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Match facts

August 31, Chester-le-Street
Start time 2.30pm (1330 GMT)England will hope to void another monstering by Aaron Finch in the second T20•PA Photos

Big Picture

Did those at the Ageas Bowl on Thursday witness the explosion of a new Twenty20 sensation, or will “Finch-hitting” become a byword for a flash-dash-and-crash-in-the-pan one-off? Like Stay Puft terrorising Manhattan, Aaron Finch stomped around the pitch, towering over the opposition and effortlessly depositing sixes wherever he chose. He will have the chance to make bowlers’ nightmares flesh again in the second T20 at Chester-le-Street – England may need to resort to calling the Ghostbusters.At domestic level, Finch’s record is formidable but it has taken a freakish knock to cement his spot in the Australia team – though credit should go to the selectors for persisting with him, after scores of 1, 7 and 4 in his three previous T20 internationals this year. Perhaps the answer is to only play him versus England, against whom he has an average of 224 from three innings.The conditions in Durham, where bowlers can usually expect a little more TLC, may mitigate against a similar run bonanza but, after a first win in any format since beating West Indies in an ODI on February 10, Australia’s confidence will have soared like one straight out of the middle of Finch’s bat. This was the first time Australia had fielded the bench-press top four of Finch, David Warner, Shaun Marsh and Shane Watson and it really only takes one of those to go big to create problems for any side; another dismantling of England would set up the ODIs nicely.For England, there was encouragement in the spirited way in which they went about their chase, including another gem from Joe Root in his first innings in the format – and that after having his lip split by a bouncer that forced its way through the grill of his helmet, too. While Finch may bestride the strike rate column in international T20 as the fastest gun to have faced 30 balls or more, there’s an impish presence right on his tail: at 183.67, Root’s career strike rate is just 0.11 lower. Bowl a few more yorkers and England might just make things competitive this time.

Form guide

England: LLWLW
Australia: WLLLL

Players to watch

The man set to deputise for Alastair Cook as England’s ODI captain in the forthcoming series, Eoin Morgan, is fast losing his status as undroppable in limited-overs cricket. He hasn’t passed fifty for England since the World Twenty20 – 23 innings in all formats – and has been in scratchy touch for Middlesex after returning from surgery on a broken finger. He could do with reminding everyone of his own personal brand of genius.For Australia, you can’t look past Aaron Finch – and that’s not just because he is a hefty slab of a cricketer. T20 innings of that magnitude usually require a bit of luck and Finch was honest enough to admit of his record 14 sixes that “any one of those could have gone straight up in the air”; but, amid the pints and the pop music, he will command something close to unbroken attention when he walks out for the follow up at the Riverside.

Team news

England will almost certainly want to look at Michael Carberry, so either of the openers could make way, provided Root doesn’t suffer any after effects from being hit on the head. Danny Briggs suffered at the hands of Finch, conceding more runs than any other bowler, and may rotate back out for the ever-reliable James Tredwell. Boyd Rankin is the other bowling option in the squad.England (possible) 1 Michael Carberry, 2 Michael Lumb, 3 Luke Wright, 4 Eoin Morgan, 5 Joe Root, 6 Ravi Bopara, 7 Jos Buttler (wk), 8 Stuart Broad (capt), 9 James Tredwell, 10 Steven Finn, 11 Jade DernbachSteven Smith has returned to Australia after suffering a quad strain, depleting the 18-man limited-overs squad by one. Adam Voges may not be able to force his way back into a powerful top order but there could be changes to the bowling attack, with Mitchell Starc and Nathan Coulter-Nile providing good bench strength. Fawad Ahmed should get another opportunity to acclimatise to international cricket.Australia (possible) 1 David Warner, 2 Aaron Finch, 3 Shaun Marsh, 4 Shane Watson, 5 Glenn Maxwell, 6 George Bailey (capt), 7 Matthew Wade (wk), 8 James Faulkner, 9 Mitchell Johnson, 10 Josh Hazlewood, 11 Fawad Ahmed

Pitch and conditions

The Chester-le Street surface for the Test provided plenty for the seamers and, even with the priorities of T20 in mind, the pitch is unlikely to be as flat and unthreatening as that in Southampton. The average score for the team batting first during this year’s FLt20 was just shy of 170. A sunny day is forecast, so batting shouldn’t be too taxing.

Stats and trivia

• Australia’s win in the first T20 was their first victory in international competition in 200 days.
• They now have a 4-3 win record against England in the shortest format.
• England last T20 at Chester-le-Street was a seven-wicket defeat against South Africa last year, after making 118 for 7.
• Finch’s century was the first T20 international hundred scored in the UK.

Quotes

“Rooty played well for his 90 on his first knock in Twenty20 international cricket. If we were chasing 200 we get it. You can’t legislate for someone getting 150 off 63 balls.”
“It’s only one T20 game. There are still five one-dayers and another T20 to come and I’m sure they’ll come back with some new plays so we’ll have to adapt again.”
Aaron Finch wasn’t getting carried away with his achievement

Phillip Hughes doesn’t bowl but he’s rapidly becoming a different type of allrounder in this Australia line-up. After all, how many players can say they have batted in every position from opener to No. 6 in the space of five games? More than that, how many players could say they have done it with the success of Hughes, who has scored half-centuries everywhere except No. 4 on this Ashes tour?It was not surprising that after his 84 as a reinstated opener on the first day against Sussex, Hughes used the word “frustrating” to describe his constant shimmying up and down the order. But if the tour seems like one long game of snakes and ladders to Hughes, he also knows that he has in his power the ability to make one of these positions his own. Instead, two scores of 1 batting at second drop at Lord’s have potentially made him vulnerable ahead of the Old Trafford Test.David Warner’s 193 for Australia A in South Africa and Steven Smith’s potential century at Hove could have the selectors considering Hughes’ place in the lead-up to the third Test. That would be a strange scenario for the man who has scored more runs in the first-class matches on this tour than any other Australian, and the man who made a mature, patient unbeaten 81 at Trent Bridge, while his partner Ashton Agar was stealing the attention.”I feel like I’m very comfortable at the crease at the moment,” Hughes said. “The last Test match obviously didn’t go to plan personally but it’s only one game. I felt like the first Test match, the 80 I scored was probably one of the better innings I’ve scored in the international arena. Overall I feel confident and hopefully I’ll be in that third Test side when it’s selected. But you never know … we’ll have to just wait and see.”It’s quite bizarre [moving up and down the order] … At times it can be tough to get your head around the different positions but you’ve just got to get on with it and that’s the bottom line … I don’t mind where I bat but when you do bat one to six, mentally it can be frustrating. It is about opportunity as well. If you do get one position you do want to nail it down. I haven’t nailed it down and that is why they have mixed it up and given people an opportunity.”Hughes started the tour with an unbeaten 76 batting at No. 5 against Somerset and was promoted to No.3 in the second innings of that match, when he made 50. In the second warm-up match against Worcestershire he made 19 not out at No. 6 and 86 at first drop. But since his 81 not out at No.6 in the first innings at Trent Bridge, he has followed up with 0, 1 and 1, and he knows that Test runs will count for vastly more than those against county attacks.”When you lose Test matches there are obviously changes,” he said. “When you lose it is not a good thing. It is about finding the right balance. You dont know what they are going to do. It is about improving day in and day out and doing the best you can in these games.”I think there’s always competition and that’s a good thing. It’s great to see Davey score a big 190 for Australia A and I thought we all batted quite well today. Ed Cowan up front, then Steve Smith and myself. It’s always been competition from the word go. That’s a good thing.”

Akram Khan will leave his position as chairman of Bangladesh’s selection committee on the day the BCB election dates are announced. He confirmed this on Thursday after being asked to continue in the role till September, along with the other selectors Habibul Bashar and Minhazul Abedin.In the meantime, the BCB will formally ask the National Sports Council, Bangladesh’s sports regulatory body, to announce the board election dates. According to BCB president Nazmul Hassan, that could very well be this month.Akram has apparently been assured by the NSC that he will be elected unopposed as one of their designated directors on the board. In the 2008 elections, the number of NSC directors on the board was one, but it has not been made certain which constitution will be followed in the forthcoming election.”I will leave this position the day the election dates are announced,” Akram said. “If it happens to be before my term ends in September, I will let the board know. I am not interested in contesting elections in the present situation. I have been given an assurance. I may become a director through NSC’s quota.”I have already told the board regarding my desire to become a director, and I have done that before my tenured ended on June 30. I plan to make cricket better in the country, at all levels. I have a lot of plans about school cricket and age-group cricket. I have been a selector for six years, and I have worked with honesty and hard work.”

It took the current spot-fixing crisis for the BCCI to first acknowledge the existence of player agents and then decide to regulate them. The decision has evoked a mixed response from player agents – none of whom, in fact, like to be referred to as an “agent”.Latika Khaneja and Lokesh Sharma, who were two of the most prominent figures in the industry 10 years ago, are not overjoyed by the BCCI’s decision. Khaneja, director of Collage Sports Management, recently decided to give up managing cricketers, as she felt it was just another way for the BCCI to control things. “The BCCI feels it should only manipulate players and their representatives. There is a perception that all agents are susceptible,” Khaneja said. “Honesty and track record must be taken into consideration while dealing with player agents, but since this is not the case, neither Lokesh, nor I, [will be] in the business.”Khaneja managed Virender Sehwag for well over a decade during his early years. “I feel it’s just another nail in the coffin by the BCCI. It’s a BCCI tool to control the player agents, because they would like to hold all the rights of the cricketers. They also want to control agents now,” she said.Newer agents have, however, welcomed the decision. Atul Srivastava, founder of Gaames Unlimited, an agency that manages 20 Indian cricketers, including R Ashwin, Ajinkya Rahane and Umesh Yadav, referred to it as a “positive step”. Bunty Sajdeh, CEO of Cornerstone Sport & Entertainment – which manages Virat Kohli and Rohit Sharma – felt that “only good will come out of it”.Major sporting leagues across the globe like the NBA, NHL, MLB and AFL conductcertification exams for aspiring agents. However, it would be an achievement of sorts if the BCCI can replicate Cricket Australia’s (CA) model of screening an agent who applies to be an official player representative.Srivastava, a former army officer, who entered sports management in 2004, supported the idea of certification. “You will have to do it step by step,” Srivastava said. “This certification will cut down at least a few people at some level. In the NBA or FIFA, for example, you need to have a certain amount of experience before you can become an authorised agent; you need to have some qualification like an MBA degree or experience in the industry. If not, then you have to do the exam.”The problem is complicated in India – though it exists abroad as well – with the blurred lines between a player’s friend or family, and the agent. Jiju Janardhan, arrested as an alleged bookie, was not just Sreesanth’s close friend, but also allegedly posed as his agent while dealing with the betting mafia. And Janardhan’s case is not an aberration. For every Khaneja or Sajdeh, there is at least one Janardhan in Indian cricket.Khaneja has a pet name, ‘Ruby’, for such agents who blur the line between professionalism and being a player’s ‘friend’. “I must have seen so many Jiju Janardhans because every player has a Ruby. If a Ruby is not credible, then these poor boys (young cricketers) are taken for a ride. But a smart cricketer will manage his Ruby,” she said. “Ishant Sharma had such a Ruby who used to tell the whole world that he was his agent. When I was managing Ishant, this Ruby threw a birthday party, and didn’t know Ishant had invited me. When I reached the venue, he disappeared in no time and never faced me.”Not many of these player-managers realise what exactly their role is, according to Lokesh Sharma, who managed Rahul Dravid through most of his international career. “In India, there’s hardly any player management,” Lokesh said. “We don’t find any athlete representation. A player-manager’s role is different to what it is perceived to be.”But there are some like Srivastava and Sajdeh who look over and above an IPL contract. “We think of ourselves as managers of players, not agents whose job is to do a deal and take a cut,” Srivastava said. “The manager develops a team around a player. The team is made up of experts in finance, legal and PR whose job is to deal with investments, contracts, and handle their off-field appearances in public. There are three sets of people at work for every player. We want to be a professional organisation, and the IPL is not the tomorrow we are looking at. We are looking to work with players who will play for India.”Managing Indian cricketers has become one of the toughest balancing acts at this juncture, but there’s been a rise in the number of player-managers. While most of the national cricketers, and those on the fringes are taken care of, the agents seem to have turned their focus towards the Under-19 crop, and the domestic players who can potentially be offered an IPL contract.Yudhajit Dutta, who was instrumental in getting MS Dhoni to sign up with Gameplan in 2007, said some agents were out to make quick money. “Sadly, most of them come in with an intention to make a quick buck, so you see them accompanying players everywhere for two or three years, and then they disappear,” Dutta said.”A lot is being made of agents hanging around players all the time. I don’t know if it’s a good or a bad thing. I think as long as you know when to give space to the player, it is fine,” said Dutta, who floated his own company, Purple People. “There are times when a player wants to share some space with his team-mates alone. If a manager doesn’t realise that, then the relationship between a player and him starts getting difficult.”With the scope for individual endorsements getting thinner and thinner, especially with the BCCI indirectly controlling most of the big spenders due to the IPL, it is these shadowy elements that are targeted by those indulging in nefarious activities. A player-manager, requesting anonymity, recounted one such incident: “During the 2010 IPL, I was approached by a bookie through a common friend. Since he had come over to meet me with the reference of a friend, I didn’t even imagine something like this would prop up. The moment he asked me to get inside information through my client, I refused and then reported the matter to the BCCI immediately.”Since agents were not recognised by the BCCI back then, there was little likelihood of any action being taken by the board. That moment, however, may have come now.

ScorecardMarcus Trescothick looked as though he was regaining his form•Getty Images

Marcus Trescothick has never known a season like this one. Not, personally, with the bat and neither, collectively, as a team. He was averaging 27.72 before taking guard against Yorkshire, with the little matter of 301 runs required to save the follow-on and, maybe, Somerset’s season. This is a plight that the captain has not experienced at the County Ground before now.Trescothick responded manfully, all his know-how and expertise to the fore – and a degree of his familiar sublime timing. It is not hard to ascertain when he is feeling his way back into form. The body weight is swiftly transferred onto the front foot, the ball is struck with the minimum of follow through and is sent scudding to the boundary. It is what the West Indians would call ‘a not a man move’ shot. The inner ring give up any pretence at a chase.He had made 74, with 12 fours, his highest score of the season, when he played outside the line of a straight ball from Richard Pyrah and was palpably leg before. That one misjudgement indicated he is not yet back to his best: a few more such innings are necessary before we can state that. Or, much more to the point, he will start to feel this himself.Still, May is not yet out. Two drives in one over from Steven Patterson, one uppish and the other along the ground, both straight, were indicative that, although he will be 38 later this year, the runs will keep flowing for quite a while yet. Of rather more concern to him will be the two slip catches he missed, both off Steve Kirby, when Andrew Hodd was in at the start of the day.Otherwise, Somerset’s batting lacked consistency, which has been the case all summer. Arul Suppiah, whose average for the season remains in single figures, was leg before to Patterson, similarly playing down the wrong line. Lewis Gregory, surprisingly given the chance to come in first wicket down, went the same way, although in his case padding up.Dean Elgar tucked the ball off his legs in a manner which suggested his five-week stay might well prove fruitful, but he, too, got himself out. A short ball from Ryan Sidebottom was slapped straight to the fielder at point. There were others, too, who needed to play a long innings. James Hildreth, for one. There were signs here, as well, of a return to some sort of form as he reached a half century off 78 balls.These batsmen are too good to be out of touch for long. The same cannot necessarily be said of Alex Barrow and Peter Trego, who went to Adam Lyth’s little used offspin – the light was poor at this stage – in two balls.At the other end of the run-making spectrum is Adil Rashid, who is averaging more than 200 this season. In six innings he has compiled three centuries and a half-century. Having made a considerable start overnight, he progressed immediately to 50 off 59 balls and, wristily finding the gaps against an attack which appeared jaded on a pitch offering little by way of succour, reached 100 from 119 balls with 14 fours.Yorkshire could well have batted on, but chose to declare now. Hodd, having survived those two dropped slip catches when on 41 and 50, achieved his highest score for Yorkshire, his 68 coming off 99 balls with eight fours. Against an opposition of scant achievement this season, they would consider that a total of 450 would be sufficient; Yorkshire’s prime obstacle, though, is the weather.

Glamorgan 285 for 7 (North 68, Pyrah 4-43) beat Yorkshire 257 (Gale 65, Hogan 3-29) by 28 runs
ScorecardSkipper Marcus North top-scored with 68 as Glamorgan opened their Yorkshire Bank 40 campaign with a 28-run victory over Yorkshire at Colwyn Bay.After winning the toss Glamorgan made 285 for 7 in their 40 overs, with Will Bragg and Chris Cooke also scoring half centuries. But Yorkshire could only make 257 all out in reply, with Dean Cosker taking 3 for 36, although a quickfire 53 from Jonny Bairstow and a partnership of 93 between Gary Ballance and skipper Andrew Gale gave the visitors hope.After Mark Wallace was bowled by Steven Patterson in the eighth over, Bragg and Cooke showed attacking intent with the Glamorgan 100 coming up from 15.2 overs and Bragg going to a 48-ball 50. But next ball Bragg was bowled by Pyrah leaving Glamorgan 105 for 2 in the 17th over.The loss of Bragg did not deflect Cooke, who registered a 46-ball 50 with seven fours, but he failed to build on to a good start when he was caught and bowled by Steve Patterson for 58.The fourth-wicket partnership of North and Jim Allenby looked well settled until Allenby holed out at long-on to give Will Rhodes a wicket on debut.North cracked his fifth boundary as he became the third Glamorgan batsman to reach a half century. They accelerated in the latter stages with 14 coming off one Moin Ashraf over before Pyrah took a very sharp return catch to remove North for 68 from 63 balls.Glamorgan’s hopes of getting towards 300 were dashed when Murray Goodwin, who made 45, and Graham Wagg were out to consecutive deliveries from Pyrah, who was the pick of the Yorkshire attack with 4 for 43.Yorkshire were stunned when Wagg dismissed Phil Jaques and Joe Root in the space of three balls in the second over of their reply. And that helped Glamorgan restrict Yorkshire to 38 for 2 after the first 10 overs.Ballance and Gale began patiently rebuilding before the introduction of Cosker paid dividends when Ballance was stumped off a wide with his first ball.Bairstow cracked three fours off a Michael Reed over to ease the increasing pressure and then hit Wagg for a four and a six from two balls as 16 came off the over. But Glamorgan fought back as Gale was trapped leg before attempting to sweep Cosker.Wagg produced another expensive over with 16 coming off it as Bairstow reached a 34 ball 50 with seven fours and a six before Pyrah holed out on the boundary to give Cosker his third victim. It left Yorkshire needing 105 off 63 balls, but the key wicket came when Michael Hogan returned to the attack to dismiss dangerman Bairstow. Rashid ended with 42 not out from 28 balls but he ran out of partners.

The 2014 World Twenty20 Cup will begin on March 16, but the organisers are confident that the prevailing political tension in Bangladesh will not hamper its preparations. The final has been slated for April 6 next year, and a press conference was held in Dhaka on Saturday to mark the one-year run-up to the tournament.But the press conference was held during a general strike while the logo-launching ceremony to be held in the evening will begin at the end of the strike.”The political situation during an election year in Bangladesh is usually unstable so I hope the situation will change during the World Twenty20s,” ICC vice-president AHM Mustafa Kamal said. “Government and opposition leaders had come to watch the Asia Cup last year, so we believe that the political parties will not create any obstacles.”Apart from this, the BCB will have to deal with the issue of infrastructure as construction is yet to begin on the proposed stadium in Cox’s Bazar, while the one in Sylhet is still incomplete. BCB president Nazmul Hassan remained upbeat about both venues completion.”As far as I know, the Cox’s Stadium will be handed over to the BCB. We can start work next week if we receive a letter in this regard on Sunday. We will begin work on the wicket and ground as soon as possible.”There is not much left to do in the Sylhet venue. The floodlights and the dressing-room are there to be completed. It is stalled due to bureaucracy, so if it is delayed we will build it using BCB’s finances,” said Hassan.Bangladesh have already co-hosted the 2011 World Cup, including the opening ceremony, but the BCB were not clear about there being a similar programme ahead of the 2014 event.

Scorecard
Karnataka beat Uttar Pradesh comfortably in the first preliminary quarter-final, winning by seven wickets. Lokesh Rahul made an unbeaten 104 in Karnataka’s successful chase of 195, his innings containing six fours and three sixes. Ganesh Satish supported him with a half-century in a second-wicket stand worth 119 and Karnataka won with 15 balls to spare. UP, who were asked to bat, were bowled out for 194. Each of their top six reached double-figures but the highest was just 37, and the last six wickets fell for 53. Medium-pacer HS Sharath picked up three wickets.
Scorecard
Assam qualified for the quarter-finals of the Vijay Hazare Trophy by beating Madhya Pradesh by four wickets in Visakhapatnam. Sibsankar Roy guided the Assam chase of 211 with an unbeaten 97, and was helped along the way by useful contributions from Tarjinder Singh and wicketkeeper Rajdeep Das, with whom he added 61 for the sixth wicket. Roy backed up a a five-wicket haul from seamer Abu Nechim Ahmed that helped restrict MP for 210. Naman Ojha and captain Udit Birla scored half-centuries for MP, and their team was reasonably well placed at 186 for 4 in 44 overs. But the last six wickets fell for 24 in 25 balls.

Warwickshire Bears remain top of the NUL after Shaun Pollock’s all-round excellence secured an 85-run victory over Notts Outlaws. The South African followed his belligerent innings of 70 with 3-12 as his side made it two NUL wins in two this season.It was a one-sided encounter at New Road as Worcestershire Royals prospered against a weakened Somerset Sabres side. The hosts soon recovered from losing Solanki to the first ball of the day as Anurag Singh and Ben Smith compiled half-centuries and David Leatherdale and Steve Rhodes chipped in with valuable cameos. Kabir Ali then ran through the visitors with 4-15 including the key wickets of Bowler and Cox as the Sabres were humbled by 127 runs.In Cardiff Glamorgan Dragons did well to defend a meagre total of 161-8 against Durham. Welsh supporters will thank Mike Powell for his patient 47 not out and a partnership with Mark Wallace (34) of 58 for giving their bowlers something to defend. And Michael Kasprowicz responded brilliantly by cutting down the Dynamos top order with 4-28 as his side secured a 20-run victory.Darren Lehmann steadied his side with another match-winning performance at Canterbury. His unbeaten 69 (98 balls with four boundaries) saw his side to a five-wicket win. Earlier the Spitfires had fought back from a dire start thanks mainly to a fine half-century from Matt Walker. And with Yorkshire Phoenix wobbling at 64-4 they were indebted to their captain for his knock that leaves them equal on points – but just behind on run-rate – at the top of the table.In the second division a wonderful all-round game from Jon Lewis saw his Gloucestershire Gladiators side clinch a one-wicket victory over Surrey Lions at Bristol. The day’s most exciting game saw Lewis (27 including a six) add 18 for the final wicket with Mike Smith to thwart an excellent effort by Surrey Lions’ opening bowlers Martin Bicknell and Ed Giddins. Earlier Lewis had taken 4-22 including the key wicket of Mark Ramprakash as the Lions had struggled to 163-9 in their 45 overs. It was a tough result on Giddins in particular, who bowled with real skill and batted with uncharacteristic resilience in adding 32 in a last-wicket partnership with Jon Batty (28 not out) that so nearly won his side the game.Elsewhere Ashley Cowan and Andy Clarke each snared a three-wicket haul to limit Derbyshire Scorpions to 155 all out. Essex Eagles knocked off the runs without undue difficulty to secure a seven-wicket vistory.Meanwhile Northants Steelbacks cantered to victory against Middlesex Crusaders. Darren Cousins was the start for the hosts with 4-13 including a hostile opening spell that saw the visitors slip to 10-3; a postion from which they never really recovered. Although the Steelbacks endured a sticky start to their reply, David Sales (66 off 79 balls) and Mike Hussey (56 off 83 balls) then added 109 for the third wicket to take their side within sight of victory.Stuart Law built on the good work of Lancashire Lightning team-mates Peter Martin and John Wood with an innings of 71 with five fours and two sixes. Earlier Martin (2-22) and Wood (3-21) had bowled out Sussex Sharks for just 160. But a good effort from the Sharks’ seamers saw Lightning endure some nervous moments before the vastly experienced Law saw them home.

The match at Harare Sports Club between Mashonaland and Midlands ended in a disappointingly dull draw, as Mashonaland surprisingly made little real effort to pursue what would have been their 16th consecutive victory in first-class cricket.They set Midlands a totally unrealistic target of 390 runs in 51 overs, and the visitors had little trouble in playing out a draw, finishing with 168 for four wickets. Had Mashonaland declared earlier they would have found it difficult to bowl out Midlands on a pitch still playing very well, but it was surprising that they did not make more effort to extend their winning record. Congratulations to Midlands for being the first team to deny them victory for three seasons; we still await their first defeat since 1995/96.Two centuries were completed during the day, the first inevitably by Andy Flower who was on 47 overnight. He continued his quiet accumulation as a succession of partners came and went, all contributing a little, with Brian Murphy (26) and Gus Mackay (19 not out) the most exciting. He was still there with 128 when the declaration came midway through the afternoon session.Midlands lost their openers cheaply, and then two more wickets fell just as the teams were planning a 3.30 finish, the earliest permitted by the rules. So play went on, with Doug Marillier taking the opportunity to hit a brisk century, scoring many of his runs through the vacant third man position that Mashonaland never bothered to plug.His century came off 94 balls and with recognition of it the teams called it a day. One more over was actually bowled than necessary, as when he reached three figures the board credited him with only 99. With him was Sean Ervine, who had 28, their unbroken partnership being worth 99.