All posts by csb10.top

In the last two years, it would seem that India have earmarked Umesh Yadav for long-form cricket. The 29-year old fast bowler has played 19 out of 24 Tests in this period, but only 21 of the 40 ODIs, and he might just prefer it that way.”The thing with ODIs is that there will always be games. I enjoy playing Tests more,” Umesh said at a press conference at his home ground in Nagpur. “You have time in a Test and there are situations and match simulations (in the preparations) to know how to respond to a situation. I like those challenges. I like that because it increases confidence and also makes a bowler more accurate. You know the line and length you need on a particular surface and you focus on that. I am more than happy to play as a Test bowler.”However, Umesh clarified that he was not quite ready to start picking and choosing formats. “Playing both Tests and ODIs is good and particularly for me, because I am at an age when the more cricket I play the better it is for me,” he said. “I don’t want to be at a stage where I am saying I don’t want to play this format or that, I want to keep going. I would love to play in all formats.”To a certain extent, India now have enough seamers of quality and variety that they can manage their workloads better without losing their potency as a team. At the start of the Bengaluru ODI, Australia captain Steven Smith rated Jasprit Bumrah and Bhuvneshwar Kumar as the world’s best death bowlers in 50-overs cricket. And over the course of a long home season in 2016-17, Mohammed Shami and Umesh won praise from their own captain, who said they were among the top five quicks in Test cricket.Separating them to play the respective formats they are good at seems not only the logical choice, but also helps the players function at peak fitness. “I think it’s good for the fast bowlers,” Umesh said. “If you continuously play Test cricket, it’s lot of load for fast bowler. Playing in sub-continent conditions is very tough. Slow wicket, no pace and bounce for fast bowlers, you have to give your 100 per cent. It’s very hard for the fast bowlers to come to one-day cricket with the same intensity [immediately afterwards]. It is better you get some rest. It also helps you recover from small niggles. It’s a good concept as we get proper rest and look after ourselves properly.”Umesh also felt that fast bowlers could not afford to become full-fledged Test or one-day specialists because of their fitness needs. “If you are playing a lot of Test cricket, say 15-20 Tests in a year, then you have to decide what to do. Because you can’t otherwise say I only want to play Tests – there are fewer Tests in the year, so what will you do the rest of the time?”It is important for a player’s body to have match practice. We say it’s good to keep practicing and everything will be fine, but that’s not the case. Until you don’t play matches, your physical form is not ideal and you don’t have that match-situation awareness. When you’re bowling in a match, you have to use your whole body and you know what lines you have to bowl. In the nets you do practice but at that time, you don’t really understand where the ball is going and what a situation is. There’s a big difference between bowling to batsmen on your team and the opposition’s batsmen.”So if there is a situation where we are playing four Tests against a team and then there are ODIs, I prefer playing Tests first. The way my body responds and how fit I am, then I will say I am ready. But there is no such thing for me that I will play only Tests or only ODIs. If you don’t accept all the challenges in cricket, then what are you a fast bowler for?”

In 2013, Australia played India in an ODI series before a home Ashes encounter – same again in 2017. In 2013, Australia’s coach Darren Lehmann skipped the tour in order to prepare for the England challenge – same again in 2017. In 2013, Mitchell Johnson played a key role as the ODI spearhead before flying home early to prepare for England – Pat Cummins is in that boat in 2017.Further strengthening the case for Cummins to be spared from full duty in India is the fact that both Josh Hazlewood and Mitchell Starc are currently recovering from injury in the hope that they will be fit to take part in a trio of Sheffield Shield matches that prelude the Ashes. Given his high pace and steep bounce, Cummins stands some chance of having the sort of impact Johnson did four years ago, provided he is well looked after. He has bowled 334.5 overs across formats in 2017, playing all four of Australia’s most recent Tests, and the IPL as well.David Saker, the assistant coach responsible for the pacemen who is deputising for Lehmann in India, did not shy away from the prospect of Cummins being rested at some point during the limited-overs series due to begin on September 17.”At this stage we’re planning for him to play all the games,” Saker said. “We’ll look at [resting him], it’s obviously been brought up between all of us. We know that his workloads are up there, but we know it’s an important series. It’s Australia v India, you don’t get any bigger than that. He’s really determined to play well over here. It’ll be game-by-game basis, we’ll play it by ear.”In discussing Hazlewood and Starc, Saker revealed there was uncertainty about exactly when the pair would be ready to play for New South Wales, with the former recuperating from a side strain while the latter is in the final stages of his own recovery from a foot problem that reared its head during the India Tests earlier this year.”We’re hoping they’ll be ready before the first Shield game or second Shield game and that will give them good preparation,” Saker said. “We’ve probably got a bit of a blessing that we’ve got three Shield games before the first Test of the Ashes and it’s probably as good a build-up as you’d want for an Ashes.”So in that sense as long as they’re ready to go by the first Test in Brisbane [on November 23] and ready to play and perform, I’ll be really happy. This time last year, we were in South Africa and it was the same thing, Hazlewood and Starc were rested for that tour. And they got through a really heavy workload in the summer, got through all the Tests. It’s not such a bad thing that they’re not here, as long as they’re ready to go for that first Test in Brisbane.”The bowlers subbing in during the ODI series in India are Nathan Coulter-Nile – himself an unused Ashes squad member in 2013-14 – and Kane Richardson. Other pace bowling options are provided by the allrounders James Faulkner and Marcus Stoinis, who are among the players in contention to occupy the No. 6 spot in the batting order during the Ashes.

Rangana Herath will be rested for the third Test at Pallekele after pulling up from the second Test with a stiff back. Two players will be further added to Sri Lanka’s squad to replace Herath and the already-injured Nuwan Pradeep.Though there is no injury to Herath as such, he has had a heavy workload over the past three weeks, in which he bowled 71.1 overs in the one-off Test against Zimbabwe, as well as a combined 91 overs in the two Tests against India. Considering his age, and the fact that Sri Lanka will have to play a Test series against Pakistan over the next two months, the selectors have made the decision to leave him out.”This is where our player management comes in, because we don’t want to break anyone,” SLC cricket manager Asanka Gurusinha said. “We made the call not to risk Herath because he’s also bowled close to 200 overs in the three Tests. That’s a lot for his body.” Herath also confirmed he will stay in Colombo and receive treatment, rather than traveling to Kandy with the team.Though he has had a modest series against India so far, Sri Lanka’s attack will nevertheless be significantly weaker in his absence. He was the best of their bowlers at the SSC, taking 4 for 154, and had also taken 11 wickets in the difficult victory against Zimbabwe at Khettarama. Dilruwan Perera will now be the senior spinner, with left-arm spinner Malinda Pushpakumara and left-arm wristspinner Lakshan Sandakan also in the squad.Herath is the fourth Sri Lanka player to become unavailable during the India series, after both Asela Gunaratne and Pradeep picked up injuries in the first and second Tests respectively, and Suranga Lakmal was ruled out by a back complaint. Herath is not in the habit of missing Tests, however. The last Sri Lanka match he missed had come more than two years ago – against Pakistan in July 2015 – and that was because he was dropped from the XI. The last Test for which he was unavailable was the 2014 Boxing Day Test against New Zealand in Christchurch, when he was nursing a leg injury, and also attended the birth of his second child.The Pallekele Test is scheduled to begin from August 12. It is, however, a dead rubber, with India having already won the series 2-0.

Former Test batsman Rob Quiney has announced his retirement from first-class cricket after he was not offered a Victoria contract for 2017-18.Quiney, 35, played two Tests against South Africa in 2012-13 and was a fixture of Victoria’s squad over the past decade, winning five Sheffield Shield titles with the Bushrangers in 2009, 2010, 2015, 2016 and 2017. He will leave the game with 5674 runs at an average of 36.84 from 96 first-class appearances.Quiney’s retirement came as Victoria revamped their contract list for next summer, also losing captain Matthew Wade to Tasmania and allrounder Marcus Stoinis to Western Australia. Left-arm spinner Michael Beer, who is also a former Test cricketer, was not offered a new contract, while Evan Gulbis and Ian Holland were also omitted.As expected, Peter Handscomb was confirmed as the state’s new captain, replacing Wade. Young batsmen Will Pucovski and Blake Thomson were handed full contracts, along with wicketkeeper Sam Harper and fast bowler Xavier Crone. Rookie deals were given to fast bowlers Mitch Perry and Zak Evans, as well as Will Sutherland, the son of Cricket Australia CEO James Sutherland.”Although we’ve lost some senior experience for this season, we’re fortunate to have a number of our younger players having gained valuable experience over the last two years and they know what it takes to be successful at first-class level,” Shaun Graf, Cricket Victoria’s general manager of cricket, said.”Add young stars Will Pucovski and Will Sutherland to that mix and it’s an exciting time for Victorian cricket – it’s hard to think of a time when we’ve been in a stronger, more successful position in the state’s history.”Graf said Quiney had been a significant contributor to Victoria over the past decade.”Rob Quiney has been a tremendous figure in Victorian cricket throughout his highly decorated career,” Graf said. “He embodies all of Victoria’s values and it’s a testament to his skill and character that he’s been able to achieve so much success as a player, particularly playing in our five most recent Sheffield Shield titles including the three-peat.”Quiney won consecutive Bill Lawry Medals as Victoria’s Shield player of the year in 2010-11 and 2011-12, and a Dean Jones Medal as the state’s one-day player of the year in 2011-12. In 2012, he was also named the State Player of the Year at the Allan Border Medal night.He won his call-up to Test cricket in November 2012, when he replaced the injured Shane Watson for the first Test against South Africa at the Gabba. He made 9 in his only innings and retained his place for the second Test in Adelaide, but was axed after completing a pair in that match.Victoria squad Fawad Ahmed, Scott Boland, Daniel Christian, Jackson Coleman, Xavier Crone, Travis Dean, Aaron Finch (Cricket Australia contract), Sebastian Gotch, Peter Handscomb (capt, CA contract), Sam Harper, Marcus Harris, John Hastings, Jon Holland, Glenn Maxwell (CA contract), James Muirhead, James Pattinson (CA contract), Will Pucovski, Jake Reed, Matthew Short, Peter Siddle, Blake Thomson, Chris Tremain, Guy Walker, Cameron White. Rookies Zak Evans, Sam Grimwade, Jackson Koop, Tom O’Donnell, Mitch Perry, Will Sutherland.

Scorecard and ball-by-ball detailsSarah Taylor helped England nudge ahead early in their chase•Getty Images

England progressed to their fifth World Cup final but not before South Africa gave them a mighty scare in Bristol. England nearly paid the price for switching off. A cruise when Sarah Taylor and Heather Knight were at the crease turned into a full-blown collapse when they lost three wickets – one of those to a brilliant run-out and another to a rank full toss – in the space of eleven deliveries. At 149 for 5, chasing 219, it was game on.But England dug deep to find a way out. Fran Wilson and Jenny Gunn exhibited England’s batting depth to take them within six runs of victory. Wilson showed tremendous guts – none more than her scoop to a full ball over short third man off Shabnim Ismail with England needing 40 off 38 – to make 30, before falling in the 48th over.It should have been easily from there on, but pressure can do strange things. South Africa were taking every step to make Nelson Mandela Day a memorable one. The game hinged on a knife’s edge as it went into the final over, off which England needed three. Ismail, entrusted with the responsibility of trying to polish off the last three wickets, put down a sharp chance off the first ball to reprieve Gunn. Nerves were jangling. Then with two needed off four, she foxed Laura Marsh with a slower ball. The England players were on tenterhooks now.South Africa needed two wickets. Anya Shrubsole, hardly needed to bat in the tournament, was on strike. She saw width and flayed it through point to bring up the winning runs, runs that were like a dagger through South Africa’s hearts as another World Cup dream crashing down to leave them heart-broken even as a jubilant England side extended an arm of support to the wounded soldiers.If South Africa were to reflect on the heart-wrenching loss, as they would in all likelihood, they’d perhaps rue letting England drift away when Taylor whipped, scooped and flicked her way to a half-century. Up until then, they had managed to pull things back courtesy Ayabongo Khaka’s 10-over spell which yielded two wickets, including that of Tammy Beaumont, the highest run-getter in the tournament.But Taylor’s 78-run stand with Knight had a deflating effect. They also didn’t help matters early in the chase by being a little off-colour on the field. Trisha Chetty, the record-holder for most dismissals in women’s ODIs, had a particularly bad day, fluffing two opportunities along with a number of fumbles to leak runs.All of this meant South Africa had no control over proceedings until Dane van Niekerk brought them back with an inspirational effort – a one-handed pick up at cover to run Taylor out with a direct hit at the striker’s end in the 33rd over. They weren’t the same side from there on. Laura Wolvaardt’s acrobatic effort at square leg off a full toss sent Knight back. When Natalie Sciver was bowled around her legs by Sune Luus, South Africa’s hopes brightened.The tournament’s best batting line-up was seriously being challenged by a gun attack. But England had a Gunn in their ranks too, and she biffed two boundaries off the 47th over to bring the equation to under a run-a-ball, shortly after Mosaline Daniels removed Katherine Brunt. But at the end, South Africa were left to rue a lower-order collapse of their own, which left them at least 30 short of what they should’ve got.Wolvaardt and Mignon du Preez struck half-centuries, and together they put on 77 for the third wicket, to set South Africa for a tilt at 250, but they never gained momentum. Once Wolvaardt fell, England simply didn’t let the middle and lower order get away on a slow surface where manufacturing shots wasn’t easy.Yet, Wolvaardt’s control of her batting stood out when runs were hard to come by. She batted with the maturity of a veteran, who knew how to make up for the slow start. At the other end, du Preez improvised, often manufacturing strokes by walking across or using the depth of the crease to either flick or cut and pull.But the first sign of growing comfort resulted in Knight introducing spin. It was a sign that they’d done their homework. Laura Marsh and Alex Hartley tied the runs down in the middle overs, before Knight reaped the reward in her first over when Wolvaardt was out bowled trying to cut a skiddy delivery. Three balls later, a mix-up led to Marizanne Kapp’s run out.South Africa’s last roll of the dice at 250 were Van Niekerk and Chloe Tryon, who replaced Masabata Klaas, only because they needed the middle-order muscle. When she chipped a simple return catch off her third delivery, South Africa’s innings had quickly descended into free fall. It needed a pugnacious unbeaten 76 from du Preez to give them a fighting chance, but it wasn’t quite enough.

Match facts

Delhi Daredevils v Rising Pune Supergiant
New Delhi, May 12, 2017
Start time 2000 local (1430 GMT)3:41

Hogg: Zampa can match Tahir on economy, not wickets

Head to head

Rising Pune Supergiant lead 2-1, with both their wins coming last season. In their first exchange this season, Delhi Daredevils were powered by a maiden T20 hundred from Sanju Samson and a blistering unbeaten 38, off just nine balls, from Chris Morris that helped them win by 97 runs after scoring 205.

Form guide

Delhi Daredevils (sixth): beat Gujarat Lions by two wickets, lost to Mumbai Indians by 146 runs, beat Gujarat Lions by seven wickets
Rising Pune Supergiant (third): beat Sunrisers Hyderabad by 12 runs, beat Kolkata Knight Riders by four wickets, beat Gujarat Lions by five wickets

In the news

Pune will be without Imran Tahir and Faf du Plessis. The pair left for a preparatory camp in South Africa ahead of a limited-overs series in England before the Champions Trophy. Adam Zampa, the Australia legspinner, is likely to slot in for Tahir.Daredevils have a quick turnaround of little under 48 hours since their game against Gujarat Lions. Already without Kagiso Rabada, Chris Morris and Angelo Mathews, who have left for national duty, they are unlikely to tweak their XI barring injuries.

Qualification scenario

Pune are on 16 points, but aren’t entirely safe because of an inferior net run rate. They need to win at least one of their two remaining games to guarantee qualification to the playoffs. Should they lose both, and Kings XI Punjab and Sunrisers win their remaining matches, Pune will be knocked out. Unless Kolkata Knight Riders lose their final game, Pune will need to win both their remaining games to finish in a coveted top-two spot.

The likely XIs

Delhi Daredevils: 1 Sanju Samson, 2 Karun Nair, 3 Shreyas Iyer, 4 Rishabh Pant (wk), 5 Marlon Samuels, 6 Corey Anderson, 7 Carlos Brathwaite, 8 Pat Cummins, 9 Mohammed Shami/Shahbaz Nadeem, 10 Amit Mishra, 11 Zaheer Khan (capt)Rising Pune Supergiant: 1 Rahul Tripathi, 2 Ajinkya Rahane, 3 Steven Smith (capt), 4 Manoj Tiwary, 5 MS Dhoni (wk), 6 Ben Stokes, 7 Dan Christian, 8 Washington Sundar, 9 Shardul Thakur, 10 Jaydev Unadkat, 11 Adam Zampa

Strategy punt

Zampa has dismissed Samson twice in the two games he has played against Daredevils. Considering Samson’s strike rate drops to the 130s against spin as compared to 150 against pace, there’s perhaps a case of Pune opening with Zampa or even Washington Sundar, the offspinner.

Stats that matter

• Rahul Tripathi is the second-highest scorer in the Powerplays this season, just 12 runs behind David Warner’s tally of 264 runs. Tripathi has been striking at 170.27 in the first six overs.
• Among the 26 seamers who have bowled 20 or more overs this season, only two – Andrew Tye and Bhuvneshwar Kumar – have better economy rates than Christian’s 7.25.
• Prior to the ongoing season, Amit Mishra has an economy of 7.23. This season he has conceded 8.57 runs an over, his second-worst since 2014 when he went at 8.92.
• Daredevils are among three teams who have taken 66 wickets, the fewest this season. Their economy of 8.77 is the second-worst among all teams in IPL 2017.
• Tahir is he second-highest wicket-taker this season with 18 wickets at 20.50. He has bowled 47 overs in 12 games. Only Rashid Khan and Bhuvneshwar Kumar have bowled more overs. Zampa, who could replace Tahir, has played just two games this season.

Tickets for the Perth Ashes Test will not go on sale at the same time as those for all other venues as uncertainty continues to swirl around the status of the city’s new all-purpose stadium.A decision on whether the stadium will be able to host the third Test between Australia and England in December is expected to be announced in mid-May, after tickets begin to go on sale on May 1 for Australian Cricket Family members, before the general public sale on May 8.While announcing the Ashes fixture last year, Cricket Australia had announced Perth would host the third Test between December 14 and 18 but did not specify a venue.The 60,000-seater Perth Stadium in Burswood is a multi-purpose venue with drop-in pitches used for cricket. Plans to build the new stadium were announced in 2011 with its scheduled completion in early 2018.In September 2015, the Western Australia Cricket Association had announced that international fixtures against England, South Africa and India from the 2018-19 season would be played at the new Perth Stadium, with the WACA Ground being adapted into a boutique venue for hosting smaller countries. Sheffield Shield cricket and domestic limited-overs games would also continue to be played at the WACA Ground, while the Big Bash League games would be played at the new facility.The prospects of the Perth Stadium hosting an Ashes Test will also be affected by the delay in a public transport infrastructure project: a footbridge for use of spectators at the venue will reportedly only be completed later this year, many months behind schedule.Last week WACA announced that the stadium’s drop-in pitches had been successfully moved from their preparation grounds at Gloucester Park to the site where they will be tended to outside the new venue. However, the WACA chief executive Christina Matthews did not indicate whether the stadium was on course for an Ashes Test.”This is an exciting milestone and I congratulate all involved in reaching this stage, in particular our Turf Team, led by Head Curator Matthew Page,” she said. “The achievements to-date on the production of the wickets have been significant and the next phase will be even more so.”I have absolute faith that we have the best people possible involved in this project and we continue to expect that we will be able to produce a wicket that provides WA cricket and the wider community with as entertaining a game as possible.”Two former officials of Cricket Australia, Mike McKenna and Chris Loftus-Hills, are overseeing the development of cricket facilities at the new stadium. McKenna, CA’s former operations chief, accepted the role of chief executive of the Burswood stadium in September last year. Two months later, Loftus-Hill joined the team, having worked in collaboration with the Western Australia government and builders to prepare cricket facilities, including drop-in pitches, at the venue.

Krunal Pandya’s all-round performance – a three-for coupled with a half-century – set up an emphatic seven-wicket victory for Baroda against Karnataka in the first quarter-final at the Feroz Shah Kotla.Chasing 234, Pandya struck a 79-ball 70 after Baroda’s Kedar Devdhar and Aditya Waghmode replicated Karnataka’s opening stand of 64 runs. Waghmode’s dismissal in the 15th over preceded a solid 92-run partnership between Devdhar and Pandya for the second wicket, that took their side to 156 within 33 overs. While Devdhar struck six fours and two sixes in his 98-ball 78, Pandya’s knock – studded with five fours and a six – guided Baroda past 200 and took him among the top five run-scorers in the tournament, with 336 runs from seven matches. Pandya had put on 47 for the third wicket with Deepak Hooda, who made a brisk 34* to overhaul the target, alongside Yusuf Pathan (10*) – with 25 balls to spare.Earlier, Baroda’s decision to field was vindicated by Pandya’s returns of 3 for 32, as his left-arm orthodox undid Ravikumar Samarth (44), before accounting for J Suchith and Aniruddha Joshi, who fell for 18 each. Despite four of their top five batsmen – including Robin Uthappa (24) and Mayank Agarwal (40) – scoring over 20, Karnataka only managed 233 in 48.5 overs, as three run-outs and a middle-overs stutter were followed by them losing their last four wickets for 18 runs. Pavan Deshpande top-scored with 54, but his run-out in the 35th over meant the remaining six partnerships could only add another 63 runs before they were bowled out.A combined bowling effort and a score of 85 from opener GS Raju steered Tamil Nadu in the semi-finals with a five-wicket win over Gujarat in Delhi. Once Gujarat were bowled out for 211, TN reached their target with 46 balls to spare.Gujarat could not capitalise on their decision to bat as left-arm spinner Rahil Shah removed two of the top three batsmen even though Samit Gohel fought with a patient 39 till the 21st over. Two quick wickets from Vijay Shankar, trapping Het Patel and Chirag Gandhi lbw, meant Gujarat slipped to 110 for 5 with over 20 overs left. No. 4 Rujul Bhatt, however, resisted with a brisk half-century and chaperoned the tail to ensure Gujarat batted till the last over. His unbeaten 83 off 98 balls, with five fours and two sixes, survived spells from RS Kishore (2 for 35) and Shah (2 for 34) as Shankar ended with 3 for 48 from his 10 overs, his best List A figures.TN’s chase was led by Raju who stitched partnerships of 62, 63 and 42 for the top three stands with Kaushik Gandhi (18), B Aparajith (34) and Dinesh Karthik (21). Once Raju fell for a 95-ball 85 in the 32nd over, TN were only 45 away and sealed the win in the 43rd over, although after losing two more wickets.

Keaton Jennings has signed a new four-year deal to remain at Durham. Jennings, who had been out of contract at the end of the season, had emerged as a target of several rival clubs with Warwickshire having held talks with him in recent days and seeing him as a potential leader of their side.But, despite their well-documented financial pressures, Durham have been able to hang on to Jennings and have now secured him on a long-term deal. He has stood-in as captain in recent days and looks a potential club captain of the near future.Despite being born in Johannesburg, Jennings emerged through the Durham academy and made his first team debut for the club in 2012. A solid, patient, top-order batsman, he is currently the top run-scorer in the top division of the County Championship and has emerged as a valuable medium-pace bowler in limited-overs cricket. Aged just 24, he has the bulk of his career ahead of him.”Durham has afforded me the opportunity over the past few years to learn the trade and start to build a career and I am grateful for their support,” Jennings said. “As a team, we have an exciting future ahead in search of the same success that we experienced in 2013 and 2014. It’s a privilege to be part of this environment and I’m looking forward to adding value where possible.”The singing will come as a considerable relief to Durham. Already resigned to losing Mark Stoneman to Surrey, there have been fears that the club could lose several other top players to rival clubs as money troubles inhibit their ability to pay comparable wages. But news of Jenning’s new contract will boost hopes they can also retain the services of Scott Borthwick and Mark Wood.The news will be a setback to Warwickshire, though. Having lost the service of Varun Chopra, who has announced he is returning to Essex at the end of the season, the club were hoping to sign a replacement top-order batsman with many years in front of him. Jennings fitted the bill perfectly.

ScorecardRoss Taylor has made a big impact at Sussex [file picture]•Getty Images

New Zealand Test batsman Ross Taylor proved an immovable rock at the Nevill Ground hitting an unbeaten 142 as Sussex were dismissed for 333 on a day of cut and thrust under the sun.Kent will go into the final day of this Specsavers County Championship clash holding a 242-run lead and with the option to enforce the follow-on and push for their third win of the Division Two campaign.But it was the former Blackcaps Test skipper, Taylor, who batted a shade under six hours on the hottest day of the year, who made Kent work hardest. In praise of his team-mate’s work ethic, Sussex opener Chris Nash, said: “Ross has been brilliant for us in all formats. He’s won three T20s for us off his own back and in four-day cricket he’s shown tremendous application.”He leaves us at the end of the week to go off for a Test series with South Africa and it’s perfect timing for him that he goes with a 140 under his belt. We’re chuffed to bits for him and we all hope he’ll come back to Sussex at some time soon.”As for his early morning battle with Kent’s South Africa paceman Kagiso Rabada, who looks set to extend his battle with Taylor in the Test arena later in the month, Nash added: “He tested us all with the new ball, hit good areas and extracted everything he could out of the new ball and a pretty dead pitch.”When he’s been on he’s been very threatening. He was fast with the new ball and then, when he came back with the older ball, he got that reversing. It was really good fun to try and get through it. It really gets your beans going, because you realise you are facing one of the top young bowlers in the world. On a quick wicket he’d be really hard work.”Rabada, who bagged three for 81 on the fairly lifeless Nevill pitch, said: “A lot of the guys are exhausted, that was a hot day wherever you might be in the world. We fought very hard and tomorrow we’ll be looking to finish these guys off. There’s a bit of turn for the spinners, and some footmarks, so hopefully they can create problems.”This has been a magnificent effort by the team and everyone bowled well today and played their part. We’re giving it our best shot and even though some complained about the heat, it was all in good spirits, it was all banter. When we have to do the business and execute our skills we will and hopefully we can come out tomorrow fully rested and blow them away.”Taylor teamed up with England T20 star Luke Wright to add 114 in 34 overs either side of lunch before Rabada broke the stand with the second new ball. Swishing outside off stump and on the back-foot, Wright edged to Kent’s stand-in keeper Callum Jackson to make it 219 for four.Ben Brown sidled out but, with his score on five, proffered no shot to a Rabada length-ball to go leg before and give the 21-year-old his third wicket.Just before a delayed tea, Chris Jordan (7) lent back aiming to force one from Darren Stevens through the covers only to edge to James Tredwell at second slip.Six wickets down at tea, Sussex did their utmost to bat out the session, losing their last man in the final over of the day. Will Beer was run out by a direct hit by Stevens from mid-off and, after taking a fearful blow on the helmet from a Rabada bouncer, Danny Briggs was caught behind off James Tredwell who, together with Imran Qayyum, polished off the innings with lbw decisions.Having resumed on their overnight total of 69 for one – a first innings deficit of 506 – Sussex suffered their first casualty of the day after half-an-hour when Nash fell for 55.Moments after posting a 128-ball 50 with nine fours, the veteran right-hander was pinned on the back foot by a Rabada off-cutter that appeared to keep low. Indian umpire Virendra Sharma, officiating in the game as part of an ECB exchange scheme, duly raised his finger for the first time in the match.Rabada was rested after a morning stint of 5-3-7-1 and replaced at The Pavilion End at The Nevill Ground by Mitch Claydon. He struck in the 51st over to remove Luke Wells for 22. Looking to square drive, the youngster found a thick inside edge to drag the ball onto his own leg stump.