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The 16 members of Yorkshire’s coaching and backroom staff who were sacked this week are expected to seek legal advice on Monday, as a club that has long specialised in internal strife braces itself for the deepest crisis in its history.Even allowing for the widespread acceptance that change at Yorkshire was necessary in the wake of Azeem Rafiq’s allegations of institutional racism, the purge of the club’s coaching and medical staff has left many in the county in a state of shock. Where there was briefly talk of a brave new world of inclusivity and enlightenment, there is now more division, hurt and punishment. Legal action, or potential pay-offs running into millions of pounds, and player departures in protest are all possible outcomes as the affair spirals out of control.The charge levelled against many of the 16 sacked staff members is that they jointly wrote a letter to the Yorkshire board on October 14. In that letter, seen by ESPNcricinfo, they deplored the reputational damage being done to the club, questioned why Rafiq’s claims had not been rebutted, and further accused Rafiq of being “on a one-man mission to bring down the club and, with it, people of genuine integrity”. They spoke of the “grossly unfair” criticism of the former chief executive, Mark Arthur, and director of cricket, Martyn Moxon, and said that the allegations were “having a profound effect on us all, physically, emotionally and psychologically”.The letter makes no concessions as to Yorkshire’s treatment of Rafiq, who told ESPNcricinfo last year that he had been driven “to the brink of suicide” during his time at the club; in fact, it doubles down on his reputation as a troublemaker (“problematic in the dressing room and a complete liability off the field”), and seeks to defend the name of Yorkshire cricket and the “White Rose” culture that Rafiq called into question during his emotional testimony to the Department of Digital, Culture, Media and Sport select committee last month.Related

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For the likes of Lord Kamlesh Patel, the county’s new chairman, and the ECB – for whom the Yorkshire crisis is a direct threat to their attempts to promote diversity and to ensure that the game is universally recognised as offering fair opportunities for all – this private appeal to the board appears now to have been regarded as ample evidence of an unwillingness to change. However, in the event of legal action, it may fall well short of constituting gross misconduct.The best-known names on the redundancy roll are the club’s coach, Andrew Gale, and the director of cricket, Moxon, who has been a popular character in Yorkshire cricket for most of the past 40 years, and who was on sick leave before his sacking. Moxon has been deeply affected by general allegations of racism, and there is general fury within Yorkshire cricket circles that despite his illness, he was labelled “a coward” by Julian Knight, chair of the DCMS committee, for not appearing before their investigation last month.Among the other casualties are Paul Grayson, the batting coach who returned to the club less than three years ago, when Rafiq had already left, and so unless other evidence comes to light he can hardly be implicated in his allegations; and Dr Nigel Mayers, the club’s medical officer, who has served the club for most of the century and who has committed much of his life to working in Kirkstall, a diverse Leeds ward. Wayne Morton, head of sports science and medicine, has gone, too – a man who once had to be pulled out of the crowd at Scarborough for his own safety after confronting a group of spectators who had been throwing bananas at the black Gloucestershire fast bowler, David ‘Syd’ Lawrence.By midweek, an emergency director of cricket is expected to have been appointed – there is even talk of Darren Gough, who has minimal coaching experience and who has spent the past decade as a sports radio host – supported by a skeleton staff which is being assembled with the help of the ECB.Rafiq’s claims of racial mistreatment have taken a wrecking ball to Yorkshire cricket, with sponsors abandoning the club in the wake of the allegations and the ECB suspending the county from hosting major matches. Many within the club suspect that the imposition of an ECB-approved emergency staff could be a means of ensuring an early return of international cricket to Headingley.Either way, the dismissal of individuals with not far short of 300 years’ service to Yorkshire, and the county’s apparent scapegoating as English cricket’s bad apple, would appear to draw attention away from the sport’s long-term failures in the development of minority-ethnic cricketers, a widespread and complex issue. But in a febrile social media world, with a culture war at its height, general postures are adopted in an instant with little care for specific facts.Head coach Andrew Gale was among those to leave the club•Getty Images

Yorkshire’s playing staff have held an emergency meeting with Lord Patel, but his conciliatory remarks upon taking up the role, including assurances that the club was seeking a quick return to stability and normality, now seem very much at odds with the mass dismissals. He had promised in a media conference “urgent and seismic change” and that is what he has delivered. Players’ talk of finding new counties are often not followed up – and many counties’ budgets are already spent – but the mood is an unhappy one.Lord Patel is not the only person in this drama to now be accused by those he has dispensed with of duplicitous behaviour. The former chairman of Yorkshire and the ECB, Colin Graves, whose family trust is owed nearly £20 million by Yorkshire, has an investment to protect. And Roger Hutton, the former chair, and the one person who gave evidence on behalf of Yorkshire to the DCMS committee, is also facing renewed accusations that he mishandled an investigation that should have been settled in weeks, but has now stretched for well over a year. Hutton, for his part, told the DCMS hearing that he felt the club’s culture had been “stuck in the past”, and that his resignation back in August, in the wake of the club’s “profound apologies” to Rafiq, would not have helped to bring about change.Many people have bought into the view that Yorkshire’s systems were institutionally racist, more by obstinate refusal to change than design, and that this had contributed to the failure to bring through Muslim cricketers from Yorkshire’s inner cities. Many were appalled by Rafiq’s relationship with Gary Ballance, which had racial overtones at its heart. Many, too, watched Rafiq’s moving evidence to the DCMS committee and, even those who argued that he was a far from perfect individual, felt the need for change, to rid Yorkshire of this stain once and for all.But many of those same people had signed up for a vision of a better way forward, of a vision of fairness for all, based on a commitment to education, not a full-scale coup d’etat. To express deep misgivings is uncomfortable, and risks echoing the views of the far-right, who are now sniffing round this story with a growing realization that here is a chance to sow division and disunity. But rifts could now deepen. That, in itself, is a tragedy.Lord Patel, whose family relocated to Bradford in the early 60s when he was an infant, has an impressive CV, but his approach – endorsed how much by the ECB? – is now giving grave cause for concern. Uncompromising, implacable, adamant that only his way is the right one, and supremely confident in his own moral compass, he has revealed many of the Yorkshire attributes that over generations have caused the county so much pain.

Parthiv Patel, the captain, and Chirag Gandhi – key to Gujarat’s Ranji Trophy triumph last season – held their composure to complete a nervy four-wicket win over Kerala in Nadiad. Chasing 105, Gujarat slumped to 80 for 5 before Parthiv, who walked in at No. 6, allayed fears of a shock loss by remaining unbeaten on 18. The spin pair of Akshay Chandran and Jalaj Saxena picked up two wickets each for Kerala.That Kerala couldn’t defend much more was due to the efforts of Siddarth Desai, who picked six wickets to dismantle them for 203 in the second innings. Piyush Chawla, turning out as a professional for Gujarat this season, took three wickets to take his match haul to 8 for 135. Priyank Panchal, the highest run-getter last season, started the new season with scores of 18 and 30.Kerala, who beat Jharkhand in their opener, now have one win in two matches. They next play Rajasthan at home. Gujarat, meanwhile, will clash against Jammu & Kashmir in the third round starting October 24.On his 23rd birthday, in just his second first-class match, Nazim Siddiqui scored his maiden first-class ton as Jharkhand put in a spirited showing to save the game following on. After Siddiqui’s effort, the baton was picked up by the more experienced Ishank Jaggi, who hit a 16th first-class ton – an unbeaten effort – to see his side through to safety. Rajasthan tried everything possible to take the game away – everyone except the keeper bowled in the innings – but could claim only five wickets in the 76.5 overs played on the day before a draw was declared.Siddiqui, the opener, was batting on 71 overnight and went on to score exactly 100 as his team battled. Briefly around the time when he was out – Jharkhand lost a wicket quickly on either side of his – Rajasthan must have maintained hope of taking full points from the game, but then they ran into Jaggi. He was well supported by the lower-middle order of Ishan Kishan and Kaushal Singh, both of whom batted out a sizeable chunk of balls for their 30-somethings to help carry their team to the finish. They got a point for their efforts, while Rajasthan got three for the first-innings lead they had secured.

Dominic Sibley is making an impression at Birmingham•Getty Images

Ed Pollock, Dom Sibley and Adam Hose all starred with the bat to help nervy Birmingham Bears into the quarter-finals of the NatWest T20 Blast as they beat Lancashire by two wickets with three balls to spare at Emirates Old Trafford.Victory justified Birmingham’s decision to omit their captain and former England batsman, Ian Bell, for the final match in response to an unproductive T20 season – but it was a close-run thing.Chasing 164 on a used pitch, left-handed opener Pollock smashed 49 off 24 balls, including four sixes, to get things started.New Bears signings Sibley and Hose then shared 84 in 10 overs for the second wicket to advance from 61 for one in the sixth before the Bears slipped from 145 for 1 in the 16th to 160 for 8 after 19, losing seven wickets in 23 balls.Sibley finished 53 off 37 balls, while Hose added 49 off 35. They hit five sixes between them before Olly Stone hit the winning runs with four needed off the last over.Hose and Sibley have only arrived at Edgbaston from Somerset and Surrey within the last month, and Pollock is in his maiden summer of first-team cricket.For Lancashire, who have failed to qualify for the last eight since winning the Blast in 2015, they had to win and hope other results went their way to qualify.The Bears are now targeting their second title in four years.The Lightning would have been reasonably happy at halfway with their 163 for 4, underpinned by Jos Buttler’s 58 off 42 balls. The England man’s second half-century in three days was another measured effort and included two sixes after being inserted.Having hit 36 without a boundary in Wednesday’s win over Worcestershire here, Liam Livingstone (39) guided his very first ball from Stone to the third-man fence. He pulled two huge leg-side sixes, including the latter off leg-spinner Josh Poysden, which went out of the ground and onto the Brian Statham Way.Buttler was elevated to No 3 and hit Sibley’s leggies for a straight six in the 13th over to move into the twenties. By that stage, Lancashire were 100 for 2. He also hit Stone over long-off for six and shared 86 in 10 overs with inventive South African Dane Vilas, who made 30. Buttler miscued Stone to long-on in the 19th.Poysden and Stone were the only two Bears wicket-takers with two apiece, with the former the pick as he conceded 28 from his four overs.He hit Ryan McLaren for three sixes in the power play, including two over long-leg, before slapping a short ball from the seamer to cover with the score on 61 midway through the sixth over.Sibley and Hose both offered relatively simple catches on 18 and 31 to Matt Parkinson at short fine-leg and Jordan Clark at long-off.Hose hit 76 on his Bears debut in the win over Lancashire at Edgbaston late last month, and he demonstrated his power again by hitting three sixes over long-on.But the Bears stumbled dramatically with victory in sight as Livingstone struck twice in two balls. Junaid Khan and Arron Lilley also claimed two wickets apiece, but Lancashire’s success with the ball came too late.

Richard Levi’s innings proved enough for Northants•Getty Images

Ryan McLaren’s T20 career-best 77 in 50 balls narrowly failed to see Lancashire home against Northamptonshire in an extraordinary NatWest T20 Blast game at Wantage Road that the home side won by 11 runs.Left to recover a chase of 159 when they were in tatters at 25 for 5, McLaren helped Lancashire stay alive and 26 were needed from the final over. McLaren hit the first two balls of the over for six beyond long-on but then holed out to mid-off as Lancashire’s hopes were finally extinguished.Lancashire appeared to have no hope at all after suffering a nightmare start to their innings, all of their own making, slipping to 19 for 4. Liam Liverstone, having stepped away to Richard Gleeson’s second ball to carve a boundary over point, lost his middle and leg stumps next ball trying to play the same stroke.Aaron Lilley played an almost identical innings and top-edged a wild hack that was well caught by Richard Levi running back from slip – but he was clattered by Gleeson running in from third man in the process. Levi was forced from the field but his replacement, Tom Sole, ran out Steven Croft with a direct hit from midwicket after being sent back by Dane Villas.Before the run-out, Karl Brown drove loosely to edge a catch to wicketkeeper Adam Rossington, giving Rory Kleinveldt a second wicket – he took 2 for 2 in his first three overs.Gleeson also picked up a second wicket in his opening three overs – and the huge scalp of Jos Buttler. Having scooped a six over the fine-leg fence to get off the mark, Buttler attempted the same stroke next ball and was badly dropped by Saif Zaib at long leg. It mattered not, as Gleeson produced a beauty that nipped back to take out the off stump.All this came in a crazy Powerplay where the required rate – which began at just under eight-an-over – soon climbed into double figures. But McLaren and Villas, who made 40 in 27 balls, plotted a recovery and despite only reaching the half-way mark at 54 for 5, began to get a foothold on the chase.The turning point was the 12th over bowled by Rob Keogh that went for 21 with two a six and a four each from both batsman. McLaren then heaved Zaib over midwicket to leave 49 to win from 30 balls.Villas slapped Azharullah down the throat of long-on but the stand of 91 in 60 balls had revived Lancashire’s hopes. But Gleeson returned to york Jordan Clark second ball and Nathan Buck hit Stephen Parry’s off stump to leave McLaren having to win the game on his own.Northants’ 158 for 4 appeared to be a below-par total. Levi led them their with 71 from 54 balls. He has delivered in each of his five innings since returning from concussion and his side were indebted to his effort here as they were largely well with their power game kept in check to great effect, Junaid Khan’s four overs cost only 21 runs and Matt Parkinson’s set 23.Levi was forced to be very patient and passing fifty in 43 balls was slower than most innings from the South African. He snapped a run of just 11 runs in four over with a drive over extra-cover and lifted Stephen Parry over long-on. Parkinson’s one bad ball was pulled for six but not until the 16th over did he really fire.Adam Rossington gave the innings a bright start with 29 in just 16 balls but when he fell, Ben Duckett collected his second duck in three innings and the Northants scoring rate subsequently slumped. Parkinson ran through four overs for just 23 and after 15 overs, Northants were 104 for 2 and the innings in need of impetus.Levi found it with three fours in the 16th over and a no-ball smashed over midwicket. The over from McLaren conceded 25 and Alex Wakely found the committee balcony in the next and Kleinveldt – after Levi was cleaned by a Clark slower-ball – lifted another six over midwicket but the late innings spurt didn’t come as only 11 runs came from the final two overs.

ScorecardJohn Wright began with a win [file picture]•Getty Images

Luis Reece’s 75 from 51 balls saw Derbyshire upset champions Northamptonshire on the opening night of the NatWest T20 Blast with a rampant seven-wicket win at Wantage Road. Reece steered Derbyshire’s chase of 180 as they won in the final over but victory never looked under threat.Reece was playing just his fifth T20 but played a fluent knock wth 10 boundaries and a six. His partnership of 64 in 40 balls with Wayne Madsen saw Derbyshire keep in touch with the required rate throughout the middle of the chase as Northants failed create any pressure. Gary Wilson’s 28 from 15 balls finished the game off as Derbyshire won a T20 at Wantage Road for the first time since 2011.Had Shiv Thakor not been suspended, Reece may not have even played but he took his chance with a maiden T20 fifty and helped Derbyshire to an opening night win to begin their new era under specialist coach John Wright in perfect style.At 124 for 2 after 14 overs, Northants desperately needed a wicket and brought back Rory Kleinveldt to try and find it. Reece responded by slapping the South African over long-on for six. Kleinveldt did find a breakthrough with Madsen top-edging a pull to the wicketkeeper.Richard Gleeson returned with 37 required in 24 balls but conceded four leg-byes to fine leg and was pulled over square leg for six by Wilson.The only time Northants had control of the second innings was at 35 for 1 after five overs. But Reece struck four boundaries from Ben Sanderson in the final over of the Powerplay and Derbyshire never looked back.Northants’ 179 for 6 appeared a solid total. It was built around Ben Duckett’s 69 from 52 balls. Opening the batting in place of usual opener Richard Levi who hadn’t recovered from concussion, Duckett took few risks in marshalling Northants’ progress. He blazed Hardus Viljoen over extra-cover and turned him past short fine leg in the final over of the Powerplay that brought 52 runs for the lazy run out of Adam Rossington in the first over. Duckett stepped back to cut Matt Critchley past point and swept a low full toss for another boundary.Duckett eventually fell in the 17th over as Northants slid from 101 for 1 in the 12th over to 132 for 5 in the 17th, a mini collapse began with two wickets in two balls for Viljoen – who finished with 3 for 28, comfortable the pick of the Derbyshire attack. After Josh Cobb had mistimed a drive to mid-off – the catch taken low by Wayne Madsen – Alex Wakely gloved his first ball to wicketkeeper Daryn Smit.Imran Tahir bowled Rob Keogh trying to cut but the South African legspinner’s 1 for 31 wasn’t quite as threatening as Derbyshire would have hoped. He tore through Northants for Nottinghamshire at Wantage Road last season, taking 3 for 13 from his four overs, but here was swept for four through midwicket and heaved over cow corner by Cobb.Northants needed a middle-order innings to cash in on their strong start. Steven Crook provided it with 34 in 17 balls. He swung Alex Hughes to the midwicket fence and perfectly bisected long-off and long-on next ball as 16 came off the 18th overs and took Matt Henry’s final delivery over long-off as the New Zealander conceded 42 from his four overs. In the final over he swung Viljoen over

Records tumbled in Potchefstroom as India women openers Deepti Sharma and Punam Raut smashed centuries to forge the highest partnership in women’s ODIs. Their 320-run opening stand took India to 358 for 2 in the first innings and it was 249 runs too much for a second-string Ireland side, which has now let two different oppositions – South Africa and India – notch up their highest team totals in consecutive games.In what was the first 300-run stand by any pair in women’s ODIs, Deepti, all of 19, clobbered a record 27 fours during her 160-ball 188 – the second-highest individual score in the 50-over format, only bettered by Belinda Clark’s unbeaten 229 for Australia.Speaking about the records achieved by the India women’s team, former chairperson of the BCCI women’s selection panel Shanta Rangaswamy told ESPNcricinfo: “It’s a great achievement for Indian women’s cricket. It couldn’t have come at a better time. Deepti is young and has a fabulous temperament. Her batting stands apart from most others and I think she has the capability to become one of the best allrounders in world cricket in the years to come.”In the absence of regular opener Smriti Mandhana, who has been recalled to the squad for the Women’s World Cup after a four-month layoff, Deepti has carried the mantle of propping up a top order that has traditionally been reliant on Mithali Raj. Deepti’s recent run of form came particularly good for India in the Women’s World Cup qualifiers in Sri Lanka, where she finished as the tournament’s leading run-getter. She scored 253 runs with three fifties in six innings, including a match-winning 71 against South Africa in the final, which helped India complete their highest successful chase in ODIs.Deepti’s opening partner also etched her name in the record books with the feat of being involved in India’s highest partnership across all three formats. Rangaswamy underlined Raut’s credentials for the longer formats of the game.”For one-day cricket and Test cricket, Punam is a big asset to the Indian team,” Rangaswamy said. “I cannot forget the big centuries she and [MD] Thirush Kamini got in Mysore against South Africa.”Punam has always been in my scheme of things. Her knock against Australia steered India to victory last year in an ODI. It was crucial in the context of the game. In England, where the ball will swing and bounce more, Punam’s presence there will definitely benefit the team’s batting.”Having earned a call-up for the quadrangular series on merit of her domestic form, Raut has now forced her way into the squad for the World Cup on the back of unbeaten knocks in two of the three matches so far.Raut’s reputation for being a livewire on the field is likely to have further strengthened her case. In the three matches so far in the quadrangular series, she has played a part in at least one run-out in every game, dismissing set batsmen – South Africa’s Mignon du Preez and Ireland’s Jennifer Gray, twice – in each instance.”These girls are excellent fielders,” Rangaswamy said. “Deepti excels in close-in fielding; Punam is a very good fielder in the deep. She throws brilliantly and puts in good dives.”India are currently on a 16-match winning streak, and are one win away from equalling Australia’s record of 17 consecutive ODI wins. They lead the four-nation tournament with 19 points, followed by South Africa on 15.

ScorecardRilee Rossouw made Hampshire’s chase a formality•Getty Images

Rilee Rossouw biitzed his way to a career-best 156 to help Hampshire beat Somerset by four wickets in the Royal London One Day Cup group match at Taunton.The South African opened the innings and stayed at the crease almost to the end to help his side to victory with more than 12 overs to spare.Replying to Somerset’s below par 249, which included half centuries from Dean Elgar, Pete Trego and Adam Hose, Hampshire took advantage of some wayward bowling.After they lost Tom Alsop with the score on 20, left-hander Rossouw shared a second wicket stand of 114 with James Vince before the skipper was out for 35.Rossouw scored his runs freely and was particularly ruthless on anything short. It wasn’t until Somerset introduced Tim Groenewald and Roelof van der Merwe into the attack that they were able to curb his run spree.He duly went to his century with a boundary to square cover off Van der Merwe, his runs coming off 73 balls with 17 fours and a six.Hampshire were within touching distance of their target when Jamie Overton, who had suffered in his earlier overs, returned and picked up four quick wickets, including that of Rossouw.But by that time the outcome was a formality as Hampshire became the first team to beat Somerset this season in this competition.Earlier, Somerset were rescued from two wickets down for one run by Elgar and Trego, who was put down in the slips on one. The all-rounder then started to go for his shots and lofted Abbott high into the Somerset Stand for six before seeing up the 50 in the ninth over.Trego went to his 50 with a square drive off Berg, his runs coming off 41 balls with eight 4s and a six. However five runs later he was out when the same bowler got his revenge. Trego’s third-wicket partnership with Elgar added 85.James Hildreth went cheaply, which brought Adam Hose in to face the county that released him as a youngster. Elgar went to his 50 with a single off Crane, his runs coming off 56 balls – his fifth half-century in as many innings.Hose played the shot of the day when he drove Edwards to midwicket and went to his second 50 of the competition this season with a single off Crane. Later in the same over he was caught at long off without addition, his fifth wicket partnership with Elgar adding 80.Roelof van der Merwe hit two big sixes before he was run out for 19 after a mix up with Elgar.Craig Overton and Josh Davey went cheaply and when Elgar was out for 78 trying to run Crane down the third man Somerset found themselves 224 for nine. Jamie Overton played some lusty blows but on 28 he was bowled by Edwards and Somerset were all out for 249 off 44.2 overs.