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Hampshire followed up Fidel Edwards’ ferocious second-evening spell by beating Sussex and telling the West Indian quick they had never seen anything faster

Vithushan Ehantharajah at Hove09-Jun-2015
ScorecardFidel Edwards’ pace blew his Hampshire team-mates away•PA PhotosHampshire have secured their first Championship win of the season with a six-wicket win at Hove, a ground that has now hosted its third three-day result game in a row. But this was nothing to do with the pitch: the visitors put together their best performance of the season, typified by Fidel Edwards’ first five-wicket haul for the county.Edwards’ 5 for 58 was not only Hampshire’s first five-for of the season, but it was also his first since taking 6 for 90 in a Test against Bangladesh, back in November 2012. That match in Khulna was his last for the West Indies across all formats and, in signing as a Kolpak player, at the age of 32, it seems that his international days are behind him. This will be his last four-day game for Hampshire before he jets off to the Caribbean Premier League on Sunday.His spell yesterday was a reminder of the confrontational attitude he used to save for the world’s best. The “you can’t see me” celebration: the hair is grown out but the swagger remains. His skipper Jimmy Adams said his spell at the end of day two was the fastest he had ever seen in domestic cricket, a point backed up by the rest of the Hampshire team, who told Edwards as much in the dressing room.Fidel on making big waves

On helping Hampshire secure their first Championship win at Hove in the last nine attempts “I’ve heard we hadn’t won here for a long time, so that’s good. The pitch was quick but not as quick as thought it would be. It was good though to bowl with the wind behind me. That’s my job – I’m here to get at batsman, bowl fast and get people out!”

On his Hampshire future beyond 2015: “I signed a Kolpak deal for Hampshire and hopefully I can extend that for the next couple of years. That’s my aim. Hampshire have a lot of West Indian greats playing for them so hopefully I can do my best to join that bunch.”

On his speed: “When I was younger, I was clocked a couple of times, when I first started, at around 96 or 97mph. Hopefully I can still bend my back like that at this age.

On his first experience of the English domestic season: “It’s been lovely – just a bit cold and wet! I’m looking to see what the sunshine can do and it was good to see a bit today. Last night, I went for a walk by the sea and it was terrible! The waves were kicking and I was right next to the sea! But it’s a good experience to be here and experience the cold for so long.”

Edwards was so quick last night that, when Wright decided to take him on, Adams moved one of his slips to a back-stop position for the top-edge. “I hadn’t set a field like that before – maybe not since my under-10s,” laughed Adams at the close. He confirmed the decision was Edwards and he was more than happy to oblige him.Edwards’ fifth wicket came this morning when he removed nightwatchman Steve Magoffin with his fourth ball before both he and Jackson Bird were put under pressure by Luke Wright and Ben Brown. Bird in particular, in his first Championship game of a season that has already been hampered with shoulder and neck injuries, struggled throughout the match.Having started the morning session from the Sea End, Bird switched to the Cromwell Road to calamitous effect. His first four overs went for 28, with his first going for 12, as Brown took him for three consecutive boundaries.It seemed that Wright and Brown could milk him easily until the new ball. Earlier, Brown had benefited from a poor drop from Danny Briggs, who shelled a routine catch with the batsman on 13, when he ran around to square leg for a top edge that would have given Edwards his sixth wicket. The joint hundred came off 164 balls as the complexion of the game started to change.And then, with the lead standing at 122, it happened: the first of two brain-fades that led to a lower-order collapse of four for four.The first came from Brown, who decided to take a risky single to the last ball of a Bird over that had already leaked 11 runs. He hit the ball to the left of cover, Will Smith, who ran around the ball to pick-up right-handed and throw down the stumps with Wright short of his ground.Brown’s misery was compounded when he became the recipient of what must have been Bird’s best ball of the match: a good-to-full length ball that jumped up to say hello and take the top of his glove, giving Sean Ervine a simple low catch at first slip. He sunk to his knees as Bird streamed past him, before returning to the pavilion flanked by the rest of those on the pitch as lunch was taken early.Ollie Robinson was the next to go, failing to take note of a deep square leg and finding him perfectly, just nine balls after the restart. With him went any realistically possible of quick runs, leaving Briggs to take his first wicket of the innings – caught bat-pad – to finish Sussex off.With just 125 to defend, it was Magoffin or bust for the home side. Their lead man ran in, unchanged for eight overs, from the Cromwell Road End. Bats were beaten, an edge fell short of Ed Joyce at first slip and a length was pounded, but to no avail.Jimmy Adams hit a quick 30 from 33 balls, seemingly trying to throttle the nerves out of the chase. When he departed with 51 on the board, in the 12th over, the runs came at a slower pace. Sean Terry, in his second game of the season, got some valuable time in the middle on his way to a first Championship half-century of the season and a career best in first-class cricket.Terry can take pride in the fact that he carried his bat through this chase, while more senior heads came and went. He’ll have a bruised thumb as a souvenir, for a week or so at least, after he was clocked by a sharp one from Hobden. But he and Hampshire will take that, as they finally get a win on the board.

Surrey have signed Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques for this summer’sNatWest T20 Blast

ESPNcricinfo staff02-Apr-2015Surrey have signed Australia all-rounder Moises Henriques for this summer’sNatWest T20 Blast.Henriques will join Surrey immediately after the Indian Premier League seasonconcludes at the end of next month and will be with them throughout their Blastcampaign and also as overseas cover for Kumar Sangakkara depending on his Test commitments in the second half of the summer.Henriques, 28, capped by his country in all formats but notselected for the forthcoming Ashes, said: “I’m really looking forward toplaying for Surrey this season. It’s a club with a proud history and an excitingsquad.“I’ve seen some of the names that are coming to England to be involved in theNatWest T20 Blast this summer, so am looking forward to testing myself againstsome of the best players in the world.”

Masandawana have already booked their spot in the quarter-finals with a game to spare and they will now face the Sudanese giants on Saturday

Sundowns rested some of their key players during their last game which was a Group A clash against Al Merrikh's Sudanese rivals, Al Hilal Omdurman, on March 19 as the Tshwane giants secured a 4-2 win.

Masandawana will now be looking to end a successful group stage with a win over Al Merrikh.

GOAL takes a look at how the PSL champions could start at FNB Stadium.

BackpagepixGOALKEEPER – Reyaad Pieterse

The towering shot-stopper was given an opportunity to start against Al Hilal and he had a good game between the sticks.

Pieterse is most likely to be handed another starting berth with the club's first-choice keeper Denis Onyango out injured, while the ageing Kennedy Mweene is being rested.

AdvertisementBackpagepixRIGHT-BACK – Thapelo Morena

The speedster has been one of Sundowns' standout performers in the group stage having scored three times in four matches.

Two of his goals came against Al Hilal and he will be keen to continue his scoring form when he faces Al Merrikh.

BackpagepixLEFT-BACK – Divine Lunga

The lanky full-back has impressed whenever he has been given a chance to start for the Tshwane giants this season.

Lunga could be handed a rare start with Lyle Lakay being rested having been part of the Bafana Bafana squad which travelled to Europe for two international friendly games.

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BackpagepixCENTRAL DEFENDER – Rushine de Reuck

Sundowns' first-choice centre back is expected to start having had little game time during the recent Fifa break.

De Reuck featured as a second-half substitute against Guinea for Bafana and he was then an unused substitute against France.

USMNT forward Ricardo Pepi scored for PSV less than two minutes after entering the game, helping the Dutch side to a 2-0 win over Heerenveen.

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Pepi scores for PSVDefeat Heerenveen 2-0Second goal in eight daysWHAT HAPPENED?

Just over 60 seconds after being brought into the match, the USMNT star was set loose on a breakway, beating the goalkeeper in a 1v1 situation. The 20-year-old scored the game-winner in the UEFA Champions League last week against Sevilla, sending the Dutch side through to the knockout round, and followed it up again Thursday with another goal.

AdvertisementTHE BIGGER PICTURE

Pepi isn't a starter at PSV – and for good reason. He's behind Dutch striker Luuk De Jong in the pecking order and likely won't jump ahead of him anytime soon, either. The PSV forward has 10 goals and six assists in 15 matches in the Eredivisie this season, with two more goals in the UCL to add to it. Pepi, despite his fine goalscoring form, is best served as a super sub for now, because of the fact that De Jong is in such incredible form.

For the USMNT, though, Pepi's excellence at PSV is also a shared moment – with international teammates Sergino Dest and Malik Tillman. The American trio are thriving in the Netherlands, which is brilliant news for Gregg Berhalter and co.

DID YOU KNOW

Pepi grew up in the FC Dallas academy system in MLS, before moving to the Bundesliga with Augsburg – and now, ending up in Holland with PSV.

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Getty ImagesWHAT'S NEXT FOR PEPI

The USMNT star and PSV take on Arsenal in the UEFA Champions League on Tuesday, but regardless of the outcome, Arsenal will take first in the group and the Dutch side will take second. Both are confirmed to advance to the next round of the tournament.

The star forwards put in impressive displays for their sides in the first legs of the round-of-16

The UEFA Champions League knockout stage is starting to take shape now that all of the first legs of the round-of-16 ties have taken place. Inter and FC Porto have the advantage from the latest round of games, while PSV are tied with Borussia Dortmund and Napoli are all square with Barcelona.

Serie A leaders Inter are flying high and took a narrow advantage from their encounter with Diego Simeone's Atletico de Madrid. FC Porto, too, picked up a slender lead as they snatched a last-gasp winner from their home match against Mikel Arteta's Arsenal.

Things are all square between PSV and Borussia Dortmund, as the Dutch side fought back to earn a vital draw after falling behind on home soil, while Barcelona went ahead in Italy before Napoli managed to snatch a draw later in the second half.

It was an interesting week of matches in Europe's most prestigious competition, but who were the standout performers? With the help of the FedEx Performance Zone, GOAL takes a look at the stars of the UCL last week.

Getty ImagesDonyell Malen | Borussia Dortmund | 65 points

Back on home soil against the team that sold him to Borussia Dortmund, Donyell Malen made a huge impression against PSV. The forward opened the scoring just 24 minutes into the UEFA Champions League tie in Eindhoven but he did much more than that. No one had more shots in the game than the Oranje star's five attempts, but he had an incredible four on target – no one else forced more than one save in the entire game. He was absolutely pivotal for his team and was unlucky not to have given them a lead when they left Noord-Brabant.

AdvertisementGettyRobert Lewandowski | Barcelona | 50 points

Polish striker Robert Lewandowski was a huge force for Barcelona in their trip to the Stadio Diego Armando Maradona on Wednesday. He gave his team the lead on the hour mark, but he was a massive threat throughout the game. The 35-year-old had four shouts overall – all inside the box – and won four aerial challenges over the field, marking him as a big help to Xavi's team leaving with a 1-1 draw.

GettyLautaro Martinez | Inter | 50 points

Inter look devastating in Serie A and the UEFA Champions League. They owe much of that to coach Simeone Inzaghi, but perhaps even more to star striker Lautaro Martinez. The Argentine has grown into an unbelievable figure for the San Siro side and that was on show in their match against a brutal Atletico de Madrid team. He did not get on the scoresheet, but the forward was integral as he had a total of seven shots and fought hard to win the ball as Inter managed a 1-0 win.

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Getty ImagesGaleno | FC Porto | 48 points

FC Porto midfielder Galeno has been unbelievable in the UEFA Champions League this season. It was no surprise, then, to see that the late winner in his team's match against Arsenal was scored by the 26-year-old. He had already hit the woodwork in the last-16 tie and with four goals and three assists to his name in the competition before kick-off, he was a man to watch for Arteta's team, yet they could not keep him silent until the end.

Twenty-two players made their Youth Test debuts, as Sri Lanka and Bangladesh played out a draw

ESPNcricinfo staff13-Apr-2013
Scorecard
AK Tyronne took seven wickets for 142 runs in his marathon bowling spell of 46.2 overs•BCBThere are certainly no baby steps even in the world of Under-19 cricket. Both Sri Lanka and Bangladesh kicked off a new cycle in this age-group with a high-scoring draw. All 22 players who played this match made Youth Test debuts. There were three centuries, a seven-wicket haul and a five-wicket haul.Minod Bhanuka took Sri Lanka from 4 for 193 in the middle session of the first day, to a solid score of 422 on the second. He made an attacking 114 with 12 boundaries and four sixes. Earlier, Sandun Weerakkody scored 59. Bangladesh’s legspinner Jubair Hossain took five wickets, including those of Bhanuka and Weerakkody.The home side fell 25 runs short in their first-innings response, though there were centuries from Mehedy Hasan and captain Mosaddek Hossain. The pair put on 166 runs for the fourth wicket before Mehedy fell for 105. Mosaddek batted longer, taking more than five hours to score 107 runs. AK Tyronne took seven wickets for 142 runs in his marathon bowling spell of 46.2 overs.Jubair added a further three wickets in the Sri Lanka second innings as they attempted to bat the home side out of the game. They declared on 207 for 8, setting Bangladesh an improbable 233 runs to win in the final session. Tyronne took two further wickets, as they made 71 for three before play ended.The second and final four-day game begins in Sylhet from April 16. They also play two one-day matches in the eastern city.

Leah Poulton and Jess Cameron powered Australia into the finals of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series, their 82-run partnership for the second wicket setting up a six-wicket win

ESPNcricinfo staff26-Jun-2011Australia 147 for 4 (Poulton 61, Cameron 47, Bates 2-17) beat New Zealand 146 for 6 (Perry 50*, Sthalekar 2-33) by six wickets
Scorecard
Leah Poulton drives down the ground during her 61•Getty ImagesLeah Poulton and Jess Cameron powered Australia into the finals of the NatWest Women’s T20 Quadrangular Series, their 82-run partnership for the second wicket setting up a six-wicket win after New Zealand had set a competitive 146 for 6. Cameron fell just short of her fifty but Poulton batted on, adding a further 47 with Shelley Nitschke and reaching 61 before she was dismissed with victory in sight.Medium pacer Lea Tahuhu appeared to give her team a chance when she bowled Meg Lanning for single figures, but Poulton and Cameron’s partnership helped put Australia on top. Bates threatened to spark a late fightback, trapping Cameron and Alex Blackwell in front of their stumps with consecutive deliveries to put herself on a hat-trick, but Poulton and Nitschke locked the game down with their aggressive batting.New Zealand had got off to a similarly enterprising start with the bat after Aimee Watkins had won the toss and opted to set a target, Watkins herself leading the way with a 22-ball 29 that included four fours and a six.She put on an opening stand of 52 with Bates before a flurry of wickets dented the middle order, and New Zealand were thankful for the in-form Liz Perry’s unbeaten fifty, which ensured they set a defendable total. That was not to be, however, and Australia will now meet a rampant England in the tournament final at the Rose Bowl on Monday.”The ground had a fast outfield and the wicket was good,” said Watkins. “We thought that we had enough. But obviously it wasn’t. I think it was a par score on that pitch. But Australia took the opportunities that came their way and put away the bad balls. They chased down the target well.”Watkins also praised Perry for her second successive knock under pressure. “It was a good back-up performance from Liz. She came up with another good performance for us today. I hope that continues tomorrow in the play-off and then onto the 50-over competition.””It was a good ground to chase down scores,” said Player of the Match Poulton. “The pitch was good for batting. The target was gettable. We had some clear plans on how many runs need to be scored in every period of the match. I am glad the plans we had came good as we reached all targets set for the game.”Poulton recalled a similar chase against England at the same ground previously and said the batting derived confidence from that match. “We had played England here and chased down 150 then. So we knew that 146 was a gettable target. We thought 140 to 150 was a par score and Kiwis did well in getting there. But we were always confident going into the chase.”Jess and I had a good partnership. She was striking the ball well and I quite liked to play second fiddle. We have batting all the way down, it was nice to be able to play my game. It was good to have a win in the lead-up to the final. We are confident about our chances. We have played England quite often and know what to expect of them. They are also a good, strong unit and as confident as us. So it will be a good contest.”

Cameron White is fast running out of time to locate the power game that until six months ago had marked him as one of cricket’s most fearsome hitters

Daniel Brettig in Mirpur09-Apr-2011Though his new captain is doing all he can to support him, Cameron White is fast running out of time to locate the power game that until six months ago had marked him as one of cricket’s most fearsome hitters. A dreadfully laboured innings of 20 off 50 balls against Bangladesh in Mirpur summed up White’s problems all too well, as he made his customary circumspect start but was then unable to slip through the gears when needed.By way of a comparison, White’s previous international half-century in October last year was a galloping 89 off 49 balls, an innings that for now looks like his last glorious hour. Michael Clarke resorted to pushing White’s seldom used legspin as a means of getting him back into the game, but even he admitted White’s place would be discussed before the second match on Monday.”We’ll wait and see, Whitey’s a huge player for us, not only with the bat but as I’ve said with the ball as well, he only bowled one over today but I always had that option, which is handy,” Clarke said. “Whitey’s performed really well in one-day cricket for Australia throughout his career. He obviously hasn’t made a big score of late and I know he’s working his backside off to try to make that big score. But in regards to the team we’ll wait and see, I’ll chat to Andrew Hilditch tomorrow and again try to work out what the best XI is going into the second game.”While the two-gear batting approach favoured by White throughout his career continues to malfunction, Clarke was not ready to suggest a change in method. “I don’t think so, I think he’s had success playing for Australia the way he plays, and I continue to tell him to back himself and do things his way,” Clarke said. “He just hasn’t been able to get that start and be in a position then to accelerate. So I’m confident if he keeps doing what he’s doing, and keeps working as hard as he is, he’ll turn it around, because he’s got a lot of talent, we’ve seen that already.”Conditions were quite hard to start today as well so it did take everybody a bit of time to get in and they’ve got four pretty good spin bowlers as well.”A victory and a century in Clarke’s first match as Australia’s full-time captain was an auspicious start, even if the latter overs of Bangladesh’s failed chase were decidedly inglorious. For this, Clarke thanked his predecessor Ricky Ponting, who played with striking fluency before he was run out. “Ricky’s been so supportive and he’s made my job a lot easier by giving me advice and help, and by being one of the boys, which makes it easy for me,” Clarke said. “I have a great relationship with Ricky and I was very confident coming here he would do everything in his power to make my job easier to help me out, and I was certainly right about that today.”I thought he batted beautifully and was very unlucky to get run out. In my opinion he’s still one of the best fielders in the world and he showed that today. He’s 36 going on 25 at the moment, running around like a youngster and today he batted as well as he did in the World Cup in that last game against India.”Mitchell Johnson, with runs and wickets, was Australia’s most arresting performer save for Clarke.”He played beautifully,” Clarke said of Johnson. “He’s always been a good striker of the ball, Mitch, and it’s just about opportunity and spending a little bit of time in the middle.”He might’ve mistimed the first couple and then he hit one out of the middle and he was away, so he’s an amazing player, a big player in our team in all forms of the game. I think he’s enjoyed the chance to bowl with the new ball, there wasn’t much swing there today for him, but he bowled beautifully. I thought he and Brett (Lee, in his 200th ODI) did a really good job.”

An all-round show from the Matabeleland Tuskers carried them to a convincing win over the Mountaineers in the first round of the matches of the MetBank Pro50 Championship

ESPNcricinfo staff25-Sep-2011An all-round show from the Matabeleland Tuskers carried them to a convincing win over the Mountaineers in the first round of the matches of the Coca Cola Pro50 Championship at the Mutare Sports Club.After being sent in to bat, Tuskers got off to a wobbly start losing three wickets with 52 runs of the board. However a 61-run third-wicket partnership between Craig Ervine and Keith Dabengwa steadied the innings. Ervine was dismissed for 47, but Dabengwa, who remained unbeaten on 82, combined with No. 7 Keegan Meth (43*) to put on an unbroken 108-run stand that lifted Tuskers to a solid 240 for 5.In reply, the Mountaineers’ batsmen never got going as they kept losing wickets at regular intervals. Only Masakadza, batting at No. 8, managed to get into the twenties as they were bowled out for 109 in just under 34 overs. Chris Mpofu and Meth did the damage, picking up four wickets apiece as Tuskers registered a comfortable 131-run win.In a rain-affected match at the Masvingo Sports Club, Mashonaland Eagles beat Southern Rocks by six wickets (D/L method).The match was reduced to 40 overs after rain stopped play just 2.1 into the Rocks innings. Three of their batsmen got into the twenties while Mark Vermeulen top scored with 41, but none of them went on to make a big score as they were restricted to 186 for 8. Nathan Waller and Mark Mbofana picked up two wickets apiece.Eagles lost Sikandar Raza in the second over but Forster Mutizwa, unbeaten on 73, and Stuart Matsikenyeri (26) and Mbofana (24*) ensured there were no further alarms as Eagles reached the target with 13 balls to spare.

Unbeaten half-centuries from Akbar Badshah and Jamaluddin helped Peshawar recover from a precarious position and complete their chase of 153 in the Division Two final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy

ESPNcricinfo staff11-Dec-2011
ScorecardUnbeaten half-centuries from Akbar Badshah and Jamaluddin helped Peshawar recover from a precarious position and complete their chase of 153 in the Division Two final of the Quaid-e-Azam Trophy. Peshawar stuttered early in their chase and slipped to 43 for 4. Mohammad Fayyaz was run out in the third over, seamer Bilawal Bhatti struck twice and inbetween seamer Imran Ali dismissed Sajjad Ahmed for 1 off 30 balls.Badshah and Jamaluddin had shared a century partnership in the first innings and repeated the feat, putting on 110 unbeaten runs to take Peshawar out of trouble and to a win. Badshah scored 54 off 105 balls, while Jamaluddin, whose century in the first innings was the only one of the match, scored 58 off 99 balls.SNGPL had started the day on 277 for 8 and managed to add another 24 runs to their total. Seamer Waqar Ahmed took the last two wickets to finish with 6 for 92 in the innings and nine wickets in the match.