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ScorecardNed Eckersley and Angus Robson led a strong Leicestershire reply•Getty Images

Leicestershire’s quest for a first County Championship victory since September 2012 is set to be extended by at least another week, but with Ned Eckersley and Angus Robson ushering their team to 202 for 1 at the close of the second day at Grace Road, the first signs of a team beginning to emerge from hibernation were robustly in evidence.The county can do little but clutch to the positives at the moment, but with Wasim Khan, their ambitious and personable new chief executive pulling the strings and rebooting the club’s culture, the only feasible way is up. And as Eckersley and Robson, with a combined age of 48, capitalised on a docile pitch and a bright evening session to add 169 for the second wicket, they answered the call for character to help haul the club out of adversity.But there is a long way to go yet and it is a measure of the side’s struggles that they conceded 513 in Glamorgan’s first innings despite enjoying one of their better days with the red ball in recent months.Glamorgan resumed under heavy cloud cover on 294 for 2, with Will Bragg in situ after registering a hundred on the first evening. But when Atif Sheikh, armed with the new ball, swung the second ball of his spell into Bragg’s pads to trap him lbw for 120, it set up an all-action session in which five wickets fell for 86 in 17 overs – evidence both of Leicestershire’s wicket-taking ability but also of the naivety of their five-seamer attack.Charlie Shreck burst a full delivery through a loose drive from Colin Ingram before Ollie Freckingham bent an inswinger into Mark Wallace’s pads for 10. Graham Wagg and Chris Cooke both then fell in the space of four balls, the latter to a flappy drive that Eckersley pouched at short cover, and at 396 for 7, Leicestershire were in the relative ascendancy.But then they lost their way, as David Lloyd, the 22-year-old allrounder, marshaled the tail with a maiden half-century, and by the time Andy Carter, all 6’7″ of tail-end levers, started retreating to square leg to swish his own highest score of 21 not out, Leicestershire were denied the rare comfort of claiming all ten wickets in an innings.But their response was brimful of character, as the day’s aggregate run tally was hoisted to a hefty 421, for only the loss on their part of Dan Redfern.

Charles Coventry, Vusi Sibanda, Brian Vitori and Chris Mpofu are all expected to be recalled to the Zimbabwe squad for the upcoming series in Pakistan but there may be no room for Malcolm Waller, Graeme Cremer or Solomon Mire.The tour, which has been confirmed despite FICA’s independent security assessment calling the risk of any team visiting Pakistan “unacceptably high,” will be Zimbabwe’s first international outing since the 2015 World Cup, coach Dav Whatmore’s first bilateral series in charge of the team, and their first without Brendan Taylor who quit international cricket for a county career in March.Taylor’s absence has paved the way for the return of both Sibanda, who was dropped for the World Cup squad, and Coventry, who last played for Zimbabwe four years ago. Sibanda has been active in the domestic competition and scored two centuries and two half-centuries in his last six first-class games, while Coventry has come in from the wilderness. He turned down a call-up ahead of the 2014 World T20 because of Zimbabwe Cricket’s precarious financial situation and has since played club cricket in Dubai and South Africa.Zimbabwe have also had to bulk up their bowling reserves following Tendai Chatara’s leg injury, which will sideline him for six months. Chatara, who was Zimbabwe’s best bowler at the World Cup, broke his leg in two places playing football and will be replaced by Mpofu, who last played international cricket in 2013, and fit-again left-arm seamer Vitori, who was also not part of the World Cup squad.With Zimbabwe going back to many of the players they have relied on in the past, there could only be room for one new cap. Allrounder Roy Kaia, who bowls offspin, is in the mix. Zimbabwe’s other slower bowling resources will include Sean Williams and Sikandar Raza, while Prosper Utseya, who now bowls medium-pace after he was banned from bowling offspin, will also travel with the squad. Legspinner Cremer, who returned to training with the national squad, has not played any domestic cricket since quitting the sport for golf two years ago, and has not been deemed match-fit.Elton Chigumbura will continue to lead the limited-overs teams while Zimbabwe’s administrators mull a replacement for Taylor in the Test side, which will retain a core of players that includes Hamilton Masakadza, Craig Ervine and Tinashe Panyangara. Richmond Mutumbami is expected to take over as wicketkeeper from Taylor.Squad (probable): Elton Chigumbura (capt), Sikandar Raza, Charles Coventry, Chamu Chibhabha, Craig Ervine, Roy Kaia, Hamilton Masakadza, Chris Mpofu, Tawanda Mupariwa, Richmond Mutumbami, Tinashe Panyangara, Vusi Sibanda, Prosper Utseya, Brian Vitori, Sean Williams

Match facts

June 12, 2015
Start time 1300 local (1200GMT)3:58

Can England do it again?

Big Picture

One swallow does not make a summer and neither does one score of over 400 mean England have cracked the one-day code. But they have laid down a marker for how they insist they will play the game going forward. How New Zealand, the World Cup finalists, respond to their thrashing at Edgbaston will be fascinating and give another view into the world of Brendon McCullum.McCullum grinned when it was put to him that things were looking good after one ball of the first match – when Jason Roy fell – but of greater significance was what happened after New Zealand had hit back to reduce England to 202 for 6 after 30 overs. Trent Boult was allowed to bowl out before the batting Powerplay and New Zealand’s attack was significantly short of either form, experience or skill – or perhaps a combination of all three – to close out the innings.Eoin Morgan termed England’s performance as “close to perfect” so it will be a case of more-of-the-same. And therein lies, arguably, the biggest challenge facing Morgan after a match of such dominance. Backing up the opening victory with the second match at The Oval will bring different pressures now there is far greater expectation. But if they are true to their word, England will keep on swinging.

Form guide

(last five completed matches, most recent first)
England WWLLW
New Zealand LLWWW

In the spotlight

Jos Buttler took the headlines and Joe Root set the platform at Edgbaston, but Adil Rashid produced an all-round display as impressive as either of them. Firstly his role in the record 177-run seventh-wicket stand showed his skills with the bat then, most tellingly, he gave his legspinners and googlies a rip to take 4 for 55. He won’t often have the luxury of 400 to bowl against, and how Rashid responds with the ball when the pressure is really on remains to be seen, but England have bought into the value of searching for wickets throughout an innings.Chasing 409 there was only one way New Zealand could play, but Brendon McCullum‘s slog against Steven Finn, despite already taking two boundaries in the opening over, did seem a swipe too many given the damage McCullum could do if he batted 20 overs. And then there are his tactics of rarely entering a holding pattern in the field which, in the absence of Tim Southee, could have done with re-evaluating at Edgbaston. He has a huge amount of credit built up, but back in New Zealand his game plan, both personal and team-wise, continues to provoke debate. Will he concede an inch to try and level the series?

Teams news

There would seem little need for England to change their XI after such an overwhelming display. David Willey, the left-armer, was released back to Northamptonshire for Thursday’s NatWest T20 Blast match although remains available for selection.England (probable): 1 Alex Hales, 2 Jason Roy, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan (capt), 5 Ben Stokes, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Sam Billings, 8 Adil Rashid, 9 Chris Jordan, 10 Liam Plunkett, 11 Steven FinnCorey Anderson will again miss out but Tim Southee is expected to return, perhaps at the expense of Mitchell McClenaghan unless New Zealand decide they want four quicks and leave out Nathan McCullum.New Zealand (probable): 1 Brendon McCullum (capt), 2 Martin Guptill, 3 Kane Williamson, 4 Ross Taylor, 5 Grant Elliott, 6 Mitchell Santner, 7 Luke Ronchi (wk), 8 Nathan McCullum, 9 Tim Southee, 10 Matt Henry, 11 Trent Boult

Pitch and conditions

The Edgbaston pitch was lauded as ideal for one-day cricket and The Oval has a reputation of producing good limited-overs wickets, too. The first T20 match of the season produced 455 runs, albeit with a short boundary to one side. The weather has warmed up with temperatures in the high 20s expected, although there is a chance of a thunderstorm and then some rain later, which may bring Duckworth-Lewis into the captains’ thinking.

Stats and trivia

• The last time these two teams met at The Oval there were angry scenes when Grant Elliott was run out and New Zealand were furious as they believed he had been unfairly impeded in a collision with Ryan Sidebottom.
• Buttler is one of only three batsmen since May 1, 2014 to have scored more than 800 ODI runs at more than a run-a-ball. His strike-rate is second behind AB de Villiers.
• Rashid was just the seventh Englishman to score a fifty and take at least four wickets in an ODI. The others are Paul Collingwood (twice), Ronnie Irani, Graeme Hick, Andrew Flintoff, Ian Botham and Ben Stokes.

Quotes

“Obviously it is not going to happen every week but it is something we definitely want to try and do. We’ll take that approach into every match and then see where we’re at.”
“Tim’s shown he’s one of our best one-day bowlers and it would be great to have him back and bowling at his best. With Trent, hopefully we can get the ball swinging and take some early wickets.”

Wasim Jaffer, the highest individual run-getter in the Ranji Trophy, has switched to Vidarbha from his home team Mumbai. Jaffer, who will replace Rakesh Dhurv, would thus join S Badrinath and Karnataka’s Ganesh Satish to complete a solid line-up of Vidarbha’s professionals.”Wasim will obviously bring in loads of experience and expertise. His presence will not only be handy in the batting department but also with regard to helping young batsmen from Vidarbha hone their skills and take their game to the next level,” Prakash Dixit, the president of the Vidarbha Cricket Association president, told ESPNcricinfo.Jaffer, who is currently overseas, said he will speak about his move only after returning to India. After an illustrious 19-year stint in first-class cricket with Mumbai, Jaffer is 241 runs short of becoming the first batsman to score 10,000 runs in the Ranji Trophy.Jaffer will be reunited with Paras Mhambrey, the former Mumbai and India pacer who took over as Vidarbha coach last year. Mhambrey’s move to rope in three experienced professionals worked wonders as Vidarbha finished third in Group B last season and qualified for the Ranji knockouts after almost two decades.Since a domestic team can sign a maximum of just three players on its roster, Vidarbha decided to release Dhurv, the left-arm spinner, once Jaffer agreed to come on board.Jaffer’s decision comes on the back of his most forgettable seasons in first-class cricket, mainly due to the multiple injuries he suffered during Mumbai’s Ranji campaign. He scored just 22 runs from the two games he played. Despite his finger injuries, Jaffer remained with the squad for most of the season and mentored a young Mumbai batting line-up.Jaffer’s move will result in Mumbai being forced to field one of its least experienced squads in the forthcoming domestic season. Last season, Jaffer was the lone player in Mumbai’s ranks with more than a decade’s experience in first-class cricket.Jaffer had been one of the most sought-after professional signings ever since he lost his place as India’s opener towards the end of the last decade. He had been approached by multiple teams even when he was leading Mumbai in the Ranji Trophy, but had decided to stick with his alma mater.

ScorecardFile photo – Tasmania’s huge win was built on Ben Dunk’s 190•Getty Images

Tasmania wrapped up a dominant victory over Victoria to keep them from sealing a home Sheffield Shield final berth with two rounds of the competition remaining.Cameron White and Scott Boland delayed the Tasmania’s completion of an innings victory on the final morning, taking their stand to 130 for the eighth wicket before White was caught behind off the bowling of Hamish Kingston, who plucked six victims for the match.The last two wickets fell soon after to complete the rout, an intriguing twist to the season given Tasmania’s struggles – they remain at the bottom of the table – and Victoria’s previously dominant campaign.Ben Dunk was deservedly awarded Man of the Match for his first innings 190, an innings that overtook Victoria’s poorly 165 all on his own.

Australia’s captain Steven Smith has been charged with dissent and fined 30% of his match fee over the same incident that saw fast bowler Josh Hazlewood fined 15% of his match fee on day four in Christchurch. The ICC confirmed Hazlewood’s charge and penalty on Tuesday but it was not until Wednesday that the Australians were notified that Smith would also be penalised for breaching the code of conduct.*Smith said he would cop the decision “on the chin”. The incident occurred in the last over before lunch on the fourth day, when Hazlewood had an lbw appeal against Kane Williamson turned down by the on-field umpire Ranmore Martinesz, and Australia’s review was struck down by third umpire Richard Illingworth.Illingworth had noted a small Hot Spot near the bottom of Williamson’s inside edge, which he deemed enough to stick with Martinesz’s not-out decision, but the Australians were angered at the outcome having seen the review play out on Hagley Oval’s big screen. Smith and Hazlewood approached Martinesz and appeared to demand an explanation as to why the decision had been upheld.”Josh Hazlewood got brought under the code of conduct yesterday for what he did and I’ve also just been made aware that I’ve been put under the code of conduct for dissent as well,” Smith said after Australia completed their victory on day five. “I thought I was well within my rights to go up to the umpire and ask him why we didn’t use the Real Time Snicko.”I guess out on the field we couldn’t really see a Hot Spot and I’ve been informed since then, at the break just after the incident, that if there is a Hot Spot they don’t go to Real Time Snicko. So that was basically what I was doing at the time and that’s deemed to be dissent and I’ll cop that on the chin and I need to be better as a leader. I need to set the example, and that wasn’t good enough.”The incident brought into the spotlight the Spirit of Cricket in the final Test of New Zealand captain Brendon McCullum, who has spoken often of wanting his team to play the game “in the right way”. During last year’s ODI series in England McCullum wrote in a newspaper column that Smith might regret not withdrawing an obstructing the field appeal against England’s Ben Stokes, and Smith conceded he could learn from the way McCullum has led.”Brendon has been a great ambassador, and a great captain and leader for the game,” Smith said. “I can learn a bit off the way he has done things. We’ve talked quite a bit and he gave me a bit of criticism in England with the Ben Stokes dismissal. We’ve talked a little bit about that. I guess I’m still young in my career as a leader and you try and learn from different things.”Yesterday was a mistake on my behalf and I’ve been hit with a code of conduct [charge] because of it. To me it’s about trying to learn from my mistakes and trying to get this team moving forward in the right direction and playing the good, aggressive brand of cricket that we play so well. We know that there’s a line there that we can’t cross.”*10.00GMT, February 24: This article was updated after details of Steven Smith’s fine came in

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsChris Morris struck the third-fastest IPL fifty•BCCI

It was IPL in a nutshell. A big name – Brendon McCullum – bossed the start, so much that Gujarat Lions recorded the fastest hundred of the season. A helpless collapse then killed the prospect of a one-sided game and Delhi Daredevils would have fancied chasing 173 with dew gathering at Feroz Shah Kotla. However, they slipped to 16 for 3 and the home fans despaired. The game, though, wasn’t done playing with everyone’s emotions.Out walked the million-dollar man Chris Morris with 116 needed off 56, and walloped the third fastest fifty in the IPL, off 17 balls. When the match ended, he was unbeaten on 82 off 32, but there was no smile on his face. It was stolen by Praveen Kumar and Dwayne Bravo, who gave away only 16 off the final two overs to pull off a one-run win for Lions.Morris had come in at No. 6 and launched his second ball into the second tier of the stands behind long-off. Very few of his eight sixes and four fours were mistimed, but a lot of them came as a result of his being able to get under the ball. Praveen prevented that in the penultimate over of the chase, conceding only four to leave Daredevils needing 14 off six balls. Bravo, bowling from around the stumps, then hit the blockhole repeatedly to deny Morris’ sublime innings the status of match-winning.Suresh Raina gave his frontline spinners – Ravindra Jadeja and Pravin Tambe – only one over each and they cost a combined 31 runs. Bowling with the wet ball, they stood very little chance against Morris, armed with a crowd that was bellowing his name. His reach was handy, his balance at the crease was pristine and his clarity of thought handling a required rate that was above 12 was downright chilling.Morris’ first two sixes dragged the equation down from 101 off 48 to 85 off 42. Two against Tambe in the 15th over brought it to 57 off 30. A hat-trick of them in the 17th over bowled by Dwayne Smith sealed his fifty and left Daredevils needing 29 off 18. But JP Duminy, who had begun Daredevils’ revival, was undone by a Bravo slower ball for 48 which provided just enough of an opening for Lions to sneak through.Their victory had almost seemed a formality when McCullum smashed Lions’ fastest fifty, and Smith usurped him a few minutes later. Along the way Lions had reached 100 for 0 in a mere nine overs.This batting line-up had beaten perhaps the best one in the IPL on Sunday, when a Virat Kohli century had not been enough. Daredevils were looking at a target of 220, as a best-case scenario. But Morris did what Royal Challengers Bangalore’s bowlers couldn’t; he had set plans and executed them very well. He dismissed McCullum and Raina in the 12th over; Lions were short-circuited and could only manage 55 runs in the remaining 48 balls.Morris knew McCullum thrived on fast bowling, so he produced an offcutter that dipped under the bat swing and broke the stumps. He targeted Raina’s body and had leg gully in place to take the catch. That gave the Daredevils spinners some freedom.Imran Tahir added to his reputation of being one of the best bowlers in T20 cricket with a spell of 3 for 24, the hallmark of which was his ability to vary the pace and time the googlies and flippers that surprised the batsmen. Where his slow-bowling partners Amit Mishra and Shahbaz Nadeem bowled flat in the hopes of containing the batsmen, Tahir backed his skill to confound them. He had Smith lbw with a ball that skidded through off the pitch and removed Ishan Kishan and Dinesh Karthik off successive balls in the 17th over.Much like Tahir, Dhawal Kulkarni relied on his strength – swing – to topple Sanju Samson, an in-form Quinton de Kock and Karun Nair to lift Lions in the chase but his 3 for 19 wouldn’t have mattered much until his new-ball partner Praveen bowled an excellent final over to strangle Morris and finish with 4-0-13-0.

Selectors to pick Zimbabwe and West Indies tour squads on Monday

India’s selectors will meet on Monday in Mumbai to pick the squads for the tours of Zimbabwe and West Indies. Asked if senior players would be rested for the tour, BCCI president Anurag Thakur said the decision would be taken by Sandeep Patil-led selection panel. “Let the selectors decide that,” Thakur said. “Before any tour if any player wants to take rest they convey it to the BCCI and the selection committee. Even if the selection committee wants to experiment with new players they take the senior players into confidence.”

The BCCI has set June 10 as the deadline for candidates to apply for the role of India’s head coach. An interim coaching staff is likely to be put in place for the limited-overs series in Zimbabwe in June, with the aim of appointing new long-term coaches by the time Virat Kohli’s team reaches the Caribbean for a four-Test series against West Indies, scheduled for July-August.The contracts of team director Ravi Shastri, batting coach Sanjay Bangar, bowling coach B Arun and fielding coach R Sridhar – who had comprised India’s coaching staff since the ODI series in England in 2014 – expired after the World T20 in March.In 2015, the BCCI had appointed a three-man advisory committee comprising Sachin Tendulkar, Sourav Ganguly and VVS Laxman to look for a head coach. That panel panel was disbanded when Ganguly took over as president of the Cricket Association of Bengal. It is understood that the BCCI failed to find a suitable replacement for Ganguly, thus stalling the coach-selection process.”We will advertise for the post of coach today,” Anurag Thakur said at his first media briefing after being elected BCCI president on Sunday. “And by June 10 anyone who is willing to take up post of coach, they can apply to the BCCI. The candidate will be finalised after that.”Thakur said the BCCI was looking for a long-term coaching staff with the 2019 World Cup as the team’s main goal. “Currently our team is No. 2 in Test and T20, and No. 4 in ODIs and women’s cricket. We will take every step or whatever is possible to make Team India No.1 in all forms of cricket.”Asked to explain the delay in appointing a head coach, Thakur said: “If you have to go for the best you can’t go with limited choices. So we are keeping it open.”Thakur also said the previous members of the coaching staff – Shastri, Bangar, Arun and Sridhar – were all eligible to apply for the job. “Of course, yes. It is open for everyone whether [it is] the current support staff, [or] from outside India or within India, anyone who is keen to be a coach with Indian team or take other responsibilities – bowling, batting, fielding coach or the head coach – all these positions would be available.”Thakur also praised Shastri and his specialist staff, saying they had done a “good job in the past and the team had performed well under their leadership”.According to Ajay Shirke, who was appointed BCCI secretary during its special general meeting on Sunday, the BCCI’s call for applications was an extension of its recently launched “transparency initiative”. “We are just widening the net so that everybody feels they can be part of the Indian coaching staff if they are judged to be the best,” Shirke said.Asked if the team director’s position would be done away with, or whether it would remain in conjunction with a head coach and other support staff, Thakur said the BCCI would make a decision based on the number of applications it received. “Once we see how many people are interested in taking up that job, what is the talent available and who could be the best coach for Indian cricket team then you can take the final decision after that.”

Bruce Oxenford may not leap to mind as the first choice to play Captain America in any upcoming Marvel films.But the Australian umpire could have been mistaken for an Agent of S.H.I.E.L.D, when he marched onto the field carrying one on his left arm to officiate the second Royal London ODI between England and Sri Lanka at Edgbaston.While Oxenford had worn the lollipop-shaped guard in April during the IPL match between Gujarat Lions and Royal Challengers Bangalore, and earlier at a World T20 warm-up match between Australia and the West Indies, this is the first time the protective device has appeared in an international match and represents another step towards greater protection for officials.The issue of umpire safety was thrust into the limelight in 2014 when an official died after being struck in the head by a ball during a league match in Israel.Earlier this year Australian John Ward became the first umpire to wear a helmet in an international match during the fourth ODI between Australia and India at Manuka Oval.The shield worn by Oxenford is made from polycarbonate, weighs one kilogram and is six millimetres thick. The version used at Edgbaston is the second incarnation of the device and it was tested in the nets before being cleared for use during the match.An ECB spokesman confirmed to ESPNcricinfo that, if a batsman struck the ball and it deflected off the shield and was subsequently caught, the batsman would be given out, in contrast to the situation for fielders wearing protective headgear. If the ball strikes the helmet before looping to a fielder, dead ball is called.

ScorecardAshar Zaidi had a fine night for Essex•Getty Images

Ashar Zaidi starred with both the bat and the ball to boost Essex’s hopes of a quarter-final place – as the visitors edged out Hampshire in a three run thriller.Pakistani Zaidi helped Essex to a healthy 153 for six with a patient 47 before miserly figures of two for 16 halted Hampshire at the Ageas Bowl.Essex are also top of Division Two of the Championship, leading Zaidi to say: “”It is amazing feeling winning four on the bounce and we are taking the momentum into the four day cricket.”Michael Carberry and James Vince, having been set 154 by Essex, took the chase steadily – knowing exactly what they needed and scored on and just above the required run rate.Carberry looked more ready to open himself up, but it was his undoing when he slogged to cow corner, before Tom Alsop was caught and bowl for a duck by Dan Lawrence.Spin slowed dried the runs up with Zaidi impressive, his first over going for just four and his second picking up Liam Dawson – who was driving to extra-cover.But as Zaidi stocked up on dot balls, boundaries flowed off Vince’s bat, on the back of another Test call-up.Vince reached his 19th Blast fifty from 37 balls, but the ball after Sean Ervine teed up to Tom Westley giving Zaidi a deserved second wicket.Shahid Afridi spliced one back to Matthew Quinn and Vince finally departed as he was bowled by Graham Napier.But just as Hampshire looked set for a seventh defeat Lewis McManus provided a fightback with a four and massive maximum in the penultimate over to leave the hosts needing eight from six.Wicket-keeper McManus was caught on the mid-wicket outfield from the second delivery, still seven needed but Ravi Bopara held his nerve – only going for two more runs.Earlier having won the toss, Essex set off at a blistering start reaching 67 by the end of the power play, with every other ball seemingly rushing to the boundary off Jessie Ryder, Kishen Velani and Westley. But for all their heaving they lost Velani in the third over – chipping up to Vince at mid-off.As easy as that catch was for captain Vince, his snaffle to see off Ryder, for 22, was unbelievable – as he gave international teammate Dawson his first of the night by diving full length once the ball had seemingly drifted over him.Dawson, who took three wickets on his England Twenty20 debut on the ground on Tuesday, grabbed the 50th 20-over wicket of his career when the booming Westley picked out Carberry on the point boundary.That quick flurry of wickets and the introduction of spin quelled the run scoring as Zaidi and Ravi Bopara stutter – although the former did smash a six onto the concourse.Zaidi accelerated from that bash, mainly scored on foot, to get within three runs of a third half century in a row but was the victim of a stunning direct hit from boundary rider Carberry and Bopara was caught at deep mid-wicket.Ryan ten Doeschate hammered the final ball to Ervine on the long-on rope to set Hampshire 154 to win – which proved just enough.