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Tim Nielsen, the new Australia coach, wants his team to be conscious of their behaviour and has suggested any lapses could have an impact on selection. As the side prepares for its season of regeneration – Shane Warne, Glenn McGrath, Justin Langer and John Buchanan have departed – Nielsen said the unit was no longer in a position to fall back on the performances of the greats and the next rung of players would have to “present well”.”All the little things that add up into selection will come into play,” he said in the Herald Sun. “If any player doesn’t present himself well and shows he is not able to handle the pressure, it’s probably going to be a little bit of an issue for the selectors to look at when they pick their first Test team.”Nielsen told the paper Stuart MacGill had already been spoken to and the issue would be addressed as a group during the pre-season camp in Coolum later this month. MacGill was suspended for two weeks after an incident with an umpire in Sydney grade cricket last summer and was upset to have suffered a knee injury during the pre-Ashes boot camp.”I know [Stuart] is aware of the little issues that may be there,” Nielsen said. “He is now perceived as the senior spinner in Australia and his Test record is outstanding.”But the biggest challenge for him … is to show being the senior spinner is not just about the most wickets, it’s about leading and presenting himself well and assisting the younger players coming through.” MacGill is part of the Australia A tour to Pakistan next month and will have the dual duties of bowling himself into form and guiding Cullen Bailey, Dan Cullen and Cameron White.Australia face a busy schedule starting with the Twenty20 World Championship in September and Nielsen said the players had to look outside their results and consider their behaviour. “If you want to be seen as the best, it’s not just about winning and losing,” he told the paper. “The whole kit and caboodle goes with it.”It’s a balancing act of understanding the situation. As the leading team in the world, we don’t get as much leeway as other teams get in that area. We need to be really conscious of it.”MacGill seems ready to take on the responsibility. “Cricket is a team sport and while I may not feel I have let myself down with some of the decisions I make, I feel guilty that it can impact on others,” MacGill told the . “I’ve had some long chats with Tim and I get along with him really well. He’s very direct.” MacGill said he didn’t want to get into a situation where he let down Nielsen or the team.

Shane Warne is lining up for a pre-Ashes refresher with his spin bowling mentor Terry Jenner ahead of November’s first Test in Brisbane. Warne is expected to reunite with Jenner, a former Australia legspinner, for a private net session in Adelaide later this month, when the Victorian team plays a Pura Cup match against South Australia.Warne, 37, might have taken 685 wickets, but he still relies on irregular sessions with the “spin doctor”. “He will be here in Adelaide for the [Pura Cup] game and I would be surprised if we didn’t catch up,” Jenner told Melbourne’s . “It will be the normal, routine health and safety check we have. We did it before the Lord’s Test last year, which I think was of great benefit to him.”He doesn’t like me talking about it, so I don’t. It’s theoretically two good mates talking things over, except we do it in the nets.”Jenner, who is coming to the end of a contract with the ECB to work with the country’s young spinners, said if Warne could reproduce his figures from last year’s Ashes series, Australia would win the series 5-0. Warne captured 40 wickets in the five Tests of last year’s series in England at 19.92.”They can attack him all they like,” he said. “He would like that.”Jenner believes England’s new spinning sensation Monty Panesar will struggle in the Australian conditions. While Jenner is a big fan of Panesar, he expects him to mesmerise the crowds more than the batsmen.He said left-arm orthodox spinners generally struggled in Australia and predicted Panesar would depend on England dragging the Tests into a fifth day. “He’s a beautiful craftsman, delightful to watch,” Jenner said. “He’s very level-headed, and a revelation really for the England spinners. But unless we provide [favourable] conditions for him, it’s going to be a hard slog for him.”Generally, the pitches are extremely hard, and the legspinner, who by means of release gets a lot of additional bounce, is more successful than the offspinner who doesn’t gain the same amount of bounce. If Panesar gets a crack on a fifth day, he will be very dangerous, but it’s getting to the fifth day that’s the key. You’ve got to get that far into the match.”Panesar, who has become a cult figure in England and taken 32 wickets in his first 10 Tests, is vying with Ashley Giles for the spinner’s spot in the team.

The news that Sourav Ganguly had said that he was asked to resign the Indian captaincy on the eve of the Bulawayo Test, and Cricinfo’s subsequent editorial on the issue, attracted record feedback. Here is a selection of your emails. If you would like to have your say then please email us.Ganguly`s outbursts show that he himself understands that his place is in danger and desperately want to keep his place in the team. If he is not the captain then I don’t think he will fit into team as only a player as better players are waiting to take his place. Move over Ganguly, you have been a good batsmen but I don’t think you qualify to be in the team any more. Venkat IndiaSourav Ganguly has had phenomenal contribution to Indian cricket as a batsman or a captain. It is undoubtedly true and even wholeheartedly admitted by the captain himself that he is undergoing a lean patch. However, Chappell’s suggestion on the eve of the first Test suggests impudence and immaturity. Also, given Sachin Tendulkar is not around, Ganguly is one of the fulcrums of this team and none of the batsmen in the reserve bench have displayed such outstanding capabilities so as to be readily looked upon as the replacement for Ganguly. Anindya Chaudhuri IndiaBoth Sourav Ganguly and Greg Chappell are at fault, the coach for his untimely criticism of the captain & the captain for washing dirty linen in public. It’s all well to talk about transparency in Indian Cricket but surely this is not the kind of transparency we expect from mature individuals. In a way it’s unfair to criticise a captain who has contributed a lot towards Indian cricket but Ganguly should also realise that he has no right to take everything and everyone for granted. Here is a classic case of a man thinking he is larger than the team. His ego is more important than the success and unity of the team. He should ask him to bow down gracefully before it is too late. Sunil Thadani Hong KongGanguly should prove himself as a good player before being a goodcaptain. When you are not a good player by yourself, as a captain how can you motivate other players to give good performances. It is high time for selectors to make some tough decisions on players like CricketAustralia does. Ganguly should realize that he is not eligible to captain India anymore. Pavan Kunta AustraliaWho is Greg Chappell to ask Sourav to step down? Sourav was appointed by selectors. Chappell is destroying the team with his mindless experiments. After all this team which made Aussies look ordinary in their own home turf was largely possible due to Sourav and John Wright. D Manoj IndiaGanguly is undoubtedly one of the best captains in the cricket history. I think its totally unfair to degrade his innings; after all, he has been under immense pressure from the media and board. Even though the innings was slow, I think it should be praised and treated like a century. When an innings of this pace is played by Rahul dravid, he gets appreciated for his hard work. Let’s not forget how Ganguly has helped to choose the best players for the Indian cricket team. If Ganguly is speaking the truth about being asked to step down, then he has got every right to speak about it.Avishek Barua New ZealandWe shouldn’t forget the basic laws of cricket. A coach of cricket team is just for technical, tactical and strategical inputs and improvements. The captain is entirely responsible on the field and team selection/combination, team unity etc. Greg’s elder brother Ian Chappell does not even believe in existence of a coach, to him captain is all in all. No one can blame Ganguly of being partisan or biased, he goes by his instinct. Captain is chosen by the selection panel. Only selectors and the board can ask him to resign. Sujit BruneiI think Ganguly has lost his form and his dignity. He scored a century against the worst bowling attack, but he was clueless against the pace of Shane Bond and co. Ganguly has done lot of good things to Indian cricket, but the time has come now to think about the future. If a player is not performing, the coach has every right to suggest he take a break and let the players who are in form to be part of team. By going public Ganguly has done a great disservice to Indian cricket. All his contributions have come to nothing by his statement. I hope he realises the fact no one can captain of India for ever, and the sooner he realises it, the better it will be for Indian cricket. Yogesh IndiaIndia’s population totalled 1.027 billion as of March 1, making it the second country in the world after China to cross the one billion mark. Why can’t it produce 11 consistent talented players who have the passion and desire for the game. The desire to win should show out in the field in every aspect of the game, specially fielding. It has not been exemplified in this year’s performance by this Indian team. A good leader should take a break and correct his flaws rather than to hold on to his place. Leading a team of this importance is a privilege, not a silver spoon that one is born with; let somebody else take over this responsibility. Ganguly should prove himself again before coming back in the squad. Christopher CanadaWhat Ganguly has done is a sign of a poor leader. India’s ship is sure to sink if they don’t solve the captaincy issue soon. There is no doubt that Dravid should be the captain. Ganguly has served the country well, but it is time to move on. It was a step backward when he was named the captain of the side. Ganguly can not hold the position in the team as a batsman or fielder. By naming him in the side India is playing with 10 men, this is a huge disadvantage when you are playing against top teams like Pakistan, Australia and England. You can not give them any advantage. I hope that the Indian selectors would do the right thing after the tour, if not they should be sacked. As an Indian supporter this is so frustrating. Kuldip Singh AustraliaThe last 48 hours has shown how low things have reached. First came the Mohammad Kaif non-selection and now the startling revelation. There could be a lot of pressure from all quarters. But over the years we have come to expect Ganguly to handle things in a strong and no-nonsense manner rather than cutting a sorry figure in public. He should not have gone public with his grievances. Raghesh Vijaykumar QatarSourav, please don’t drag the team down with you. And please please step down as a captain ASAP and let Dravid to do the rest. Dravid is the man from now on as we saw him in Sri lanka doing the job perfectly. Dank Sri LankaAmid all this confusion, one seems to be missing the one major reason behind India’s sudden decline. For all our Gangulys and Dravids, Kumbles and Sehwags, the one name that made India of two years back was a gentleman by the name of Sachin Tendulkar. The Indian team became a worldbeater only because for the first time in its history, it had a cricketer who was universally recognised as a world beater. The kind of aura and fear that Team India could create in opponents (including the Aussies) went missing the day Tendulkar started having troubles with his tennis elbow. Thats when the decline started and I am sure when the lil’ man gets back, Team India will be back. Shubhankar Dasgupta IndiaGanguly has done good job in backing young players and providing the level of aggression that was much needed. But good leaders are more than these: they lead by performance, they try to channelise the whole system to work in their absence and importanly they know when they need to move ahead to make place for others. It is unfortunate to see team india in such state of turmoil and i really pity the coach. As far as i know he is a real professional and believes in performance and I do believe that he has the ability to successfully take India through to the 2007 World Cup. It all looks bleak at the moment and i don’t see any silver lining in the clouds. Rajiv United KingdomJust when England’s glorious win over Australia showed to the cricket world what a close-knit unit who enjoy each other’s success can achieve, Ganguly’s statement comes as a rude awakening to the dire straits that Team India is in. Ramesh IndiaYou cannot keep on inflicting a person like Ganguly with horrendous questions. Just because he is the captain of indian team he doesn’t have to suppress his instincts. No one raised him to this level, he himself worked all the way to captain. The person who decides his team on a given day definitely knows when he should step down. His remarks are absolutely fine. He’s worth giving more time to come out of slump. Subramanian K IndiaI believe that Ganguly was completely wrong in making those comments. All this will only create a rift within the team. The Indian cricket team is slowly hurtling towards a point of no return. These guys are hopeless and think that a win or two against Zimbabwe is a major achievement. The writer Anand Vasu has summed it all up brilliantly in his column. Ganguly has to go both as captain and player or else he will drag the rest of the team down with him. Rajesh Shastri United KingdomTeam India has always been a myth and will continue to be so.Indian cricket is a collection of factional administrators, players and media hangers-on, who chose to align instinctively on protecting their interests. Their wins are always a result of select individuals performing superlatively on a given day, and never a collective teamwork. It is not surprising that the media savvy Prince of Calcutta chose to talk of his being asked to step down after scratching a 101 against a club side, pretending to be a Test-playing nation. Whether your advice of not selling himself cheap would be taken by Ganguly depends on what he thinks he needs to do to continue as a captain. The key issue here seems to be survival – winning and teamwork have become incidental. God save Indian cricket. Muthukumar V IndiaSourav Ganguly going public about him being asked to step down as captain is something that is probably to be expected of him. If there are differences between he and the new coach, Greg Chappell, they probably stem from Ganguly’s ineffectiveness as captain against quality opposition. Chappell is the best thing that could happen for the India team, and if he is allowed to do his job, uncomprisingly, he will take this team to heights they have never experienced before, with or without the spoilt Ganguly. Richard Saviel AustraliaClick here to send us your feedback on the issue.

Durham have signed Shaun Tait, the Australian fast bowler, for the remainder of the season. Tait, 21, took 33 wickets in the Pura Cup last season, and is on the fringes of the Australian national side. He was called into the squad for the Australian tour to Sri Lanka as a replacement for the injured Brett Lee earlier this year, though he didn’t play a game, and has played for Australia A. He also attended a pre-tour training camp prior to Australia’s cancelled Test series against Zimbabwe.Durham enlisted the services of Andy Blignaut, one of the Zimbabwean rebel cricketers, last week, but he is only on a one-month contract, and injuries are still keeping out several Durham players.Tait has been in the news recently for his interesting batting technique. He currently bats right-handed, but has said he wants to try switching to a left-handed stance, and possibly even "switch-hitting", where he could bat both rightand left-handed during a single innings. It was reported that he has been talking about these options to John Buchanan, the Australian coach, who is a known advocate of switch-hitting.

Somerset tightened their grip on the county championship match against Glamorgan at Taunton and by the end of the second day’s play they had a first innings lead of 194 with four wickets remaining.Resuming on 161 for 1 captain Mike Burns, who was 33 not out overnight, set out his stall early on and took 10 runs off an over from Alex Wharf to bring up his own half century and his sides 200.He quickly passed his partner Peter Bowler, who had resumed on 51 not out, and on the stroke of noon played an imperious cover drive and seemed to be heading towards a well deserved century.However with the total on 249 he was somewhat surprisingly bowled leg stump by Adrian Dale for 82, after putting on 128 for the second wicket with Bowler. During his innings Burns faced 119 balls and scored 13 x 4’s.Jamie Cox announced his arrival at the crease with a trademark cover drive, and appeared to be in cracking form displaying an array of attacking shots.Meanwhile, Bowler had been going along steadily and was batting like a man destined to reach his century. However Dale had other ideas and just a few minutes before lunch with the total on 290, Bowler gave a straightforward catch to Wharf at mid on. The veteran opener had been at the wicket over 4 ¾ hours to compile his 92 and faced 227 balls and hit ten boundaries.Shortly after lunch Bryant and Cox brought up the 300 but within half an hour of returning from the interval the players left the field because of rain.The rain caused the loss of eleven overs and kept the players off the field for forty minutes, but shortly after they returned Cox was disappointingly trapped LBW by Wharf after scoring an impressive 29 runs.Cox’s dismissal signalled the arrival of Ian Blackwell who was making his first championship appearance of the season at Taunton. The situation was ideal for the all rounder who was quickly into his stride and took runs almost at will from Robert Croft, who he hit for 16 runs from one over.Along with Bryant the left hander brought up the fifty partnership from six overs, and looked to be going well until with his score on 42 he played a ball from David Harrison onto his stumps. `Blackie’ had faced just 27 balls and scored seven four’s.Bryant became Dales third victim when he was out LBW to bring Aaron Laraman to the wicket and by teatime Rob Turner (12 not out) and Laraman (0 not out) had taken the Cidermen onto 394 for 6, before the rain started to fall again to prevent any further play.After play was abandoned for the day just before six o’clock, Somerset coach Kevin Shine said: "It has been very frustrating that we have been denied 43 overs play today, and we will have to try and gauge how many more overs of play might be possible before we decide what we are going to do. We have got two days of play left and we will be pushing hard to get a victory."He continued: "The skipper batted well today and it’s nice to see Mike back in the runs again and Peter Bowler got a good 90 odd. The wicket looks like it could have quickened up a little which suits us with Nixon McLean, Richard Johnson and Simon Francis all in good form, so tomorrow we will be hoping that we can get a days play and push hard for a victory."Paceman Johnson is suffering from a slight groin strain, and whilst he will bowl for Somerset in the Glamorgan second innings he will not be fit enough to be available for selection for the first Test match against Zimbabwe that gets underway next Thursday

Lymington’s hopes of finishing runners-up in Southern Electric Premier League Division 2 were dashed when an unfit pitch at Grasmere Road led to the abandonment of their last day visit to Cove.Umpires called a halt to play after 12 overs, with former Cove captain Ian Crompton repeatedly struck by balls lifting off the surface.Play was delayed an hour to give the ground more time to recover from the previous afternoon’s heavy downpours.But a wet surface, lying on top of the hard unsoil, made batting conditions precarious – Cove reaching 31-2 before play was halted.The abandonment left Cove in the runners-up position behind champions Portsmouth, who rounded off their campaign with a 98-run win at relegated Hambledon.Matt Keech (26), Paul Dew (25) and Geoff Pike (22) top scored in Portsmouth’s 170 – former Hampshire left-arm spinner Ian Turner (4-18) successful in his farewell game for the village club.Raj Maru (4-19) and Pete Hayward (3-6) bowled Hambledon out for 72.Olly Kelly hit a six off the fourth ball of the final over to give Sparsholt an unexpected two-wicket win over Easton & Martyr Worthy at Locks Lane.Sparsholt were staring defeat in the face at 72-6, in reply to Easton’s 179 (Steve Green 58), but a late order rally turned the match around.Malcolm Ball must have thought his creditable 5-49 return was to have little effect when, Rob Savage (31) and Kevin Foyle (23) apart, Sparsholt’s top order was blown away.But Bill Gunyon (27) and Will Mariner (36) doubled the total to 148-8 before Kelly’s crucial 29, which included 12 runs off Mark Stone’s final over, gave Sparsholt a remarkable victory.South African teenager John Geoghegan took six wickets for nine runs as Trojans were skittled for 85 and comfortably beaten at United Services.Playing his last game before returning to his native Johannesburg, Geoghegan clean bowled five of his victims, while only Simon Williams (21) made aworthwhile impression for Trojans.Paul Douglas and Tim Subnaik took two wickets each before Chris Williams (42) eased US home.John Barnard carried his bat for 93 and Max Smith hit 66 as Old Tauntonians & Romsey piled up 256-5 before beating relegated Old Basing by 80 runs.Charles Forward (39) shared an 85-run opening partnership with Barnard, whose subsequent 125-run stand with Smith put OTs in a winning position.Only teenager Ben Thane (75) made his mark as Old Basing tumbled to 176 all out against Nick Wood (4-31) and two-wicket pair Stuart Tulk and Max Smith.

After bowling Bangladesh out for under 100 in the first T20, South Africa’s attack intends to apply the same heat to their opposition in the second game as they go in search of a series win.”We need to be pretty aggressive; that’s our game plan,” Charl Langeveldt, who is on his first assignment as South Africa’s bowling coach after succeeding Allan Donald last month, said. “Normally when we come to the subcontinent, we try and use our aggression. That’s why we play four fast bowlers.”South Africa’s pack of Kyle Abbott, Kagiso Rabada, David Wiese and Wayne Parnell broke the back of the Bangladesh chase, with six wickets between them. Abbott and Rabada set the tone through effective use of the short ball, which made matters uncomfortable for the Bangladesh batsmen even though there was not much bounce or pace from the surface.Abbott’s first over was exclusively about holding his length back and varying his line from wide outside the off stump to closer in, aimed at the batsman’s body. He was rewarded with a wicket at the end of it. Rabada initially bowled on a length but soon saw he would need to get the batsmen into awkward positions. As soon as he banged in a bouncer, it produced a wicket.But Langeveldt explained that despite the brutish nature of a barrage of short balls, he is not teaching his bowlers to single-mindedly adopt a caveman-like, forceful approach to their bowling. “It’s also about the follow-up ball and our guys executed that well too,” he explained. “We need to adapt. You can’t just come and be aggressive to a Shakib [Al Hasan] or a Mushfiqur [Rahim] if he is going well. It’s also about adapting to the conditions.”Wiese demonstrated how taking pace off the ball was an equally effective tactic, while Parnell found a hint of reverse-swing. Those subtle arts are what Langeveldt is placing the focus on in limited-overs cricket ahead of the World T20, which will be played in India next year.With conditions likely to be more like the ones South Africa are experiencing now in Bangladesh than those they play in at home, Langeveldt wants his men to have enough variation in their game to perform on any surface. “The main thing for us for the T20 World Cup is to improve our skills. It’s not 100% yet. We’ve got a young attack – they are good listeners and they ask good questions.” Chris Morris is the other member of the attack and he may come in for Parnell for the second game.Eddie Leie will also hope to get an opportunity. The legspinner could make his international debut, likely at the expense of Aaron Phangiso, if South Africa want to give all their bowlers a run in this series, something Langeveldt hinted at. “We are experimenting with the new guys to see where they are,” he said. “We know what we are going to get from Dale Steyn and Morne Morkel so this is a good opportunity to see what the young guys have got.”

ScorecardFile photo – Pant hit nine fours and two sixes•PTI

Opener Rishabh Pant stroked his second successive fifty while Washington Sundar followed up his two wickets with a fifty of his own to help India Under-19s secure a berth in the Tri-nation tournament final, after three wins in a row.Chasing 223, India had a rapid start with Pant and Ishan Kishan adding 67 in 5.4 overs. The partnership, however, ended when Kishan was run out by Nazmul Hossain Shanto. Pant was dismissed 14 balls later, as Bangladesh Under-19s put the skids on the chase. Captain Virat Singh and Amandeep Khare managed only 32 in 13 overs before Virat and Sarfraz Khan were out in a space of three balls. Sundar then anchored the chase with 50 off 75 balls, including six fours. Though Sundar gave a return catch to Nazmul, Mahipal Lomror and Mayank Dagar guided India home with four wickets and eight balls to spare.Mehedi Hasan Miraz took two wickets after making a 90-ball 87 with the bat but his all-round effort only offered scant consolation for Bangladesh. Having opted to bat, the visitors were reduced to 81 for 4 in 30.1 overs. Miraz then launched a counterattack, aided by contributions from Mohammad Saifuddin and Saeed Sarkar, pushing his side past 200, but Bangladesh eventually slid to their second loss in three matches.

Zimbabwe Select are set to recall former national captain Terrence Duffin for the second match against India A which gets underway at Queen’s Sports Club in Bulawayo on Monday (July 30).Duffin missed the first game, which India A won by nine wickets, because he was suffering from a cold but he is likely to replace Tinotenda Mawoyo who has failed to rekindle the same form that he produced during the Logan Cup. Duffin took part in a net session on Sunday.Duffin should open the batting with Hamilton Masakadza, with Vusi Sibanda and Tatenda Taibu, who hit a hundred on his comeback, in a strong middle order. Taibu’s successful return only adds to the likelihood that the short-term international career of wicketkeeper-batsman Brendan Taylor, named in the squad but still believed to be in Europe, is over.Zimbabwe’s bowling was less impressive and while the pace bowlers are likely to be retained, there is doubt if the selectors will play two spinners. If they opt not to, then legspinner Graeme Cremer will be the one to miss out as Prosper Utseya made useful runs.The Zimbabwe squad arrived in Bulawayo by road from Harare on Saturday evening and had a net session without Kevin Curran, the coach. He had decided to travel in his sponsored car, a move which did not go down well with some of the his technical team.India A flew into Bulawayo on Sunday morning and had a practice session at Queen’s in the afternoon.

Division One

4th dayWarwickshire squeezed over the line by two wickets against Hampshire as they chased down 121 in 25 overs and won off the last ball The Rose Bowl. Dimitri Mascarenhas almost pulled off an amazing win for Hampshire with five wickets as Warwickshire collapsed from 77 for 1 to 101 for 8. However, Neil Carter hit a four and a six as the visitors nicked it. Earlier, Hampshire resisted manfully as Heath Streak took six wickets. Chris Benham hit a career-best 95, adding 159 with Dominic Thornely, but the Warwickshire attack then got to work. Shaun Udal clubbed some late runs and, despite seeming just a consolation, they almost proved to be match-winning. As it is, Hampshire slip further adrift in the Championship race.There was just the one over of play at Headingley between Yorkshire and Kent leaving the game in a dull stalemate.3rd dayLancashire‘s Championship hopes were dealt a further blow with only two overs possible on the third day at Old Trafford. Middlesex, who batted first, have still not completed their first innings and for what it’s worth they’re on 262 for 6.

Division Two

4th day
Leicestershire pulled off a last-gasp victory against Worcestershire, inching home with eight balls to spare after both teams decided to fashion out a match at Grace Road. Worcestershire forfeited their second innings to leave Leicestershire a sporting chase of 356 off 88 overs after they had made 101 for 2 declared in their first innings.Worcestershire’s high point of the day came when they had Leicestershire 88 for 3. But John Sadler and Darren Maddy each made scores in the eighties to reverse the momentum firmly in Leicestershire’s favour, putting on 160 for the fourth wicket. From then on it became a race against time – could Worcestershire’s bowlers hold on for the draw? They couldn’t, and Stuart Broad hit the winning runs off Ray Price with a crunching four.3rd dayIt was a day for overseas players as Derbyshire managed to dodge the rain against Leicestershire and build a useful lead of 131 at Derby. Michael di Venuto hit 104 and half-centuries from Greg Smith and Ant Botha built the advantage. di Venuto’s ton, his third of the season, came off 162 balls and he added 124 for third wicket with fellow Australian, Travis Birt. Smith and Botha, both South Africans, then put on 131 for the fifth wicket to push Derbyshire well ahead. This is just Smith’s second Championship match of the summer and his 86 is a career-best.