Dent hands Essex rare defeat

Chris Dent hammered an unbeaten 55 off just 23 balls as Gloucestershire produced a shock NatWest T20 Blast victory Essex

Press Association20-Jul-2014
ScorecardChris Dent propelled Gloucestershire to a stiff target•Getty Images

Chris Dent hammered an unbeaten 55 off just 23 balls as Gloucestershire produced a shock NatWest T20 Blast victory over South Division leaders Essex by six wickets at Cheltenham.The left-hander hit five sixes and two fours to clinch an unlikely win, a target of 184 being reached with two balls to spare in a thriller. Skipper Michael Klinger contributed 45, while both Alex Gidman and Ian Cockbain made 27.Essex posted 183 for 7 after losing the toss, Ravi Bopara profiting from being dropped three times to make 51 and Ryan ten Doeschate smiting 27 off nine balls at the death. Benny Howell was the most successful bowler with 4 for 26 from his four overs.It was only the second time in 12 group matches that Essex had suffered defeat and came against a Gloucestershire side who only had pride to play for, with no chance of reaching the quarter-finals.Dent said: “It was time I did something for the team because I have had a lean season by my standards. There was a short boundary on one side and I always felt we had a chance because it didn’t take much of a hit to clear it.”The visitors made a poor start to their innings when Tom Westley was caught behind for a golden duck off the third ball of the game, bowled by left-arm spinner Tom Smith.But Mark Pettini and Kishen Velani responded with a stand of 42 off 28 balls before Pettini was caught at deep square by Howell off Graeme McCarter.At the end of the Powerplay Essex were 59 for 2. The eighth over saw Bopara survive a caught and bowled chance to Howell on four and Velani, on 34, caught at long-on the ball after depositing a full toss over midwicket for six.Bopara was badly dropped for the second time on 19, Jack Taylor spilling the chance at short third-man from a reverse sweep, before going on to add 52 in 34 balls for the fifth wicket with Ben Foakes.Bopara had hit six fours and a six by the time he fell to Howell in the 18th over, the ball after being dropped for a third time by David Payne, the same fielder atoning on the deep midwicket boundary.If Gloucestershire thought that was the end of their problems, ten Doeschate had other ideas. The Essex captain smacked two fours and two sixes in his cameo and 19 came off the final over, sent down by McCarter.Gloucestershire openers Klinger and Gidman both hit straight sixes off the third over of their team’s reply, bowled by left-arm spinner Tim Phillips, who had been given the new ball.George Sharp was umpiring at both ends, with his partner Stephen Gale operating at square-leg, having received a painful blow on the knee from a straight drive by Bopara during the Essex innings.Young seamer Matt Salisbury conceded only three off the last over of the Powerplay and it was not until the seventh over that Klinger and Gidman brought up their half-century stand.Bopara broke the partnership on 71 by inducing a return catch from Gidman while conceding only two off the ninth over. There was no keeping the England one-day international out of the action as he then took a catch at deep midwicket off Phillips to send back Howell for a brisk 16.Salisbury took a brilliant low catch running round from short third-man for remove dangerman Klinger, with Gloucestershire requiring 91 off 7.5 overs, but successive sixes from Dent off Greg Smith in the 14th over kept the home side’s hopes alive.Cockbain helped add 70 in six overs before being bowled by Graham Napier at the start of the 19th over. Even then Essex looked favourites, but Dent was now flying and finished the game with two, two, six, four off the final over from Salisbury to secure the win.Ten Doeschate said: “We were carrying a few injuries and it was a bit of a jaded performance. I felt we should have scored more runs on that pitch and we are disappointed.”

Stephen Cook keen on Lions turnaround

Stephen Cook has been appointed first-class and 50-overs captain. Neil McKenzie will lead the 20-over side while Temba Bavuma will serve as vice-captain across formats

Firdose Moonda09-Jun-2014A new-look Lions leadership pack, headed by Stephen Cook, will take the franchise into the 2014/15 season. Cook has been appointed first-class and 50-overs captain while Neil McKenzie will lead their 20-over side. Batsman Temba Bavuma will act as deputy in all three formats. Alviro Petersen, who stepped down as captain last season, remains part of Lions’ squad but has not been tasked with any leadership duties.”I am greatly honoured to have been given this job. I grew up on the banks of the Wanderers watching my dad play and leadership is something I’ve always wanted to be involved in,” Cook told ESPNcricinfo. “I know its going to be a tough challenge but I am really looking forward to it.”After finishing second in the first-class competition and winning the twenty-over trophy in the 2012/13 season, Lions were rudely brought back down to earth last summer. They finished bottom of the points table in all three competitions in a season that was plagued by injuries and unhappiness. While seamer Chris Morris battled an ankle injury, Petersen stood down on the morning of a match after what he called interference by the selectors, forcing Thami Tsolekile to take over at the 11th hour.That marked the lowest point in the Lions’ dismal season and Cook is keen to move on. “Our players did not become bad overnight. I think what happened is because we had done so well the season before, we didn’t adapt to the fact that other teams had improved and we were caught on the hop,” he said. “But we have resisted the urge to make too many changes.”Lions have held on to their players from last summer and have made two additions to their group. Devon Conway, who was named the provincial one-day cricketer of the year at CSA’s awards last week, has been added to the contracted list along with under-19 World Cup winner Kagiso Rabada, who made his first-class debut at the end of last season.They have three nationally-contracted players on their books: Petersen, Quinton de Kock and Lonwabo Tsotsobe and an experienced core which includes Cook, McKenzie and Tsolekile. McKenzie will turn 39 in the coming season but has committed himself to playing in all formats for Lions.Cook has made it clear everyone, including the new faces, will have more demanded of them this season. “We are all really motivated to do well and guys know they will get will get pressed a little harder and asked to work a little smarter,” he said.For Cook, the goal is simple. He wants the franchise to be able to add to the trophy cupboard and if he has it his way, it will be in the longest format. “Every competition is important but for me, it would be most special to win the first-class [competition] because that is the one that really tests you as a squad,” he said. “You have to play good cricket for 40 days, whereas with the limited-overs [game] you could end up third and have a good day and then make the final. The first-class is also the competition I have never won with Lions. The last time they won it here was the season before I made my professional debut.”That was 15 years ago in the 1999/2000 season, before the franchise system had formed. Back then, all Cook wanted to do was play for what was then Gauteng and eventually for South Africa. A decade and a half later, it is still all he wants. “I have never given up on playing for South Africa. That’s my driving force.”Cook is a regular among the top ten run-scorers in the first-class competition but has struggled for higher honours largely because of where he bats – in the top two. The presence of Graeme Smith in the Test team made it difficult for Cook to get a look-in but with Smith retired, a vacancy in the national team and a platform from which to audition for it, Cook still believes anything is possible, for both him and his Lions.

Thomas, Walton tons thump Guyana

A round-up of the Regional four-day matches that ended on March 24, 2014

ESPNcricinfo staff24-Mar-2014Combined Campuses and Colleges rode on centuries from Shacaya Thomas and Chadwick Walton to roll Guyana over by seven wickets and record their first win of the season. Their efforts were crucial to securing a first-innings lead before spinners Ryan Austin and Akeem Dewar reinforced CCC’s dominance.Guyana’s batting this season has featured a father-son duo in Shivnarine and Tagenarine Chanderpaul but the sheen of the event was taken off slightly when both of them fell for single-figures. Opener Assad Fudadin (71) gave structure to the innings with a composed half-century. But he was left lacking for support, until No.8 Anthony Bramble hastened to a 68-ball 64. He spearheaded a ninth-wicket stand of 40 at better than run-a-ball to hike the total to 263. Austin was the best bowler with 5 for 71.Guyana would have counted on the momentum of that late surge to muzzle their opposition but Thomas plundered 176, with 14 fours and 4 sixes while Walton struck 107 off 193 balls to usher CCC to 391 before they declared. Spin held sway again with Veerasammy Permaul and Devendra Bishoo taking six of the nine wickets to fall.The most drastic impact of the slow bowlers was reserved for the third innings when Austin (4-22 in 26.5 overs) and Dewar (4-61) ran through Guyana. Tagenarine top-scored with 43, but his efforts were only good enough to post a highly gettable target of 46, albeit CCC lost three wickets in overhauling it.Four-wicket hauls by Sulieman Benn and Ashley Nurse helped Barbados to an innings win over Trinidad and Tobago at Kensington Oval with a day to spare. Nurse followed up his first-innings century with six wickets in the match, while Benn finished with a match haul of eight.Barbados opted to bat first and got off to a bad start, losing their captain Kraigg Brathwaite for a duck. Steady contributions by the middle order helped Barbados take control, thanks to Omar Phillips’ fifty and forties by Kirk Edwards and Jonathan Carter. The wicketkeeper Shane Dowrich and Carlos Brathwaite added a quick 82 for the sixth wicket before Dowrich fell for 53. Brathwaite and Nurse then added an unbeaten 190 for the eighth wicket, with Brathwaite scoring 109. Nurse blazed an unbeaten 130 off just 111 balls before the declaration at 479 for 8.Carlos Brathwaite struck early with his seamers and it paved the way for Benn to strike with his left-arm spin. Only Jason Mohammed resisted with 43 as the T&T collapsed to 120 in 37 overs. Benn was brought on to bowl immediately after T&T were asked to follow on. The openers Adrian Barath and Evin Lewis added 68 before Benn struck, removing Lewis for 61. Darren Bravo then cut Jason Holder to backward point before Barath was caught behind off Benn. When Mohammed was caught at leg slip off Nurse, T&T had lost three wickets for just ten runs.T&T went into lunch at 138 for 4, but lost wickets in a hurry and were bowled out for 199.

Hales 'buzzing' after England's first T20 ton

Alex Hales had no doubt that his match-winning hundred against Sri Lanka was the most important contribution of his international career to date.

Alan Gardner in Chittagong27-Mar-2014Alex Hales had no doubt that his match-winning hundred against Sri Lanka, the first time an England batsman had reached three figures in a T20 international, was the most important contribution of his international career to date. Hales’ stunning innings led England to their highest chase in the format to reignite a smouldering World T20 campaign.”It’s an amazing feeling. It still hasn’t sunk in what’s happened,” Hales said afterwards, looking remarkably cool despite having just launched an enormous six to win the match with four balls to spare. Twice out in the 90s previously, Hales broke the three-figure barrier by clearing the boundary off Nuwan Kulasekara’s penultimate over, from which 16 runs came in total to bring England’s target of 190 within reach.”I always had the confidence I would get the chance again,” he said. “Hundreds don’t come around very often in the short format so I’m buzzing I got it today and in a huge fixture for our country.”Alex Hales made England’s first hundred in a T20•Getty ImagesAfter a shambolic performance in the field, when England dropped four catches and missed a run-out, they flopped out of the blocks at the start of the chase, Kulasekara removing Michael Lumb and Moeen Ali in a double-wicket maiden. Hales and Eoin Morgan, slowly at first and then with increasing assurance, rebuilt the innings and by the time their 152-run partnership was broken, the pendulum was beginning to swing England’s way.”It wasn’t an ideal start but we saw by the way they batted it was an excellent wicket and the way Morgy came in straight away and took the game back to them made my job a lot easier,” Hales said. “We had plans to stay in the game as long as we could, get a partnership and reassess at the halfway stage. It paid off.”Morgan and Jos Buttler fell in the same over but Ravi Bopara deftly glided his first two balls from Lasith Malinga for four to keep England up with the asking rate. Although they had needed to score two runs a ball for around half the innings, Hales said that he began to feel the victory was possible “with six or seven overs left”.”We needed about 12 an over so we always knew it would be a tough ask,” he said. “But Morgy played brilliantly and then Ravi came in against the danger man Malinga and hit the first two balls for four. It was brilliant to see.”The win, against the No. 1-ranked side and one of the favourites for the competition, pushes England back into contention into what is turning into a close-fought group. A difficult winter in Australia has been followed by stop-start limited-overs form, a young and experimental squad disrupted by injuries while uncertainty remains about the currently vacant head coach’s position. Reaching the knockout stages in Bangladesh would an unexpected, and welcome, success”It would be massive for us, we are underdogs in this tournament, playing in the subcontinent historically we haven’t gone too well,” Hales said. “This win will help us build momentum for the next two games, we’ve still got to play Holland and SA. I think if we perform to the best of our ability we’ll get two wins.”Hales was dropped by Mahela Jayawardene on 55, small change after England donated four similar straightforward misses during the Sri Lanka innings but ultimately of great importance. Two overs later, Hales targeted Ajantha Mendis repeatedly through the leg side, hitting three sixes in an over that cost 25. In 2014, Hales had previously made 125 runs in seven innings for England; he almost equalled that in one dramatic fusillade here. A celebratory glass of wine has been well earned.”It hasn’t been a great winter personally, I probably didn’t do as well in the Big Bash as I’d have liked,” Hales said. “But I’ve still felt confident, I’ve been hitting the ball well in the nets and felt a big score was close. I’m pleased it came today in a winning side.”

ديمبلي يدفع برشلونة للتفاوض مع مانشستر سيتي على صفقة جديدة

وضع نادي برشلونة الإسباني، أحد نجوم فريق مانشستر سيتي الإنجليزي، أولوية خلال سوق الانتقالات الصيفية الحالية، مع الرحيل الوشيك للفرنسي عثمان ديمبلي.

وسينضم ديمبلي إلى باريس سان جيرمان الفرنسي، ومن المتوقع خضوعه للفحص الطبي غدًا الجمعة مع الفريق الباريسي.

وبحسب صحيفة “موندو ديبورتيفو” الإسبانية، يرغب برشلونة الآن في ضم برناردو سيلفا من مانشستر سيتي، حيث جدد اهتمامه بالبرتغالي الدولي.

ولا تعد تلك المرة الأولى التي يتجه فيها برشلونة لفكرة التعاقد مع برناردو سيلفا، فالبرتغالي محل اهتمام للبلوجرانا منذ فترة.

ويوضح التقرير أن التعاقد مع برناردو سيلفا أولوية مطلقة لبرشلونة مع رحيل عثمان ديمبلي عن الفريق، وهو أمنية للمدير الفني تشافي هيرنانديز.

تشير الصحيفة أيضًا إلى أن العملية جارية بالفعل من الرئيس خوان لابورتا، والمدير الرياضي ماتيو أليماني وديكو، الذين بدأوا جميعًا في العمل على الصفقة، وتم إيقاف الملفات الأخرى للتركيز على برناردو.

ويحاول برشلونة البحث عن صيغة مناسبة للتفاوض وإقناع مانشستر سيتي بقبول العرض لبيع برناردو.

وتؤكد الصحيفة أن برناردو سيكون سعيدًا بالانضمام إلى برشلونة ومستعدًا للضغط حتى يفتح النادي الإنجليزي الباب أمامه.

لن يكون الأمر سهلاً، لكن برشلونة وبرناردو واثقان من أن بيب جوارديولا مدرب مانشستر سيتي سيفي بوعده، حيث أكد للاعبه بأنه سيسمح له بالرحيل طالما وصل عرض قوي.

أكدت الصحيفة أيضًا أن برناردو يريد فقط مغادرة مانشستر سيتي للذهاب إلى برشلونة وهذا هو السبب في رفضه لعروض الدوري السعودي وكذلك من باريس سان جيرمان.

ومن المنتظر أن يتحرك برشلونة للتقدم بعرض رسمي إلى مانشستر سيتي وفتح محادثات جادة للتعاقد.

WI blown away in a session for 103

West Indies’ entire second innings lasted less than a session after tea on the third day in Hamilton, leaving New Zealand a target of 122

The Report by Abhishek Purohit20-Dec-2013
Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsTrent Boult took the first three West Indies wickets•Getty ImagesWest Indies had lost 16 wickets on the third day in Wellington to lose by an innings. If one thought their standards couldn’t plummet any further, one was to be proved wrong on the third day in Hamilton. In far friendlier conditions for batting than Basin Reserve, their entire second innings lasted less than a session. It began after tea, and ended so swiftly that New Zealand had time left to face a couple of overs in their second small chase of the series.It was supposed to be a test by spin for New Zealand, and Sunil Narine did as well he could, bowling 42.3 overs, 36 of them on the trot, to take 6 for 91. Ross Taylor batted through that examination to make his third hundred of the series and cut New Zealand’s first-innings deficit to 18. Both feats, outstanding as they were, were consigned to the sidelines by the depressingly familiar drama that West Indies served up after tea.Granted New Zealand’s four-man pace attack, three of them left-armers, were relentless with their tight lines and fuller lengths. Granted there was a bit of cloud cover that afforded some swing. Granted New Zealand came back from their sloppy catching in the first innings with some outstanding grabs. But the pitch was still the same slow one on which the sides had scored 367 and 349.After such scores, it was effectively a second-innings shootout. West Indies shot themselves in the foot instead. It was the same weakness again, an inability to tackle the inswing the left-armers were generating.Their left-handers kept poking at deliveries leaving them, even Shivnarine Chanderpaul falling prey to the malaise, and New Zealand kept snapping up sharp catches in the slip cordon, the highlight being Kane Williamson’s one-handed blinder at gully to send back Chanderpaul for 20 off Neil Wagner. The right-handers drove loosely at inswingers, they prodded at ones going straight across them, they even managed to get strangled down the leg side.The longest anyone lasted was Marlon Samuels, who made 8 off 38 deliveries. The most runs anyone made was captain Darren Sammy, who struck six fours in a hopelessly frenetic 24 off 17 to nudge West Indies into three figures.Like in Wellington, Trent Boult did most of the damage, removing the top three within nine overs on his way to 4 for 23. Wagner and Corey Anderson, a terrific second pair of seamers, kept up the pressure to prise out three more, and Boult returned to trap first-innings centurion Denesh Ramdin in front.Having watched the left-armers take the first seven wickets, Tim Southee helped himself to the final three in one over with his outswingers, also reaching 100 Test victims in the process. West Indies had been blown away for 103 in 31.5 overs, 12 leg-byes helping them scrape past 100.Before tea, Taylor finished with 28 more than 11 West Indies batsmen and the leg-byes put together to pilot New Zealand past 300. Brendon McCullum and Corey Anderson gave it away in the morning, aggression causing their downfall, while Taylor ticked along solidly and calmly, at his own pace, never in doubt.West Indies weren’t able to exert pressure to the extent they had on the second evening, when their specialist spinners Narine and Veerasammy Permaul bowled in tandem. Instead, Darren Sammy gave himself a spell of nine overs at the start, bowling alongside Narine as West Indies worked with the old ball throughout the session. Whatever pressure Narine exerted wasn’t maintained for long enough.Taylor carried on from the second evening, unruffled by the odd delivery misbehaving or by what was happening at the other end. Even as Narine jagged the odd straighter one past the bat, Taylor handled the offbreaks superbly, playing late and softly. West Indies took the second new ball in the 99th over, immediately after lunch, and the change earned them the wickets of BJ Watling and Taylor, who departed after taking 20 runs off Sammy in the 105th over.Wagner and Southee cut the deficit further but the tail could not survive too long against Narine, and he spun out the last three to go to 18 wickets from three Tests against New Zealand. The one over he bowled in the evening signalled that the target of 122 wouldn’t be chased down easily.West Indies had stopped New Zealand short of chasing 112 in Dunedin, but that was on the final day with assistance from rain. Narine is now their only hope, however slender, with two days left. For if you can’t bat, you can at least hope.

لاعب مانشستر سيتي ينتظر محادثة مع جوارديولا لحسم مستقبله

ينتظر أحد لاعبي فريق مانشستر سيتي، محادثة حاسمة مع المدرب بيب جوارديولا، من أجل حسم مستقبله، وفقًا لما ذكرته تقارير صحفية اليوم.

ووفقًا لما أفاده الصحفي الشهير فابريزو رومانو، فإن كايل ووكر سيتحدث إلى بيب جوارديولا الأسبوع المقبل.

يأتي هذا في ظل التكهنات المنتشرة حول مستقبل كايل ووكر، حيث تشير التقارير الصحفية إلى اقترابه من نادي بايرن ميونخ.

وذكرت تقارير صحفية مختلفة أن بايرن ميونخ توصل إلى اتفاق مع اللاعب الإنجليزي حول ضمه، ولكن دون وجود لاتفاق مع بطل الدوري الإنجليزي.

اقرأ أيضًا.. مانشستر سيتي يثير الغموض بعد أنباء اقتراب رياض محرز من أهلي جدة

وأشار الصحفي إلى أن ووكر سيتحدث مع جوارديولا عندما يعود مانشستر سيتي إلى تدريباته الاستعدادية للموسم الجديد.

وأفاد أن تلك المحادثة ستكون حاسمة قبل القرار النهائي للاعب، سواء الخاص ببقائه في ملعب “الاتحاد”، أو رحيله في موسم الانتقالات الصيفي الحالي.

Corinthians x Ferroviária: prováveis escalações, desfalques e onde assistir

MatériaMais Notícias

Corinthians e Ferroviária decidem quem será semifinalista do Campeonato Paulista em jogo nesta quarta-feira, às 21h30, na Arena. Na ida, os times empataram em 1 a 1 em Araraquara, deixando a decisão da vaga completamente aberta. Qualquer novo empate leva a partida aos pênaltis.

Confira os detalhes do duelo:

Local: Arena Corinthians, em São Paulo (SP)
Data/horário: 27 de março de 2019, às 21h30, quarta-feira
Árbitro: Luiz Flávio de Oliveira
Assistentes: Miguel Caetano Ribeiro da Costa e Luiz Alberto Andrini Nogueira
VAR: Rodrigo do Amaral
AVAR 1: Fabrício Porfirio de Moura
AVAR 2: Vinicius Furlan
Onde assistir: TV Globo e tempo real do LANCE!

CORINTHIANS: Cássio; Michel Macedo, Manoel, Henrique e Danilo Avelar; Ralf e Júnior Urso; Sornoza, Pedrinho, Clayson; Gustagol. Técnico: Fábio Carille.

Desfalques: Fagner (com a Seleção Brasileira)

FERROVIÁRIA:Tadeu; Diogo Mateus, Rayan, Rodrigão e Arthur Henrique; Anderson Uchoa, Tony e Léo Artur; Felipe Ferreira, Diego e Lúcio Flávio.Técnico: Vinícius Munhoz.

Desfalques: Ninguém

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Gale rues Yorkshire slump

ScorecardChris Woakes took four wickets to take his match tally to seven•Getty Images

Andrew Gale’s disappointment at letting a strong position slip away to hand Warwickshire the chance to claim a third straight win would have been felt more sharply had events elsewhere not favoured Yorkshire. Derbyshire’s surprise win at Hove guarantees his side stay top, while Durham’s defeat at Lord’s leaves the title rival whose results were concerning them most with some ground to make up. Moreover, he left the ground in steady rain, which he will not have minded at all if it is a foretaste of what lies ahead on the final day.Even so, it had been a poor day compared with the opening two, beginning with a sloppy opening session for which Gale could offer no excuse, not least because he was guilty of one of two bad drops that enabled Jeetan Patel to score 63 when he should have been out on 37 or 42. Jack Brooks spilled the first chance, on the square leg boundary, and Gales the second, at short midwicket. Adil Rashid, the legspinner, was the bowler feeling the pain.Those chances came during a stand of 99 between Patel and Keith Barker, who played some fine cricket shots in making 49 and felt he was unlucky to be given run out as he came back for a second to a firm stroke through cover off Rashid retrieved by Brooks. Patel, with less finesse, hit 10 fours and a six over long-on off Ryan Sidebottom that gave Warwickshire an unexpected lead.It was the kind of turnaround that gives one side a fillip and creates uncertainty for the other and it was no surprise in that respect that the eight overs Yorkshire had to negotiate before lunch brought more problems as Chris Woakes removed both their openers. Alex Lees, failing to move his feet, edged to third slip before Adam Lyth, playing across a full length ball, was leg-before.Yorkshire fought back after lunch, Gale seeking to make amends for his drop and Gary Ballance continuing to enjoy his run of form. They added 76 before Gale, trying to adjust to extra bounce, fended a ball from Boyd Rankin that looped to William Porterfield at gully.Yet more wastefulness followed as Rashid, whose early season form with the bat seems to have deserted him, fell to a poor attempted hook and Azeem Rafiq – batting despite a damaged wrist – was caught off bat and pad. When Ballance was bowled by a full-length ball from Woakes off an inside edge, Warwickshire were again firmly in control. Woakes then had Liam Plunkett caught behind – much to the obvious anger of the batsman, who was adamant he had not hit the ball – to finish the day with 4 for 31.When bad light and then rain curtailed play early, Yorkshire’s advantage looked dangerously small at 141, raising the prospect that Warwickshire might need less than half a day to forge a path to victory, should the weather be kind to them. If they pull it off, the gap between themselves and Yorkshire will be 21 points.”We were not at our best this morning, it was uncharacteristic,” Gale said afterwards. “We missed a couple of easy chances, my own included, and we did not bowl well enough, and we probably took a bit of that into our batting.”It would have been nice to be four or five down rather than seven but if we can get anything over 200 I think it will be game on tomorrow. And if there is rain about, results elsewhere have gone for us and it might be one of those days you look back on and think that things have gone our way even though we didn’t play well.”

Trescothick 'devasted' by thrashing

Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset captain, has said he was “embarrassed” by his team’s performance against Sussex

ESPNcricinfo staff24-May-2013

Marcus Trescothick: ”I’m devastated..it’s a hard situation to be involved in’•Getty Images

Marcus Trescothick, the Somerset captain, has said he was “embarrassed” by his team’s performance against Sussex where they crumbled to an innings defeat in little more than four sessions at Horsham.They were bowled out before lunch on the first day for 76 and only crept into double figures second time around with 108. It was their third Championship defeat in six matches and they are seventh in table without a victory just three points clear of the relegation spots.”It’s not an easy performance to take, and I’m quite embarrassed by what we’ve done,” Trescothick told BBC Somerset. “We’ve got to try and turn it around. That’s all we can do.”I’m devastated. It’s a hard situation to be involved in and I’m not understanding why we’re playing like we are. We’ve got to find a solution. It’s been going on for a couple of games and we’ve not been near what we expect.”But there’s no easy answer. If I knew that we could put our finger on it and go from there.”Following the two-day defeat the squad had an extra training session at Taunton on Friday and their coach, Andy Hurry, echoed Trescothick’s sentiments about the performance. “Our professional pride is hurt and we are fully aware that we have underachieved and haven’t performed at all with the bat,” he told the club website.”We know its only a matter of time before we put in a performance and dominate a side, but when it does turn around we are going to hit somebody very hard, so we are in the process at the moment of trying to turn things around.”Somerset have been without Nick Compton in recent weeks due to England duty and Craig Kieswetter who broke a thumb against Warwickshire in April. Alviro Petersen, their overseas player, will soon join the South Africa squad for the Champions Trophy as a replacement for Graeme Smith. His countryman Dean Elgar has been signed as cover.Jos Buttler will be on one-day duty with England from next week and Somerset will hope that will coincide with Kieswetter’s return.Their next Championship match is against Yorkshire, at Taunton, starting on May 28.

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