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Umar Akmal and Azhar Ali have been recalled by Pakistan for the squad that will travel for the Champions Trophy in England. This after the pair were dropped following Pakistan’s 4-1 defeat in the ODI series in Australia in January, and did not feature in the limited-overs series against West Indies earlier this month.The development marks a tumultuous three months for Azhar, who was captain of that side in Australia, before being stripped of the leadership role and omitted from the ODI squad altogether. Now he will take his place in a squad led by former vice-captain Sarfraz Ahmed.Kamran Akmal, who was the leading run-scorer and declared Man-of-the-Tournament during the Pakistan Super League, has once again been dropped. He had been called up to the limited-overs side that toured the West Indies and played all games in the shorter formats, scoring 90 runs in four T20I innings, and 68 in the three ODIs.It was a disappointing return for a man riding a wave of form from the PSL, but his failure to convert that into international runs has seen him pay the price. In addition, his discomfiture in the outfield, having played most of his career as a wicketkeeper, was evident, and two dropped catches – including a very easy chance – couldn’t have helped his cause.Fahim Ashraf, 23 is the only player in the 15-man squad yet to put on an international shirt in any format. He was part of the ODI squad for the three-match series against the West Indies, but did not make the final XI. Fakhar Zaman is also yet to make his ODI debut, although he did play three of the four T20s against West Indies earlier this month.Pakistan are placed in Group B of the Champions Trophy, and begin their campaign against current holders India on June 4, before taking on South Africa and Sri Lanka on June 7 and June 12, respectively. The top two sides from each group will qualify for the semi-final stage.

Kolkata Knight Riders have bought New Zealand allrounder Colin de Grandhomme as a replacement for Andre Russell, who is currently serving out a one-year ban for a doping-code violation.De Grandhomme, a medium-pace bowler and a lower-order batsman, made his debut for New Zealand in February 2012. In seamer-friendly conditions, he is capable of generating enough lateral movement to trouble the batsman despite his leisurely pace of 120 kph. He took 6 for 41 in his first Test against Pakistan in November last year. Making him a value addition is his batting strike-rate in all T20 cricket – a whopping 171 after 91 innings.Considering a relaid Eden Gardens pitch afforded surprising assistance to the fast bowlers in its first international match, Knight Riders appear to be stocking up on pace bowling options. They already have Trent Boult and Nathan Coulter-Nile, both known for generating swing and seam.Despite the reinforcement, Knight Riders would feel Russell’s absence. He was an important part of their title-winning run in 2014 and was Man of the Tournament in 2015.”We are not on the back foot,” the allrounder Yusuf Pathan said. “Russell was an important cog in our wheel not only on-field, but in the dressing room also. He is a great character to have. There are situations when players miss out. He will be missed in the dressing room. But we have to look ahead and work with what we have.”Captain Gautam Gambhir echoed similar sentiments. “Either we can see Russell’s absence as a challenge or look at it as an opportunity in bold letters,” he told . “I as an individual, and KKR as a group, are looking it as an opportunity.”Knight Riders begin their IPL campaign on April 7 against Gujarat Lions in Rajkot

Trent Boult became the second-most expensive New Zealand player in IPL history when he fetched INR 5 crore (US$750,000) from Kolkata Knight Riders, but he won’t be splashing the cash. “A new pair of jeans, maybe,” was his modest idea for a purchase.Boult’s value sits behind only Brendon McCullum’s, who went for INR 7.5 crore (US$1.12 mn) in 2015, and confirms his rise into one of the finest white-ball pace bowlers in the world. Last year he was benched for the majority of the tournament – playing only once for Sunrisers Hyderabad – but in the absence of Mitchell Starc, he will be the premier left-arm quick at this year’s event.He is certainly an in-form bowler. In the one-off T20 against South Africa, at Eden Park, he claimed 2 for 8 off four overs – in a total of 185 – which followed 6 for 33 in the deciding Chappell-Hadlee ODI. Seeing his price rise, in a bidding war between Knight Riders and Mumbai Indians, was a “surreal” experience and he struggled to get his mind around how some players were valued so highly.”We were in a car with a couple of the lads following the Twitter feed,” Boult said. “To see the name come through with a figure like that next to it was pretty unbelievable. It’s bizarre how that much money can be put on the head of a player to play six or seven weeks.”Building up to [2015] World Cup I wouldn’t have put myself in the bracket of top five or six white-ball bowlers in the country. But my game has grown, I’m a lot more confident with the white ball and now things like this are knocking at the door.”Having been bought for such a significant sum, and given the balance of the Knight Riders squad, Boult can look forward to a lot more on-field time at this year’s tournament.”It’s a very hard one to read,” he said. “Different teams need different things. It was frustrating to only play one game last year but that’s the way the tournament is played – four overseas players [in the XI] so people have to miss out. I’m definitely looking forward to putting my foot forward for KKR.”The 27-year old will be one of ten New Zealand cricketers to feature in the upcoming edition of the IPL•BCCI

Overall it was an auction of limited success for New Zealand players with only Corey Anderson, Martin Guptill, Matt Henry and Lockie Ferguson – the raw quick bowler – being bought, although nine current New Zealand players, plus Brendon McCullum, will feature. Despite his impressive T20 record, Guptill had to wait for the second round of bidding while Ferguson was even later, picked up in the dying moments of the auction when brought back into the pool for a second time.NZC have taken a pragmatic approach to the impact of the IPL on its international players, realising it risked alienating them if harsh restrictions were put in place over how long they could go for, given the limited earning potential from their New Zealand careers.It has created controversy in the past, with a core of senior figures arriving on the eve of a Test match against England at Lord’s in 2015. This time, players involved in the latter stages of the tournament will be allowed to miss the triangular one-day series in Ireland from May 12-24 which was viewed as a warm-up for the Champions Trophy.The 15-man squads for the Champions Trophy have to be named 30 days before the tournament begins – which would mean May 1 – but it is likely to be a shadow New Zealand team which competes in Ireland, although some players could become available for the latter matches if their franchises are knocked out.David White, the NZC CEO, said that while in an ideal world a full-strength squad would stay together, they had to continue to adapt to the impact of the IPL.”I think our strategic approach to this one has been bang on: encourage our Black Caps to continue playing for New Zealand by allowing them to share in the opportunities now available in the professional market,” White told the . “Don’t force them to choose between cash and country and risk a backlash.”At least on this occasion, they’ll be moving from one short-form, white-ball tournament to another. I think a compromise in which our players can feel they’re getting the best of both worlds is the prudent option.”The money is clearly game-changing for New Zealand players, but Boult said there was more to the IPL experience than counting the digits in his paycheck.”I’m not going for the money. The experience of playing there in front of thousands of people is the most exciting part. I’m looking forward to rubbing shoulders with a few more international players and growing my game.”But, still, a few team-mates made sure he bought the coffee on Monday morning. “Tim Southee pretty quickly reminded me it would be my shout.”

Scorecard
File photo – Ed Cowan built on his form to score another century•Getty Images

Ed Cowan’s 115 proved a lone hand for New South Wales in Wollongong as Tasmania made a bright start to their first Sheffield Shield match since the sacking of coach Dan Marsh.NSW lost regular wickets over the course of the day after being put in, four of them falling to the seam and swing of Simon Milenko. Tim Paine, recalled for his first Shield appearance this season, held a quartet of catches behind the stumps.Cowan, batting at No. 3 for the hosts, put on a strong display to follow up his double-century against Victoria at the MCG two rounds ago – he has prospered against the experimental Dukes ball being trialed for the back half of this Shield competition.His only real support came from the captain Moises Henriques, who made it to 47 in fourth-wicket stand worth 119 before falling to Sam Rainbird, who took two wickets. James Faulkner and Andrew Perrin also chipped in with two wickets each, as NSW folded for 253. Alex Doolan and Jake Hancock took Tasmania to 40 without loss at stumps.

Nick Cummins has become the first Big Bash League executive to graduate to a role of shepherding one of Australia’s state associations, moving from the Sydney Thunder to succeed the longtime Tasmania chief executive David Johnston.In a significant generational change to cricket administration in the Apple Isle, Cummins will commence at Bellerive Oval in April after four years at the Thunder, where he oversaw its evolution from the BBL’s major basket case to the dual men’s and women’s champions last season and now a respected organisation in the burgeoning league.He will take over from Johnston, who indicated in October that he would retire at the end of the season after holding the role for no fewer than 19 years.”Cricket Tasmania undertook an extensive recruitment and interview process though national employment consultants and Mr Cummins was the successful candidate in what was a very strong field of local, interstate and international applicants” The Cricket Tasmania chairman Andrew Gaggin said.”Nick will bring to Cricket Tasmania extensive experience in a wide variety of areas and also has an intricate knowledge of the Big Bash. Everyone at Cricket Tasmania looks forward to working with Nick into the future. At the same time we also recognise the outstanding service and commitment over 19 years of departing chief executive David Johnston.”Cummins said he was very happy to have graduated from the Thunder general manager position. “I was attracted to the role by the energy and optimism around the organisation, it’s an exciting time to be involved in cricket with the growth of the Big Bash, women and girls’ cricket and junior participation,” he said.”I’d like to thank Cricket NSW CEO Andrew Jones, chairman John Warn and the Board of Cricket New South Wales for their support during my time at Sydney Thunder. I’m very proud of what we have achieved at the club, none of which would have been possible without their guidance and encouragement.”I’d also like to recognise the contribution of my staff, coaches and playing group in building Thunder into the club it is today – a club with passionate support, packed houses and great standing within our community. Finally, I would like to thank the fans for the energy and positivity they bring to every game, win or lose.”Jones said Cummins had been a major player in the growth of the Thunder over the past four years. “Nick has made an enormous contribution to NSW cricket by taking the Thunder from cellar dwellers who lost 19 games in a row, to a highly respected club that won both the men’s and women’s Big Bash titles last season,” he said.”The Thunder is also now strong off the field, with 6000+ members, a full book of sponsors and every home game sold out at Spotless Stadium this season. The Thunder was also the highest-rating club team in NSW in any sport in 2016. Nick has also built a fantastic community foundation for the Thunder.”We are delighted for Nick that his performance has been recognised by Cricket Tasmania. Like our players, we want our staff to achieve their potential in the game, and Nick has well and truly earned the opportunity to take this next step. We will now advertise inside and outside cricket for a worthy successor.”One of Cummins’ first items of business is likely to be work on solidifying Tasmania’s claims to a regular Test match. Ironically it is NSW, the state from which he is moving, that has made no secret of wanting additional Test fixtures in the nation’s most populous state, either at Canberra’s Manuka Oval in the ACT or a second day/night Test for the SCG.Cricket NSW are expected to advertise the role of Thunder general manager next week.

Theunis de Bruyn, a top-order batsman and current captain of the Knights franchise, was named as the only new cap in South Africa’s 13-man squad for the first two Tests against Sri Lanka, which start on Boxing Day. De Bruyn was added as the reserve batsman in place of Rilee Rossouw, who traveled with the squad to Australia but is nursing a foot injury.

South Africa Test squad changes

In: Theunis de Bruyn, Wayne Parnell
Out: Morne Morkel, Dale Steyn, Rilee Rossouw (all injured), Tabraiz Shamsi

South Africa could also not consider Morne Morkel – yet to recover from a back injury that has kept him out for all but one first-class match since the CPL – Dale Steyn or AB de Villiers in their squad. Left-arm seamer Wayne Parnell has recovered from a rib injury sustained during the one-day series against Australia in October to return to the squad but there is no room for reserve wicketkeeper Dane Vilas or left-arm wristspinner Tabraiz Shamsi. Keshav Maharaj has been included as the lone specialist spinner. Dwaine Pretorius, who was called up when Steyn was injured in Australia, is also not part of the squad.Stephen Cook, who scored a century in the Adelaide Test after a poor tour of Australia, has been retained to open the batting with Dean Elgar and the rest of South Africa’s line-up takes on familiar look. Batting coach Neil McKenzie has tipped the out-of-form Hashim Amla to turn things around in this series while JP Duminy and Temba Bavuma will make up a top six headlined by new Test captain Faf du Plessis.Should de Bruyn be needed, he brings fine form with him. The right-hander, who played for South Africa at the 2012 Under-19 World Cup and began his career with Titans, was eighth on last season’s first-class run charts and is third this season, with 423 runs at 60.42. He was preferred over Colin Ackermann – who has signed as a non-overseas player for Leicestershire from next season – and Khaya Zondo, who sits second on the run charts.Parnell’s inclusion is more curious. He has not played a first-class match this season but has turned out for the Cobras in their last seven T20 matches. Parnell last played a Test for South Africa in February 2014, against Australia, but was included in the squad that played New Zealand in August. He did not play either of the two Tests and is likely to act as back-up to a pace attack that will comprise Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada and Kyle Abbott.South Africa’s pace pack takes on a new look from the three prongs of old – Steyn, Morkel and Philander – and this squad will doubtless raise questions about Morkel’s future. He suffered a bulging disc in his back earlier in the year and has been struggling to return to full fitness since then. Morkel played one first-class match for his franchise, Titans, and in all three of South Africa’s practice matches in Australia but was not cleared to play a Test. After the first Test in Perth, South African team management said Morkel was “90-95% fit.”Since the end of that series, Morkel was due to play for Titans in the T20 competition but has been unavailable for selection while his injury continues to be monitored. Unlike de Villiers, who hopes to be fit for the ODIs against Sri Lanka mid-January and Steyn, who is targeting June 2017 for a comeback, there is no word on when Morkel may take the field again.South Africa Test squad: Faf du Plessis (capt), Kyle Abbott, Hashim Amla, Temba Bavuma, Stephen Cook, Theunis de Bruyn, Quinton de Kock, JP Duminy, Dean Elgar, Keshav Maharaj, Wayne Parnell, Vernon Philander, Kagiso Rabada.

The death of Phillip Hughes was a tragic accident arising from a “minuscule misjudgement” from the batsman and no players or umpires were at fault, according to the New South Wales coroner Michael Barnes.Mr Barnes on Friday released his findings from the coronial inquest into the death of Hughes, who was struck on the neck by a bouncer during a Sheffield Shield match at the SCG in November 2014. Although the coroner determined that Hughes had been targeted by bouncers during his innings, he found that no laws of the game had been breached, and Hughes was well-equipped to deal with such bowling.”Phillip was targeted by short-pitched balls bowled at or over leg stump or middle stump that placed him in greater danger of being struck,” Mr Barnes said. “Of the 23 bouncers bowled on that day, 20 were bowled to him.”However, in view of the evidence of the other players, the presiding umpires, and Mr Taufel [former umpire Simon Taufel], that Phillip was, because of his high level of skill and confidence, comfortably dealing with the short-pitched balls, I conclude that no failure to enforce the laws of the game contributed to his death.”Such was his skill and experience, he was well able to deal with such bowling, but even the best can’t perform perfectly all of the time. He could have avoided the ball by ducking under it, but such was his competitiveness, he sought to make runs from it.”A minuscule misjudgement, or a slight error of execution, caused him to miss the ball which crashed into his neck with fatal consequences. There is absolutely no suggestion the ball was bowled with malicious intent. Neither the bowler, nor anyone else, was to blame for the tragic outcome.”

Inquest recommendations

Recommendation 1: Cricket Australia review dangerous and unfair bowling laws to eliminate anomalies, and provide umpires with more guidance as to applying the laws
Recommendation 2: CA continue research and development to find a neck protector that can be mandated for use in first-class matches
Recommendation 3: Daily medical briefings at SCG to ensure a clear process in case of any emergencies occurring on that day
Recommendation 4: Training of umpires to ensure they can summon medical assistance quickly

The coroner also said that while it was hard to believe that no sledging had occurred during the match, the evidence suggested that Hughes’ confidence and composure were unaffected by any such sledging. However, while Mr Barnes made no finding as to whether sledging had occurred, he hoped that cricket would use the opportunity to reflect on whether such tactics were appropriate to the game.”Hopefully the focus on this unsavoury aspect of the incident may cause those who claim to love the game to reflect on whether the practice of sledging is worthy of its participants,” he said. “An outsider is left to wonder why such a beautiful game would need such an ugly underside.”The coroner found that independent medical evidence had established conclusively that the injury suffered by Hughes was “unsurvivable”, regardless of the efficiency and skill of the emergency response. However, he also noted that there were failings in the emergency response on the day which might have prevented Hughes receiving life-saving treatment, had his injury not been so serious.”None of those on the field at the time knew how to summon medical assistance onto the field,” the coroner said. “Although it was immediately obvious that Phillip was injured, it was not clear whose responsibility it was to call an ambulance. An ambulance was not called for over six minutes after he was hit.”The person who called the ambulance did not have sufficient information to enable an accurate triage to be made by the ambulance dispatcher. As a result, the ambulance response was given a lower order of urgency than it would have been given had the relevant information about Phillip’s condition been conveyed.”Mr Barnes also said that the ambulance service was given inconsistent information regarding how to gain access to Hughes, and that important medical equipment was not immediately at hand at the ground. However, he noted that some changes had already been made to emergency medical response procedures as a result of Hughes’ death.”Not that anyone involved was lackadaisical or cavalier, rather the systems in place to respond to such an incident were inadequate,” he said. “Unless addressed, those failings could result in a preventable death occurring… All of those who responded to Phillip’s injury did so selflessly and to the best of their ability. They are to be commended.”Mr Barnes also found that, although Hughes had not been wearing the latest model of helmet at the time he was struck, even if he had been wearing the most modern equipment then available, it would not have protected the area of his body where the blow landed. He concluded that Hughes’ death was “a tragic accident”.”The family’s grief at losing their much-loved son and brother was exacerbated by their belief that unfair play had contributed to his death,” he said. “In the course of this inquest they have heard from independent experts, high-ranking cricket officials and some of the players who were on the field with Phillip when he played his last game of cricket.”Clearly, they do not agree with all that they heard. However, it is hoped that they accept the compelling evidence that the rules were complied with; that Phillip was excelling at the crease as he so often did, and that his death was a tragic accident.”Nothing can undo the source of their never-ending sorrow but hopefully, in the future, the knowledge that Phillip was loved and admired by so many and that his death has led to changes that will make cricket safer will be of some comfort.”Later in the day, the Hughes family issued a statement saying that they accepted the coroner’s findings. They also said they hoped the changes made to the game, in order to make it safer, as a result of their son/brother’s death would become part of his legacy.”[Father] Greg, [mother] Virginia, [siblings] Jason and Megan accept the coroner’s findings,” the statement said. “They have noted the four recommendations made by the coroner, and Cricket Australia’s commitment to implement them. They are deeply hoping that no other family has to go through the pain of losing a loved one on an Australian sporting field.”As the coroner has noted, Phillip’s death has led to changes that will make cricket safer. The Hughes family hopes that this will be part of Phillip’s legacy to the game that he loved so dearly. They would like to sincerely thank the many people who have been in contact throughout and since the inquest.”David Warner, one of the witnesses who gave evidence at the inquest, stood by his testimony despite Barnes’ conclusion that he found some of the players’ versions of events “hard to believe”.”I’m happy with my testimony. The umpires said the same thing, that there was no sledging out there, and I’ll stick to my word that there was no sledging out there,” Warner said. “And I think we have to respect what they handed down and respect what their thoughts are as well, and us as cricket and Cricket Australia our thoughts and respects are still with the Hughes family.”Warner said he did not think seriously abusive sledging or threats to kill, as alleged at the inquest, were an endemic problem in the sport. “If I go back four or five years, when I used to dish it out a bit, yeah, maybe,” he said. “I think at the end of the day we’re all adults and when we’re on the field we know what line not to cross, and whether you’re touching the player or you attack them personally, banter and sledging is about trying to create energy.”You’re talking to your team-mates and no direct threats to any player, that’s totally gone. I don’t even know if that was in the game. I’ve never been pointed at and said any words of any malice, for us it’s just normal banter. It’s not really sledging if you want to say it. I don’t think there’s any in the game at the moment at all.”

England Women 220 (Winfield 79, Sciver 58) beat West Indies Women 108 (Gunn 2-8) by 112 runs
ScorecardLauren Winfield restored England’s series lead•Getty Images

Lauren Winfield top-scored with 79 and Nat Sciver made 58 as England’s women reclaimed the lead in their ODI series against West Indies in Jamaica with a crushing 112-run victory at Sabina Park.Despite a repetition of the batting frailties that cost England dearly in the second match of the series in Trelawny earlier in the week, Winfield and Sciver’s efforts proved more than enough as West Indies crumbled to 108 all out in reply to 220.Jenny Gunn, recalled to the side in place of Anya Shrubsole, who was ruled out of the remainder of the tour with a side strain, was the pick of England’s attack with 2 for 8 in five overs.After winning the toss and choosing to bat, England started badly with the loss of Tammy Beaumont and Georgia Elwiss inside the first eight overs. When Heather Knight fell for 22 to make it 74 for 3, Winfield and Sciver combined for a fourth-wicket stand of 95 to lay the foundations of victory.However, from the moment Winfield was bowled by Deandra Dottin, England lost their last seven wickets for 53, including five for 12 in 17 balls as Shaquana Quintyne finished with 3 for 36.England’s total, however, proved to be more than enough. Katherine Brunt trapped Hayley Matthews lbw for 5 before Gunn prised out Stafanie Taylor and Quintyne in quick succession, and when Merissa Aguilliera was run out for a duck, West Indies were 4 for 48 and sinking fast.

ScorecardSamit Patel provided a match-winning turn•Getty Images

Merely the mention of the phrase “T20 quarter-final” has been enough for Nottinghamshire and Essex to need psychological counselling. When the two English counties who, above all others, have flattered to deceive when it most matters were thrown together in the first NatWest Blast last-eight tie at Trent Bridge something had to give and it was Nottinghamshire who progressed to Finals Day by a 39-run margin.Such a convincing win looked improbable as Essex set off in pursuit of Nottinghamshire’s 162 for 7, but Samit Patel’s left-arm slows emphatically turned the tie in their direction, beginning Essex’s decline with three wickets in four balls. Patel finished with 4 for 20, his best T20 figures, drawing a standing ovation from a 13,500 crowd at Trent Bridge as he danced around in celebration, a tranquil, barrel-shaped soul as pumped up as at any time in his career.Add the understated craft of Steven Mullaney and the flamboyant legspin of Imran Tahir to Patel’s night to remember and Nottinghamshire’s trio of slow bowlers returned figures of 7 for 60 in 12 overs.Jesse Ryder termed the Trent Bridge surface “one of the best I have batted on this season” – the majority view in the Nottinghamshire dressing room was that they were 10 runs light – and, after riding his luck in the opening over, he punched some glorious back-foot cover drives as evidence in his 47 from 30 balls.But there were mental gremlins to contend with and, although Essex’s opening pair were 62 runs to the good in the Powerplay, dread quickly set in once the spinners took a hold in the middle overs. Suddenly, every dot ball was cheered as the mood of the crowd was transformed in a few overs. Ryder struck 10 boundaries; the rest managed two between them.Once Ryder had departed, run out backing-up when the bowler, Mullaney, deflected the ball back onto the stumps, Nick Browne’s poise departed with him. Browne mishit Patel to long-on, Ashar Zaidi (reminded in no uncertain terms that his black-sprayed bat should not make a reappearance) cleared long-on first ball then holed out against his second, his black bat replaced by black looks. Against the first ball of Patel’s next over, Tom Westley was bowled as he made room to a flatter delivery.Essex were not helped when Dan Lawrence pulled a hamstring in the field, diving in a failed attempt to prevent a boundary, and by the time he came in with a runner, at six down, with 58 still needed from 22 balls, Nottinghamshire were in total control.Finally, then, relief for Nottinghamshire, who had qualified for the knockout stages in six of the last seven seasons but had lost their last four quarter-finals, all on home turf, including a defeat to Essex three years ago.But for Essex, the disappointments go on. Their reputation for failing on the big occasion led to the removal of Paul Grayson as coach a year ago: for all their five successive quarter-finals, they had not reached Finals Day since 2013. For some players, such as Graham Napier, who retires next month, and David Masters, the sequence will never be broken. Masters summoned a pre-match speech at Lord’s, pronouncing that he was sick of not winning things; Napier summoned an 87mph yorker to bowl Mullaney. Neither did the trick.There was also an edginess to the first half of Nottinghamshire’s innings. Threatened by relegation in the Championship, out of the Royal London Cup, and aware of their tendency to freeze at this stage of the tournament, their emergence as winners of the North Group had not given them a noticeable strut.Inserted by Essex’s captain, Ravi Bopara, they reached the 10-over stage at 75 for 2, their prolific openers Michael Lumb and Riki Wessels both departed. Paul Walter’s three overs cost 43 as he lacked the subtle changes of pace of more battle-hardened colleagues, but the young left-armer did prise out Lumb at slip: always something of an event as no county batsman leaves the crease with a haughtier air. Wessels fell to a leg-side pick up against Ryan ten Doeschate, Masters relieved to hold a swirling skier behind square.Greg Smith kept Notts on course with 50 from 33 balls before he dragged on Bopara, but even Smith carried a reminder of failure on a big occasion, his greatest day in a Notts shirt coming in the semi-final of the Royal London Cup last season when his 124 at the Kia Oval turned a potential trouncing against Surrey into a four-run defeat but defeat nonetheless. The crowd was strangely muted: English T20 crowds do apprehension like no other country.There are few more seasoned Twenty20 cricketers than ten Doeschate and, at the grand old age of 36, he discovered an appetite for bowling to disguise Essex’s frailties, making light of his record of eight wickets in the past two seasons to claim three big wickets – Wessels, Dan Christian and Patel – in a return of 3 for 19.”I have had a bit of bowling to do because we have been short of overseas bowlers,” he said. “We have a very workmanlike attack: two proper bowlers and the rest of us have to be canny and do a lot of thinking.” There would have been too much thinking time on the coach journey home.There are conflicting views a plenty about the future of Twenty20 cricket in England, and they could yet leave blood on the carpet next month, but no matter what side of the debate you are on few could observe events at Trent Bridge without a certain amount of frustration. The same will be true of the quarter-finals to come.Although a near-capacity crowd had packed into the ground on a sunny, blustery evening, the quarter-finals will be staged without England Test players and with the absence of many of the star overseas players already lost to injury, exhaustion, international call-ups or the CPL. Only those so committed to Test cricket that they actively want T20 to remain downtrodden would view that as a satisfactory outcome.

ScorecardDan Lawrence sparkled with his strokeplay to help Essex build a useful lead•Getty Images

At half-past five, midway through an evening session blessed by gentle, unexpected warmth Essex’s Dan Lawrence reached the third century of his career with a pushed single off Kieran Noema-Barnett. The Cheltenham crowd gave him a generous ovation for they can spot a fine young cricketer in these parts. Lawrence only celebrated his 19th birthday two days ago and he could still play age-group cricket. But what would be the point in that now?As if liberated, Lawrence took 27 runs off his next 14 balls, repeating the straight- and cover- drives that had already elicited ripples of approval. When he lashed Noema-Barnett straight to Craig Miles at midwicket, he received yet more applause as he returned to the pavilion and the ex-players attending their annual get-together at the College Lawn End joined in appreciatively. Essex were all out 11 balls before the scheduled close but their 78-run lead has left them well placed in this game.And Lawrence, of course, is only the most recent of a long line of young players to have received laurels in this sacred space…To the right of Cheltenham College’s pavilion and at the Chapel End of the ground are rows of trees, cracked willows and American limes, mostly. In front of almost every tree is a plaque marking a Cheltonian’s notable performance in an important school match. For example: Duleep Sinjhi, 1921, 7 for 35 v Marlborough; E M Wellings, 1927, 7 for 113 v Marlborough; P B C Moore 1939, 197 v Malvern.In addition to being a record of achievement, the list is something of a litany, petitioning whatever power there may be for more games like this, more days on cricket’s fields of praise. In many cases the request received a brutal answer; Cheltenham also has a war memorial.And at lunchtime on the second day of this game, as Josh Shaw, Gloucestershire’s loanee from Yorkshire, took refreshment in the middle of an eight-over spell in which he took three prime wickets, another tree was planted. It is a poplar and it commemorates the centenary of the death of Percy Jeeves, who died on the Somme on July 22, 1916. As many now know, thanks to Brian Halford’s outstanding biography, Jeeves was playing for Warwickshire at Cheltenham in August 1913 when his style was spotted by P G Wodehouse, who wanted a name for a “gentleman’s personal gentleman” in a forthcoming short story. “I remember admiring his action very much,” said Wodehouse.Yet as one watched the tree being planted and the speeches made, one thought not only of Wodehouse and Jeeves but also of the other trees on the ground and, perhaps, of Edward Thomas, who might have made an elegiac poem out of such events. Thomas died at Pas-de-Calais in 1917.Shaw, meanwhile, whose West Riding birthplace is just six miles away from that of Jeeves, was doing his best to prevent Essex establishing a winning position in this game. After Nick Browne had edged a good ball from David Payne to Chris Dent at slip in the fifth over of the Essex innings, Shaw, another 20-year-old with all before him, had brought one back a little to have Tom Westley lbw for 24. The young seamer appealed with all the certainty of a barrister who has sweetened the jury.At the beginning of his next over Shaw inflicted a first-ball duck on Ravi Bopara, Dent again taking the catch, and when Jaik Mickleburgh, who was ailing with a strain, slapped a half volley straight to Jack Taylor at midwicket, Essex were 80 for 4, still trailing Gloucestershire on first innings by 175.The visitors’ recovery to 333 at the close was led by Lawrence, who treated the former players in the corporate hospitality marquee to a fine exhibition of elegant batsmanship. He adapted well to a wicket on which bowlers are dangerous if they hit an exact length but fodder if they over-pitch even a fraction. Lawrence took four boundaries off what became the last over of Shaw’s first spell and added 102 with Ryan ten Doeschate, getting to his fifty in the over before the Essex skipper brought up the same landmark with a whack over midwicket off Graeme van Buuren’s anaemic slow left-arm.But ten Doeschate perished more or less as Westley had to the first ball of Shaw’s next over and it was eventually left to Lawrence and James Foster to give Essex the lead with a seventh-wicket stand of 83 in 14 overs. Gloucestershire’s seamers were now tiring, the ball was old and the support bowlers had to buy their wickets. Yet Lawrence’s 14th four, a majestic off drive to a ball from Payne which took him to 97, was still the shot of the day and he got to three figures 11 balls later.Once Lawrence was out, Foster bolstered Essex’s position by scoring 29 more runs very rapidly but this was something of a vaudeville act after a command performance. The crowd meandered away in a thoughtful mood and a Housmanish haze lingered on the distant slopes. On Cleeve Hill, stretching away towards Charlton Abbots, were all the trees of Gloucestershire and Oxfordshire.