Tag Futebol

ECB’s director of business operations says board is willing to wait for the right fit for competition

Vithushan Ehantharajah25-Sep-2024Private investment into the Hundred may not be finalised by next year if the right bids and suitors are not found, according to Vikram Banerjee, director of business operations at the England & Wales Cricket Board, and the man tasked with selling off stakes in the Hundred franchises.The ECB announced at the start of September that they had officially opened the process to secure private investment into the eight Hundred teams. Though the initial plan was to have sales ratified ahead of the 2025 edition of the tournament, the process could roll on to find appropriate valuations and owners.Each of the eight hosting counties are set to be given a 51 percent stake, which they can hold or sell, with the remaining 49 percent in each side available to be sold by the ECB. Any money raised from that 49 percent will then be distributed between first-class counties, Marylebone Cricket Club and the recreational game. Financial advisers Deloitte and Raine Group have been recruited to ensure fair market value, with legal co-counsel provided by Latham & Watkins and Onside Law LLP.Though the ECB are collaborating with host venues to assess the suitability of prospective partners, they are doing so with vigilance. A report in City AM on Tuesday stated the governing body have warned Hampshire they will be stripped of their stake in Southern Brave if their prospective new buyers GMR Group – owners of IPL side Delhi Capitals – do not pay a fair market price for the Hundred franchise.The Telegraph reported in August that GMR Group had agreed a £120 million deal to buy Hampshire, which could see them pocket the 51 percent gifted to the county as part of that deal. If that were the case, investors could view purchasing counties outright as a cheaper gateway into the competition, although that would first require a process of demutualisation by the member-owned clubs concerned, with Hampshire and Durham the only exceptions at present.Yorkshire, who host Northern Superchargers at Headingley and are subject to a bid from Sun Group, who own Sunrisers Hyderabad, are currently seeking to undergo a process of demutualisation, with a super-majority of 75 percent in favour required from at least 50 percent of the club’s 6,000 members.The ECB are understood to have had promising conversations with investors throughout the summer. A number from India and from further afield, including the US, were entertained at Hundred matches this season. As well as capital, the ECB want buyers to bring their expertise to the table, particularly around global engagement, sporting operations and in-ground experience.While the plan remains to announce investments into the Hundred in early 2025, Banerjee explained that the onus on finding the right price and partner for the teams lends itself to a longer, more drawn-out process.Lord’s-based London Spirit is expected to be the most lucrative team in the Hundred•Alex Davidson/Getty Images

“The most important thing is we get the right partners,” Banerjee told the Business of Sport podcast. “If that takes a bit of time, that takes a bit of time. I think it’s fine.”We have been running for four years and so, if in this first round, we [find that] either the values aren’t there for one or all of the teams, or the right partner isn’t there for one or all of the teams, it’s fine. We’ll just carry on running it, we’ll do another year. My priority is to get the eight partners and make them amazing and help us grow.”Banerjee did not rule out a partial sale, whereby only some of the teams are under new ownership, though he believes the scale of interest at this stage suggests that will not come to pass.”I don’t think so, at this point of where we are in the process,” he said. “You know, the amount of people, the amount of interest, the breadth of interest – there’s some really exciting names in there, some of which haven’t been leaked to the press, funnily enough.”London Spirit is expected to be the most sought-after component of the Hundred, given the prestige of its host venue Lord’s, but Banerjee insisted the ECB would not be rushed into a decision for any of its teams.Related

• Richard Gould: ECB 'unapologetic' about attracting top talent to Men's Hundred

• Richard Gould: Hundred equity sale can future-proof county cricket for '20-25 years'

• ECB hierarchy 'confident in our product' as Hundred bids deadline looms

• The wolves of ball street: a Hundred saga

• ECB plans huge wage hikes, increase in overseas player limit in the Hundred

“But if we don’t get the right partners for [eg] London Spirit, we’ll hold it and we’ll work with the MCC for another year and try again in a year’s time. I think that’s possible.”Having said that, in terms of a timeline on what we’re looking for, we are hoping these are done over the next six months, so that whatever this new world looks like for the competition, those deals have transacted by the 2025 season.”Having all investors on board by next summer is integral to ensuring next summer’s competition is as seamless as possible, not least ahead of the opening of ticket sales and the player draft, which are expected in February and March, respectively. Though a partial sale of teams is far from ideal, the competition’s current media rights – which make up around 80 percent of the revenue for the competition – are fixed until 2028, and the presence of a salary cap should in principle ensure a level playing field for the coming seasons.Banerjee also revealed any expansion of the number of teams in the Hundred is only likely to take place in 2029. Durham and Somerset were two host venues mooted for an introduction as early as next year to give the competition a greater presence in the North-East and South-West. However, the need to see how the Hundred evolves after investment has shifted the goalposts.”We’ve talked about 2029 being the earliest to give us time to bed in and see how this thing grows and there’s a whole set of criteria to make sure a) that the player pool is there so it’s still best versus best on men’s and women’s, and b) the competition has grown.”So an investor today doesn’t lose out, but actually benefits from that, as well as the whole game. And then see that, if a venue wants to come in to be a new team, it’s ready.”

He also hoped Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran would get called up to the Test squad in the future

PTI29-Jun-2023Sourav Ganguly cannot understand the process behind Ajinkya Rahane getting the Test vice-captaincy after spending nearly 18 months on the sidelines. The former India captain has called for “consistency and continuity” in the selection process.Rahane, 35, was out of favour for one-and-a-half years but was India’s best batter in the World Test Championship final against Australia earlier this month, with scores of 89 and 46 at The Oval.Related

• Rahane: 'I'm young and there's a lot of cricket left in me'

• Time to temper expectations as India enter Test transition

• Jaiswal and Gaikwad in India's Test squad for West Indies

• Jaiswal a far cry from Dravid and Pujara, but can make No. 3 his own

• Gavaskar defends 'loyal servant' Pujara

Just one Test after he had made a comeback – he played his previous Test in January 2022 – the national selection committee headed by interim chief Shiv Sunder Das re-appointed Rahane as Rohit Sharma’s deputy for the West Indies Test series.So was it not ideal to groom someone like Shubman Gill for the role?”Yeah I think so,” Ganguly told during an exclusive interaction from London.Ganguly suggested that the allrounder Ravindra Jadeja, a certainty in India’s Test XI both home and away, could have been considered for the role.”I won’t say it’s a step backward,” Ganguly said. “You have been out for 18 months, then you play a Test and you become a vice-captain. I don’t understand the thought process behind it. There is Ravindra Jadeja, who has been there for a long time and a certainty in Test matches, he is a candidate.”… but to just come back and straightway become vice-captain after 18 months, I don’t understand. My only thing is that selection shouldn’t be hot and cold. There has to be continuity and consistency in selection.”The Indian selectors have hit the transition button by excluding Cheteshwar Pujara from the squad for the West Indies tour. Ganguly wants the selectors to have clear communication with Pujara, who has played 103 Tests for India, about his future.”Selectors should have a clear idea about him [Pujara],” Ganguly said. “Do they need him to play Test cricket anymore or do they want to continue with youngsters, and communicate it to him. Somebody like Pujara can’t be dropped, then picked, dropped again and then picked. Same with Ajinkya Rahane also.”Ganguly feels Yashasvi Jaiswal has proven himself not just in the IPL but in first-class cricket as well•Bangladesh Cricket Board

‘I feel for Sarfaraz Khan’

The selections of Yashasvi Jaiswal and Ruturaj Gaikwad for the West Indies tour suggests the selectors have emphasised IPL performances over those in domestic cricket, but Ganguly doesn’t believe this is the case. He hopes, however that Sarfaraz Khan and Abhimanyu Easwaran, who have been prolific in the Ranji Trophy over recent seasons, will get their chance too.”I think Yashasvi Jaiswal has scored tons of runs in Ranji Trophy, Irani Trophy, Duleep Trophy. I think that’s why he is in the squad,” Ganguly said. “I feel for Sarfaraz Khan. At some point he should get an opportunity for the amount of runs that he has scored in past three years.”And same thing for Abhimanyu Easwaran for the tons of runs he has scored in last five to six years. I am surprised that both of them have been omitted but they should get a chance in future. But Yashasvi Jasiwal is a good selection.”Ganguly has observed Sarfaraz from close quarters as director of cricket at Delhi Capitals. He rubbished the idea that Sarfaraz has a weakness against fast bowling.”If you don’t play him against fast bowling, how do you know?” he asked. “If he had problems he wouldn’t have scored so many runs all around [India]. I personally feel he has no problems against fast bowling and he should be given an opportunity.”

Political rallies scheduled in Islamabad – the twin city of Rawalpindi – has forced the change

Danyal Rasool18-Mar-2022Pakistan’s white-ball matches against Australia will now be played in Lahore, and not Rawalpindi, Pakistan’s interior minister Sheikh Rasheed Ahmad said on Friday. On Saturday, the two boards agreed on the shift, and the three ODIs and one-off T20I will be played at the Gaddafi Stadium.The move was forced on the PCB because of a political situation surrounding prime minister Imran Khan, who is set to face a no-confidence vote next week.ESPNcricinfo understands that the final decision was a matter for the two boards – the PCB and Cricket Australia – and not the government to finalise. However, the boards have now mutually agreed to the recommendation of the minister.The political atmosphere in the country has led to both the ruling party, Khan’s Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (PTI), and the opposition Pakistan Democratic Movement (PDM), promising to bring massive numbers in support for their respective causes towards Islamabad, which adjoins Rawalpindi.PTI has announced it will bring one million people to D Chowk, a square in Islamabad known for hosting political rallies, on March 27 “to express solidarity with the prime minister Imran Khan”. The spot is less than two kilometres from the hotel where the two teams were expected to stay during the series. PDM has also given a call to its workers and the public at large to begin a long march towards Islamabad on Pakistan Day – March 23.The dates for the four games remains unchanged. Lahore will host the three ODIs on March 29, March 31 and April 2, and a one-off T20I on April 5. The PCB is understood to have been reluctant to shift venue, concerned about the message it might send to the cricketing world. It appears, though, that circumstances may have forced their hand.Australia are currently in Lahore to play the third Test of a three-match series, starting March 21. The first two Tests – in Rawalpindi and Karachi – were drawn. It is the first Australia tour to the country since 1998.

Her return to the 15-player squad had not been approved by the tournament technical committee

Andrew McGlashan22-Nov-2020The Sydney Sixers have been fined A$25,000, of which $15,000 is suspended for 12 months, after they erroneously named pace bowler Hayley Silver-Holmes in their XI to face the Melbourne Renegades on Saturday, despite her not officially being part of the squad.Having been replaced in the squad due to a foot injury, Silver-Holmes was fit again for the weekend’s matches but her return to the 15-player squad had not been approved by the tournament technical committee.The error was spotted, and self-reported, by the Sixers after the match against the Renegades had started and she was withdrawn from the match without batting.A hearing took play before Cricket Australia’s senior conduct commissioner, Alan Sullivan QC, on Sunday and the breach was termed “serious”. He could have imposed a fine of up to $50,000 plus other sanctions but took into account the fact the Sixers lost the game and that Silver-Holmes had not played any part in the contest”Cricket Australia places a significant emphasis on the integrity of all competitions, including the compliance with its player contracting rules and regulations,” Sean Carroll, CA’s head of integrity and Security, said. “This breach by the Sydney Sixers, while serious in nature, had a reduced impact due to the club’s actions during last night’s game.”As such, we support the findings of Alan Sullivan QC, including the suspension of $15,000 of the $25,000 fine imposed.”Alistair Dobson, CA’s head of Big Bash Leagues, said: “We commend the Sydney Sixers for their swift action and cooperation in addressing this error. In particular, we echo Alan Sullivan QC’s praise for the Sixers’ self-reporting and actions undertaken to minimise the impact of the breach on last night’s match.”The defeat against the Renegades on Saturday left the Sixers with only the slimmest of chances of making the semi-finals and for the second season in a row they missed the knockouts when they couldn’t overturn an almost-impossible net run-rate calculation against the Stars.”We made a regrettable administrative error for which there are understandably stringent rules,” Jodie Hawkins, Sydney Sixers’ general manager, said. “We were given a fair opportunity to present our case in the hearing and accept the findings and sanction. As a club we will learn from this and put processes in place for the future.”

Mohammad Mithun fell nine short of a hundred, while Mushfiqur Rahim struck a 46-ball 50 as Bangladesh handed Sri Lanka Board President’s XI a five-wicket defeat

The Report by Madushka Balasuriya23-Jul-2019Bangladesh got their tour of Sri Lanka off to a winning start with a five-wicket victory over Sri Lanka Board President’s XI in their one-off warm-up game at the P Sara Oval. The visitors added pace bowler Shafiul Islam to their squad for the three-match ODI series which begins on June 26. Shafiul is expected to join the team in Colombo on Wednesday.Set a target of 283, fifties from Mohammad Mithun and Mushfiqur Rahim ensured the visitors remained in control through their chase.Mithun’s 100-ball 91 in particular will please the Bangladesh coaching staff, after he was given a chance in the No. 3 position vacated by Shakib Al Hasan. Scoring 11 boundaries and a six, the 28-year-old right-hand batsman put on partnerships of 73 and 96 for the fourth and fifth wickets respectively, with the rest of the Bangladesh line-up batting around him.Mithun’s calm approach also allowed Mushfiqur to take on a more attacking role on his way to a 46-ball 50, built on a threatening 37 from Tamim Iqbal at the top of the order. Mahmadullah (33) and Sabbir Rahman (31) kept the Bangladesh innings on track, as Sri Lanka’s bowlers – apart from Lahiru Kumara, who impressed with figures of 2 for 26 in six overs – struggled to gain any foothold in the game. Mithun fell with Bangladesh only 21 runs shy of the target, but some lusty hitting from Mosaddek Hossain and Sabbir made sure there were no late scares.For the hosts, Dasun Shanaka was arguably the only Sri Lankan player to come out of the game with his reputation significantly enhanced. Having come in to bat at 127 for 5, his 63-ball 86, studded with six boundaries and as many sixes, put a significant dampener on what was an otherwise stellar bowling performance from Bangladesh. The hosts put on a respectable 282 for 8 in 50 overs.Shanaka was aided by 21-year-old legspinning allrounder Wanindu Hasaranga, who bolstered his case for selection in the first ODI with a quickfire 28 that included three fours and a six to go with his bowling figures of 1 for 39.Earlier, Shehan Jayasuriya’s 56 off 78 deliveries had helped the hosts recover from a top-order collapse during which Niroshan Dickwella, Danushka Gunathilaka and Oshada Fernando fell by the eighth over of the game. Shehan put on 82 for the fourth wicket with Bhanuka Rajapakse and helped steer Board President’s XI past 100.Of the Bangladesh bowlers, on a wicket that didn’t offer much assistance, fast bowlers Rubel Hossain and Taskin Ahmed struck early after the hosts opted to bat. Alongside Rubel, medium-pacer Soumya Sarkar stood out, taking the two crucial middle-order wickets of Jayasuriya and Rajapakse.

Somerset’s young skipper just survived relegation in his first season in charge and his defiance at Taunton suggested he has no wish to repeat the experience

ECB Reporters Network29-Apr-2018
ScorecardTom Abell produced a captain’s innings to guide Somerset into a strong position on the third day of the Specsavers County Championship match with Yorkshire at Taunton.The 24-year-old skipper rescued his team from 24 for 4 in their second innings, making 82 off 137 balls, with 8 fours and a six, as they recovered to 200 all out. Ben Coad claimed 4 for 61 and Jack Brooks 3 for 44.That set Yorkshire a testing target of 321 to win on a pitch still offering assistance to the seamers. By the close of a day interrupted three times by bad light, the visitors had reached 49 for 1, with Adam Lyth unbeaten on 25, and trailed by 271.The day began with Somerset six without loss, leading by 126. They soon plunged into trouble as Coad and Brooks made good use of the new ball to pick up four cheap wickets between them.Coad had Marcus Trescothick caught at second slip and George Bartlett taken by wicketkeeper Andrew Hodd, while Brooks bowled Matt Renshaw and James Hildreth, both driving.With their lead only 144, Somerset needed a partnership. It was supplied by Abell and Steve Davies, who added 66 before Davies, on 33, edged Coad to first slip where Cheteshwar Pujara took the catch.Lewis Gregory got off the mark with a six over midwicket off Brooks and followed up with a four off the next delivery before Matthew Waite had him lbw playing no shot for 14.At lunch the scoreboard read 113 for six and Somerset had extended their advantage to 233. Craig Overton contributed a bright 18 before being bowled by a full, swinging delivery from Brooks to make it 129 for seven.Abell stood firm, playing an innings of sound technique and good judgement to reach his half-century off 103 balls, with 6 fours. Dom Bess (14) shared an important stand of 42 before driving at Waite and edging a catch to second slip.Yorkshire gave Abell two lives, Hodd dropping a touch chance off Coad when the Somerset captain was on 24 and Jack Leaning spilling a more straightforward catch at gully off Tim Bresnan with the batsman on 69.Abell hit a rare six, clipping Waite over backward square as Somerset’s lead passed the 300-mark. Josh Davey made a useful 11 before driving Bresnan to Gary Ballance and the innings ended when Abell was bowled by Coad, aiming a big shot.Yorkshire were 13 without loss when bad light brought an early tea. On the resumption they had doubled that score when Harry Brook, on 15, edged a drive off Davey to Trescothick at second slip.At 44 for one bad light intervened again and, although the players returned briefly while five more runs were added, the umpires soon took them off again. After 25 minutes of consultation, aided by a light meter, they abandoned play for the day.

A round-up of WICB Regional Super50 games which happened on February 9, 2017

ESPNcricinfo staff10-Feb-2017Group BSpin got the better of Barbados in Bridgetown, consigning them to a 74-run loss against Jamaica. Offspinner John Campbell was wrecker-in-chief, taking four top and middle-order wickets as Barbados looked to chase 256. He was ably assisted by fellow offspinner Damani Sewell and left-arm spinner Nikita Miller; in all the three slow men accounted for nine wickets, as Barbados fell to 181 all out in 40.2 overs despite opener Kraigg Brathwaite and No. 3 Shai Hope getting fifties.Jamaica had chosen to bat and were off to a fine start courtesy their openers Chadwick Walton and Steven Taylor. The pair put on 99 in partnership, and though Barbados struck regularly after they were separated, the platform was enough to carry Jamaica past 250. For Barbados, too, spin was the biggest weapon, with offspinner Ashley Nurse claiming top honours with 3 for 38 in his 10.The loss ended Barbados’ six-match winning streak in the tournament, but they still lead the Group B points table with a five-point advantage over Jamaica. The five points Jamaica took from the game clinched a spot for them in the semi-finals, putting them five points clear of Guyana with a game in hand.Guyana romped to an eight-wicket win against ICC Americas, knocking off their target of 171 with eight wickets and 131 balls to spare. ICC Americas chose to bat and lost their openers within the first five overs. Three of their middle order got into the 30s, but none could kick on, as left-arm pacer Raymon Reifer and legspinner Devendra Bishoo picked up three apiece.Guyana’s openers Shimron Hetmyer and Assad Fudadin put the result beyond doubt with a 142-run stand in 22 overs. They fell in quick succession – Hetmyer six short of a maiden List-A ton – but Guyana got home without too much more bother in the 29th over.ICC Americas remain bottom of Group B, with just one win in six games. Guyana needed a Jamaica loss to remain alive for a chance at the semi-finals but instead end their tournament run in third place in Group B.

A round-up of all the Group B matches of the Vijay Hazare Trophy on December 15, 2015

ESPNcricinfo staff15-Dec-2015Karnataka‘s quest of defending the Vijay Hazare Trophy took a body blow as Jharkhand outclassed them by 47 runs. MS Dhoni, who promoted himself to No. 3, made just 1 but Jharkhand were driven forward by contributions from Ishank Jaggi (50), Saurabh Tiwary (43) and Kumar Deobrat (47*). But vital strikes from J Suchith, the left-arm spinner who finished with 4 for 35, meant Jharkhand were restricted to 216 for 8.Karnataka’s chase hit rough waters very quickly as they were reduced to 52 for 3 by the 12th over. KL Rahul held one end up, with his 41-run stand with Karun Nair briefly resisting Jharkhand. But Rahul’s dismissal for an 84-ball 42 resulted in lower-order meltdown. An injury to Stuart Binny didn’t help matters either as he walked out to bat at No. 10. Karnataka were eventually bowled out for 169 in 45 overs with Suchith being the last to fall for 34. The left-arm spinners – Sonu Singh and Shahbaz Nadeem – picked up three wickets apiece as Jharkhand registered their fourth win in five matches to put themselves in a good position to qualify for the knockouts.Gujarat derailed Haryana‘s campaign with a 28-run win that was powered by Rush Kalaria, the left-arm seamer, who picked up four wickets. Haryana somewhat justified their decision to bowl first by striking regularly, but Gujarat managed to pull away and post 259, with knocks from Parthiv Patel (45) and Rujul Bhatt (55). Amit Mishra, the Haryana captain, picked up three wickets, while Harshal Patel and Ashish Hooda had two wickets apiece.Haryana stumbled in their chase to lose half the side inside 100 runs, with RP Singh accounting for the the accomplished Jayant Yadav and Rohit Sharma. Kalaria then sliced through the lower order as Haryana were bowled out for 231 off the penultimate ball of the match. Poonish Mehta’s 57 lower down the order proved to be scant consolation for Haryana, who have now lost three out of their five matches.Karn Sharma delivered an all-round performance to help Railways beat Jammu & Kashmir by 43 runs in a low-scoring game to keep their hopes alive of making it through to the knockouts. Karn, the captain, top-scored with 60 in Railways’ 200 all out, with Waseem Raza, the left-arm spinner, taking 4 for 31. Ian Dev Singh waged a lone battle for J&K with an 83-ball 60 even as the batting collapsed around him. J&K were bowled out for 157 in 43.5 overs, completing their fourth successive loss in the tournament.

Martin Guptill was savouring the “special” feeling of becoming New Zealand’s highest scorer in a one-day international after scorching his way to an unbeaten 189 at the Ageas Bowl

Andrew McGlashan at the Ageas Bowl02-Jun-2013Martin Guptill was savouring the “special” feeling of becoming New Zealand’s highest scorer in a one-day international after scorching his way to an unbeaten 189 at the Ageas Bowl – his second hundred in three days – and is looking forward to getting in touch with the man whose record he broke.Guptill often played alongside Lou Vincent, who scored 172 against Zimbabwe in 2005, and is planning on contacting his former team-mate to talk him through how his landmark was taken.”It’s a pretty special feeling,” Guptill said. “I played a lot of cricket with Lou so I’ll have to give him a bit of stick later on tonight. It’s not been the worst few days. I’m pretty happy with the way I’m batting and long may it continue.”His back-to-back hundreds mark a triumphant return to the one-day side following the hamstring injury which curtailed his series against England in New Zealand, although he still managed to produce a matchwinning performance in Hamilton to steer his team to victory. “I’d had a bit of a lean patch before I got injured so to be able to come back and score back-to-back hundreds is pretty special,” he said.”I think it was the batsmanship through the middle stages I found the most impressive,” he said. “Martin’s batsmanship the other day at Lord’s was great but I think today it went up a notch. We all know about his striking ability so when you put the two aspects together it’s probably as a good an innings as you’ll see for New Zealand.”Alastair Cook was also gracious in his assessment of the display that condemned his team to their first home one-day series loss under his captaincy. “It was a very special innings. He made us pay,” Cook said. “What was impressive is that he always managed to find the right option at the right time so if we did build a couple of dots he’d always get the release with a four without taking too big a risk.”Despite wrapping up the series with a game to spare, McCullum was not giving any thoughts to using the final match, at Trent Bridge on Wednesday, as a glorified net session ahead of the Champions Trophy. New Zealand were 2-0 up in South Africa earlier this before seeing the home side steal a one-wicket in the final game and does not want a repeat. “Three-nil would be as good as it gets,” he said. “So we’ll be doing whatever we can to continue the momentum we have.”

Somerset were unable to dismiss Durham a second time in their two-day game but the hosts batting problems continued to dog them

David Hopps at Chester-le-Street12-May-2012
ScorecardSomerset kept up the hunt for victory until late in the day but Durham clung on•Getty Images

When Paul Collingwood responded to the end of his England career near the end of last season not by retiring, but by restating his commitment to Durham, with a dash of worldwide Twenty20 thrown in, his head coach Geoff Cook extolled the virtues of a grounded personality who had proved there was a cricketing life beyond the international stage.”He can help us through a slightly transitional phase,” Cook said at the time. Only the word “slightly” is now looking a little over optimistic. Transition is upon Durham quicker than Cook had hoped, certainly in the four-day game, and judging by the nervy way they secured a draw against Somerset, Collingwood’s scrapping instincts have never been more necessary.Durham, widely regarded as serious Championship contenders, remain bottom. They had begun the final day vulnerably placed, felt relatively safe at tea at 144 for 3, a lead admittedly of only two runs, but two quick wickets after the break for Craig Meschede, including the captain Phil Mustard, the only man who has dared look at his batting statistics this season, ensured there would be no handshakes at 5pm.It was left to Ian Blackwell, with foot movement so restricted that you would not fancy his chances crossing the stepping stones at Stanhope, to negotiate a draw with a stubborn 38 not out, but Somerset might have pulled off a win had Peter Trego or Alex Barrow held two slip catches when a late-evening run chase was still a possibility.Somerset also had chances earlier. Mark Stoneman was missed by Craig Overton at third slip and turned 4 into 33 and Collingwood had also edged Trego perilously close to second slip when 9 and went on to make 36. Somerset abandoned hope with Durham 92 ahead, the last pair at the crease and seven overs remaining.A draw was something to cling to after trailing by 142 on first innings and they have the chance to build on that against Somerset in the CB40 on Sunday when Collingwood will take over the captaincy in the absence of Dale Benkenstein, who dislocated his shoulder in the pre-match warm-up. Cook is calling for character; he used to call for Steve Harmison, but Harmison has spent all season searching for a glimmer of form in the second XI.Durham secured a draw without ridding themselves of the damning statistic that no batsman in the top six has yet reached fifty. Collingwood looked as likely as anybody to rid the county of an unwelcome marker before he fell lbw to Overton on 36. He settled in by pulling Trego for four and suggested that he was in reasonable order with a controlled extra-cover boundary against Meschede, an area where he can lose a spoke on the wagon wheel.Returning to the county circuit after a long England career is not easy even for a cricketer with such a strong sense of regional identity as Collingwood and, even if he was never the type to envisage himself as a captain until the leadership of England’s one-day sides fell his way, the extra responsibility could give him a fillip in the short term. County cricket, too, needs to prove that it can provide a few years of satisfaction for a committed cricketer with much still to give. If Collingwood cannot attune himself to a less glamorous existence then few can.County cricket’s gamesome pitches, during possibly the most weather-ravaged start to a Championship season since the 1950s, are quite a culture shock for England batsmen used to true international surfaces.”I don’t think anybody has seen the wickets around the country do this much,” Collingwood said after the washed-out third day. “I’ve spoken to people like Andrew Strauss and we just laugh about how much the ball’s doing. You’ve just got to forget about technique and things like that and find a way of scoring runs. You can be technically absolutely fantastic and be out second ball. It really has been difficult.”As a batsman you try to protect one side of the bat but in these conditions you find the ball can beat both sides. It’s like a spinner bowling normal off-breaks then all of a sudden you’ve got one going the other way.”It is the rewards of T20 that, naturally, have also driven Collingwood on, as the recognition grows that few players have managed to make a success of semi-retirement and a career playing exclusively T20 cricket. He was part of the Perth Scorchers side that qualified for the Champions League and also had a stint for Impi in South Africa. He would still not have returned to share Durham’s early season agony had not Rajasthan Royals told him that with ten overseas players on their books he was surplus to requirements in the IPL.That Somerset could put Durham under so much pressure owed much to the verve of Craig Kieswetter. Somerset were eight down at start of play and after two washed-out days led by 95, but Kieswetter borrowed a few leg side shots from the IPL and finished unbeaten on 96, scoring 36 of a further 47 added.Kieswetter’s assault forced Durham to field four leg-side boundary fielders for Mitch Claydon and it was one of them, Stoneman, who eventually ran out the last man, George Dockrell, at the bowler’s end from deep midwicket as Kieswetter tried to farm the strike. Graham Onions was harder to slog, his form one of the few bright aspects to a difficult Durham season.