final ODI on Friday with Liam Plunkett.

James Foster, the Essex wicketkeeper, heads into the 2010 domestic season in a familiar position. Generally regarded as the finest gloveman in England, he is once again in the international wilderness having missed out on a spot in the preliminary 30-man squad for the World Twenty20.Foster was his country’s keeper in the previous tournament, last year in England, when he excelled behind the stumps but couldn’t make much of impact with the bat in his limited opportunities. He is now well down the pecking order again with Matt Prior and Craig Kieswetter heading the list, while Steven Davies is the third option in the 30-man party which will be trimmed on Tuesday.However, Foster wasn’t surprised that he was overlooked despite gaining acclaim for his work last summer – particularly an outstanding stumping to remove Yuvraj Singh at Lord’s – and didn’t expect to get a phone call this time. But he refuses to dwell on the disappointment, instead focusing on his role with Essex.”I don’t want to sound bitter, no matter what team you are in coaching staff and selectors make decisions and go with what they think is right,” Foster told Cricinfo. “Unfortunately I wasn’t in their plans and you have to accept that. It wasn’t unsurprising to be honest because getting left out immediately after the last one and not being picked to play the Australians I was pretty aware that I wasn’t going to be involved in the squad.”I would love to have been involved, but it was pretty clear from outset that it wasn’t going to be. It was a seven-year gap between my previous appearances and I’ve always worked hard to try and get involved again. It worked last summer, but it didn’t last very long. I’ll just keep plugging away and try and enjoy myself down at Essex and what will be, will be.”Although it seems unlikely that Foster will be called upon by the selectors in the near future, he at least feels Essex’s promotion to Division One of the County Championship will help him push his claims and he believes the selectors take more notice of the teams in the top nine. “I think it does it matter and I’m sure the hierarchy would probably say otherwise, but I think it does make a difference,” Foster said as he prepared to play for MCC against Durham in Abu Dhabi.And he believes Essex have the squad to ensure they don’t become a yo-yo team that heads straight back down to Division Two. “It’s going to be a challenge not just for myself but also the team,” he said. “We’ve been dying to get back up there and it went down to the wire last season. I think we’ve got an excellent chance of not just staying up but doing a bit better than that.”On paper the Essex bowling attack looks short of the strike power needed to force results in the top flight, but Foster is excited by the winter development of Mervyn Westfield and Maurice Chambers, two young quick bowlers who have been highly rated around the County Ground for a number of seasons. Their chances have been limited by injury, but Foster feels they are now ready to play key roles.”Watching them in Barbados I was impressed with them both,” he said. “Mervyn has been in Adelaide and Maurice has been to Brisbane and they’ve worked exceptionally hard. They’ve had a few injuries over the last few years, but hopefully they have put that behind them and a promising sign in Barbados was their second and third spells were still very quick. I don’t want to add too much pressure on them, but we are excited by their talents.”

Lalit Modi, the suspended IPL chairman, has submitted to the BCCI documents sought by income-tax officers relating to several important IPL contracts. “Some more documents are to come which, we have been told, would be delivered in a day or two,” Ratnakar Shetty, the chief administrative officer of the BCCI, told .The documents submitted reportedly include original as well as notarised copies of all franchise agreements, global media rights agreements, global media rights packages, bids by franchises, media rights licensee agreements, eligibility letters of all bidders with details and sponsorship agreementsThe board, previously, did not possess several original documents which included the three losing bids in the 2008 auction where the eight franchises were bought, and the agreement with Multi Screen Media (MSM), which holds the rights to broadcast the tournament. Shetty was entrusted by the BCCI president, Shashank Manohar, following the IPL governing council meeting on April 26, to retrieve the documents.Modi was suspended by the BCCI following allegations of financial impropriety, and will respond to the charges on May 10. “I have just come to wrap up my reply to the show cause that I have to submit on Monday. I am going to reply personally because there is nothing to hide,” Modi was quoted by as saying.

Jamie Siddons, the Bangladesh coach, is hoping the Old Trafford pitch offers assistance to his spinners, as his team aims to build on their efforts in the first Test and give England another tough five-day contest. Siddons believes a number of the home side’s batsmen, including Kevin Pietersen, are susceptible against slow bowlers, but only if the conditions allow them to have an impact.With warm weather forecast for at least the first three days in Manchester, the indications are that Bangladesh will give serious consideration to including Abdur Razzak, the left-arm spinner, alongside captain Shakib Al Hasan and offspinner Mahmudullah. It didn’t escape Siddons’attention that Pietersen was again dismissed by Shakib in the first innings at Lord’s, the 16th time he has fallen to a left-arm spinner.”If it spins, like everyone is talking about, Shakib will worry the England players when it starts to turn. He’s very good, as his figures suggest,” said Siddons. “If it looks like it will turn, we might even play another spinner, play Razzak and put them under pressure with spin rather than pace, as that had no impact at Lord’s.”If it’s faster, spinning and bouncing a bit, Shakib will be a real handful and there’s a couple of players in the England side that do struggle against good spin,” he added. “We need something, we need spin, that’s our strength. Kevin [Pietersen] has been having trouble and hopefully keeps having trouble but he made [runs] in Dhaka which puts it on the other edge of that sword. They have a lot more trouble with spin than they do with our medium-pacers.”History suggests that Siddons could well get his wish. The last Test to be staged at Old Trafford, against New Zealand in 2008, was dominated by Monty Panesar and Daniel Vettori who took 6 for 37 and 5 for 66 respectively. There has also been turn this season for Lancashire’s young left-arm spinner, Simon Kerrigan, who has had considerable success and has often been used early in the game.However, a pitch that aids the spinners would also bring Graeme Swann into the match after a rare wicketless outing at Lord’s. “Facing their spinners on the last day at Lord’s there was no turn, it just skidded on, but here the spinners normally come into the game quite early because of the bounce, and on days three and four they can be a handful,” said Andrew Strauss. “I was fairly happy with the way Graeme bowled, but they played him well and if he bowls like that again I’m sure he’ll take some wickets.”It really is spin or bust for Bangladesh because, even taking into account Shahadat Hossain’s five-wicket haul last week, their pace resources are thin. Siddons confirmed that there would be a change in the seam-bowling ranks with Shafiul Islam being recalled although it hadn’t been decided which of Robiul Islam or Rubel Hossain would drop out – although both would disappear if two spinners played.”Our bowling was horrendous,” said Siddons. “On day one of the[Lord’s] Test I was ready to go home. But I’m used to that with our bowlers, our bowlers have let us down a lot, particularly our fast bowlers. Our spin bowlers always bring things back.”We lost the game on the first day and, again, there was so much pressure on our batsmen to save a game. We just can’t keep doing that, that’s why we will make a change to the fast bowling. Shafiul will bowl good areas and be consistent, that’s what we need. If Shahadat has another game like his first innings, our attack will be a lot better.”Siddons admits that there is no quick fix when it comes to Bangladesh’s lack of pace, a problem that stems from the country’s insubstantial first-class structure. Sri Lanka is often used as the model of what can be achieved as a Test nation develops, but Bangladesh have never threatened to produce the likes of Chaminda Vaas or Lasith Malinga.”There’s no evidence of fast bowlers,” added Siddons. “The two quickest in Bangladesh are Rubel and Shahadat. In our first-class conditions, the bowlers bowl three or four overs and then the spinners come on so there are no grounds for them to develop, which is really important.”Siddons has approached the Bangladesh board about searching the English leagues for hidden fast-bowling talent. “I keep asking if they are around, I’m sure they are,” he said. “There have been Bangladeshis here long enough to use England for development programmes and grab a few. I haven’t had any names come forward, I’ve pushed it at board level to get the word out there. We’d definitely look at it, if there is a fast bowler who can come back and play for us immediately.”The batting, though, is coming along nicely for Bangladesh. Many watchers were surprised by Bangladesh’s performance at Lord’s, but that wasn’t the case for Siddons who has seen a steady improvement with the bat, but he remained frustrated that the middle-order couldn’t respond.”Our middle-order has held us together,” he said. “I can’t understand why they didn’t bat better at Lord’s although they did always come in against the new ball and in overcast conditions, against a swinging ball, which is tough for any team to make runs and survive in those conditions.”People are still thinking about 12 months ago, we’ve had great Test series against India, New Zealand and England. Our batsmen have applied themselves really well. The Aftabs [Ahmed] aren’t playing any more, Ashraful is trying to apply himself a a lot. Junaid [Siddique] and Imrul [Kayes] never throw their wicket away, they might play a bad shot but it’s not because of rashness.”In the days between the back-to-back Tests, Bangladesh have had a few worries about Tamim Iqbal, their star batsman, who reported a problem with his chest although he is unlikely to miss the match. There is also better news about the left-hander’s wrist problem which now doesn’t require surgery.”By all reports he doesn’t need an operation unless it gets displaced or he can’t bat with the pain, and he batted with the pain no problem in the Test match,” said Siddons. “He’s just got to get over it mentally. It’s healing, it’s got a callus around it, it’s fine.”

The United Arab Emirates (UAE) has named three debutants in the squad to tour Bermuda in July. Swapnil Patil, Saqib Shah and Tahir Butt join the team that will play a four-day Intercontinental Shield match, two 50-over games and a T20.Khurram Khan will lead the side that also includes Mohamed Tauqir, who has recovered from the broken finger he suffered against Uganda in January. The UAE is currently third in the Intercontinental Shield table, behind Uganda and Namibia, and needs to beat Bermuda to have a chance of qualifying for the final. Bermuda, having lost both its matches, is in last place.Squad: Khurram Khan (capt), Mohamed Tauqir, Abdul Rehman, Arshad Ali, Ahmed Raza, Saqib Ali, Shadeep Silva, Qassim Zubair, Amjad Javed, Saqib Shah, Swapnil Patil, Tahir Butt, Moiz Shahid, Naeemuddin Aslam.

Match Facts

Ricky Ponting hasn’t been in action since the tour of New Zealand in March•Getty Images

Thursday, June 17
Start time 1045 (0945 GMT)

The Big Picture

Australia’s six-week tour of the British Isles begins in the understated surrounds of Clontarf in Dublin, where they kick things off with an ODI against Ireland. While Ricky Ponting’s men will be understandably keen to ensure a big victory, the real aim is to shed any winter rust before the five-match series against England.Several of the Australians were in the Caribbean for the World Twenty20 last month, while others have been involved with the IPL since the Australian season ended. But for some, like Ponting and James Hopes, the past two and a half months has been an extended holiday. They don’t want to head to Southampton for the first ODI still rusty, so expect Australia to play their full strength team in this encounter.For Ireland, there’s little to lose. Nobody truly expects them to beat Australia, but their history shows they are capable of upsets if their more fancied opponents fail to show them due respect. Next month they have two more chances to beat a Test-playing side when they host Bangladesh in Belfast, but knocking off Australia would be something special.

Form guide (most recent first)

Ireland LLWWW
Australia LWWWL

Watch out for…

Tim Paine has done everything right when he has been given opportunities in the one-day team. He scored 111 against England at Trent Bridge last year and has also posted three half-centuries in a 17-game career. Paine will have the gloves for at least the limited-overs portion of the tour but is also auditioning for a potential Test debut if Brad Haddin’s elbow injury keeps him from rejoining the squad.A tall fast man who has been identified by the ECB as a potential player of the future, Boyd Rankin will be a key man if Ireland are to restrict Australia’s batsmen. In home conditions, he could be more of a challenge than the Australians anticipate.

Team news

Ireland will be without the 17-year-old spinner George Dockrell, who was highly impressive at the ICC World Twenty20. He is unavailable due to exams and on the eve of the match they also lost the experienced Andre Botha with a suspected stress fracture of the back.Ireland (possible) 1 William Porterfield (capt), 2 Paul Stirling, 3 Niall O’Brien (wk), 4 Alex Cusack, 5 Kevin O’Brien, 6 Gary Wilson, 7 Andrew White, 9 John Mooney, 9 Trent Johnston, 10 Peter Connell, 11 Boyd Rankin.Elbow problems have prevented both Mitchell Johnson and Haddin from joining the squad in Ireland. Paine will take the gloves and most likely the opening position, which could mean Shaun Marsh has to wait for his comeback having missed the tour of New Zealand with a back injury. The pace trio of Ryan Harris, Clint McKay and Doug Bollinger will lead the attack in England, so they will all be keen for a decent warm-up. The teenage fast man Josh Hazlewood will probably be running the drinks, with Steven Smith and Nathan Hauritz to battle for the spin position.Australia (possible) 1 Shane Watson, 2 Tim Paine (wk), 3 Ricky Ponting (capt), 4 Michael Clarke, 5 Cameron White, 6 Michael Hussey, 7 James Hopes, 8 Steven Smith/Nathan Hauritz, 9 Ryan Harris, 10 Clint McKay, 11 Doug Bollinger.

Pitch and conditions

The Dublin pitch is expected to be slow and low, which will reward stump-to-stump bowling. The forecast is for isolated showers and a top temperature of 21C.

Stats and trivia

• The two teams have met only once before in a one-day international, when Australia romped to a nine-wicket win at the 2007 World Cup
• Ireland famously beat Pakistan and Bangladesh in the World Cup in the West Indies, but have not beaten a full ICC member in an ODI since then
• Ireland are yet to be beaten in an ODI at the Castle Avenue ground in Dublin, where they have had five wins, one no-result and one match abandoned
• Trent Johnston played five first-class games for New South Wales from 1999 to 2000, and will be lining up against one of his former state team-mates, Michael Clarke
  

  Quotes

  “If you get ahead of yourself and you’re worrying about England and you don’t pay Ireland the respect they deserve then they can sneak up and bite you.”
  Merv Hughes, the Australian selector on duty”It’s hard for us to look and say, if Australia are tip-top in every area, that we will beat them but if they’re going to screw up at any time then we’re going to be ready for it.”
  Phil Simmons, the coach of Ireland

Scorecard
Tom Smith cracked 92 and then picked up three wickets in a superb allround performance•Getty Images

Tom Smith blasted an unbeaten 92 and claimed three wickets as Lancashire Lightning moved up to third in the Friends Provident t20 North Group with a convincing 46-run win over Worcestershire Royals at Old Trafford. The allrounder smashed six sixes and shared half-century partnerships with Paul Horton and Mark Chilton as Lancashire made 170 for 5 at Old Trafford.He then took 3 for 12 as the visitors were bowled out for 124, having at one stage been 104 for 2 and in with a good chance of recording their third straight win.A blistering 54 off just 29 balls from Sri Lankan opener Sanath Jayasuriya gave the Royals a great start, but Glen Chapple claimed three wickets in four balls and Stephen Parry took 3 for 19 as they lost seven wickets for just 20 runs.Having slumped to 22 for 5 in the five-wicket defeat by Derbyshire just 24 hours earlier, Lancashire fans feared the worst when Stephen Moore and Steven Croft both fell in the opening four balls from Jack Shantry without a run on the board. But Smith and Horton steadied the ship with a 69-run partnership before Horton was caught on the boundary by Phil Jaques off the bowling of James Cameron for 22.Chilton picked up the baton and raced to 34 off just 24 balls, while Smith went past fifty for the third time in the competition this season, following sixes off Moeen Ali and Jayasuriya with two more in successive overs off Daryl Mitchell and Cameron.The pair put on 80 in just 44 balls before Chilton was run out backing up after Smith’s straight drive was deflected onto the stumps by Shantry off his own bowling. But Smith went on to post his career best in Twenty20 cricket, with his 92 coming in 60 balls.Jayasuriya, who had a short spell at Old Trafford in 2007, hit four of the first 13 balls he faced for six and was dropped by Simon Kerrigan, who failed to hold onto an easy chance off Daren Powell’s bowling as Worcestershire started their reply well.At one point the Sri Lankan was 30 off ten balls but Kerrigan made amends in the ninth over as he claimed the catch to dismiss the opener off the bowling of Parry.The Royals were still ahead of the rate at the halfway stage, but then fell foul of some devastating Lightning bowling as Chapple – who accounted for Daryl Mitchell, Jack Manuel and Ben Cox in a four-ball spell – Smith and Parry blasted through the Worcestershire middle and lower order.Lancashire will look to continue their march to the last eight when they host Roses rivals Yorkshire on Friday night.

ScorecardSkipper Andrew Gale rushed Yorkshire to a four-wicket win against Durham this morning, scoring 34 of the 54 runs they required at the outset. Adil Rashid scored 15 of the final 24 as victory was achieved in 50 minutes at Chester-le-Street.Resuming on 36, Gale was in no mood to hang around, even going down the pitch twice to strike the pacy Mitch Claydon for two of the 12 fours in his unbeaten 70. Gale made a streaky start, driving wide of off-stump in the opening over of the day and edging Claydon just over first slip to the unguarded third-man boundary.His only other scare came on 54 when he tried to pull a ball from Claydon which kept low but survived the confident lbw appeal. In Steve Harmison’s opening over he had four balls at Steve Patterson, none of which the nightwatchman needed to play at. But with the target down to 26, the ex-England paceman struck twice.He had Patterson lbw without adding to his overnight three, then Gerard Brophy steered a short, innocuous ball straight to Ben Stokes at point. Liam Plunkett replaced Claydon and contributed a wide as Gale and Rashid collected the remaining runs in surprisingly frenzied fashion.Rashid had already failed to connect with a drive when, with 17 needed, he flashed well wide of off-stump and got a thick edge just over gully. Gale then went down the pitch again to Plunkett and miscued to mid-on before turning the same bowler to fine-leg for four.Chris Rushworth replaced Harmison with five needed and Rashid drove him through mid-on for four and one.Yorkshire are six points behind LV= County Championship leaders Nottinghamshire, who have a game in hand. The sides meet at Trent Bridge on September 7 and Yorkshire are also relying on Lancashire to do them a favour as the Red Rose men still have to play Nottinghamshire twice.Given that Jacques Rudolph and Adam Lyth have both passed 1,200 championship runs this season with averages above 50 and Anthony McGrath is just behind, Yorkshire are more deserving of a title challenge than champions Durham.Their highest runscorers are Michael Di Venuto with 862 and Ben Stokes with 740 and as eight bowling bonus points have been dropped this season, compared with one in the last two years, they look destined for a mid-table finish.But they can still have a hand in deciding their successors as they have to play Nottinghamshire at home and Somerset home and away.