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Glamorgan 271 for 8 (Salter 73*, Rudolph 68) v Gloucestershire
ScorecardJacques Rudolph scored a half-century to keep Glamorgan in the hunt•Getty Images

Half centuries from Jacques Rudolph and Andrew Salter rescued Glamorgan from trouble on the first day of their Championship Division Two encounter against Gloucestershire at Swansea.Glamorgan choose to bat after winning the toss but were soon in dire straits on 41 for 3 as Gloucestershire’s opening bowlers David Payne and Liam Norwell accounted for three of their top four inside the first 14 overs. But former South Africa international Rudolph gave some respectability to Glamorgan’s score with a knock of 68 before No. 9 Salter ensured their tail wagged with an innings of 73 as they reached 271 for 8 at the close.The match was just six balls old when Payne dismissed Will Bragg, who found a leading edge and was caught at mid-off, with just one run on the scoreboard. Rudolph and Colin Ingram added 40 for the second wicket but Gloucestershire were celebrating when Norwell removed Ingram and Aneurin Donald in the space of four balls – with both batsmen caught by Will Tavare at third slip.Shortly before lunch, Chris Cooke shouldered arms and was bowled by Benny Howell and when Graham Wagg drove Payne loosely to cover after the interval Glamorgan had stumbled to 106 for 5.Rudolph, however, remained steadfast, playing every ball on its merit and had scored his runs from 149 balls with 11 fours before nudging Jack Taylor’s offspin to slip, where Hamish Marshall held a sharp catch.Not for the first time this season, Glamorgan’s late order batsmen rallied to the cause with Salter and Mark Wallace adding 40 for the eighth wicket, before Salter found an unlikely ally in Kieran Bull, whose previous highest score was 12. The two youngsters, with a combined age of just 42, not only achieved career-best scores but also shared in the highest partnership of the innings as they put on an invaluable unbeaten 85 for the ninth wicket.The new ball came and went as Salter played some handsome strokes either side of the wicket and, as Glamorgan’s leading spinner, he would have been encouraged to see the ball turn more towards the end of the day.He has already struck eight fours, and when the second day gets under way his first objective will be to guide his team to a total in excess of 300 and score the 27 runs he requires for a maiden Championship century.

Having come off defeats in spin-friendly conditions, both South Africa and England will feel more comfortable in surroundings where their quick bowlers should prosper. The head-to-head between the two pace attacks will be one of the fascinating contests of the next month but, unsurprisingly, Allan Donald, South Africa’s former bowling coach, is clear which pack he is backing.For Donald, it is the support that South Africa have available to Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel which gives them the upper hand. They are missing Vernon Philander due to injury, but England are also likely to have their depth tested early in the series with James Anderson unlikely to be fit for Durban and Donald believes South Africa have greater firepower below the new-ball pair.”In their own conditions and when they are firing as a unit, the South African attack is the best out there,” Donald told ESPNcricinfo. “It’s not just about what we know, that Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel and James Anderson and Stuart Broad are world-class bowlers, it also about the rest of the attack. Steven Finn, Ben Stokes and Chris Woakes have not played Test cricket in South Africa and so it will be up to them to show what they are capable of in these conditions.”Contrastingly, South Africa’s supporting seamers, Kyle Abbott and Kagiso Rabada have enjoyed significant success in their own conditions. Abbott racked up figures only his franchise coach Lance Klusener has bettered on Test debut when he took 7 for 29 in his first match against Pakistan while Rabada broke the first-class record last season for the best match figures when he took 14 for 105 for Lions against Dolphins.Although Rabada and Abbott have just eight Test caps between them, Donald believes South Africa’s depth will help them dominate. “They will definitely miss Vernon because in home conditions, when there is something in the wicket, he will find it and exploit it but Kyle Abbott has been consistent and applied pressure every time he has played and Rabada looks better every time we see him.”Even outside of the current squad, there are guys putting their hands up. Chris Morris has been good and we should not forget about Hardus Viljoen. He has pace and he a is a big, aggressive boy. There’s a lot of talent in the tank.”But Donald is under no illusions that the bowlers are not the only ones responsible for South Africa’s ability to compete in the series. After the way they were defeated in India, Donald knows that the onus will be on the batsmen to start the redemption. “Whatever England brings, South Africa must respond with the bat,” he said. “We’ve got to score big runs and make England work for every wicket.”That sounds similar to what South Africa did in 2012, when Donald was part of the coaching staff that oversaw the team’s rise to No.1. He revealed that then the idea was to target England’s premier pacemen. “We said we want Anderson and Broad to bowl a lot of overs,” Donald explained. “We want to wear the rest down so that they have to keep bringing their main bowlers back.”England would be wise to adopt a similar mindset in this series, trying to make sure that Hashim Amla has to keep returning to Steyn – who may still have to shake off rush post-injury – and Morkel. Steyn has not bowled competitively since the first week of November, when he sustained groin injury in the Mohali Test. That was the eighth injury Steyn has suffered since June 2013 and the second groin strain and there are fears he may be in decline but Donald does not think so.”I’ve heard some things about how it could be the start of the end and I don’t think that’s true. I think you will write him off at your peril. He will bounce back hard,” Donald said. “As much as South Africa missed him in India, I think it was a blessing in disguise because he is really fresh and hungry now I spoke to him a few days ago and he wants to make this series a big one.”Donald admitted Steyn’s inactivity over the last few weeks is not ideal but said quality would trump quantity of balls bowled. “It is a concern that he has not bowled in a while because you want overs under the belt and miles in the leg but a champion is always a champion.”And that is exactly why Donald thinks the South African team will be formidable foes for England over the next six weeks. “It’s not nice getting thumped 3-nil and they will be carrying scars,” Donald said “That makes it very important how they start because if they start badly it could be a long series but this team is too good not to stand up.”

There have been troubled tours in the history of Indian cricket,but it is safe to assume that when it comes to seamy incidents,internal rivalry, petty jealousy, gross mismanagement and a poorrecord, the 1936 tour of England is the yardstick by whichunhappy tours are judged. Everything that could go wrong with ateam on tour took place, and the largely self-created problemsengulfed the team and affected the morale of the players. Whichwas a pity for, man to man, there is little doubt that the 1936Indian team is one of the strongest to have gone on tour.It would seem unbelievable to today’s generation that a sideincluding the likes of CK Nayudu, Amar Singh, Mohammad Nissar,Wazir Ali, Lala Amarnath, Syed Mushtaq Ali and Vijay Merchantshould end up with a dismal record of having just four victoriesin 28 first-class matches on the tour, losing 12 and drawing 12.Or that the three-match series should have been lost 0-2 with thevisitors going down by nine wickets in both the first and thirdTests, England having the better of the drawn second Test.For starters, the side was badly led by the Maharajah ofVizianagaram and managed by Maj Brittain-Jones. Four years ago,the prince appointed captain had graciously stepped down infavour of CK Nayudu. But ‘Vizzy,’ as he was popularly known,refused to do the same. Not only was he a passenger as a batsmanand fielder ­ his average for the three Tests was 8.25 – he alsohad very strong likes and dislikes, and allowed personal enmityto often get the better of him.Mushtaq Ali being offered a gold watch to run out Merchant, BaqaJilani getting his Test cap because he insulted CK Nayudu at thebreakfast table – these were the kind of incidents that marredthe tour. A bit of a dictator, Vizzy had in Brittain-Jones amartinet sidekick. The two ruled with an iron hand, and themanager was at his worst in the Lala Amarnath incident, when thestar all-rounder was sent packing home midway through the tour asa disciplinary measure.The inquiry that went into the seamy happenings of the tourtermed the action as ‘stern’ and exonerated Amarnath, but thedamage had been done. Under such circumstances, the players couldnot be expected to perform at their best. Also, some of thejealousy and distrust among the players that were evident fouryears ago continued ­ only this time more vehemently.With the atmosphere marred by suspicion, the dice was heavilyloaded against the visitors almost every time they stepped on tothe field ­ and particularly so in the Tests. The batting andbowling came under severe pressure under which both crumbled.England helped themselves to scores of 571 for eight declared inthe second Test at Manchester and 471 for eight declared in thethird Test at the Oval. They also dismissed India for scores of147, 93, 203 and 222. India, thanks to a deadly spell by AmarSingh, who took six for 35, took the first-innings lead in thefirst Test at Lord’s ­ the only time India did so till 1971 ­ butthe second-innings collapse meant that England could coast tovictory.But there were the proverbial silver linings. Predominant amongthese was the record 203-run opening stand between Mushtaq Aliand Merchant at Manchester. India were 368 runs behind on thefirst innings, but in dazzling fashion, they scored the runs injust two-and-a-half hours. It was ethereal batting that had thecritics groping for adjectives. Both openers got hundreds, withMushtaq’s being the first Test hundred by an Indian abroad.Then of course there was Nayudu’s courageous knock of 81 in thethird Test; incidentally it proved to be his last Test innings.Hit on the heart by an ultra-fast ball from the England captain’Gubby’ Allen, Nayudu not only stayed his ground after receivingmedical treatment for a brief while but counter-attacked in amanner that brought back memories of the Golden Age for oldtimers. Amar Singh’s spell of six for 35 that saw Englanddismissed for 134 was another highlight of the tour. Both Nissarand Amar Singh in fact lived up to their reputation, but they hadlittle support. The two shared 22 wickets in the three Tests,while all the other bowlers accounted for just six.Amar Singh had impressed Walter Hammond four years ago, and onthis tour he left a lasting impression on Len Hutton, then anestablished Yorkshire star and on the verge of getting hisEngland cap. Thirty-four years later, in an interview in Madras,Hutton recalled, “There is no better bowler in the world todaythan Amar Singh.”In first-class matches, Merchant was head and shoulders above histeammates. He scored 1,745 runs at an average of 51.32. Thisincluded 282 runs in the Tests. So classy and correct was hisbatting that Neville Cardus hailed him as the “Indians’ goodEuropean” and suggested that to solve their opening battingproblems in Australia during the winter, the England team take aphotograph of Merchant for inspiration. Nayudu (1,102) andMushtaq Ali (1,078) were the others to cross the 1,000-run mark.Among the bowlers, Nissar headed the averages, taking 66 wicketsat 25.13 apiece. Amar Singh by now was a popular and well-paidLancashire league professional and was released only for ahandful of matches, besides the three Tests.But England generally had things their own way. Hammond hadsuccessive knocks of 167 and 217, while Allen picked up 20wickets in the series. On the second day of the second Test, 588runs were scored ­ still the most runs scored in a day of Testcricket. Of these, England scored 398 runs for the loss of sixwickets while India replied with 190 for none.

Andrew Strauss has backed Marcus Trescothick to play a full part in the Ashes series despite his withdrawal from the Champions Trophy squad, although he is likely to give up his place against Pakistan. Trescothick pulled out of the India trip to continue treatment for a stress-related illness he has suffered since England’s winter tour.”Australia is going to be a big test for all of us and it’s going to be a big test for Tres as well,” said Strauss as he prepared to lead England in the fourth one-day international against Pakistan. “He hasn’t got to the stage he’s at in his career without being able to overcome tests and I see no reason to see why he can’t do it again.”It’s so hard to put a value on how important Tres is to the team because he does so much off the pitch – he’s always helping out people when he can, he’s always trying to provide a good atmosphere in the dressing room and tries to set an example for other players to follow.”That has never changed and I don’t think it ever will do because it’s such an important part of who he is and the type of cricketer he is, but there are issues he has to address and I have no reason to suspect he won’t make a full recovery and be back for the Ashes and be raring to go.”Trescothick has had a poor summer, following a century in the first Test against Sri Lanka, and fell for a first-ball duck in the third ODI when he was bowled by Shoaib Akhtar. But Strauss says he has noticed very little difference in Trescothick, on the field, throughout the season.”From a personal point of view I haven’t seen any difference in the way he’s batted this summer. I know he hasn’t had the best of summers but in terms of what he’s been like out in the middle, I haven’t seen a problem.”I think it’s very much an off-field thing for him. On the field he can apply himself, but off the field there are problems which he needs to keep working on.”Trescothick is expected to be named in the Ashes squad, when the announcement is made on Tuesday, but Strauss couldn’t guarantee him his place for the remaining two matches against Pakistan.”There is a chance he won’t play, but we haven’t decided that yet. One side of the argument is to give someone else some experience, but Tres is a very experienced player for us and we want to win every game we play.”The selectors are likely to take the chance to have another look at Alastair Cook, who played two matches against Sri Lanka earlier in the summer, or hand Ed Joyce a belated opportunity in the side after his ankle injury during the Twenty20 against Sri Lanka. The other possible change, following the two-wicket defeat at the Rose Bowl, is a debut for Graham Onions in place of the erratic Sajid Mahmood.Pakistan’s problems, on the other hand, are of an altogether more prosaic nature. Inzamam-ul-Haq has urged his side to improve their fielding, which many felt was shambolic in the third ODI at the Rose Bowl, but which many others will recognise was hardly their worst. “We want to win this series comprehensively but to do that our fielding has to improve. We’ve been good with the bat and the ball but the fielding is simply not up to the mark. I’ve told the boys that the only way we can keep on winning ODIs is through better fiedling.”Bob Woolmer has urged his team not to get ahead of themselves despite being 2-0 up in the series. “One-day cricket is a lottery, we all know that,” he said. “England played very well at the Rose Bowl so we will have to be on our mettle if we are to win this game.”We need to lift that intensity level and do better than we did – and I think we can. Particularly in international cricket now any result is possible. We have to play better than we did there, where we were grateful to a fine innings from Younis Khan. But if you can win playing badly it’s not necessarily a bad thing.”England (probable) 1 Andrew Strauss (capt), 2 Alastair Cook, 3 Ian Bell, 4 Kevin Pietersen, 5 Paul Collingwood, 6 Jamie Dalrymple, 7 Rikki Clarke, 8 Chris Read (wk), 9 Jon Lewis, 10 Stuart Broad, 11 Graham OnionsPakistan (probable) 1 Shoaib Malik, 2 Mohammad Hafeez, 3 Younis Khan, 4 Mohammad Yousuf, 5 Inzamam-ul-Haq (capt), 6 Shahid Afridi, 7 Abdul Razzaq, 8 Kamran Akmal (wk), 9 Naved-ul-Hasan, 10 Shoaib Akhtar, 11 Mohammad Asif

Hashan Tillakaratne, the former Sri Lankan Test captain, has claimed to have been humiliated after being suspended from his position as executive director of Cricket Aid pending a disciplinary inquiry.”After sacrificing 18 years of my life for cricket this is the reward I get,” said a furious Tillakaratne while addressing the media. According to a letter sent by Upali Seneviratne, acting Sri Lanka Cricket (SLC) chief executive, Tillakaratne left the island without prior permission between June 13-22 and acted in a manner detrimental to the interests of SLC and the Cricket Aid program with regard to his dealings with Paul Sheldon, Surrey’s chief executive, who was responsible for organising a tsunami fund-raising Twenty20 match.Tillakaratne has denied the charges brought against him and accused the interim committee installed by the government of trying to sabotage the Cricket Aid program begun by Thilanga Sumathipala, former SLC president, which was designed to help tsunami-affected families and orphans around the island. He also accused the interim committee of carrying out a witch hunt on certain employees of the SLC, and claimed that he was now the latest victim.The program ground to a virtual standstill after the government accused the previous cricket board administration of financial mismanagement, scaring potential investors and freezing the flow of foreign funds into the program.

The Irish Cricket Union has refuted allegations, made on a West Indian website and reported here, that the West Indian tourists received a less-than-warm welcome when they arrived in Belfast at the start of their UK tour.Peter Thompson, the Irish board’s chief executive, said: “No fewer than four officials of the Irish Cricket Union greeted our visitors on arrival at Belfast Airport, they left the airport by coach within half-an-hour of touchdown, and were at their city centre hotel 15 minutes later. Skipper Brian Lara and coach Gus Logie conducted a news conference for the Irish media in the hotel, much to the satisfaction of all concerned.”On departure five days later, the party was generous in its praise of Irish hospitality – apart, of course, from the six-wicket defeat in the second of the two Bank of Ireland one-day games.”The original article bemoaned the absence of any ECB officials to greet the tourists, but Andrew Walpole, the ECB’s media-relations officer, said at the time that both boards had jointly agreed there would be no official press conference on the West Indians’ arrival at Belfast, which is why the ECB didn’t send anyone there to meet them.

A monumental innings of 194 not out by Mark Vermeulen, Zimbabwe’s openingbatsman, dominated the first day of their match against Sussex atHove. At close of play, Zimbabwe were comfortably placed at 317 for 4.

Heath Streak won the toss and decided to bat, on a warm, sunny day by the sea. With the exception of Mluleki Nkala, who got his game of the tour in place of the rested Douglas Hondo, Zimbabwe played their probable first-Test team. This meant they batted down to No. 11 – ten of them have scored first-classcenturies, and even the last man had several fifties to his name. Sussexplayed a weakened team, captained by the former Zimbabwe Test batsman MurrayGoodwin.The pitch was slightly green, and the bowlers found some swing early on, butthe openers, Vermeulen and Dion Ebrahim, had few problems with the bowling.Vermeulen was soon playing powerful off-side drives as the Sussex bowlers often pitched a little too short. The sun shone, and the tourists enjoyed the pleasant conditions. Hopes of a major opening stand vanished though when, with the total on 33, Ebrahim hooked at a bouncer from Billy Taylor and was given out caught down the leg side for 14. Stuart Carlisle struggled to get off the mark, before finally cutting a ball from Jason Lewry to the boundary.Vermeulen became increasingly confident, reaching his fifty with a slashpast slips for four off Lewry, and then adding another two fours in the sameover. The ball travelled fast over the quick outfield and when a strokebeat the field, it usually went the full distance.The batsmen struggled for a while after lunch. Carlisle played and missedseveral times without edging, as he had done against Worcestershire, whileVermeulen showed some nerves while approaching his century, although he didclout Mark Davis for a clean six over wide long-on. Carlisle finally didedge one from Davis to slip, departing for 35 after a partnership of 114 forthe second wicket. Vermeulen was then on 96, and he reached three figures when he hammered a short vall from Taylor past cover for four.Most of Vermeulen’s eight first-class centuries have been big ones, althoughhe had yet to reach 200, and he showed no desire to give it away. GrantFlower was positive from the start, using his feet well and selecting hisshots with skill. Still, the afternoon session was rather slow – Vermeulenmanaged only 47, moving from 81 to 128, in the two hours.The pair continued their accumulation after tea. Vermeulen passed 150 with afierce square-drive to the boundary, and Flower – who survived a chancebetween keeper and second slip when 43 – reached his own fifty with a neatcover-driven four. He had two more escapes – a return catch to Taylor, andan edge which was floored by Andrew Hodd, Sussex’s 19-year-old debutantwicketkeeper.Late in the day Vermeulen made a bid for his double-century (his highest score is 197) with two magnificent back-foot straight-drives off Paul Hutchison. The dismissal just before the close of Flower – for 64, slashing Hutchison to backward point – and Tatenda Taibu, caught at second slip for a second-ball duck, put paid to that, but he survived to fight another day.

Craig White and Matthew Wood battered Lancashire in the Old TraffordRoses game with an opening stand of 309 in 65 overs.It was the second highest first-wicket partnership in Roses historybehind the 323 of Holmes and Sutcliffe for Yorkshire at Sheffield in1931.And it came after Lancashire captain John Crawley had won the toss, asking Yorkshire to bat. The response of White and Wood was to plungeLancashire into deeper trouble in their first game since coach BobSimpson announced that he would be quitting the club when his two-year contract finishes at the end of the season.Table-toppers Yorkshire left out Michael Vaughan who had declared himself fit after a six weeks lay-off due to knee trouble and then showed that they did not need him against a Lancashire attack who bowled poorly without the injured Peter Martin.White, whose England place is under threat, responded to the pressure by racing to his second Roses century off only 94 balls with a six and17 fours. He cracked two more sixes on his way to 150.Wood’s 100 came in 185 balls with 11 fours and the pair were in sight of Holmes and Sutcliffe when paceman Mike Smethurst had Lancashire’s first success of the day in the 65th over, winning an lbw decision against Wood on 115.Smethurst struck again shortly afterwards to remove Anthony McGrath but White finished unbeaten on 179 – two short of his career best – with Yorkshire 358-2 from just 76 overs.

North Group

Durham v Leicestershire, Chester-le-Street, 5.30Leicestershire head into a weekend double-header riding high after pulling off a remarkable heist – with a wicket from the final ball – to claim a tie against Yorkshire last week. They sit third in the congested North Group and have both O’Briens – Kevin and Niall – available before they join Ireland’s bid to qualify for next year’s World T20. Durham’s Scotland star Calum McLeod is also available before he heads off to the qualifiers.So crowded is the North Group that while Durham sit sixth, they are just two points behind second-placed Worcestershire and two ahead of table-proppers Derbyshire. As with the County Championship defeat to Yorkshire earlier this week, the injured Paul Coughlin is replaced in the squad by Jamie Harrison, who hopes to make his T20 bow three seasons after his maiden first-class and List A appearances for the club. Leicestershire face four Blast matches in ten days – as well as a Championship match against Kent – and have named a 15-man squad for this match, including youngsters Lewis Hill, Aadil Ali and Rob Sayer, as well as in-form former Durham man Ben Raine.Lancashire v Yorkshire, Old Trafford, 6.30The Roses clash, following one for the ages at Headingley last month which Jos Buttler’s outrageous 71 won for Lancashire, has a distinctly Australian feel, with Yorkshire’s Glenn Maxwell and Aaron Finch lining up opposite their World Cup winning team-mate James Faulkner. Lancashire have lost three of their four games since Buttler’s knock but still sit a point ahead of Yorkshire in the table – both are outside the top four – as they scramble for qualification. Finch will have fond memories of this fixture last season, when he smashed 88 in 55 balls to help Yorkshire to a five-wicket win.Aussies aplenty, but both sides are missing England stars, with Buttler unavailable for Lancashire and Adil Rashid joining Joe Root, Adam Lyth and Gary Ballance among Yorkshire’s absentees. Man of the moment Jonny Bairstow remains, but Liam Plunkett is injured, while spinners James Middlebrook and Karl Carver are called up in Rashid’s stead. Lancashire have named the eleven who lost by one run to Warwickshire last week, plus Tom Bailey and Saqib Mahmood.Nottinghamshire v Worcestershire, Trent Bridge, 6.30Seventh-placed Nottinghamshire can draw level with second-placed Worcestershire with a win but they will have to do without star men James Taylor and Luke Fletcher, who both picked up hamstring injuries in the Championship match between the two sides this week. Riki Wessels, playing his 100th T20 in England, will captain the side in Taylor’s place. Even with the group so tight, Nottinghamshire can barely afford another defeat if they are to continue their run of five consecutive home quarter-finals. Sam Wood and Will Gidman take places in the squad after missing out against Northamptonshire on Sunday. Worcestershire are hoping to win four away games on the bounce for the first time in this format.Birmingham v Derbyshire, Edgbaston, 6.30It is top plays bottom at Edgbaston as star draw Brendon McCullum makes his home debut for high-flying Birmingham Bears who have won six of their first eight matches and 12 of their last 14 in the format. They sit two points clear at the top of the North Group after their dramatic, traffic-defying, weather-beating one-run win over Lancashire last Friday. Birmingham have named an unchanged squad while Derbyshire – who are bottom of the group but just four points off second after an important victory over Nottinghamshire last week – have named a squad containing the 11 players involved in that game, as well as batsman Ben Slater.

South Group

Somerset v Gloucestershire, Taunton, 5.30Gloucestershire’s dramatic last-ball defeat to Surrey at Kia Oval on Wednesday leaves them a point and a position behind sixth-placed Somerset, leaving plenty riding on this game as the group stages reach the business end. Gloucestershire boast the tournament’s joint leading run-scorer – Michael Klinger with 520 – and wicket-taker – Tom Smith with 20 – but captain Klinger said after the defeat to Surrey that they now need to win all of their remaining fixtures to qualify for the knockouts.Recent history, however, is not in Gloucestershire’s favour. Somerset have won the last five fixtures between the two teams, including last month’s five-wicket win in Bristol. For Gloucestershire, Liam Norwell – is replaced in the squad by Miles Hammond, while Somerset add Craig Overton and Lewis Gregory to the XI that were pipped by Glamorgan at Taunton on Sunday.Surrey v Middlesex, Kia Oval, 6.30The first London derby of 2015 takes place after the two bottom sides in the South Group enjoyed contrasting midweek home games. Surrey will be in confident mood; Azhar Mahmood’s last-ball six against Gloucestershire gave them their second win on the spin, and they’ve won seven of their last eight against their rivals from across town. Mahmood, meanwhile has 11 more T20 wickets against Middlesex than anyone else (32) and has dismissed skipper Eoin Morgan six times in the format. Only the seven times Zaheer Khan’s has snared MS Dhoni gives a bowler more dismissals of a single batsman in T20 cricket.For Surrey, Freddie van den Bergh has been added to the 13-man squad for the win over Gloucestershire, while bottom-placed Middlesex, seeking to avoid a sixth consecutive defeat, have overhauled the squad that was thrashed by Sussex at Lord’s on Thursday. Mitchell McClenaghan is out with a badly broken and dislocated finger, while experienced men James Franklin and Nick Compton make way, with Ryan Higgins, Nick Gubbins, George Scott and Gurjit Sandhu all vying for places in the side.Hampshire v Glamorgan, Ageas Bowl, 7.00pmThese two sides are jostling for position in mid-table in the South Group. Hampshire – who have qualified for the knockout stages for the last five seasons – are battling to avoid losing three consecutive T20s for the first time since 2007 and the only change to the squad for the defeat to a Jesse Ryder-inspired Essex last Friday is the absence of allrounder Liam Dawson, who has headed to Chelmsford on loan, while Joe Gatting is expected to make his first T20 appearance of the season in place of the injured Sean Ervine.Glamorgan’s hopes of qualification for the knockout stages took a boost with their outstanding win at Taunton last Sunday but in that game they bid farewell to South African Wayne Parnell, whose stint with the county ended. Graham Wagg misses out with a lower back injury, while England U-19 star Aneurin Donald – who is available after completing his A-Levels – is in line to make his T20 debut.Sussex v Kent, Hove, 7.00pmSussex thrashed Middlesex at Lord’s on Thursday – their fourth win on the spin – to go top of the South Group but Kent, who have played a game less, can overtake them with a win in front of a sell-out crowd at Hove.Kent will be without death bowling specialist David Griffiths for the rest of the campaign after he underwent surgery on his back this week, but they welcome back Sam Billings from England duty, as well as Matt Coles and Darren Stevens, who sat out their clash with the Australians with minor injuries. Stevens needs just eight runs to become the first man to 3000 domestic runs in English cricket, while Oxford MCCU captain Sam Weller – a 20-year-old pace bowler – is also named in the squad for the first time. Sussex have named an unchanged squad.

ICC chief executive David Richardson has said the world body will ensure pitches in the World Twenty20 next year in India are not loaded in favour of any side, while emphasising that “good batting wickets” will be the standard fare in the tournament.”Normally for an ICC event, we have our own pitch consultant who will oversee pitch preparations at all the venues,” Richardson told ESPNcricinfo on the sidelines of an event in Mumbai to announce the fixtures for the World T20.”Obviously for an ICC event we want to make sure no one particular team is favored, and essentially when it comes to T20 cricket that we have good batting wickets that will be the same for both the team batting first or second. And that will be the goal.”Richardson’s remarks come in the wake of intense debate over the pitches prepared for the recently-concluded Test series between India and South Africa. The pitch in Nagpur for the third Test was rated ‘poor’ by the match referee, Jeff Crowe, who has submitted the report to the ICC.Richardson did not explicitly refer to Nagpur, which will host the first round of matches in the World T20, including India’s opening game against New Zealand, but said the priorities and parameters in ICC events were markedly different to those in bilateral fixtures. “Obviously when bilateral tours take place there are different objectives I suppose, but for an ICC event, we don’t favour one team against the other,” he said.”Obviously in this part of the world, the tracks will be a little bit slower than you might find in Australia and South Africa, but as long as it’s a good batting wicket, good even bounce and as long as it doesn’t deteriorate from one innings to the next, that’s what we’re looking for.”One of the ICC’s bigger priorities, according to Richardson, was the security arrangement. The ICC has been grappling with security concerns in different geographies recently. While Australia refused to tour Bangladesh in October due to security concerns, Zimbabwe toured Pakistan in May against the advice of their Sports and Recreation Commission, and completed the series despite a suicide attack in Lahore. The ICC had refused to send its officials to Pakistan following a report from its security team.”Security is becoming an issue all around the world now for us, whether it’s the U-19 World Cup in Bangladesh or the World T20 in India,” Richardson admitted. “Security is one of our priorities and we will be engaging with the security agencies, police authorities in all the venues to make sure that security is, as far as humanly possible, guaranteed not only for the players but the media attendees and the spectators at the stadiums.”