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ScorecardKedar Jadhav and Iqbal Abdulla powered West Zone to the final of the Deodhar Trophy in a one-sided semi-final against East Zone in Mohali. Jadhav’s 114, which came off only 69 balls, helped West Zone set up a daunting target, and left-arm spinner Abdulla strangled East Zone’s chase as he picked up 6 for 32.East elected to bowl and were soon put under pressure by openers Parthiv Patel (69) and Ajinkya Rahane (36), who racked up an 84-run opening partnership in good time. The departure of both openers brought Jadhav and Pujara (70) to the centre. By the time Jadhav was out, the partnership was worth 171 runs in 23.2 overs. None of the bowlers were spared from the onslaught. Later, Mumbai’s Suryakumar Yadav blasted three sixes and two fours in an 11-ball 27 to push West’s total beyond 300 and dent the fielding team’s confidence.With the momentum against them, East lost Dheeraj Jadhav in the second over to Jaydev Unadkat. However, it was the introduction of Abdulla inside the first 10 overs that derailed the chase. Abdulla spun a web around the batsmen and accounted for the next four wickets before East got to 100 runs. Saurabh Tiwary resisted the slide with his unbeaten 112 off 95 balls, but with other batsmen falling prey to Abdulla and Co, he was left stranded as the innings folded in the 40th over.Kedar Jadhav was awarded Man-of-the-match for setting up the win. West Zone now travel to Dharamsala for the final, which is on March 19. The second finalist will be decided tomorrow when Central Zone take on North Zone in Dharamsala.

ScorecardGraham Wagg took 6 for 44 against his old county Derbyshire on the opening day of Glamorgan’s County Championship Division Two match in Cardiff.Wagg, a left-arm seamer, claimed the first four wickets to fall as Derbyshire slumped to 130 all out in their first innings despite winning the toss and opting to bat. They were Wagg’s best bowling figures for Glamorgan. But in reply Glamorgan had slumped to 37 for 4 by the close which came at 7.03pm because of three rain breaks.Wagg, whose career best is 6 for 35 against Surrey in 2009, struck with the fifth delivery of the match as Martin Guptill, fresh from a match-winning century against Northamptonshire, edged to gully where Dean Cosker took a fine low catch. The former Derbyshire bowler broke through again trapping skipper Wayne Madsen leg before.From 16 for 2 Wagg further reduced Derbyshire by having Paul Borrington lbw and Glamorgan had their first bowling point after only 45 minutes play. Wagg had not finished there. He claimed his fourth victim when Durston edged an expansive drive behind.Dan Redfern, who last week completed his maiden Championship hundred in the win against Northamptonshire, was the fifth wicket to fall, going leg before to Jim Allenby, to leave the visitors 44 for 5 in the 16th over.But Derbyshire suffered no further scares before lunch as Ross Whiteley and David Wainwright doubled the score, reaching the interval at 88 for 5. Only two overs were possible after lunch as a violent thunderstorm kept the players off the field for nearly two hours.When they returned at 3.45pm Wainwright was trapped leg before to Allenby’s first ball leaving ending a 48-run partnership with Whiteley who soon became Wagg’s fifth victim when he had his leg stump pinned back before Jon Clare was caught behind. Glamorgan’s Australian overseas signing Moises Henriques cleaned up the innings taking the last two wickets of Tony Palladino and Mark Footitt.Glamorgan, who had been reduced to 25 for 5 in their defeat against Leicestershire at Grace Road last week, suffered an early setback to their reply when opener Gareth Rees was bowled by Palladino in the fifth over not offering a stroke.Stewart Walters was next to go, dragging Footitt on, before Will Bragg was adjudged lbw pushing half forward. Just before the close Ben Wright also went lbw with Dean Cosker sent out as a nightwatchman.

ScorecardRuns from Gary Wilson and Ed Joyce combined with some tight bowling at the death helped Ireland sneak a two-run win over Kenya and wrap up the Twenty20 series 3-0.With 13 balls of the innings remaining, Kenya had six wickets in hand and only 11 runs required for victory. But after Tanmay Mishra was dismissed for 37 off the final delivery of the 18th over, Ireland ruthlessly strangled the lower order. George Dockrell removed Ragheb Aga and conceded just four off his final over, leaving John Mooney to defend seven: he leaked four, and had Alex Obanda caught, to seal a nail-biting win.Kenya had failed to defend the same total in the first T20 on Wednesday but looked to be well set for a consolation victory at 59 for 2 in the 13th over. However, Boyd Rankin’s dismissal of Collins Obuya for 42 checked the hosts’ progress and despite a 35-run partnership between Mishra and Aga, Ireland held their nerve.The tourists’ effort had been built on solid middle-order contributions from Wilson and Joyce but they were the only Irishmen to reach double-figures on another spin-friendly pitch. Slow left-armer Shem Ngoche claimed his best T20 figures of 4 for 14 but in the end the 55-run stand between Wilson and Joyce provided the central plank of Ireland’s victory.

Table leaders Central Districts advanced to the final of the Ford Trophy after their match against Auckland at Pukekura Park was rained out. Rain intervened after Central Districts reached 16 without loss in response to 230. Auckland were carried to that score thanks to an aggressive rearguard effort by Colin Munro and Colin de Grandhomme, who scored 60s and added 92 in just under 10 overs. They came together at 109 for 5 in the 31st over and went on the attack. Munro made 64 off 60 balls while de Grandhomme smashed seven sixes in his 35-ball 66. Marty Kain’s 4 for 46 helped Central Districts bowl out Auckland before they could bat out their 50 overs.Auckland, at second place in the points table, will have another shot at qualifying for the final when they face Otago in the third preliminary final on Wednesday.The battle between the third and fourth-placed teams in the tournament went Otago‘s way in a gripping low-scorer at Dunedin’s University Oval. The hosts, Otago, were bowled out for 172 in just than 40 overs, but Canterbury, despite their strong start, collapsed to lose by 12 runs. Sam Wells top-scored for Otago with 41 at No.6 to lift them to a match-winning score. Canterbury were coasting at 93 for 1 in just under 25 overs, led by Peter Fulton’s half-century, but the wicket of Shanan Stewart triggered a collapse. Jimmy Neesham, the right-arm seamer, dismissed Fulton soon after and took three more wickets to take the game away from Canterbury. Otago claimed the last seven wickets for only 30 runs and the victory set up their virtual semi-final clash with Auckland.

The international community should take decisive steps to ensure cricket returns to Pakistan as soon as the safety of visiting teams can be guaranteed, former PCB chairman Majid Khan has said. Majid, who is on the executive committee of the MCC, presented a security update on the situation in Pakistan at the body’s latest meeting in Cape Town over the weekend.Majid reported on an improved Pakistan situation, where security threats are minimal, and the MCC received his review with “optimism.” They are considering sending a delegation to Pakistan to conduct further assessment and Majid is hopeful that this will be the start of Pakistan hosting cricket again.”Whether the observers will come before [the next MCC meeting in] August I am not sure. The committee will also decide what sort of players they will send, whether it is a University team or just volunteers who are willing to go as an MCC team,” Majid told ESPNcricinfo at Newlands. “Regardless of what standard it is, they will still go to play and it will break the ice.”No Test team has toured Pakistan since the ghastly terrorist attack on the Sri Lankan team bus in Lahore in 2009. Afghanistan are the only national team to have played there in the interim. The Pakistan team now plays its ‘home’ matches in the United Arab Emirates, where they have hosted series against South Africa and Sri Lanka, and are currently preparing to play England.Bangladesh are the only team to have responded to a request to tour Pakistan. The PCB have invited them to visit in April, subject to a security check and various security guarantees which included bullet- and bomb-proof buses. Actions such as these are what Majid wants other countries and the ICC to engage in to take cricket back to Pakistan.”It’s up to the international community to make up their minds and assess the situation themselves, which they haven’t done,” he said. “They have to decide when they want to play in Pakistan. The ICC task force hasn’t visited Pakistan personally. I think it is time for the world community to physically come and start the process. If Bangladesh comes it will ease the fears of the international community but it all depends on the ICC and how quickly they would like to see Pakistan hosting home series.”Majid’s report may tempt the ICC, to whom the MCC presents recommendations, to evaluate the situation themselves. “Terrorist activity has abated a lot,” he said. His foremost example is of the British Army team who travelled to Pakistan army in December.”Just before their arrival, the NATO strike occurred,” Majid said, making a reference to the November 26 strike along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border, which killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. “In deference to the soldiers, they postponed the games but the British Army team arrived in Pakistan. They practiced in the capital, Islamabad, without any security. They went up to a hill resort called Murree, spent a day there and they are thinking of returning in February to play the games. That’s a positive sign.”While the average Pakistan cricket supporter is keen to see cricketing action resuming in the country, Majid thinks there may be some sceptics. The spot-fixing trial and convictions have cast a long shadow over cricket in Pakistan and Majid says many fans have begun to doubt the honesty of the game.”There is a lot of cynicism among the public. If any match or series, Pakistan do badly, people start questioning. I’m sure if Pakistan had been bowled out for 47 against South Africa here [at Newlands], there would have been lots of questions.”That cynicism has to be done away with. We have to tackle the corruption problem and bring back the confidence of the public.” Majid believes the only way to do that will be to ensure that harsh punishments are meted out to those who are found guilty of cheating.He said stronger sentences, such as the jail terms that Salman Butt, Mohammad Asif and Mohammed Amir are currently serving, play a dual role of acting as a deterrent to would-be offenders, and as a reassurance to the public that the problem is being taken seriously. “Overall, it has sent the message, ‘watch out,’ which is good,” Majid said.

In a dramatic finish Islamabad nearly collapsed to what would have been a shocking loss but hung on to win by three wickets against Rawalpindi at the Diamond Club Ground in Islamabad. Islamabad had to chase just 87 to win, and were 53 for 1 at one stage. The middle order collapsed, with three wickets falling with the score on 64 and two more with the score on 76. That left Rawalpindi with a slim chance of a win but luckily for Islamabad their eighth-wicket pair kept their nerve and avoided what would have been an embarrassing defeat.Islamabad had dominated the majority of the first two days but Rawalpindi had started to show some signs of a fightback, reaching 100 for 3 by the end of the second day. They went on to score 256, with Awais Zia scoring 71. Seamer Fakhar Hussain, who took three wickets in the first innings, took five in the second and Islamabad were left with what looked like an easy target. They wobbled though, and it was seamers Nasir Malik, who took 4 for 38, and Rashid Latif, who claimed three scalps to take his match-haul to eight, who did the damage. Afaq Raheem’s 36 at the top of the order had taken Islamabad to a position of comfort but they needed their Nos. 8 and 9 to take them home.

Kamran Sajid’s unbeaten century helped Pakistan International Airlines stroll to an eight-wicket win against table-toppers Water and Power Development Authority at the Marghzar Cricket Ground in Islamabad. WAPDA set PIA 211 to win, which looked like it could be a tricky target in a low-scoring match. PIA, however, turned around that trend by cruising to the target in 57.2 overs for the loss of just two wickets. Sajid scored 104 not out and Faisal Iqbal reached 68 not out to complete the chase. WAPDA had conceded an eight-run first-innings lead and started the third day on 169 for 7. They added another 49 runs but the target they set was not enough. The victory takes PIA to within six points of WAPDA at the top of the table.

Faisalabad offered their first bit of resistance with the bat on the third day but it was not enough to stop Abbottabad from notching up their first win of the season, by an innings and 37 runs at the Gohati Cricket Stadium in Swabi. Faisalabad had been bowled out for 74 in their first innings and were 42 for 4 in their second at the start of the third day. That was soon 42 for 5 but then Zeeshan Butt reached a half-century and put together a 59-run partnership with Asif Hussain. There were a few contributions from the lower order to take Faisalabad to 200, but it was not even enough to make Abbottabad bat again. Abbottabad’s bowlers shared the wickets around. It was a big result for them after they had lost each of their first six games.

Half-centuries from Kamran Akmal, Nasir Jamshed and Qaiser Abbas took National Bank of Pakistan to 248 for 4 after they and State Bank of Pakistan had both scored 282 in their first innings at the Iqbal Stadium in Faisalabad. The match was evenly balanced at the start of the third day, with State Bank on 237 for 6 and they could only add another 45 runs to draw level with National Bank’s first-innings score. Mohammad Talha took three wickets on the third day to finish with figures of 5 for 78. National Bank got their runs quickly in their second innings, scoring at 4.20 an over, and will look to push for an outright win on the final day. Kamran gave them a swift start with his 74 off 72 balls but National Bank then slipped to 139 for 4. Jamshed and Abbas put together an unbeaten 109-run stand to give National Bank the edge.

Karachi Blues, who had fought back against Sialkot on the second day, took control of the match at the Jinnah Stadium in Sialkot on the third. They took their second-innings total to 432 to 9, putting them 349 runs ahead with a day to play. Shahzaib Hasan and Asad Baig had reached 121 for 0 by the end of the second day and took the partnership to 158 on the third. Shahzaib fell nine runs short of a hundred, while Baig scored 64. Wajihuddin also scored a half-century but a few quick wickets left Karachi 285 for 7. Captain Mohammad Sami, though, scored 61 at No. 9 to take the total beyond 400. Sialkot will face a tough chase on the fourth day.

Zarai Taraqiati Bank Limited need seven wickets to beat Habib Bank Limited at the Rawalpindi Cricket Stadium after their batsmen set HBL a target of 376. HBL’s top order put up a better performance than they did in the first innings, when they were bowled out for 156, but they were 101 for 3 by stumps. ZTBL had started the day 119 for 1 and took their score to 330. Sharjeel Khan scored 88 and Yasir Hameed completed his half-century too to lay a solid base. HBL took a few quick wickets but Zohaib Khan scored 72 to make sure there was no collapse. Danish Kaneria was HBL’s most-successful bowler, taking 5 for 60, but his efforts look unlikely to be enough.

Tillakaratne Dilshan, the Sri Lanka captain, has criticised his batsmen’s inability to take ownership of a modest chase during the fourth ODI against Pakistan in Sharjah, a defeat that cost them the five-match series. Chasing 201, Sri Lanka were on course to level the series at 155 for 3 before they collapsed, losing seven wickets for 19 runs.”It’s unbelievable to lose seven wickets for 20 odd runs,” Dilshan said. “[Shahid] Afridi batted and bowled well, but it was really disappointing to lose from a winning position. We were in a good position but we relaxed and no one took the responsibility. As a batting unit we should have finished the game.”As a captain I can’t do anything to change the players’ game. As a team unit we have to take responsibility.”Since the 2011 World Cup, Sri Lanka have lost Test and ODI series to England, Australia and Pakistan. Dilshan, however, said he didn’t think his leadership would come under scrutiny.”I don’t know what their [Sri Lanka Cricket] views are but I was appointed captain until the South Africa series [in December] so I didn’t think [about being removed] but lets see how things goes on.”Dilshan also called for the younger players in his side to take the opportunities they’re being given. “We are giving opportunities to the young players and they have to grab them. But at this point they aren’t and are throwing their wickets sometimes. They have to learn and show that they are ready for international cricket.”Sri Lanka have already lost the one-day series to Pakistan 1-3 with a match to go in Abu Dhabi, followed by a Twenty20 international on November 25. “We have to finish the series in a strong manner,” Dilshan said.

West ZoneLed by India batsman Rohit Sharma and left-arm spinner Ankeet Chavan, Mumbai blitzed Maharashtra by 99 runs at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot and took Mumbai to the to the top of the West Zone points table. Rohit top scored with a scorching 68 from 37 balls to take Mumbai to 211 for 4 before Chavan ripped out Maharashtra’s top and middle order to derail the chase and leave only the margin of victory in doubt. Maharashtra chose to field and Sushant Marathe and Rohit quickly made them pay, adding 77 for the second wicket in just six overs. Marathe was run out for 49, having struck three fours and four sixes, but Suryakumar Yadav (20 from 10) and then Prashant Naik (48 not out from 26) made sure Mumbai would not stumble. Chavan then took over, taking four wickets as Maharashtra were reduced to 47 for 5 and it was only a late flurry from Sangram Atitkar that took past 100 before the innings folder for 112 in the 18th over.Sheldon Jackson scored a career-best 73 to help Saurashtra beat Baroda by 14 runs at the Khandheri Cricket Stadium in Rajkot. Jackson’s knock was studded with 12 fours and two sixes and lifted Saurashtra to competitive total of 151 for 6. While Ambati Rayudu (37) and Yusuf Pathan (19) were at the crease, it looked like Baroda would overhaul their target, but they fell off successive deliveries in the seventh over and Barodo never recovered, eventually stumbling to 137 for 7.North ZoneDelhi made heavy weather of a small target but sneaked home off the last ball to beat Haryana by four wickets at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Haryana struggled after deciding to bat first and it was only thanks to Sunny Singh’s aggressive 43 that included four fours and three sixes that they even managed to post 104 for 8. Pradeep Sagwan took 3 for 13 to lead the Delhi bowlers. India batsman Virender Sehwag, who has recently returned from injury, got the chase off to a good start, but his opening partner, Chetan Sharma, was stuck in first gear, and limped to 12 off 37 balls. Sehwag was caught of Dhruv Singh for 30 in the 10th over and that set off a minor collapse, as Delhi lost three wickets for three runs. But Rajat Bhatia’s cautious innings of 18 made sure they got to their target in the end, albeit with no room to spare.Left-arm spinner Rajwinder Singh produced an exceptional spell of 4 for 7, but it was not enough to prevent Services from pipping Punjab by two wickets at the Delhi Public School ground in Rohtak. Asked to bat, Punjab, with India batsman Yuvaj Singh and offspinner Harbhajan Singh in their side, never got going. They lost wickets at regular intervals and were unable able to build momentum, ending up with 113 for 7. Services lost two wickets early and Rajwinder ran through the middle order, taking two wickets in two balls in the 14th over, (he also ran out opener Sumit Singh for a duck), but the low target meant Services were able to stay ahead of the required rate and they got home with an over to spare. The win moved them to joint-first with Punjab and Delhi in the North Zone, with all three teams on 12 points.Abhinav Bali’s half-century set-up Himachal Pradesh‘s nine-run win over Jammu & Kashmir at the Bansi Lal Cricket Stadium in Rohtak. Bali made 73, and added 68 with Paras Dogra, as HP posted 134 for 5. Jammu & Kashmir were in with a chance as long as opener Adil Rishi was at the crease. He anchored their chase with 70 from 54 balls, striking six fours and two sixes, but he was dismissed in the 16th over halted J&K’s momentum and they were only able to add a further 24 runs from the last 4.5 overs to fall short of their target.Central ZoneRailways registered a comprehensive ten-wicket victory over Vidarbha at the Holkar Cricket Stadium in Indore. Their openers, Shreyas Khanolkar and Mahesh Rawat, hit rapid half-centuries to chase down 136 with almost five overs to spare and propel Railways to second in the Central Zone points table. Khanolkar hit eight fours and two sixes in his 71 off 58 balls, while Rawat got 56 off 43 with seven fours. Earlier, the Railways bowlers had struck with regularity to keep Vidarbha to 135 for 9. The only contribution of note for Vidarbha came from opener Alind Naidu, who made 57 off 50 balls.Uttar Pradesh defended 168 against Rajasthan, to win their second match in three games at the Holkar Cricket Stadium. Uttar Pradesh chose to bat and their total was set up by a team performance: six of the seven players who batted got into double figures, but none made more than Mohammad Kaif’s 47. Piyush Chawla then troubled Rajasthan’s top and middle order, taking 3 for 27 in his four overs. Puneet Yadav kept Rajasthan in the match with an unbeaten 43 from 28 balls, but did not find adequate support from the lower order as his side fell 28 short of their target.East ZoneBengal beat Orissa by an impressive 78-run margin at the Keenan Stadium in Jamshedpur, consolidating their position at the top of the East Zone table. Bengal chose to bat and were carried to a competitive 143 for 6 primarily by Abhishek Jhunjhunwala, who was hit an unbeaten 54 from 37 balls. Orissa then imploded for 65, as nine of their batsmen were dismissed for single digit scores. The Bengal bowlers shared the wickets around, but Shami Ahmed and Iresh Saxena were particularly impressive, taking five wickets for just 23 runs between them.Assam‘s bowlers put in tidy performances to help their side to a 17-run win against Jharkhand at the Keenan Stadium. Batting first, Assam made 131 for 7. R Sathish with 41 and Dheeraj Jadhav with 37 were solid, but spinners Sujit Yadav and Shahbaz Nadeem struck at regular intervals to restrict Assam. The target, though, turned out to be enough. Assam’s new ball bowlers reduced Jharkhand to 8 for 2, and kept the game within their team’s grasp from there on. While all the bowlers struck, Abu Nechim was the pick, taking 3 for 12, as well as effecting a run out.

It may only have been a Twenty20 game, the pitch may not have been the most taxing, and the bowling may not have asked too many questions, but the half-century from Gautam Gambhir at the Chinnaswamy Stadium on Thursday was still significant. Not only did it propel Kolkata Knight Riders to a campaign-saving win, it was also Gambhir’s first noteworthy innings since concussion cut short his involvement in India’s wretched tour of England.The concussion caused blurry vision, dizziness and nausea, forcing him out of action for a month, even making him miss the qualifying phase of the Champions League T20. His first game on return was against Somerset on Sunday, where he picked up a golden duck. There was only marginal improvement in his next match, where he punched a catch to extra cover for 9 as South Australia pummelled the Knight Riders to a second defeat.Against the Bangalore Royal Challengers, the Knight Riders decided to re-jig the top order, leaving out wicketkeeper and opener Manvinder Bisla and giving Australia’s Brad Haddin his first game of the tournament. The move worked as Haddin clobbered his way to a 27-ball 42, which absolved his opening partner Jacques Kallis of the responsibility to play more expansive strokes.By the time Gambhir walked in, the Knight Riders were well placed at 62 for 1 in the eighth over. He had a muscled shot tipped over for six at long-off early on, but barring that sliver of a chance for Saurabh Tiwary, Gambhir played an untroubled innings, not needing to resort to slogs despite scoring at a Twenty20 rate.Gautam Gambhir found reason to smile in the company of Jacques Kallis•Associated Press

There were the pokes and nudges for singles square on both sides, his ease against spin was on display with a couple of boundaries against Syed Mohammad – one a down-the-track lofted straight hit and the other a backfoot punch past backward point – and by the time he accepted some freebies from Dirk Nannes in the 13th over, the Knight Riders were on course for their first win of the campaign.He finished off with a bunch of sixes against Bangalore’s main threats, Daniel Vettori and Nannes, needing only five deliveries to shoot from 34 to the half-century. Gambhir said the late surge was prompted by the Knight Riders’ need to increase the net run-rate, which still remains negative though they beat the Royal Challengers with 15 deliveries to spare.”We knew we had to win both the games if we had to stay in the competition, and that run-rate would play an important role,” Gambhir said after the match. “We reached a stage where we could accelerate, for that we had to set the base and we did it perfectly.”Gambhir was also pleased with his batting effort, especially as the Indian team has a busy five months coming up, culminating in the high-profile tour of Australia. “This was very important,” he said. “Any runs under your belt is important for your confidence, especially given the amount of cricket that is coming in the future, so it is very satisfying, most satisfying thing was that your runs help your side win.”The Knight Riders will be thrilled with the victory over Royal Challengers but still need a big win against the unbeaten Warriors on Saturday to stay in contention for the semi-finals, which adds to the importance of the half-century from Gambhir – their captain and the player around whom they built their team.

Scorecard
While Durham’s County Championship title hopes drifted away on the remnants of Hurricane Katia, Worcestershire made virtually certain of Division One safety on the first day at Chester-le-Street.On a day when the strength of the wind forced the umpires to dispense with bails, the willingness of Alan Richardson to keep running in was invaluable to the visitors. By taking 3 for 46 in 24.4 overs he became the first bowler in Division One to 70 wickets and the pressure he applied played a big part in Durham’s slide from 146 for 2 to 264 all out.In 10 overs Worcestershire replied with 21 for one and led bottom club Hampshire by 19 points with power to add. The likelihood of Hampshire gaining more than 19 from their match against leaders Warwickshire looked very remote. Yorkshire’s relegation was confirmed at 2.20pm, when Will Smith was bowled by Kemar Roach for 66 to give Worcestershire their first bowling point and ensure they stay above the Tykes.Durham began the day 15 points adrift of top spot, but hopes of a dramatic climax to the season began to drain away as Warwickshire piled on the runs at the Rose Bowl. Only Dale Benkenstein seemed motivated to match Smith’s application, but after the opener’s departure sparked the decline, Durham’s middle-order rock was in danger of running out of partners when he edged to second slip for 33.Durham began by winning the toss for the 14th time in 16 championship games and the Worcestershire bowlers would be grateful that the wind was blowing across the pitch. Michael Di Venuto was lucky to survive two successive balls in the second over as Richardson had him dropped at gully on one by Gareth Andrew then a confident lbw appeal was turned down.Di Venuto went on to make 33 before Andrew had him lbw, then Mark Stoneman shouldered arms and fell lbw to Richardson in the final over before lunch. Smith scored only three runs in the first 75 minutes and Richardson had bowled 13 overs for 16 runs when Smith twice edged him for four on his way to a 131-ball half-century. It took a superb inswinging yorker from Roach to dislodge him.Richardson had Paul Collingwood caught behind for 22 and when the gentle medium pace of Daryl Mitchell was introduced for one over Ian Blackwell hit him for six and four before being pinned in front by a gentle wobbler.Roach took two more wickets to finish with 3 for 57 and when Worcestershire batted it was tough going for James Cameron and Mitchell, who edged Graham Onions to Phil Mustard four overs from the close.