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Baroda are playing in Jaipur, where the temperature has slipped into single digits, and they have 20 points: they need an outright victory to secure a place in the knockouts

Nagraj Gollapudi in Jaipur29-Dec-2013On the eve of their final league match, against Rajasthan, Baroda are on edge. They are playing in Jaipur, where the temperature has slipped into single digits, and have 20 points: they need an outright victory to secure a place in the knockouts. Three points from a first-innings lead will still leave them dependent on other Group B results going their way. Their opponents Rajasthan are out of contention and have nothing to lose. They could be dangerous. Baroda are in a predicament.Luckily for them, their captain is Yusuf Pathan, a man who never betrays emotions even at the best and worst of times. For years he has been Baroda’s go-to man. At various times, he has been their best batsman, best spinner and their most consistent player. He has been all of that this season, playing crucial roles in three outright wins and possibly the sole reason they can still dream of a knockout spot.So on the eve of a virtually do-or-die match, Yusuf is unruffled. He has a message for his team: do not get excited. According to Yusuf, if Baroda will benefit from a cautious beginning against Rajasthan. “Initially we will target the first-innings lead. Only then can we go for the outright win,’ Yusuf said at the Rajasthan Cricket Academy grounds after the team’s training session on the eve of the match. “If we go straightaway for an outright victory then we might not even get the first-innings lead. That has always been the case: too much aggression is not good for the team. We need to play session by session and assure ourselves the lead, then bother about an outright victory.”The absence of Hrishikesh Kanitkar, Rajasthan’s mentor-and-captain, because of a quadriceps injury will help Baroda, Yusuf said. “Obviously if a player like Hrishikesh does not play then it is a very big advantage. He is highly experienced and is a good captain. He carries the team nicely and also knows how to get the best out of the youngsters. So him not being there will only help us.”A person who is playing a Kanitkar-like role for Baroda is Yusuf’s younger brother, Irfan Pathan. After missing most of the previous two seasons and this one with injuries, Irfan played Baroda’s last two games. After recovering from a rib injury that kept him out of five games, Irfan said he was playing only as a batsman as part of a phased return.Having recovered from the rib injury that kept him out of the first five matches, Irfan said he is playing only as a batsman, as part of a phased return. According to Yusuf, despite being unable to bowl, Irfan had the responsibility of motivating the rest of the team.”He is batting still and that is a big plus point because if he stands at the other end he can encourage and inspire his partner,” Yusuf said. “And he is also helping out the fast bowlers, he has been speaking to them and providing inputs. Considering he has played international cricket for a while, it is a huge benefit for me as the captain.”The Jaipur pitch has a green look to it and according to Taposh Chatterjee, the head groundsman, it will help both the fast and slow bowlers as the match progresses. One reason Baroda have been struggling is because their batsmen have failed more often than not, but Yusuf remained hopeful. “Our batsmen have finally started to perform. Earlier our batsmen did not click, even if our bowling had been good right from the beginning of the season. Now we are in a position to qualify so I hope the batsmen do their work.”For Rajasthan, two-time Ranji champions, this match is an opportunity to regain lost pride. The selectors have gone for an overhaul by making four changes, including dropping the young fast bowler Rituraj Singh, who took seven wickets in Rajasthan’s only outright victory, in their last match against Madhya Pradesh. Despite Rajasthan’s instability, Yusuf wanted Baroda to just focus on their job.”It is not an easy match. And I do not want to take any game easy,” he said. “The points table does not really matter. I want to tell my guys that regardless of the result we need to play good cricket. Even Rajasthan would like to put in effort. They have made several changes and they might be under pressure but then they could do well too.”

Chris Gayle said he expects to form a solid opening combination with Dwayne Smith ahead of West Indies’ warm-up games against Ireland

Renaldo Matadeen18-Feb-2014Chris Gayle is aiming to forge a solid opening combination with Dwayne Smith as West Indies prepare for the defence of their World Twenty20 title with a couple of warm-up games against Ireland, starting on Wednesday in Jamaica.Gayle, who is raring to return from a hamstring injury sustained in India that ruled him out of the New Zealand tour, said he was pleased with what he saw of Smith from the Nagico Super50 where he was named the Most Valuable Player. With Johnson Charles and Lendl Simmons also in the running to open, Gayle said the competition for top-order spots was healthy.”This partnership’s a reality. He (Smith) is in good form and it would be nice to have a Dwayne Smith atop your batting order. He can get the pressure off you,” Gayle told ESPNcricinfo. “His form is spot on and we’re all happy to have him back. It would give me room to bat a bit more openly.”Gayle admitted West Indies needed to improve their batting up front and lay a proper foundation, something they struggled to do in India and New Zealand. “I want to get off to a good start and set the foundation. This is critical,” he said. “There’s a good, fast outfield here (at Sabina) and there’s some bounce on the pitch so there is something for the bowlers as well. I practiced with Jamaica here for the Super50 also.”Gayle said he expected the players to step up in front of the home crowd, pointing to the returning Marlon Samuels and Krishmar Santokie as some of the players he believed would fare well.”We have Santokie, Marlon’s back and (Andre) Russell too. Santokie’s done pretty well and he was the best bowler in the CPL so it’s good for him to be given a crack at it in front his home-crowd.”This is a big boost for us going into the World T20s. West Indies have a lot of cricket to play leading into this tournament so we’re just looking to get past this (Ireland) series.”Gayle said Ireland were a plucky team that had proven in the past that they shouldn’t be underestimated. On his own condition, Gayle revealed he was “99% fit” but maintained that he would only gradually ease back into the team after assessing his body.”It’s good to be back again and I’m looking forward to the first game and getting that feeling back out there in the middle again. I haven’t trained this intensely for a couple months so I hope to get a kickstart and get back into the groove of things as soon as possible.”

ESPNcricinfo’s preview of the third T20 between Australia and England in Sydney

The Preview by Alan Gardner01-Feb-20140:00

‘England ready to go home for a lie down’

Match FactsFebruary 2, 2014
Start time 1935 local (0835GMT)Big PictureDay 100: the mission continues. Survivors from England’s 2013-14 tour of Australia may one day be able to look back and extract some grim humour from the sorry affair. Right now, taking the positives would be taking the proverbial. With one victory in 12 encounters, three crushing series defeats and numerous casualties, England could do with a few weeks in a sensory deprivation tank. Instead, they must countenance one final bout of frenzied competition against a rampant foe.England’s latest loss, more recent than the eight-wicket shellacking at the MCG, was that of their team director, Andy Flower. With the architect gone, the England matrix seems ever more fragile. The attention will now turn to Ashley Giles, the limited-overs coach, who also has the small matter of a World Twenty20 on his mind. Since taking charge of England’s pajama cricket at the start of 2012, Giles has overseen six ODI and T20 series defeats, with just two wins, though the Champions Trophy suggested greater potential. A T20 victory to finish the tour would be the smallest of crumbs but England are in need of sustenance.Australia, of course, are in no mood to offer England anything so much as a cup of tea, let alone sympathy. George Bailey’s ruthlessness in sealing the series in Melbourne – smashing 60 off 28 balls to pummel England senseless – extended to denying 39-year-old Brad Hodge, on his first international appearance in six years, a bat in front of his home crowd. The bowlers were superb during England’s pitiful thrash and a 3-0 win would seal their rise to sixth in the T20 rankings.James Muirhead has made a bright start in international T20•Getty ImagesForm guide(Completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWLLW
England LLWLLWatch out forJames Muirhead has less than a dozen senior appearances to his name but, in the last three months, England have faced him five times. His figures across three formats are a very respectable 12 for 337 and the tourists still seem unable to get the measure of Australia’s latest legspinning tyro. The 20-year-old gets appreciable turn and also showcased his control and composure at the MCG. Looks to be an exciting bolter ahead of the World T20.It is easy to ridicule Jade Dernbach – and many do – but he is also one of England’s most gifted bowlers in this format. When it goes wrong for him, as it has in the two matches so far (1 for 92 from seven overs), it makes for car-crash viewing but, in the absence of Steven Finn, he remains England’s most-likely wicket-taking option, with a strike rate (16.4) that betters Mitchell Johnson, Sunil Narine and Lasith Malinga. He needs to rediscover his mojo, pronto.Team newsMitchell Starc made an impressive return from injury in the previous match and will continue working towards top form. There may be a temptation to look at Ben Cutting or Kane Richardson but the batting looks in good nick, with Hodge hoping for a crack in the middle this time.Australia (possible) 1 Aaron Finch, 2 Cameron White, 3 Brad Hodge, 4 Glenn Maxwell, 5 George Bailey (capt), 6 Chris Lynn, 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 Josh Hazlewood/Ben Cutting/Kane Richardson, 9 Nathan Coulter-Nile, 10 Mitchell Starc, 11 James Muirhead.England probably deployed their first-choice T20 XI, minus Kevin Pietersen, in Melbourne, only for them to produce a truly abysmal performance. The top order failed again and England could try opening with Luke Wright, as he has been doing in the Big Bash. Ben Stokes is surely due a crack and Dernbach’s place may also come under pressure from Chris Jordan.England (possible) 1 Luke Wright, 2 Alex Hales, 3 Joe Root, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Ravi Bopara, 6 Jos Buttler (wk), 7 Ben Stokes, 8 Tim Bresnan, 9 Stuart Broad (capt), 10 Jade Dernbach/Chris Jordan, 11 James Tredwell.Pitch and conditionsSydney pitches tend to aid spin – but the difference about this one is that it is situated in the Olympic Stadium, home of the Sydney Thunder. A cool, breezy evening should kept everyone interested.Stats and trivia If England manage to win only their second game on tour, it will return them to No. 6 in the T20 rankings, at the expense of Australia. Stuart Broad became the 13th player to reach 50 caps in T20 internationals in Melbourne. Australia have improved their head-to-head record against England to 6-4 in the current series.Quotes”We’re going to give them nothing. There’s no reason we should let them leave the country with a win. It’s another chance for all the boys to show what we’ve got, and really dominate England again.”

Success in the World T20s will be the perfect dose for UAE ahead of a more important tournament, the ODI World Cup, less than 12 months away

Mohammad Isam16-Mar-2014OverviewThe World T20 is UAE’s return to big time cricket after 18 years, and although they have had to continue on the back of semi-professional cricketers, they have been pulling their weight in Associates cricket over the last 12 months.They were the fourth team to qualify for the World T20 in last November’s qualifier in the UAE, after losing to Nepal in the third/fourth place playoff. They have also qualified for the 2015 World Cup after finishing runners-up in the qualification tournament in New Zealand earlier this year.It has been a successful turnaround under Aaqib Javed who joined in April 2012 and vowed to ensure qualification in the Under-19, T20 and 50-over World Cups. He has delivered on all three fronts through a combination of diligent fitness and training planning plus the commitment from the players.UAE’s batsmen have the ability to put pressure on good bowling attacks, but at times they need to curb their strokeplay. This all-out aggression with the bat is possibly their approach. They seem to bat around one or two of the senior batsmen, ensuring the run-rate is always up.Success for the UAE team will be the perfect dose ahead of a more important tournament, the ODI World Cup, less than 12 months away. That could be the pinnacle, after which UAE hope to usher in a more professional era. The World T20 could be the start for those back home to realise that UAE can be viable in cricket.Key playersKhurram Khan was UAE’s highest scorer in both qualifying tournaments, World Cup and World T20. He is the team’s best batsman and will be expected to hold the key to their batting push. He is a left-hander and is likely to be comfortable on the Bangladesh pitches that he has claimed to be similar to the ones in the UAE.Surprise packageEighteen-year-old Moaaz Qazi is the youngest player in the UAE team. An off-break bowler, Qazi featured in the recent Under-19 World Cup played in UAE. He took eight wickets in six matches in the tournament. The bowler could have a surprise value, so he might be given a go in the three first-round matches.WeaknessApart from the inexperience, UAE have the tendency to be over-aggressive with their batting. They will need to find the right balance against tougher competition.World T20 historyThis is UAE’s first appearance in World T20s, having ended up fourth in the qualification tournament.Recent formAlthough UAE lost their last two Twenty20 games, they have won eight of their last 13, which means they are getting a grasp of the format. Earlier this month, they beat Hong Kong in a practice game in the UAE too.

ESPNcricinfo previews the Women’s World T20 final as Australia aim for a hat-trick of titles when they face England

The Preview by Andrew McGlashan05-Apr-2014Match FactsApril 6, 2014, Dhaka
Start time 2.30pm (0830GMT)Meg Lanning’s powerful batting has been a feature of Australia’s campaign•ICCThe Big PictureIt is two well-acquainted foes who will go head-to-head for the women’s T20 title. As Anya Shrubsole said on Friday, there is little they do not know about each other: since August last year Australia and England have contested 14 matches.Those games came during the multi-format Ashes. While England retained the ultimate prize in Australia – largely thanks to their Test win in Perth – it was the hosts who prevailed in both shorter formats on home soil, taking the ODIs and T20s 2-1. With two months having passed since those matches they may not mean an awful lot, but Australia will go into the final knowing they have had the better of England in the format recently.Australia are aiming for a hat-trick of titles following their triumphs in West Indies (2010) and Sri Lanka (2012) while England were the champions at the inaugural tournament on home soil in 2009. These two sides slugged out the final in Colombo last time where Charlotte Edwards’ team came up four runs short in a tense finish. Women’s cricket is becoming more competitive by the year, but there will be a familiar name on the trophy.Form guide(Completed matches, most recent first)
Australia WWWWL
England WWWWLWatch out forThe knees may be a bit painful these days, the fielding hard work and the running between the wickets not as brisk as it was, but Charlotte Edwards remains a player for the big occasion. She secured the Ashes with an unbeaten 92 in Hobart having, earlier in the tour, battled the pain of a knee injury to make a crucial 56 in the Test at the WACA. The previous World T20 final brought heartbreak and Edwards will be desperate to atone.Her opposite number, Meg Lanning, has enjoyed an impressive tournament. She has scored 213 runs – boosted by the record 126 against Ireland – but it is the strike-rate which stands out: her figure of 161.36 is the highest of any batsmen to have faced more than 50 deliveries at the event (it helps Australia that the next on that list is opener Elyse Villani). Lanning hit 29 off 22 balls in the semi-final and could have a telling impact on the final in a short space of time. Batting at No. 3 means she has a good chance of facing the prolific Shrubsole: that could be a wonderful contest.Team newsAustralia 1 Elyse Villani, 2 Jess Jonassen, 3 Meg Lanning (capt), 4 Ellyse Perry, 5 Alex Blackwell, 6 Jess Cameron, 7 Alyssa Healy (wk), 8 Erin Osborne, 9 Sarah Coyte, 10 Rene Farrell, 11 Julie HunterEngland 1 Sarah Taylor (wk), 2 Charlotte Edwards (capt), 3 Heather Knight, 4 Lydia Greenway, 5 Nat Sciver, 6 Amy Jones, 7 Tammy Beaumont, 8 Jenny Gunn, 9 Danielle Hazell, 10 Anya Shrubsole, 11 Rebecca GrundyPitch and conditionsThree pitches have been in use at Mirpur during the tournaments so the final is set to take place on a different surface to the two semis. However, conditions have remained fairly consistent throughout and now both sides have had experience of the ground there should not be many surprises.Stats and trivia The five run-outs England made against South Africa equalled the record for a T20 There has yet to be a half-century in a women’s T20 final. The highest individual score is Jess Cameron’s 45 in Colombo Anya Shrubsole’s tournament economy rate of 3.45 is the third best in a women’s World T20Quotes”It would mean a lot to us as a group of players. We are two very evenly matched teams, and it will all come down to who deals with the pressure of the big occasion to determine who comes out of it as winners.”
“We know each other inside out, so we’re able to do our planning and so will England. It’s a really big stage, probably the biggest we’ve played on so it’s about being able to perform on the day.”

Kolkata Knight Riders are worried about Gautam Gambhir’s abysmal form in the first four matches, the team’s assistant coach Vijay Dahiya has said

Nagraj Gollapudi28-Apr-2014Kolkata Knight Riders are worried about Gautam Gambhir’s abysmal form in the first four matches, the team’s assistant coach Vijay Dahiya has said. He stressed that Gambhir remains Knight Riders’ best batsman, and that he needed to find a way to spend more time at the crease to get through the rough patch.”Things have happened in the first few balls he has faced, when he was not set,” Dahiya told ESPNcricinfo, on the eve of Knight Riders’ match against Rajasthan Royals. “Rewind the tape and you will see [Lasith] Malinga got him with a brilliant yorker. Then [against Delhi Daredevils] he played instinctively and the ball went straight to the short fine leg. The third match [versus Royal Challengers Bangalore], against Mitchell Starc, it was swinging a bit and he played across. That you could say was a technical mistake but it was understandable as he wanted to get a start. Then in the last match [against Kings XI Punjab] when he stepped out, the ball was there to be hit.”Credit to him he is showing the confidence, and that he went for the shot. So things are happening too fast. And more than technical it is a bit of a mental thing.”Despite Dahiya’s confidence, Gambhir, the KKR captain and one of the two players retained by the franchise, has just one half-century in his last 15 innings, with five ducks. According to Dahiya, whenever Gambhir has achieved a rhythm he is not over-thinking things. “The best frame of mind for any batsman is to see the ball and play the ball,” Dahiya said. “How quickly you can reach that state of mind is important for someone who is finding it a little difficult to get runs.”In the previous match against Kings XI, Gambhir shifted from his usual opening slot to No. 3. Was that a reaction, an admission that the loss of form was having an impact? “Not at all,” Dahiya said. “It was a team decision. The team knows how important he is, how important the way he plays. He can control the game for us. There was a suggestion he bat at No. 3. He agreed. In fact he was feeling guilty that Manish Pandey, who was getting runs [at No. 3] was asked to open.”Gambhir, Dahiya said, has not been doing anything “special” during the team’s net sessions. Usually an intense character, Gambhir has been exchanging banter during training and throwdowns with Dahiya. “I will be lying to you that he is not feeling the pressure,” Dahiya said. “Every time he holds a bat he is trying to work things out. When you go through this kind of a run you do not want to do anything special.”We all know the way he has played his cricket, he is somebody who is gritty and always fighting it out. But sometimes it stays in your mind and you want to get out of that rut. Sometimes you want to get out very quickly.”According to Dahiya the key is to spend more time at the crease. “The best thing is Gauti knows that,” Dahiya said. “He has done that in the past.”Dahiya stressed that Gambhir was Knight Riders’ best batsman. “Look at the numbers,” Dahiya said. “Whenever we have done well, he has always set the tone.” They have done okay so far without Gambhir setting the tone, just about staying in the top four, but surely it can’t be easy to sustain?

Angus Robson and Ned Eckersley led the fightback with battling half-centuries as Leicestershire sought to avoid defeat against Glamorgan at the SWALEC Stadium.

Press Association27-May-2014
ScorecardNed Eckersley made 68 as Leicestershire made a better fist of their second innings•Getty ImagesAngus Robson and Ned Eckersley led the fightback with battling half-centuries as Leicestershire sought to avoid defeat against Glamorgan at the SWALEC Stadium.The pair put on a third-wicket partnership of 129 to take the visitors to 168 for 3 in their second innings. Leicestershire still need another 73 runs to avoid an innings defeat but theircause was helped by the inclement weather on Tuesday, with just 46.4 overs of play possible due to rain.Having lost opener Greg Smith on Monday night, Leicestershire needed plenty of graft to avoid an innings defeat. But they lost nightwatchman Jigar Naik in the sixth over off the morning for 15 when he inside edged a Tom Helm delivery onto his stumps.Robson and Eckersley kept the score ticking over but the former was given a life when he edged Jim Allenby to gully, where a diving Dean Cosker could not hold onto the chance. Eckersley was then dropped at second slip by Chris Cooke off Michael Hogan as Leicestershire continued to live dangerously.The duo gradually settled into their stride, with Robson thumping Will Bragg for two fours in three balls before bringing up his fourth half-century of the season with a single off the same bowler.Robson, in just his eighth first-class appearance, hammered Will Owen for three successive fours, while Eckersley brought up his half-century with his third boundary before smacking Cosker over his head for six three balls later.Cosker would have his revenge a few overs later as Eckersley attempted to repeat the trick, but succeeded in only finding the hands of Hogan at mid-off to depart for a well-crafted 68 off 98 balls.But Robson, unbeaten on 72 and Ramnaresh Sarwan settled in nicely before coming off for rain at 2.50pm, with the weather ensuring there would be no further play.

Angelo Mathews marked out key England players and foreign conditions as the primary threats as Sri Lanka embarks on a five-match series

Andrew Fidel Fernando21-May-2014Sri Lanka are yet to lose an ODI in 2014, but captain Angelo Mathews remains circumspect, marking out key England players and foreign conditions as the primary threats as his team embarks on a five-match series on Thursday. Sri Lanka have been in Ireland and the UK since the first week of May but failure to acclimatise to both the seaming pitches and the cold has cost the team on past tours.”We have prepared well, and started training back at home early, because we knew the conditions were going to be tough for us,” Mathews said. “The English team is always very hard to beat on home soil. In the T20, they gave us a really good fight, and it was a very close game.”There will be a couple of experienced guys – James Anderson and Alastair Cook – joining their team, and it will make it even harder for us. Alastair and James are very experienced campaigners, and offer a lot to the English team, but we’re prepared for that. We all know James is a very good bowler. But we’re not concentrating on any one individual. They have a bowling line-up who can run through a batting order.”Coach Marvan Atapattu was more assertive in his assessment of his team’s position, suggesting the T20 win on Tuesday had set Sri Lanka’s tour off apace while England continued to falter, on the back of an abysmal winter.”The T20 win was a morale-booster,” Atapattu said. “We always had confidence coming from a World Cup victory. We needed that win to tell ourselves that we are good enough to compete against these guys on their home soil.”We believe if we play our best cricket, we can put any team under pressure. From England’s point of view, they have gone through a couple of shaky series and have a new management and a couple of new players. But we are most concerned with how we perform in English conditions to meet the challenge.”Sri Lanka have aimed for explosive starts to their limited-overs innings this year, with both Tillakaratne Dilshan and Kusal Perera having been given the licence to attack. That tactic has been effective for Sri Lanka in England in past years, most notably in Sanath Jayasuriya’s blitzkriegs in the 2006 ODI series, which Sri Lanka won 5-0.”Not too many batsmen have done it as consistently as Sanath did,” Atapattu said, “but I won’t be surprised if somebody hits form. Why not? With field restrictions, fast outfields and good pitches, batsmen have more chances to be like Sanath these days.”Modern-day cricket encourages and needs someone to be explosive. But it has to come naturally to you, be inherent. It’s not something you can bring out in a day or two. We are lucky to have people like Dilshan or Kusal.”Sri Lanka have hired Surrey coach and Sussex captain Chris Adams for the tour, to help give insight into the conditions, and the opposition, and the move has paid good dividends, Mathews said.”We’ve got a lot of information from him – especially the ground conditions, the wickets. We are trying to get as much as we can from him, because he’s been playing the game for so many years in counties.”

Australia A opener Phillip Hughes struck an unbeaten hundred and shared a 202-run first-wicket stand with Alex Doolan on the final day of the four-day game against India A that ended in a predictable draw

ESPNcricinfo staff16-Jul-2014
ScorecardFile photo – Phillip Hughes was particularly aggressive against Umesh Yadav•Getty ImagesAustralia A opener Phillip Hughes struck an unbeaten hundred and shared a 202-run opening stand with Alex Doolan on the final day of the four-day game against India A that ended in a predictable draw. Only 50.2 overs were bowled before rain forced an early conclusion.The Australia A openers were cautious at the start of the day but cut loose as the session progressed. Hughes took on Yadav, taking 53 runs off 46 balls he faced from the bowler. Hughes hit six fours off Yadav in the 35 overs before lunch and then struck the bowler for 18 runs early in the second session.Doolan reached his fifty in the first over after lunch and steadily climbed to 91. He took his runs off fast bowler Jasprit Bumrah and B Aparajith, the sole spinner in the Indian attack on the fourth day.The first match of the two-match unofficial Test series had also been a draw. The two teams will now play in a quadrangular series that also features South Africa A and Cricket Australia’s National Performance Squad.

A record Gloucestershire last-wicket stand between Craig Miles and Liam Norwell delayed Worcestershire’s win and brought much delight at the Cheltenham Festival

Paul Edwards at Cheltenham College23-Jul-2014
ScorecardEven Jack Shantry was overshadowed by a record last-wicket stand•PA PhotosWhen Gloucestershire supporters arrived at Cheltenham, all the talk was of recovery and resurrection. This was appropriate, given that the College Ground is overlooked by both a hospital and a chapel.It is unknown whether director of cricket John Bracewell does, indeed, possess thaumaturgical powers, but by the end of a day full of wonders there were many excited Cheltonians claiming that tail-enders Craig Miles and Liam Norwell were miracle-workers of a sort, even if they could not prevent Worcestershire’s eight-wicket victory.The reasoning behind such a bizarre contention can be found by a swift glance at the game’s scorecard and we should be in no doubt that both Miles and Norwell will be asked to autograph plenty of these over the years.Coming together with their side on 152 for 9, Gloucestershire’s last pair added 137 which is now a 10th wicket record for the county. Norwell’s career-best 78 – he tripled his previous mark – is the highest score ever made by a Gloucestershire No11 while Miles’ 62 also bettered his previous best first-class effort.However, the nature of the partnership was even more remarkable than its statistics. What began as a cheerful thrash gradually developed into a proper stand between two cricketers who played straight, hit through the line and made very few errors. Worcestershire skipper Daryl Mitchell was forced to use his occasional bowlers but none of it affected Miles and Norwell’s cool approach to their task.It almost came as a surprise when Charlie Morris defeated Norwell’s back-foot defensive shot shortly after the tea interval that few spectators thought they would be on the ground to enjoy. The fact that Worcestershire batsmen made little fuss about scoring the 51 runs they needed to clinch the victory, albeit at the cost of both openers, did not detract from the sheer entertainment that had been served up to a festival crowd which had not remotely expected such glorious fun.”Our first job was to make it as hard as possible for them to win but when it became clear that we could make them bat again that became our goal,” said Norwell. “I played a few rash shots but Craig kept me in line and I think he’s a good enough batsman to go in at seven or eight later in his career.”Yet while so much of the last day’s applause was showered on Gloucestershire’s last pair, the 23 points for victory were collected by Worcestershire, whose win takes them 43 points clear of Surrey having played one game fewer.Mitchell’s men are in ruthless mood these days and you would now get very poor odds on them winning their league title. They seem to be sailing towards promotion as smoothly and serenely as the hot air balloons that float above Leckhampton Hill.The win will be particularly satisfying for Mitchell and Director of Cricket Steve Rhodes given that it was achieved without Saeed Ajmal, whose 63 wickets have been widely cited as explaining the county’s success. The latter argument surely gives insufficient credit to bowlers like Jack Shantry whose left-arm round the wicket medium-fast bowling removed four Gloucestershire batsmen on the final day of this game and took his season’s bag of wickets to 40.The awkwardness of facing Shantry has now been compounded by the fact that he now seems likely to be brought on after another left-arm seamer Mitchell McClenaghan, who operates in the classic over the wicket fashion and at a considerably greater pace than his new colleague.McClenaghan’s short hostile spells were very impressive in this game until Norwell took a liking to whacking him over the top and he marked his first-class debut for Worcestershire by taking the first two wickets on the third morning.Nightwatchman Tom Smith wafted at a rapid delivery but only edged a catch to Ben Cox while Will Tavare attempted a pull but merely skied the ball towards square leg. Morris jogged round to complete the catch.Already the Worcestershire attack scented prey and skipper Mitchell offered his bowlers every support, on one occasion even giving McClenaghan an 8:1 field including a fly slip. Yet this wicket remained one on which good batsmen could play their shots, a contention proved by Alex Gidman who took heavy toll of Joe Leach and had creamed seven sweet boundaries in 37 runs when he played down the wrong line to Shantry.Two overs later the left-armer – watty-handed they call it in these parts – produced a fine ball to induce an edge from Hamish Marshall and Gloucestershire were 84 for 5 half an hour before lunch. The morning had already illustrated the home top order’s problems in this game: when they got in, they could rarely stay in.The home team’s plight barely affected the mood on the ground during the luncheon interval. Martial tunes were provided by musicians from the Royal Logistics Corps. Gloucestershire may have been sinking but the band played on. In front of the marquees at the College Lawn End a flotilla of panamas floated on a pastel sea.In the distance Cleeve Hill relaxed in summer’s warm haze, a study in green framed by blue. At the Chapel End men bought Wisdens and talked of stocks and shares.Two balls after lunch Will Gidman clipped Morris straight to Shantry at square leg. Ian Cockbain and Benny Howell both fell to Shantry shortly afterwards and when Adam Rouse was caught by Mitchell off Joe Leach, people prepared to take their leave. Little did they know that the party was just getting going.