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ScorecardJust 21 overs were possible on day two in Dublin as Ireland were robbed of the chance to build a solid first innings lead over Scotland.They are in an excellent place to do so with Paul Stirling unbeaten on fifty and John Anderson combining to share an unbroken partnership of 50. Stirling went to his half-century in 73 balls with a single in what proved to be the final over of the day.Rain arrived just after lunch and came and went throughout the afternoon. The umpires gave the ground every chance to dry up but the showers proved too persistent and play was eventually called off at 5pm.

ScorecardSheldon Cotterrell, the Man of the Match, finished with 4 for 20 to help restrict Barbados Tridents to 97•Getty Images

A tight and incisive bowling performance from Antigua Hawksbills, spearheaded by left-arm medium pacer Sheldon Cotterrell, helped the hosts secure a five-wicket win over Barbados Tridents at the Sir Vivian Richards Stadium.Cotterrell, the Man of the Match, finished with figures of 4 for 20, and took the wickets of Dwayne Smith, Jonathan Carter and Shakib Al Hasan in quick succession, as Barbados were restricted to a paltry 97 in their 20 overs.The win moved Antigua up to fourth in the CPL table, ahead of the Trinidad & Tobago Red Steels on net run-rate, while Barbados still remained on top, with eight points from their six games.Electing to bat, Barbados, who had posted over 140 each time they batted first, put up a surprisingly dismal batting effort and lost three wickets inside five overs. Cotterrell used the short ball to good effect against the openers, Carter and Smith. He then had Shakib Al Hasan caught at third man for a duck, leaving Barbados in trouble at 25 for 3. Kieron Pollard, who shone in Barbados’ opening game against St Lucia Zouks with an all-round display, was sent in at No. 5 to stabilise the innings, but was bowled for a first-ball duck by pacer Kemar Roach to leave the visitors struggling at 26 for 4 in the sixth over.Roach and Marlon Samuels played the ideal foil to Cotterrell, as the pair took four wickets between them, and suffocated Barbados’ flow of runs. Apart from a 42-ball 30 from Raymon Reifer, no other big scores or partnerships materialized for Barbados, and the visitors were ultimately left with the difficult task of defending a low score.Antigua lost two quick wickets in the run-chase, but the lack of runs on the board meant that Barbados never had a realistic chance of pulling off a victory, as Orlando Peters struck two fours and three sixes during his 22-ball 31 to eventually overhaul the target with an over to spare.Antigua will next host St Lucia on Thursday, while Barbados will take on Jamaica Tallawahs on Saturday.

Australia’s Ashes vice-captain Brad Haddin has expressed earnest hope the new coach Darren Lehmann can help provide the rapid fixes the tourists desperately need if they are to seriously challenge England after Mickey Arthur’s “cut-throat” removal.As an injury replacement during the shambolic tour of India earlier this year and over the past three weeks as the captain of Australia A, Haddin was a witness first to the decline in the national team’s standards and then to Arthur’s swift exit as a result, across a series of meetings during the team’s match against Gloucestershire in Bristol.Shocking as the initial news had been, Haddin was optimistic that Lehmann’s appointment would provide the supercharge needed for a team short of confidence and balance ahead of the series. This is no more readily apparent than in the team’s batting stocks, where the likes of Phillip Hughes, Shane Watson, Usman Khawaja and the captain Michael Clarke have precious little form behind them.”We’ve got to be accountable as a bowling group and as a batting group,” Haddin said. “All of us as a batting group, there are obviously areas we need to improve in our game, and I’m pretty confident we’ll go in the right direction over the next two weeks. The bottom line is we’ve got to perform and I’m comfortable with where this group’s at. We’ve got the best cricketers in Australia here and I’m comfortable we can move forward with that.”Like his captain Michael Clarke, Haddin accepted the players had to take some responsibility for the fate that has befallen Arthur. But he was swiftly on-message to avoid too much introspection over the events of the past few months. After all, only two weeks out from the toss of the coin at Trent Bridge there is scarcely a second to waste on solid knocks and second thoughts.”It’s not something that we have to deal with every day, the loss of a coach,” Haddin said. “But from our point of view we’ve got to make this a fresh start. We can go over what’s happened as much as we want an analyse what’s gone on but the bottom line is we’ve got to move forward as a cricket team and we’ve got to start performing.”It’s obviously disappointing for Mickey. He’s put a lot of time and effort into this team, but it’s a fresh start and we’ve got to make sure we’re in the right frame come that first Test. We as a group have to be accountable for where we want to take this team, and we’ll see how successful that is. We’re pretty comfortable now with moving forward. It’s not hard to be motivated by this tour.”I don’t think a day like this is needed to remind everyone of how high the stakes are playing for Australia. This is cut-throat, this is the pinnacle of what we all do as coaches, players, support staff, everyone. And one thing with this group I’ve noticed – we’re a very talented squad and as guys we just need to move forward as a cricket team and become better as a team moving forward and I’m very confident that can happen.”Recalled to the Australian team as the kind of senior player so desperately missed since the retirements of Michael Hussey and Ricky Ponting, Haddin can recall his days jousting with Lehmann as opposing captains in domestic matches between South Australia and New South Wales. But over the past three weeks as the captain of Australia A, Haddin has watched Lehmann’s coaching work up close, and liked what he saw.”It was an enjoyable A tour, we got out of it exactly what we needed leading into this series,” Haddin said. “We had a lot of players at different stages in preparation, guys on their first tour, guys getting ready for the Ashes, and Darren and Troy [Cooley] were very positive about the cricket we wanted to play and that we wanted to win three matches. Darren was very aggressive in his approach there. He wanted us to get the game moving forward and win cricket games. That’s what we did.”We’ve sat down as a group and planned what we want to do over the next couple of weeks leading into the first Test. As a group we’re pretty clear on what we want to do, we’re at different stages as players, but we’re all on the same path here trying to get to this first Test. It’s a new start.”

ScorecardOllie Rayner took his maiden Championship five-wicket haul•PA Photos

There is a faint, faint possibility that Middlesex might not win this game and for that they have only themselves to blame. Some lax bowling and Tim Murtagh’s drop of Luke Wright from a skied sweep shot, will have Sussex returning on the final day, of a match they have yet to have any control of, just 48 runs behind with six wickets remaining.From here, Sussex’s only real hope is to set a difficult chase, but Middlesex need only to look at the scorecard at their domination over the last three days to dissipate any doubt.Victory looked like it could even come on day three as the visitors made a pig’s ear of their follow on – a suicidal run out and tame hook shot doing for Chris Nash and Michael Yardy. It all seemed rather wasteful, especially after Luke Wright and Will Beer did their best to garner as many runs as possible this morning, despite the inevitability of the follow-on.The Sussex first innings was eventually finished off thanks to a wicket for Neil Dexter and two for Ollie Rayner, who took his maiden five-wicket haul for Middlesex in the Championship – a first since August 2008 when he helped his opponents to a 10-wicket win over Hampshire at Arundel.Dropped to the second XI for two games for, essentially, not spinning the ball, Rayner came back into the first team after what he described as “time off” to rediscover his game. As a child, he was a big turner of the ball before the development of his batting saw him lose his attacking instincts and morph into a lower middle-order batsman-cum-support bowler.A move to Middlesex, made permanent in October 2011 after an extended loan spell from Sussex, saw a continuation of this in a seam-heavy attack, leading him to, as he put it, “bowl in his sleep”. From his words last night and his actions this morning, there is every indication he wants to move his cricket on to the next level. You would be hard pressed to find anyone who would not wish Rayner well; an affable character who takes it upon himself to act the fool in the dressing room in the name of team spirit.Matt Prior and Sam Robson were unavailable for comment on Prior’s controversial dismissal on the second day, but Rayner obliged. “It’s not often people want to speak to me,” he gleamed. “I’ll take it!” He went as far as to hope Prior was not annoyed at him for appealing. Even modesty and self-consciousness can be six-foot five and blonde.It’s unclear whether he offered an apology of sorts when Prior came to the crease after the tea interval, but the pair locked horns once again as Prior and Ed Joyce set about drastically eating into Middlesex’s lead with some dashing shots. Three balls into their reunion and Prior had already taken Rayner for 10 runs – a slapped sweep shot for four, a paddle around the corner for two, before he came down the pitch and hit Rayner over midwicket’s head for another boundary.Prior’s cameo didn’t last much longer, as he sat back and cross-batted a good length ball from James Harris to a diving Murtagh at mid-on. As he walked off, the congregation in the Mound Stand asked England’s Test wicketkeeper if he was happy with that decision. Prior, to his credit, acknowledged the home fans with good grace and his bat, as the cat calls turned to polite applause.But Wright joined the fray and kept the scoring rate going all the way through to stumps, as Joyce passed fifty to little fanfare. While Toby Roland-Jones and Murtagh persisted for too long with some short-pitched bowling, Sussex will be more than satisfied with how they made hay in the evening, going at over four-an-over.If Sussex finish the game with anything other than defeat after three days of toil, they will do so with great satisfaction and an even greater feeling of justice.

India captain MS Dhoni has said one of the challenges facing the side in England during the Champions Trophy will be adjusting to the new ODI rules. He said the team had enough time to acclimatise, with two warm-up games scheduled before the opening match against South Africa on June 6.Since the new rules were implemented in January, India have played ODIs at home but this will be their first experience of them in foreign conditions, where the seamers will have a bigger role. Captains have said the rules haven’t been fair on the bowlers, especially the spinners, with not more than four fielders allowed outside the 30-yard circle at any stage of the innings. Bowlers can bowl two bouncers an over and the Powerplays will have to be completed by the 40th over.”There are a few challenges like the new ODI rules and we will be playing outside the subcontinent for the first time under the new rules,” Dhoni said in Mumbai ahead of the team’s departure for England. “We will have to adjust to the new rule of five fielders being inside (the circle), the length they need to bowl, how quickly they adapt to the wicket, which areas to bowl.”The good thing is we have two practice matches leading up to the tournament. We also have enough time before the first game, so there is enough time to adjust.”In the past, India have fared poorly in tournaments staged immediately after the IPL. The team failed to make the semi-finals in the 2009 and 2010 World T20 tournaments, but Dhoni said the players’ form during the IPL was encouraging.”With the kind of fitness level that is going around right now, each and every member is looking fit,” Dhoni said. “All of them have played good cricket in the IPL or before the IPL. So most of them are in very good touch. As far as the fitness is concerned we have not received any official reports about any player being unfit, so that is a good sign.”Though the seamers are expected to play a major role, the squad has three spinners in R Ashwin, Amit Mishra and Ravindra Jadeja. India’s coach Duncan Fletcher felt the spinners will have an important role to play at certain venues.”As MS mentioned earlier it is generally going to be seamer-friendly, you never know, like Cardiff for example, it is known there to be a turning wicket, very slow and not very different to what you might get in India,” Fletcher said. “You’ve got to be prepared to play two spinners. If one is injured, there is a back-up. We have a balanced side.”India will be without their regular opening pair of Virender Sehwag and Gautam Gambhir, both dropped on form. Dhoni was confident that the new pair of Shikhar Dhawan and M Vijay would carry forward their form from the Test series against Australia.”Our two openers had done well at the Test level recently,” Dhoni said. “I know it is a different challenge in the ODIs, you have to accelerate but at the same time it is important that we have a good start from which we can capitalise on, and as Duncan rightly said this is an opportunity for the youngsters. Shikhar and Vijay have been very consistent.”Dhoni was reminded of India’s last ODI series in England, in 2011, where the side lost the five-match series 3-0 after losing all four Tests. Dhoni said the team had fared better than the results suggested.”Rain was a big factor, we lost all the tosses. It didn’t even reach the stage where it could have decided by Duckworth/Lewis,” Dhoni said. “The spinners had to literally deal with the wet ball and it was not possible for them to use their skills. The performance of the ODI squad was good, if you don’t see just the results.”

Rajasthan Royals captain Rahul Dravid has expressed shock and distress after three of his team-mates – Sreesanth, Ajit Chandila and Ankeet Chavan – were arrested on corruption charges on Thursday, and said the team was gutted to think their performances may have been affected as a result of the alleged spot-fixing by the three players.”The players and people around the team are hurting”, Dravid said. “Our players are devastated that our performances may have been affected, as they have a desire to win that has been evident throughout the tournament. For me as a captain and leader, I have to focus on ensuring the team fulfil their enormous potential and continue to play in the Rajasthan Royals way.”We as a team take a zero-tolerance view of the situation. The owners and management have made their zero-tolerance policy clear at every possible moment. I am sure they will support every action taken.”Paddy Upton, Royals’ coach, was equally disappointed after the events unfolded during the day and said the team would not lose its focus as they face Sunrisers Hyderabad on Friday before the play-off matches begin.”Today has seen an unfurling of events that have left us all shocked and disappointed, and we will support the franchise, the BCCI and the authorities in taking necessary actions to root out an evil that plagues our game,” Upton said. “However, we will not let the team lose its focus on completing what has been a magnificent tournament. We cannot let bad eggs ruin the game that we all love and destroy an environment that we have worked hard to take to a new level.”Earlier in the day, the franchise had issued a statement saying they had been “taken by surprise” by the arrests of the players.”We have been informed that three of our players have been called in for investigation on spot-fixing in matches. We are completely taken by surprise. We do not have the full facts at this point and are unable to confirm anything. We are in touch with the BCCI on this matter. We will fully cooperate with the authorities to ensure a thorough investigation. The management at Rajasthan Royals has a zero-tolerance approach to anything that is against the spirit of the game.”

Australia’s captain Michael Clarke was taken by ambulance to Sutherland hospital in Sydney overnight after suffering a severe bout of gastroenteritis.Having returned home early from the Test tour of India due to back and hamstring problems that have since ruled him out of the IPL, Clarke was waylaid by the stomach trouble on Sunday night and treated overnight before returning to his home on Monday.”Cricket Australia today advised that Michael Clarke was hospitalised overnight with gastroenteritis,” a CA statement said. “Clarke has since been discharged from hospital and CA confirms that he is recovering at home.”Clarke is working to return to fitness in time for the Champions Trophy tournament in England which serves as a precursor to this year’s Ashes series.

Scorecard
Abdur Rehman’s unbeaten 35 dragged Pakistan out of trouble and guided them to victory [file photo]•Getty Images

Pakistan held their nerve against a South African Invitational XI to win by one wicket in the final over in Kimberley. After choosing to bat, the hosts began well, with captain Stephen Cook and his opening partner Quinton de Kock adding 55 at better than a run a ball. De Kock went on to make a half-century and it seemed, at 170 for 3 in the 32nd over, that the South African side would be able to reach 300. In a final score of 266, de Kock was ultimately the only half-centurion; Temba Bavuma was next to him with 43, and Pakistan were able to give themselves a good shot at a successful chase.Their openers delivered a strong start, Imran Farhat and Nasir Jamshed adding 53 in 9.4 overs. Kamran Akmal then made 47, adding 49 with Misbah-ul-Haq for the fourth wicket after Younis Khan had been dismissed for a duck. At 139 for 3 in the 26th over, Pakistan were on track, but they slipped to 189 for 7; two of those four wickets were claimed by legspinner Imran Tahir.But Pakistan’s lower order showed a lot of mettle, and Abdur Rehman and Umar Gul built a stand that revived hopes of victory. Rehman batted patiently to make an unbeaten 35, while Gul at the other end was more attacking, scoring 30 off 34, with four fours and a six. Pakistan were still in trouble when Gul fell with the score on 234, and the hosts were on the brink when they claimed the wicket of Wahab Riaz in the 46th over to make it 242 for 9. But Junaid Khan was reliable company for Rehman, and though the required-rate had touched almost six with just a wicket in hand, the pair guided Pakistan home.In the final over bowled by Lizaad Williams, victory was sealed off the fourth delivery.